Dear fellow parent:

A LOT of parents we talk to are overwhelmed and you-know-whatting a brick over whether their child can even get into a decent college, in today's upside down, turbulent times. 

Acceptance rates to what used to be called "Safety Schools" have plummeted lower than the latest presidential approval rating.

And Ivy League colleges regularly reject valedictorians with perfect SATs and who single-handedly built a village in a Third World Country over summer break.

What does it take to "crack the code" of acceptance into America's top colleges?  I cover that in the video on this page.

However, if you're interested in chatting with our about whether our programs are right for you, let me warn you:

Our approach to college planning is different than the typical guidance counselor's advice, different than other college advisors, and may in fact be contradictory to what you've heard from them, other parents or read on the Internet.

Our proprietary "P4" system is really a backward approach to creating a college plan, integrating four separate disciplines.  We're the only game in town when it comes to this approach - to our knowledge, no public high school guidance counselor, private school advisor or any other college planner addresses the following critical elements in a comprehensive, integrated way.

That means we're not right for everybody.

Here's how we approach advising, in a proprietary, four step system called "P4,"  created from 20+ years of college consulting experience:

1. Plan. First, we explore your child's "wiring" and what that translates into in terms of where they can fit into the world AND make a living (i.e. getting off Mom and Dad's payroll. :).  Failure to do this could result in the 6 Year Plan or worse, graduating college with a worthless degree.

2. Path. Immediately thereafter, we build a strategic and balanced college list that includes schools that are highly reputable across the cluster of best fit majors and careers, as well as "best fit" for other, more traditional college planning considerations.

3. Position. The next component is optimizing each student's college application by reverse engineering what will resonate with admissions officers.  This involves uncovering the unique qualities of each child to position them to stand from thousands of competitor-applicants.  We start as early as 9th grade, and focus on resume-building, academic profile, essay writing, test prep and tutoring, college visits, interviews,  and more.  Oh, and we hold your child accountable each step of the way, so you don't have to threaten them or double your blood pressure meds. :)

4. Produce.  The last step involves scholarships, financial aid advice and forms preparation, and creative funding strategies that frequently involve tax-related advice for high earning business owners. We are experts at negotiating scholarship and financial aid awards, also.

The customary charge for a College Strategy Session is $749, but yours is gratis  because you attended one of our presentations.

College Advising Fees and Return on Investment

I won't beat around the bush, we're not an el-cheapo operation.  But the investment to work with us is commensurate with the value we provide in terms of scholarships and financial aid we're able to help clients obtain...

...not to mention clarity about which colleges to apply to, what to write on essays and applications, which courses and extracurricular activities to pursue, college visits and interviews, holding your child accountable through the entire process so you don't have to scream at them and similar concerns and more...

...which ALL equates to a huge reduction of uncertainty and stress that, frankly, is impossible to quantify.

Andy takes on 24 select students per graduation class and his capacity fills up earlier each year.   Our associate college advisors have more availability.

Current college advisory fees start at $3,500, focusing on financial aid consulting, and can be  $12,000-30,000 for college advising, or more (subject to change, without notice). 

The range depends on when families start to work with us, whether enrolled in our comprehensive college advisory program (above), if they work with Andy privately or one of our associate college advisors (supervised by Andy) and other factors.

Lockwood College Prep also offers standalone SAT and ACT prep.

NOTE:  because we are a 'boutique" firm with limited capacity to work 1-on-1 with families, we are extremely choosy about whom we work with.  If we sense that a child or parent will not be a good fit (e.g. easy to work with), we will politely inform them so and conclude the call, no hassles or hard feelings.

However, if we both decide that it's appropriate to discuss these details on your call, you'll get everything you need -- including pricing, deliverables and MUTUAL expectations --  to make a decision about working with us.

Years of Rave Reviews for Lockwood College Prep