We believe in simplifying the process.
Why Choose the College Ready Plan?
Want your child to get into the best colleges with scholarships so that they graduate with little or no debt? Want to know what it takes? The College Ready approach is unique in the world of college admissions counseling in that it takes into account both the student AND the parents. Our procedures have gotten over 900 students accepted at more than 165 colleges and universities.
Watch this video to learn how Shellee’s strategy to get her son into Harvard can work for your son or daughter.
As the parent of a high school student helping their son or daughter through the college application process, you know there’s a lot at stake. You’re under tons of pressure to give your child their very best chance at getting those acceptance letters at the schools they want. There are already so many details to take care of, and you know there must be insider secrets that you can’t afford to miss.
Do you find the tasks of the college admissions process daunting and overwhelming?
I’m Shellee Howard, and I am the founder and CEO of College Ready, a leading college admissions consulting company. I’m here to reassure you that once you and your child have a strategic plan in place, you can minimize the stress and concentrate on the critical things you need to do to make your application stand out.
At College Ready, our proven strategies and techniques came from our real-life experience with our own children.
I often get asked how did my son get into Harvard and graduate debt-free? How did my daughter get into University of Alabama and California Baptist University and also have no debt when she graduated?
My son now is an orthopedic surgeon with no debt, and my daughter is a registered nurse without any debt.
How did we do it? It all came down to knowing what to do and putting together a strategic plan to get it done. It worked for us and can work for you.
The College Ready Plan can take away the overwhelm and give your college-bound child a clear path to follow.
If this sounds like something you want for your family, schedule a complimentary Discovery Call with us. We’ll speak with you and your child and assess where you are in the process and advise you on next steps.
You can also learn more by visiting the rest of our website. You’ll find many helpful college application tips on the site. The College Ready Blog posts and College Ready Podcast episodes can you give a unique advantage as a college applicant, so be sure to check the content out.
Students From College Ready Families Have Been Accepted At These Fine Colleges.
Your Student Can Too, And Often With Big Scholarships And Grants!
You and your high school student get big results when working with our college admission counselors.
The numbers prove it. Working one-on-one with your own private college admissions consultant makes all the difference. Both student and parents benefit greatly from our proven college application strategies and personalized strategic plan.
Higher admission rates
Compared to average college admission rates, our families & their students enjoy 5x higher admission rates!
Number of private clients served
At College Ready, we’ve faithfully served over 900 wonderful, talented, and deserving students.
Ivy League School placements
Over 110 of our college placements at College Ready have been at Ivy League universities.
Millions of dollars in merit aid received
Our students have been awarded $23+ million for academic, athletic, artistic, or special-interest merit.
% Completion of passion projects
With our guidance, 100% of College Ready students have completed a Passion with a Purpose project.
College Application Consultants Bring High Return On Investment
★★★★★
“This the second college counselor that we worked with and College Ready was by far the BEST! What was so helpful was that Shellee actually gave us some really great school options that we would never have thought of for our son. She told us what schools he could get scholarships from and she was 100% correct. Shellee was amazing in helping with the applications, essays and follow up. We are so happy with them that we have our daughter starting to work with them next!”
Amber G., Parent
★★★★★
“Shellee is an excellent College Consultant. She gave me the guidance needed to pick the best university based on my interests and academic fit that made the best financial sense. She always made me feel like I was her priority and was always happy to help. Her team held me accountable and made sure that I did not miss any deadlines. College Ready is the reason I will graduate debt-free from college with a major I love! I can’t wait to see how she helps my sister!”
Myra B., College Student
★★★★★
“The team at College Ready is so awesome! I started with them my Freshman year of high school and just signed my acceptance letter to Stanford! I still feel like I am dreaming. The process was made much easier by just following their strategy. If I had a question, I would just send a text. The essay editing team and application team were incredible and I could not have been as successful without them. If I stick to our plan, I will graduate in 4 years debt-free! I will forever be grateful.”
Juliette R., Student
College Ready FAQs About Applying To College
Why choose College Ready as our college admissions consultant?
Taken as a whole, the college application process is not easy. Anyone telling you about magic bullets should not be taken seriously. The successful college selection, application, and acceptance journey is complicated and must be viewed strategically. You and your child must be thinking several moves ahead. Your child’s future is important, so what you do NOW is critical. We know how stressful and exhausting college applications can be. Our goal is to put together the perfect strategic plan for your student. We offer you the knowledge and skills of experienced college admission professionals. We have personally gone through this process ourselves with our children and can appreciate what you are about to experience. We are dedicated to supporting you and your child, your spouse, and your entire family.
How can College Ready help my student get into college?
Yes, your student is very important to us! We want to know your child and what makes them special so that we can help present that “special sauce” to the colleges and universities of your dreams. We spend hours with your student and family getting to the heart of his or her personality, interests, qualifications, and aspirations. What are their strengths and opportunity areas? What are their passions, favorite classes and learning styles? Showcasing these qualities, we select a range of carefully selected target schools that will get them into the college of their dreams. We believe it is not only about being accepted to the schools you submit applications to. More importantly, it’s about thriving at the institution that is the right fit for your child. Like you, we want them to thrive!
How are college consultants better than guidance counselors when it comes to getting into college?
Unfortunately, today’s economic environment means that your son or daughter really isn’t getting the attention they deserve at their high school. This is particularly true when it comes to guidance counselors. Did you know that the national average for high school grades 9-12 ranges from 204 students to 1 counselor on the low side to 243:1 on the high? And that’s the average range. So, depending on where you are located, the actual figures could be much more. Check out the statistics at the National Center for Education Statistics at their website at https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/. Beyond that appalling statistic, the question is how much specific training do they receive in terms of the college application process? Are they operating off of old, out-of-date procedures? Can they compare with professional college applications consultants and counselors that are paid for their up-to-date knowledge, inside information and current best practices on college applications, acceptance rates and scholarship knowledge?
Will College Ready provide personal attention during the college application process?
The shocking truth is that students spend more time in one session with a College Ready Admissions Consultant than the average student spends with their high school counselor in 4 years! Each meeting, we encourage at least one parent to be present. Our goal is to create a strong team! We will make recommendations but ultimately, it is a family decision. Once a students signs up with us, they are considered part of the College Ready family for life. Our business grows based on our client’s referrals. Book a complimentary Discovery Call with us to learn more.
How can College Ready help with Strategic Positioning during the college application process?
Strategic positioning is basically the answer to the question of “What makes your student unique or valuable to a University?” Putting together a student’s positioning requires time, and considerable thought. We can just come up with something generic, but if it isn’t authentic and real for your child, it simply won’t work. Our plan has many facets to it. We work thoroughly with your student and create a custom plan to show how they are unique and would be a valuable asset to the college they ultimately choose.
Is our College Ready consultant available to support the student and parents through the college prep process?
We are available to your whole family. Your student is our focus, and your family’s support is important. Managing stress is a key component of developing persuasive applications. We are dedicated to taking away the overwhelm and to making the college journey as stress-free as possible. It will help you to know that we are always available to you and your child. You will have a direct line to us. Call, email, text or Skype us when you have a question or need support. We are here when you need us the most!
Which colleges has College Ready placed students?
We have successfully placed our students at the finest colleges and universities, often with the big scholarships that enable our students to graduate debt-free!
Our schools presently number over 166+ and include:
- American University
- Arizona State University
- Auburn University
- Azusa Pacific U
- Babson College
- Baylor U
- Biola U
- Bowling Green State U
- Boston Collage
- Boston U
- Brown
- Cal Baptist
- Cal Maritime Academy
- Cal Poly Pomona
- Cal Ploy SLO
- CALTECH
- Carroll College
- Central Michigan U
- Chapman U
- Claremont McKenna
- Clemson
- College of William & Mary
- Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado State
- Columbia
- Concordia
- Cornell
- CSU Bakersfield
- CSU Channel Islands
- CSU Chico
- CSU East Bay
- CSU Fullerton
- CSU Long Beach
- CSU Monterey Bay
- CSU Sacramento
- CSU San Bernardino
- CSU San Marcos
- CSU Sonoma
- CSU Stanislaus
- Dartmouth
- DePaul U
- Drexel
- Duquesne U
- Duke
- Elon
- Emerson College
- Florida Atlantic
- Florida Tech
- Fordham U
- George Fox U
- Georgetown
- George Tech
- Gonzaga U
- Gordon College
- Grand Canyon
- Harvard college
- Harvey Mudd
- Houston Baptist
- Illinois Tech
- Kansas U
- Kettering U
- Lewis & Clark College
- Louisiana State U
- Loyola Marymount
- Loyola University New Orleans
- Madison University
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
- McGill U
- McKendree U
- Menlo College
- MIT
- New Mexico School of Mines
- New York U
- Northeastern U
- Northern Arizona U
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
- Oregon State
- Pepperdine
- Pitzer
- Point Loma
- Portland State
- Princeton
- Purdue
- Reed College
- Regents University
- Regents U (London)
- Rensselaer Polytechnic
- Rice
- Rocky Mtn College Of Art
- Rose Hulman Tech
- San Diego State
- San Francisco State
- San Jose State
- Santa Clara u
- Scripps College
- Seattle U
- Soka U
- Sonoma State U
- Southern Adventist U
- Southern Methodist U
- St. John’s U
- St. Mary’s College
- Stanford U
- Swarthmore
- Texas A&M
- Texas Christian U
- The George Washington U
- Trinity University
- Tulane
- U of Alabama
- U of Arizona
- U of Cincinnati
- U of Colorado – Boulder
- U of Colorado – Denver
- U of Connecticut
- U of Hawaii
- U of Illinois
- U of Iowa
- U of Kentucky
- U of Miami
- U of Michigan
- U of Minnesota Twin
- U of Mississippi
- U of Nebraska
- U of NC, Chapel Hill
- U of Notre Dame
- U of Oklahoma
- U of Oregon
- U of Pacific
- U of Pittsburg
- U of Penn
- U of Portland
- U of Redlands
- U of Richmond
- U of San Diego
- U of San Francisco
- U of Tennessee
- U of Texas Austin
- U of Texas Dallas
- U of Tulsa
- U of Utah
- U of Virginia
- UC Berkeley
- UC Davis
- UC Irvine
- UC Los Angeles
- UC Merced
- UC Riverside
- UC San Diego
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Santa Cruz
- US Coast Guard Academy
- Us Military Academy Westpoint
- US Naval Academy
- USC
- Vanderbilt
- Villanova
- Virginia Tech
- Washington & Lee
- Washington College
- Washington University St. Louis
- Western Oregon
- Westminister
- Westmont
- Whittier College
- Williams Woods U
- Xavier U
- Yale
- And more!!
Book Your Free Discovery Call Today With A College Admissions Consultant
We Take Away The College Application Overwhelm And Get You Accepted By Your Target Colleges!
Our strategic plans for the College Application Process work! We are delighted to report that we've placed our students at over 166 colleges, often with big scholarships and grants. Credit, of course, always goes first to the hard-working students and their supportive families! We're proud to guide you through your college admission journey as part of your team.