Within the scope of a particular service that we, as education consultants, are providing, we need to be flexible and add as much value as we can to a particular student, situation, and their family. This means that how a service unfolds for one family might unfold completely differently for another.
I recently worked with a family whose child was attending a foreign university and who wanted to spend a year at a U.S. university before heading back to his home institution to finish his degree. He had missed the deadlines to apply for his university’s year abroad and exchange programs and wanted to attend a college that offered courses that would transfer back to his university at home.
A tall order and certainly not a conventional College Comprehensive case, but ultimately, I was able to find programs at comparably prestigious institutions that would allow this and even allow him to earn credits before going back to finish at his home country university.
The family had not even considered this type of program. In fact, they did not know that such options for their son even existed, but I was able to guide them to what seems like a perfect match.
Getting to really know and understand each student and circumstance is a crucial part of my job. By chatting in depth during the initial call with the student, meeting as much as needed (often once or twice a week), and listening really carefully, I can identify what they want and need even before they do, even identifying possibilities that they do not know exist. Cases may start as one thing, on one track, and evolve into something else—for example, a student who didn’t want to do anything ‘academic’ ended up at a community college, earning an associate degree in a program she loved, and that will help her get a job.
Some cases may take a short time (as in the anecdote above, where the family came to me late in the game and the student only had a couple of weeks until the deadline), while others come to me early and I might stay with a student for an entire year.
While each case might look different as we work through it, in all cases, I provide the support that the particular child and their family need, ultimately coming up with the best possible pathway for the child.
As a consultant, I have to be flexible, open-minded, knowledgeable, a good listener and communicator, sensitive, empathetic, have a good rapport with young people, and enjoy them so that they are comfortable having me along on their personal ride.
A good sense of humor often comes in handy, too.
Please visit Bennet College Consulting to find out more about our college services.
Emma Hoffman is an experienced Bennett consultant who currently lives outside of Philadelphia. She is a true TCK (Third Culture Kid) and has lived all over the world. Her experiences as a student in many different countries, an educator, and a parent bring a great deal of empathy and knowledge to each family she works with.
Emma also has a fantastic sense of humor, which is always helpful when working with families and students!
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Bennett International Education Consultancy works directly with hundreds of families each year across the globe. We support families by helping them make informed decisions about the best-fit schools for their children; with our guidance, they secure placement in preschools, private day schools, public/state schools, boarding schools, colleges & universities, including schools with particular programs, such as special needs support.