The Business of College Consulting
The Business of College Consulting
Building a Family College Consulting Business with Colleen Reed
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Colleen Reed, founder of American College Consulting, shares her journey from high school teacher to successful college consultant specializing in helping Canadian students attend American universities. Her thriving family business now includes her husband, daughter, and several specialized consultants who collectively serve students across Canada.
• Inspired to become a college consultant after her own positive experience with an independent consultant in high school
• Started her business in 2008 when her daughter was in eighth grade
• Built her practice exclusively through word of mouth referrals
• Transformed her business into a family affair with her husband handling athletes and business operations
• Daughter serves as the "secret weapon" for essay writing and activities lists
• Focuses on developing strong personal connections during consultations
• Believes students must participate in consultations and "buy in" to the process
• Uses CollegePlannerPro and FreshBooks to streamline business operations
• Manages a large caseload by outsourcing tasks she finds tedious
• Finds ongoing professional development and college tours essential for staying current
• Maintains a network of fellow consultants through HECA and regional groups
• Advocates for Americans to consider affordable, high-quality Canadian universities
• Currently navigating challenges related to political uncertainty and visa concerns
"The highlight of my life is when a student says 'thank you so much, I never would have heard of this school and it has been amazing.' That, to me, is the best."
Welcome to the Business of College Consulting podcast. I'm your host, brooke Daly, founder and CEO of Advantage College Planning and Advantage College Planning. Franchising, building and growing a business is not for the faint of heart. In this podcast, you'll hear incredible stories from successful college consultants about growing a thriving business. They'll share the secrets behind their remarkable growth and the trials and triumphs shaping their path to success. Welcome to the Business of College Consulting Podcast. I'm your host, Brooke Daly, and I am here with Colleen Reed, the founder of American College Consulting. Colleen, I'm so excited to have you here today.
Colleen:I can't believe I get to be on Brooke's podcast. I'm so excited. I listen all the time and I get the best insight. So this is going to be fun.
Brooke:Thank you, colleen. You and I served on the HECA board together a long, long time ago and we were fellow HECA members, so it's just so nice to catch up with you, and I look forward to hearing your story, which brings me to my first question that I always ask is how did you get into college consulting? Can you share your origin story?
Colleen:Sure, Really, when I was in high school my mother sent me to an independent consultant and I went and met with this guy. I grew up in Connecticut and I drove you know, she drove me over, dropped me off. I sat in his big leather chair. I'll never forget, like because of the you know Long Island sound. He talked to me for literally an hour, maybe maybe an hour and a half, and then sent me away. And then he I came back like maybe a month later and he said apply to these schools. And I did I'm not sure he did more than that, Like it just seems sort of magic and I applied to the 10 schools he told me to apply to and got into nine and like I just was, like that was fun, and so, you know, later I married a Canadian that I met in college and we moved to Vancouver and I just always started thinking, hmm, like I had another number of other jobs and things I didn't know.
Colleen:I wanted to go into education, but I always had that little thing in the back of my head. So I was a high school teacher in West Vancouver and I taught all kinds of kids. I was sort of helping them with colleges anyway and applications and essays. And then we moved to Toronto and I didn't want to have to have a nanny for my kids anymore. So I was like, okay, what job can I do? And so I worked at a shelter for pregnant teenage girls, and so it was a totally different experience from going from this super academic school to these kids who, some of them, were having babies or had a baby, and you know they were in a homeless shelter.
Colleen:But we were still doing. Kids are kids, Like you're still doing the same, like reading level and how to write your stories, and. But as my kids hit middle school I was my own daughters I was like I think I need to be around. So I was like I'm going to start this business and it didn't really exist much in Canada, Like nobody. In Toronto there were maybe, like maybe three consultants working, so people said, what are you doing? And nobody had heard of it. Like it was such a funny as opposed to America where, you know, people have been IECs for a long time. So I just started when my daughter was in eighth grade because I thought, well, by the time she graduates, I'll have something to do, Right, and I won't be sad when they go to college?
Brooke:Yes, I love that and did you start your business around? Was it around 2008?
Colleen:2008,. I went to that. She was graduating from eighth grade my eldest and I promised her I would be back for her graduation. So I went to the HECA conference but I could only stay for the first day and then I had to leave. And, yeah, so that I met some like wonderful people at that first conference and I was like, huh, it's so different from teaching, where people are sort of in their silos and they don't like to share that heck of conference. People are like, oh, you need a contract here to go. Oh, this is you know, corsava, this is, you might like this thing. And I was like this is amazing, this community of people who are so willing to share and give you ideas and help you structure your business. So it was a great, great launching spot for me Amazing.
Brooke:So, as a newer consultant, how did you get the business off the ground? What did you do from a marketing perspective?
Colleen:Really funny. I thought that students would come from my daughters. My kids are big dancers, big performers, soccer players, they did a bazillion things and it really wasn't like that. Like I had a couple friends in my book club and I was like, hey, I'll do this for free, and then so maybe I had three kids and then I had nine kids and then I had 25 kids, like, and they didn't come through referrals from my daughter's friends, like. Like it really was word of mouth. Like there's a local Jewish day school here. I don't know how they found me literally, but forever I've had all these kids from this Jewish day school and I think it's because they just value education and it's maybe not a foreign concept, sort of. So it really was just word of mouth, like maybe I went first. When I started I thought I would just deal with athletes who wanted to go to the United States to compete and performing arts kids, but it quickly morphed into everything.
Brooke:I love it. I love it, so your business looks a little different. Now it's not just you. Can you describe what your business looks like from a structure standpoint?
Colleen:Yes, so it's very much a family business. My poor family has listened to me talk to kids, talk to families. You know that people used to come to our house so they would all overhear it, so they all have my language. So my eldest daughter is an actor and a writer and she has worked for the college essay guy doing essay work and she's a beautiful writer and she is my secret weapon. So when I got sick and tired of doing like the activities list or the essays, I was like, hey, I could take more students if you do work to do the essays with these kids. And uh, you, you know, as an actor, you always need a survival job. So she was like, sure, I'll do that for you, but if I want to quit at any moment and you know I get something big, I'm out. And I was like that is fair, I get it, but so she's been a gift, like she's been just fabulous.
Colleen:And then my husband, when COVID hit his job, sort of disappeared and he was like, hey, I'm going to come work for you. And I was like, oh no, that's a terrible idea, you're sure Therapy, like what is that? But he has always been in the background guiding me from the business perspective and trying to simplify things, college Planner Pro we had a lot of discussion about it, business perspective and you know, trying to simplify things. You know, college planner pro, we had a lot of discussion about it and he was like, okay, it's all one thing, we don't need 500 different systems, we just need one. So when he came in, I gave him all of our athletes because he was an Ivy league athlete anyway and he, you know, as a coach for our girls and he just has loved it so much and he runs the business side. So you know, he does the contracts, he does the sort of all the information goes through him and then he sends it out and my kids can't get over how much nicer their dad is.
Colleen:Like what happened to him? He's so happy, he loves doing this, he loves working with the kids, so he's been a great addition and at the beginning he really spoke as if he were me, like he was mimicking a lot of the things that I said. But now he's really found his own group, he has his own referrals and he just has done great. And then I had to hire another essay person. So she's a professor of writing at a university in the States which just happened to be my sister's best friend from Ann Arbor. And then I hired somebody who used to be my next-door neighbor and she does all my LD kids and she's so good Like she just has all those strengths. And I hired a young consultant in Ottawa because there's nobody in Ottawa and she does all my grad school applications and then a bunch of high school kids too. So it's really a family business and a family affair, but it's so much more fun to have a team where it's not so lonely.
Brooke:I totally agree with that. I totally agree and I love that you have a success story bringing your spouse on board, because they're not always successes.
Colleen:Oh, you're a good role model. And yeah he's. You know he helped me streamline the business sort of behind the scenes anyway. But we use College Planner Pro, we use FreshBooks for our contracts and pretty much that's it. We're a very streamlined, efficient kind of business.
Brooke:I love that. What's one change that he made that really made the most impact for you?
Colleen:To me I think it might've been FreshBooks, because he figured out like he did a bunch of research and he was looking for an invoicing system that could include contracts and invoices, and so he sort of manipulated that. So that's been a good one. We don't take credit cards, so and as our prices raise like people would just pay. I don't think this would happen maybe as much in the States, but people just pay us upfront, so I don't have. When it was just me, I just couldn't collect money from all these people all the time. It's too confusing, so they would just pay me upfront. So now we just take payments over the first three months of a contract.
Brooke:Perfect, I love that. So you talked about word of mouth being your biggest marketing strategy. I guess at the beginning have you tried other marketing strategies as your business has grown? Nope, it's always been word of mouth.
Colleen:Yes, partly because during COVID I thought I'll run an ad but it literally got so in the local Toronto community paper there's an education section and so not one call came in and I didn't really need to. We have kids, ron kids. Ron works, so I work with the kids in sort of midtown of the city and he has the kids from Calgary and Halifax and Winnipeg and he's been great because he's been to all those places so he really has a sense of, like the areas in Regina or Saskatchewan, um and so no, it really is just word of mouth, yeah.
Brooke:That's awesome. It's good yeah.
Colleen:I don't have a big pool of competition here.
Brooke:Yes, and that's I mean that's great for you, right Kind of.
Colleen:But you feel like you know, I really believe that the more independent counselors around you, the more you elevate the whole field and help people understand. So people will reach out to me on LinkedIn and I'll be like, great, why don't you join our HECA Ontario group? Or you know, we have a Pan Canada group which is helpful to sort of say, oh, this person is in your community in Vancouver, why don't you call this person? So I really do like that part of the business. But mostly we focus on American schools for Canadians, so that does give me a niche.
Brooke:Yeah, I love that. That's very cool. I was thinking, when you were mentioning that, I was thinking about market awareness and it is helpful to have other IECs in your area, and I know that you felt this way when you first started too, that there were only a handful of people, and we had the same thing in Raleigh in 2008. There were just a handful of us, and parents had no idea what we did, or I would do a presentation and they would ask who pays you? Like you do, you do you. So, yeah, there was a lot of confusion around college consulting and like the whole industry. So you're right, I feel like the more people you have, the more parents are aware. But it sounds like I love your niche too, because it's unique, right, and that's always helpful from a business perspective, even in your marketing. Your website language, like how you present your materials, comes from that angle, so that's.
Colleen:And I will say I give a lot of free information. Yeah, I'm happy to Anybody who calls me. I want them to understand what the application process is to the US and to Canada and the UK or wherever they're looking, Because whether they hire me or not, I want them to feel like they can make a good decision and they got something out of it.
Brooke:So I really give people a whole hour of complimentary information because why not Exactly and you know I talk to my team a lot about this that same concept of giving away free information. Sometimes we'll get an inquiry and naturally as humans we look at it or read into it and we think, oh, this person's not going to be a good fit. And I always tell my team you never know where that conversation will lead, Even if they don't become a client who knows who they know or who they'll send our information to. All is not lost and I love that, just the spirit of being giving, because it always comes back right A hundred percent Yep, and you can't.
Colleen:You just can't gauge what families need or what their level of interest is or who they'll share the information with. So I'm really, to me, that's one of my most favorite things is doing a family information session with the kid and the parents. And you know, have you heard of the SAT? No, what's that? All right, let's back up and talk about that.
Brooke:Yes, I love that. I'm so glad you said that because I think consultations I've started just recently doing more consultations than I have in the last few years. I love consultations. I love meeting new families. I love getting to know the student. I love uncovering like their worries and stresses and like trying to figure out how we can solve it. Like to me it's like that's the best.
Colleen:It's so much fun and I get off the call and I'm all pumped up. Yes, I don't know why. Like after 18 years you think you'd be tired of it, but it's just so entertaining. Like you never know what the dynamics are with the student and the kid or you know the choices the student makes and to me I really want the student on that call, because I say a lot to families and kids. Like the student is the one who needs to buy in and really be interested, like you know. I know you think this is a great thing for your student, but if they don't have the time or effort or interest, I can't do this for them. It's really their process, right, exactly, and so it's a way for me to weed out families when some kids are like that sounds terrible, I'm just going to stay in Canada. We can do that. We can help you with that too.
Brooke:Yes, do you require students to be in your consultations before you allow?
Colleen:them to sign on. I prefer that they're part of it, and if it's just the parents sort of you know, fishing around or seeing what it is and what we do, then I encourage them to have the student meet with me anyway. Because what if the student thinks you're like this cranky old person, or they don't click with you, or they're like gosh, she's irritating, she's so happy all the time. Don't you feel like the kids? You want them to think this is fun and this lady is going to make my life easier, not harder.
Brooke:Right, exactly. And Colleen, you are happy all the time, so I can completely see a student saying that, but never because a student is like no, she's too happy. That's not a thing.
Colleen:Well, it could be irritating, right Like gosh. She's so excited so you never know. You want to be a good fit and that's why it's nice to have a team of people because I can say, oh, I have the right consultant for you. This person is going to really get you and I think you're going to be a great fit. And that's been such a gift to have my husband and I was like he's funnier than I am, he's more organized than I am, you're going to be so in the right hand, so that's also been helpful. That's awesome. I'm sure he has lots of dad jokes. Maybe he shouldn't. Mostly I can overhear him because I work downstairs and he works upstairs and I can overhear him making snide comments about oh, she made me go back to school, to UCLA, I didn't make you do that, that's just a good idea. Oh, did you do the college counseling program? Oh, yeah, because I was part of it was.
Colleen:You know I didn't want to be so bossy because I'm bossy anyway and say you have to do it my way, like I want you to understand this business and this industry. You're bringing something totally different from that software industry experience and I want you to. We have structures, but I want you to bring your own take to it and it's been really good. I like for people to have their own spin on it, otherwise it's boring 100%.
Brooke:I like this topic of consultations. Can you share how have your consultations evolved or what do you do differently now than you did at the beginning?
Colleen:Yeah, I used to talk a lot.
Colleen:And sort of give too much, not too much information, but you can see the kid's eyes glaze over, like, oh, this is a lot to take in. And now I spend more time asking questions, listening to what makes them nervous or what are they excited about, or helping dispel some of the myths that they hear. Oh, you know all kinds of things that don't make any sense, and I also I really like for them to see how the system works and like they can play around like pick a college here. How many kids go to that school? What's their admissions rate?
Colleen:You know, here are my notes from all my college visits, like here's and you know it's like the food was disgusting in the cafeteria like or the dorms are gross, or wow, there's, they're building a new dorm, thank goodness Cause you know it's gross, um, and so I feel like they get a sense of like how it can work for them. A lot of kids are like how do I get? I want that system. I'm like, yeah, just sign up and you can get started. But so it's empowering for them. And you know we have a gift being in Canada, like the Canadian schools are amazing and so good, and so I spend a lot of time touring Canadian schools and understanding what's different, and so I can talk about the fit in Canada, the US, the UK like, and it's um. Just depends on what they're looking for.
Brooke:Yeah, I love it. I love it. Yeah, I love that you mentioned you've changed the amount that you talk in a consultation and I often say that, like I don't even I don't give parents and I don't know about you I would love for you to share. I don't give parents any information about my background or what I did, like I assume that they're going to walk into the consultation. Having looked at our website, they know who I am and if they have questions, of course I'll answer them, but I never give them any information about me. I make it all about them, right Me too.
Colleen:I never do. It's yeah, like, if they want to look me up, sure, go ahead. But I know there's lots of people who think, oh, I went to this university and so you'll hire me because of that. But that's not ever been my take. Like, my take is I really want to get to know you and your students and help them find schools that are the right fit for them. You know, and even my own daughter, like she, went to school, I wouldn't have picked for me but it was perfect for her. So where I went to school and my background, it's not as important as making sure that we're a good connection and that we you know the students and the parents and I all feel comfortable. And a lot of times I say, look, if you want Harvard, yale or Princeton or bust and you're going to just stay in Canada, I'm not your girl, and it's that like learning how to say someone else will be a good fit.
Brooke:I think that's something that comes over time and I know I've shared this before, but I had a business coach who said 10% of your clients will take up 90% of your time. So be really careful about who you take on and of course, at first, when you're first taking on new clients, you will take anyone that has a pulse right. It doesn't matter. You're like I just need students, I need clients to grow this business, and then you quickly learn oh yeah, yep, that feeling I had in my gut when I was sitting with my family was completely correct and you start listening to your gut more often and being more confident and saying I don't think this is a good fit. I think that's really important, but it has to come with experience and time. You can't tell a new consultant don't work with that family. They just you have to live it, and then you know.
Colleen:But that's how you learn too right. Like Ron's very first client was not easy and the parents were intense and the student was a disaster and, you know, wanted to play a certain sport and really didn't like wasn't maybe going to land where he needed to? Honestly, you could only see the top of his hairline on Zoom, like he never would make eye contact. But I was like, look, if you can do this family, you can do anything. And this is how you learn because of all these questions. And so I wouldn't shy away from the tricky ones, because that's how you learn. But after a while you start to know oh, what's your biggest challenge right now?
Brooke:Maybe it's business related, but maybe not. Do you have any challenges with your?
Colleen:I would say my biggest challenge is after 18 years of filling in common apps and Ontario applications and UCAS applications. Sometimes maybe I just go too fast because it's so boring to me, and so sometimes I think, well, I've got to slow down. This student needs a little more like breathing space in between doing this section or this section. So sometimes you know, eight hours of filling in a common app is really hard to keep your sort of joy up there, and so the nice part about it is not having only seniors right so you can throw in a ninth or tenth grader in there and say, oh, this is going to be so fun, such a nice break. I think you know keeping it fresh and the industry is changing all the time, and so sometimes staying up with all the changes and the fears that parents have is a lot of work. But I don't know. That's the interesting part about the job, I think.
Brooke:I agree too. I think that's the fun part is we're always learning. It's never the same, Even though a lot of things do stay the same. A lot changes, so keep those. Yeah. What has been your biggest like when you think about those younger students? Have you done anything recently to change your process with them or have you updated anything?
Colleen:Yeah, Some of it's just asking more about what they've done in their careers class at school. What I've noticed is the high schools around me have had so many of my students come back with, oh here's this assessment I did, or here's this assessment. And so then the schools use all my assessments and I'm like, oh well, that's not great. So then I have to find new ones Because I don't want to overlap what they did in school. But now I've started to clue in.
Colleen:Okay, if your class is doing this they're talking about careers show me the research you did on that particular university.
Colleen:What did you like or didn't like? And you know if this high school is doing some of that work and they're like, oh, it's such a waste of time. I'm like, no, no, no, let's take a look. And so I've come to like appreciate what the high schools are doing to try to help kids make good decisions and kind of building on what they've done, so that you know, when I talk to a high school guidance counselor I can say, wow, I loved what you did in these classes with these students, because they're so much more interested and engaged and they have some ideas of what they like, whereas before I might not have kind of crossed that barrier. I felt like whatever's in school is in school, whatever's with me is with me. But you know, if a kid can pull up a set, a bunch of assessments and they're like here's my Myers-Briggs, here's my U science, here's my bloody blah, whatever they've done, yeah, might as well not reinvent the wheel.
Brooke:Nope, that's so interesting. You know, it was funny. I was reflecting on the past 16 years. So I started the business in 2008, like you, and I was thinking so I'm just getting ready to do a financial aid and affordability client webinar and I was looking at my slides and I was, so I'm just getting ready to do a financial aid and affordability client webinar and I was looking at my slides and I was like, oh my goodness, parents have the same exact questions that they did 16 years ago. Some things just never change. Yes, this FAFSA has changed slightly and yes, the CSS profile now has more colleges than ever, but parents' questions and concerns and everything else it has not changed. So I'm curious to know what have you seen in your work? What are parents asking now that they were not asking 16 years ago? What part is changing for you?
Colleen:Biggest change is the political situation in the state and whether kids can get their visas and whether, if they, you know, I have students going to Harvard and there was a real sense like maybe we wouldn't be able to get a visa to study it. And then what do I do? Like, do I go to a school in a more conservative state that the administration's not, you know, shutting down the visa appointments, or do I defer to a Canadian school and what do I do so that I've never had that before, I've never had where the border, you know, covid, the border was closed, but a lot of kids were able to go across the border and just stay put on campuses where this I, you know, they really don't know necessarily if it's a good idea to even go to the States, and so that's my whole model is based on let me help you find interesting, awesome schools that fit you. And so right now it's really in flux and people are like you know, is this a good idea? Will my student be safe? Will they be able to stay? If they can't come home, will they be able to get back across the border?
Colleen:And I don't have answers because every day it changes. So part of it is, you know, sort of just let's stay calm and carry on and also let's see what else is out there. So for me it's like a better understanding different pathways to different universities and different places. And even in Canada, like my Toronto, kids would be like a student in a state. They just want to go to their state schools and Canada has about a hundred universities and kids can go away and get a different experience. They just don't think of it that way. It's not culturally the same. So I never would have anticipated that the border could be such an issue.
Brooke:I know, yeah, and that's not a fun part of your job. I'm sure To keep up with that and to you know the uncertainty, the stress, or this process is already stressful enough for families.
Colleen:I can't imagine adding that element so so far it hasn't impacted the business because people feel like, okay, let's keep our options open. But I want to be able to pivot if I have to like, if you know, if they can't go, or people are getting turned away because of what's on their social media and so getting my Canadian kids to clean those things up or whatever it is. So it's just something to keep an eye on. But you know there's always changes, things happen.
Brooke:That's right. Anything else you're hearing from parents now that you didn't used to hear, or questions you're getting?
Colleen:You know the Canadian dollar is not great. So is it really worth $150,000 to send your kid to the United States? What if I just sent them to a Canadian school? That McGill is $5,000 a year. And then we do graduate school someplace else, and that's always been the question. But somehow what they're missing is there are schools that are very generous with merit aid. That could be a great fit. So let's keep the doors open. Yeah, it's money, it's finances. Is it worth it? Will my kid be safe? Will my kid be able to get back and forth? Those kinds of things it's hard to answer.
Brooke:Yeah, it is, it is. So tell me, after 16 plus years, how do you keep your work fresh Like it is? You know you were mentioning the Common App and speeding through it because you've been there, done that, but how do you keep your work fresh and interesting?
Colleen:To me it's been great to have this team of consultants that have a lot of good questions and they're like wait, I have this student and he's got these learning differences or whatever it is Like it's. Having a team to discuss things makes it really energizing. So we meet every Wednesday and it's the highlight of my week and it's just a team sort of connection. And then to me it's always going to conferences and doing professional development, because it just fills you up with like, oh, these people are doing such good work and you're making such a difference in kids' lives and making connections with people. So you know, you can get in the little silo and be on your own or you can reach out. So I have friends like you. I have friends that I've worked with for a long time. I have friends and I can call and say, hey, I don't know this school, can you explain it to me? So that always makes the job better.
Brooke:I love it and I'm so glad you mentioned going to conferences. Like those are deal breaker, Like you have to go, you know, and connect. I think the value is not just the sessions, it's the people you meet so that you can pick up the phone anytime you need to. Or and you know it's crazy going to your first HECA conference. I'm like I think I met someone from every part of the US and abroad, Right Like you, just yeah.
Colleen:So that and also college tours, like visiting colleges and connecting with the universities and finding out, like what they're worried about or you know where they are in the process, and any tour you can go on with other consultants. You learn so much from the consultants, from the high school guidance counselors, and it's just connections. It fills you up, it's really good.
Brooke:That's why I reached out Colleen. I think it was LinkedIn. Somebody had posted a picture of a campus tour and you were in the picture and I was like Colleen. I haven't met Colleen in forever. I'm going to see you.
Colleen:We did a tour of five schools in Nova Scotia and they took us all the way to Cape Breton. Like what an opportunity like you get to see so many places and understand the sort of culture of your country it's fabulous and I saw Claire Noel Glasser.
Brooke:I know we had the best time. So many people I need to reach out to. Yeah, so cool. So, Colleen, I think I can make the assumption that you work with a fairly large caseload and you don't have to share how many students you work with. But do you have any tips on surviving a large caseload or just managing all of the things that come along with lots of students?
Colleen:So when I was paying for USS tuition for my two daughters, I was working flat out, like flat out all the time, but I felt like that was what I could do for our family and so it was worth it to me. But you can't keep that pace up forever and I really I want to reduce my caseload so that I can enjoy the students that I'm working with a little bit more. And also, now that a lot of things are on Zoom, it's just Zoom sucks the life out of you. So I've brought in some extra consultants. I've tried to like step it down a little bit, but it's the things you don't like to do that you find really boring. If you can outsource those things, it makes like so much more fun.
Colleen:I talk to a kid any day over doing I don't know, filling out this activities list on the Common App. Like that is just painful. And you know we've talked about doing videos. Allison, our daughter, she does videos for us, like here's a how-to, and you know she's an actor, she's great, she's so delightful. So outsourcing some of the boring things makes it better. Then you can take on the students that you enjoy and also knowing it's a bit of a wave right. Like I know, I'm going to be busy till January probably February, because Canadian apps are later, but then there is a little window of like. Okay, we can breathe, we can enjoy this.
Brooke:And even my newer consultants. Like one's a writer and I want her to have those outlets right. Like it doesn't nobody any good if you don't have a life. I 100% agree with that. Do you have any books you would recommend for new consultants?
Colleen:It's so funny, like when I first started I read everything out there that was out there and I just you know I would hand them out to all my friends like, oh, this book. But now I really I like to listen to podcasts. I like sort of seeing what people are, how people are thinking about how to help students. So I'm more interested in like student development and their brain development and how girls' brains develop versus boys. Or like just to take some pressure off the parents, like, okay, your kid who's in grade 10, he's going to get it together, it's going to be fine. Eventually he will.
Brooke:Not right now.
Colleen:Of course he will. That's okay, like he's right where he's supposed to be. So understanding student development has been important to me, but when I look at my books, there's nothing really new that I go back to Do.
Brooke:You have anything that you recommend to like a new team member that you would say, oh, you really should read this or listen to this.
Colleen:Maybe it is a podcast or, yeah, I like having my consultants understand what a college that changed life school is. Ah, yeah, they don't know and you need to understand how that can change a student's life and particularly my families that I've never heard's life, and you know particularly my families that have never heard of any of those schools, would say why would I send my student to one of those schools? Nobody's ever going to hear about it and they're going to come back to Canada and they'll never get a job. And so really being able to articulate what a Colleges that Change Lives school brings and how it's amazing and such a great opportunity for your student who's like a B kid, who's going to be an A plus rock star, so understanding those gems that Canadians would never have heard of.
Brooke:I know, I love that. Do you know? I recently had a mom say to me she was like I really think my son should think about the colleges that change lives, school. And I was like yeah. What a good idea, amazing.
Colleen:I wish there were a hundred more of you I know and a lot of times like the highlight of my life is when a student says thank you so much. I never would have heard of this school and it has been amazing. And it's schools like Bowdoin or it's a school like you know, it doesn't matter. It's more like this is the perfect place for me and you are. I never would have heard about it without you. That, to me, is the best.
Brooke:Oh, that is the best, colleen. That's my favorite. I love it. Do you have any words of advice for folks who are just starting out, something that you wish you would have known coming into the industry?
Colleen:I would say that making connections at conferences, like going to HECA or ICA I wouldn't start with NACAC because it's so huge, or your local ACAC or whatever is around to make connections and share, like, you need a network of people. Our little Ontario group is so supportive and, you know, can someone help me with this? I don't know how to do this. Like, can we give me advice? Is there a local person who does assessments for learning differences? Is there? Like, just having that network of tutoring companies and a community is really gonna make your life so much easier.
Brooke:So much easier. I love that, colleen. Thank you for sharing. Is there a question that I haven't asked, that you wish I did, or any final words of wisdom?
Colleen:I listened to a bunch of your podcasts ahead of time because I was like if she asked this hard question, what would I say? I was thinking about the Canadian schools. I think sometimes Americans think there's a border and there's just McGill and maybe U of T or University of Toronto or UBC. But I think American students might really benefit from understanding these inexpensive, really amazing Canadian options. And you know, my Toronto kids might say something like it's Queens or bus, and then you talk to Americans and like Queens, nobody's ever heard of Queens. But my Toronto kids like that's their first choice by far.
Colleen:So I guess it's how to learn about Canadian schools that maybe you wouldn't know. Like you know, there's some schools that have really great sports management programs or co-ops, like Waterloo has amazing co-op programs, or like Laurier has a really great business school, and so there's schools that are there that have a good like, they're nice size, they're very inexpensive, they're welcoming to everybody, and so maybe understanding that Canadian schools are actually a good option for kids, that if they want to go away, but not too far, it's culturally not too hard, it's very welcoming. So understanding that there's options right up over the border that could be a great fit for kids too.
Brooke:I love that. Colleen, Thank you for sharing. I feel like I would love to do a webinar with you on Canadian universities. It would be so fun.
Colleen:Yes, that would be great.
Brooke:I'd love that. Yes, yes. Well, colleen, thank you so much for your time today. You are delightful you too, and thanks for sharing.
Colleen:Oh, it's my pleasure.
Brooke:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Business of College Consulting. I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. If you did enjoy it, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or share it with a friend in the college consulting industry. I'll see you next week on our new episode and in the meantime, take care.