You are such a godly woman, inspiring, loving, and determined. I cannot begin to tell you what an impact you have had on my life and my collegiate career. You were by my side through the whole process, constantly setting new goals for me and keeping me on track.
This past semester I finished with a 3.57 and I now intern for Seventeen Magazine. My internship deals with giving advice about college, and telling about my college experience. Many times when readers question me about how I got in, I always seem to refer to you and advice you had given me. I just wanted to let you know what an impact you and your work has had on my life. I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Lindsey, Former Student (University of Southern California graduate) Check out Cy Fair Magazine's profile on Lindsey and what she's doing now! |
We got to watch Lindsey be a motivational guest speaker at Texas A&M University!
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 Jon's daughter Lauren graduating with her Masters degree!
My parents have 11 grandchildren between my siblings and I and beginning in 2003, the kids started working with Alison. To date, 9 have been clients of The College Scout. Alison was amazing and with her expertise, she helped them find the right college and career path, they stayed focused and are all degreed (and some with advanced degrees). Hiring Alison helped narrow down the focus so the process wasn't so overwhelming, as it can be to kiddos and parents. It takes so much pressure off of a stressful time and let's you enjoy this time with your child. Jon, Parent of Two Former Students |
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It was good to have someone personable and friendly to keep me on track with my applications. I think, had I not used a college counselor, I would not have had the chance to apply to as many schools, and that my applications themselves would have suffered. The specifics of the application process were by far the most beneficial to me. It was nice to have a dedicated time to focusing on applications and someone to give me a checklist of what to be doing each week. It kept me paced and ensured that I wasn't in a last-minute rush and that I wasn't forgetting anything. Getting someone else to look at my essays was a great help as well; there are very few other resources that provide this. I truly feel that the strength of my essays made me stand out from the tremendous number of applicants, and were a significant determining factor in my acceptance to UT. The availability and attention, though, most certainly couldn't have been received from a regular counselor.
Austin, Former Student I would not have considered the school I am at now in a million years...it had not even crossed my mind prior to meeting with you. I could not picture myself anywhere else. I absolutely love it. Brett, Former Student |
Three former students! Austin graduating from UT with his older brother Brett (University of Denver graduate) and younger sister Kiira (University of St. Edwards).
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Compared to how stressed out I was before receiving help, a big burden was definitely taken off my shoulders. I felt, in a way, like gears were turning in my favor even when I wasn't working on applications and scholarships because I knew I could depend on Alison. I felt like I was always prepared with information about admissions deadlines and scholarships that other students would have found difficult to locate. I was more educated about how to present myself to scholarship committees through interviews and essays. Once I was able to get offers from multiple schools, I knew who was really interested in me, and I knew how and when to negotiate.
Alison helped me receive over $83,000 in scholarship offers from four different schools. The College Scout makes the whole application/scholarship process less stressful, and knowing that you are being helped lets you focus on the school work at hand. Knowing that I had assistance, I was more confident and goal-oriented when taking the SAT. The more information found, the more easily I could compare schools to see exactly what place was right for me, from an educational and financial standpoint. I can't reiterate enough how relieved I was with your help. It was almost stress free. I felt like I always in control. Thanks Ali. Drew, Former Student |
Drew is now an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts and a working actor.
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Alison is the ONLY reason my son and I BOTH survived the college application process. He benefited in so many ways after working with and learning from Alison. I'm so grateful our paths crossed.
Marta, Parent |
Marta's son Wade is recently married and employed as an Energy Marketing Analyst.
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We would definitely recommend your service to others (and have) as it provides a student with direction they may not otherwise have and also provides some focus around interests and possible fit as well as identify schools not otherwise considered. The college match list helped Sam understand what schools offered the curriculums in which she had the most interest and which schools were a fit for her in terms of interests and academic pursuits. Your knowledge of the schools and towns in which they reside is very valuable; however, the way you analyze the schools in the context of the particular student's profile and your ability to determine 'fit' or not is invaluable in determining where a student might truly
be happy and do well.
Pam, Parent
be happy and do well.
Pam, Parent
Alison made our college applications so stress-free and encouraging. We have referred her to several of our friends. We had no idea where to start and she made everything so easy!!! Alison worked one-on-one with just me, and made this decision and whole process so easy. I was accepted at five out of the seven schools I applied to, and then had to make the truly hard decision of which college to choose.
SadeeRae, Former Student
SadeeRae, Former Student
I would highly recommend Alison Cotten as a college scout and student advocate! As parents, we had an idea of where we wanted our child to attend college and what we thought she should study. In a very professional (and kind) manner, Alison led our family on an exploration of our child's gifts and the environment that would be best for HER college experience. Alison assisted us determining many "college matches" that were best for our daughter. She also helped us set up visits to many universities, several that were out of state. When our daughter determined her dream school was out of state and had an extensive application process Alison and our daughter went to work getting everything in order. As a parent, it really helped to have a third party involved in this process. Alison encouraged us all along the way and I am very proud to say all of her hard work paid off and our daughter has been accepted in her "dream school", the University of Southern California. We can't thank Alison enough for her guidance and help all along the way!
- Susan, Parent
- Susan, Parent