A path through
senior year.
A personalized framework for high-school students and their families. Nine stops, drawn from three decades inside public higher-education admissions and student support — the same chart Donna has used to guide hundreds of families through the decision that costs the most and lasts the longest.
Nine stops on the chart.
These are the actual sections of the workbook. We walk a family through each in order; we double back when the data tells us to. Each stop has a defined output you can hold in your hand.
Reflect.
A structured self-assessment. Strengths, the actual interests (not the stated ones), constraints the family lives with. Done before any school list opens.
Plan ahead.
A four-year academic plan, written backwards from the destination. Course load, summers, extracurriculars that compound, the ones that won’t.
Test strategy.
SAT, ACT, or test-optional — and a defensible answer for why. Diagnostic, prep cadence, retake policy. We do not over-test; we test what matters.
Course rigor.
AP, IB, dual-enrollment, honors. The ones that move the needle for this student against this list — not the bumper-sticker version everyone is collecting.
College search & fit.
The College Fit Survey. A short, honest list. Reach, target, and likely schools in the proportions that actually produce admits the family is happy with.
The essay.
Topic discovery before keyboard. Drafting against the prompt the school is actually asking. Editing in passes — voice first, then structure, then surface.
Communicate.
Calls, emails, visits, demonstrated interest. What admissions officers actually weigh and what they politely ignore. We know because Donna has trained them.
Apply.
Submission discipline. Deadlines, portals, recommendation logistics, the audit pass before each click. No surprises in February.
Financial aid & scholarships.
FAFSA, CSS Profile, institutional aid, outside scholarships. Reading award letters honestly — the difference between sticker price, net price, and real four-year cost.
The College Fit Survey.
Three questions inline. The remaining twelve, plus your scored fit profile, arrive in your inbox the moment you give us an email.
Get your scored fit profile.
We email a short PDF with your fit type, three school archetypes that suit it, and the questions to ask on a campus visit. Parental consent language applied; we do not share emails.
Three ways to work together.
Starting prices for family engagements; institutional pricing on each pillar page is gated behind a discovery call. No upsell pressure on the workbook tier — many families never need more.
Workbook
- Scholar Solutions workbook · 48 pages
- College Fit Survey + scored profile
- Monthly mentor email
- Parent FAQ library
Guided sophomore–senior
- Monthly working sessions, 60 minutes
- Personalized 4-year academic plan
- Test strategy & school-list build
- Essay coaching, 4 drafts per essay
- 24-hour weekday response
Application intensive
- August–February engagement
- School list audit + finalization
- Common App + supplements support
- Award-letter comparison in April
Not a family? Three other ways Innovative Education works.
Strategic Planning
Multi-year planning for civil-service offices and nonprofits, led by someone who has run the office.
See strategic planning →Accreditation Guidance
Middle States self-study, led by a credentialed reviewer who has sat on both sides of the visit.
Request a self-study consult →