St. Charles resident helping students connect with colleges

Cynthia Sullivan suggests students pay attention to more than just academics when preparing for college. Community service and extracurricular activities are part of creating a "well-rounded package."

This is just one piece of the puzzle Sullivan explains to her clients seeking information about finding a college that's right for them.

Sullivan recently launched The College Advisor, a business that focuses on giving advice to students wanting to learn about colleges and identify universities that best fit their academic, social and financial needs.

College consulting has taken off in Texas and the East and West coasts, Sullivan said. "It's an up-and-coming industry," said Sullivan, who runs the business from her St. Charles home. She meets students and their parents in libraries throughout the area, from Oak Brook to Barrington.

Applying for college has become increasingly competitive over the years. "Students apply to more schools where essays are very important," Sullivan said. She assists students with financial forms and finding potential scholarship dollars. "It's a bigger ball of wax than it used to be," Sullivan said.

Sullivan has a doctorate degree in sociology from Chapel Hill University in North Carolina and did her undergraduate work at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. She has worked in corporate management for 20 years where her role was conducting research. She also taught at several universities where she learned firsthand about the admissions process.

Sullivan, who grew up in Glen Ellyn, provides a variety of services based on her client's needs.

The basic service involves sitting down with the parents and student, both together and separately, to find out what they're looking for in a university. Sullivan then provides the student a list of 10 to 12 schools that are grouped in categories that they should have no problem getting into and others that may be more difficult. The cost for this service is $150.

Ongoing consultations are sometimes desired for additional assistance in the application process. She charges $125 an hour. Most families spend between $300 and $450 on the entire service.

Sullivan recommends that students start visiting colleges during their junior year of high school to begin getting a feel for the campus. Working through the application process usually starts in the beginning of the senior year.

"I tell students to think of this as a part-time job," Sullivan said.

Sullivan and her husband, Tim, are raising two children, Patrick, 16, and Corrine, 11. Tim works as an attorney for Pepper Construction.

Sullivan has been working with students on the college admission process for several years and turned it into a business at the end of August.

For more, call (630) 377-2470.