College Admissions Consulting in Falmouth, Maine

Our college advisors help families to understand, plan, and manage the entire college admissions process. We can provide expert support as you establish goals and deadlines, research schools and build a balanced list, decide on Early Decision strategy, prepare for interviews, and everything else from securing strong teacher recommendations to deciding between college offers. For Maine students, this often means weighing in-state and New England colleges alongside out-of-state options, with attention to merit aid.

If you choose to use other CATES services, such as test prep or academic tutoring, your CATES college advisor will also coordinate the rest of your college admissions program to ensure optimal results.

CATES application-writing specialists can assist students as they brainstorm, draft, and edit essays and other materials for the Common Application and school-specific supplements. Our team is also well-acquainted with the unique requirements for schools that do not use the Common Application, such as MIT and Georgetown.

In their sessions, students learn how to engage admissions officers with a coherent personal narrative, how to demonstrate what they can offer to a college community, and how best to illustrate what truly sets them apart from other qualified applicants.

As early as 7th grade, our extracurricular advisors work to uncover students' passions and translate them into achievements outside the classroom. We help students to find opportunities for leadership and collaboration, including summer activities, internships, and independent passion projects, to take their extracurriculars to the next level.

In recent years, our extracurricular development students have founded national nonprofits, secured Fortune 500 internships, co-authored research at major universities, and led impactful community projects, to name just a few.

Our tutors provide holistic, one-to-one support for the SAT and ACT. As well as bringing students up to speed with academic content and testing strategies, our tutors place special focus on the social, emotional, and even physical factors that drive performance. Over the course of their programs, students learn how best to approach every question type, work more quickly, improve their focus and consistency, and conquer their testing anxiety.

Each prep session is carefully targeted to the student's individual priorities and the program adapts as their needs change over time, meaning that students see significant results more quickly.

Our subject specialists provide comprehensive support with classwork, homework, and independent projects in math, science, English, foreign languages, and many more. We routinely work with students looking to improve or maintain their grades, as well as those seeking to engage with an academic interest beyond the school curriculum.

Our academic tutors work not only to improve their students' subject expertise, but also to develop the critical thinking, writing, and study skills that are essential for success in college-level academics.

A long-term vision for education and career is invaluable for students of all ages. Not only does it provide a framework for prioritizing opportunities in high school, it also acts as a motivational tool to keep students on track.

Our education and career advisors invite students to reflect on what they are passionate about and how they can best utilize their talents. Based on the student's vision, the advisor may offer guidance on everything from career paths to choosing high school classes. Advisors can also assist with long-term planning, suggest projects and opportunities, and track progress toward goals.