At College Bound Advising, we know how the college search and application process works. But more importantly, we know teenagers. We are trained counselors and teachers, and we understand how to work with high school students to guide them down the path to find their “right fit” colleges. This is where having backgrounds in counseling and social work sets us apart. We’ve seen it all. We’ve helped hundreds of students explore their options, create an individual plan that feels right to them, and help them work through the timeline. Sure, there are a lot of moving parts on this college application journey, but it doesn’t feel so overwhelming when you’ve got a roadmap. We’ll be there every step of the way.
For more than 20 years, Founder and Executive Director Eydie Balsam has been helping students find their “right fit” colleges and complete the application process without missing a beat.
Students benefit from our customized services to maximize every opportunity for admissions success. Our team of college counselors collaborates to provide our students and their families guidance and insight needed during their unique educational journey.
In addition to offering a range of advising services, CBA also offers additional programs to augment the admissions process and even make it enjoyable! Our student initiative, Working Towards Change, is a nonprofit that enables students to work together on impactful community service initiatives of their own design, and our parent group, College Talk for Moms, is an informal group for social support among fellow parents.
College Bound Advising offers proven methods to help students identify and gain acceptance to colleges that fit them, while also enhancing their nonacademic growth along the way.
Unlike many other college admissions advisors who start by asking students where they want to go to college, College Bound Advising starts by asking our students about who they are, their likes and dislikes, their fascinations and interests. Our philosophy is to guide students to a place of confidence in their “who” before we explore their “where.” Together we discover the colleges that will provide the best environment for them – and then plan all the details needed to apply there.
The college process can be overwhelming… for both you and your child! But you are not alone. We will be here to answer your questions, help you understand the process, and guide you every step of the way.
Our proven approach will provide support to both your child and you to reduce the stress of this sometimes arduous process. Our finely-tuned framework provides families with innovative and individualized strategies and tools to help students take control of their high school experience and their college application process.
College search apps are great, but your child isn’t a widget. College Bound Advising knows that teenagers are real human beings with multiple dimensions! That’s why generic college timelines and college search engines don’t always work with everyone. Our goal is to not simply have a list of acceptances that students can hang on their wall, but a list of acceptances to schools that truly match who they are (and who they want to become) – and with a set of skills that will set them up for success once they get there, and beyond.
“Eydie has an uncanny ability to quickly figure out what each child needs and work productively with them. Most importantly, my children both loved working with Eydie and felt in made the college process manageable and (dare I say?) almost stress-free.”
– Donna, Bedminster, NJ
It’s no surprise that Eydie Balsam has a way with teenagers. Not only does she have a Masters of Education from Harvard University, she also has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania (which comes in handy). A perpetual student, Eydie has completed her Certification in College Counseling from UC Irvine and continues her love of learning by participating in training and graduate classes on adolescent development. She is the former Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs at Bentley University and Director of Student Affairs at Willow Hill High School.
Before starting College Bound Advising, she founded and ran Successful Strategies, a strategy-based tutoring and standardized test preparation company. Her experiences working with students and their families, traveling across the country to visit schools and meet with admissions officers have helped her hone her approach to empowering students to be their best selves.
However, it is her role as a mom to three teenagers that have honed her ability to relate to both students and their parents as they travel down the path of college admissions. Eydie has been in your shoes!
Hillary has been writing and editing for more than 25 years, crafting copy that has resulted in stories in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Christian Science Monitor, and elsewhere. Her skillful editing and writing for numerous organizations have helped them develop leading voices in their fields, while her coaching of students has resulted in college admissions essays that stand apart from the crowd.
Hillary has a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University and an M.S. from the Columbia University School of Journalism. She is the mother of three, and she specializes in pushing her children to write to their potential and use a thesaurus.
Jen Hagopian is a senior college admissions advisor at College Bound Advising. She is entering her 10th year as a school counselor/college admissions advisor at Acton Boxborough Regional High School.
Jen has collaborated with college admissions representatives and high school counselors, presenting at the New England Association for College Admissions Counseling (NEACAC) Annual Conference. Jen has also served as a volunteer at the Boston National College Fair.
Jen has a B.S. in Psychology from Union College (NY) and her MEd in School Counseling from Salem State University.
Nicole has spent much of her career creating reporting and training content, writing in a clear and engaging way. Recently, Nicole leveraged her business background and turned her attention to the college admissions industry.
When working with students on their essays, Nicole pays attention to both the small details and the big picture; she is a stickler for grammatical accuracy but also reminds applicants that this is an opportunity to show admissions officers a perspective beyond grades, scores, and extracurriculars.
Nicole has a B.S. from Cornell University and a M.B.A. from Baruch University’s Zicklin School of Business. She is the mother of two teenagers and when she is not contending with their laundry or helping them with homework, Nicole can be found listening to podcasts, going on long walks, and trying out new restaurants.
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