Arts & Humanities
The arts are about creative expression – through visual art, music, theater, dance, and design – while the humanities focus more on ideas: history,…
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Our Core Services
College Counseling & Essay Coaching
- Traditional Students
- Students with Learning Differences
- Students in Therapeutic Programs
From traditional college-bound students to students with learning differences or specific circumstances, we specialize in finding each student’s best-fit college, school, or program. We love getting to know each student as a unique individual, listening to their excitement, apprehension, needs, and desires. From a place of empathy and trust, we partner with them to submit the strongest application possible that showcases their character, strengths, and potential. Learn more about our services.
Applying to college is a multi-step process that involves many decisions, both emotional and logistical.
With backgrounds in journalism, publishing, teaching, and more, Plan the Path experts help your application to tell your story as strongly as possible.
College Admissions Insights
As educational consultants, we have a unique perspective on the college admissions landscape and how the field continues to evolve. Read on for important news, insights, and opinions on topics central to the application process.
What Should I Study In College?
Our Finding Your Fit essay series explores popular and perennial fields of study, as well as emerging areas of research. Read on for our…
Read moreSTEM Majors
These days, STEM is all around us. From new, high-profile projects within universities to cutting-edge breakthroughs in medicine and technology, we increasingly see the…
Read moreContact Us
At Plan the Path, our educational consultants provide strategic advice for your college admissions and postsecondary search. When considering schools, we are concerned with “best fit” rather than the notion of “the best.”
Through our work, we teach students self-advocacy, autonomy, and responsibility. In turn, they rely on our depth of knowledge and experience to guide them through this difficult but exciting process.
“Thank you for helping me get into Ithaca. It’s been a long journey and you’ve stuck with me and supported me the whole time. I’ve been so nervous, but with your help I got into my dream school with a scholarship! I can never thank you enough.”
– A.N.
“Plan the Path has been absolutely crucial to our kid’s success throughout the college application process. Marcia’s extensive knowledge about admissions and help in crafting a good mix of schools was invaluable, and Brook’s guidance on the essays was thoughtful and thorough. Having other adults help keep our kid on track throughout the process, with its confusing mix of deadlines, paperwork, and decisions, was a huge load off our minds and certainly helped avoid conflict during a stressful time.”
– M.S.
“We’re so grateful we found you and for the support you provided our son. He took ownership of his transfer applications, and we’re sure your guidance played a big role. It’s unbelievable to think about where he was two years ago, and to see that he’s heading to USC in the Fall. As you know, he had several great options, but the East Coast schools couldn’t really compete with Southern California.”
– K.R.
“Although our son is opinionated and strong-willed, Marcia found a way to guide him positively in revising his colleges list, application strategy, and timelines. She provided excellent review and guidance on the Common App, supplemental essays, and each college application. Our son got accepted to his first-choice college and even some reach schools. We can’t say enough great things about the tremendous personalized assistance Plan the Path provided to our son.”
– Y.E.
“Marcia Kramer did outstanding work with our son and our family helping us find a good residential transitional program. Our son graduated from a rigorous academic college in four years—and was cum laude to boot! He was quickly employed in his field of interest. Marcia has been with us every step of the way. She’s the best!”
– K.V.
“Marcia’s calm and focused manner allowed our son to take ownership of his applications. He worked with Marcia and her team on them for many months. I was confident that he was on task and getting things accomplished, which made our house a calmer place. No nagging from Mom! In the end, he was accepted to his #1 school!”
– N.V.
“Marcia is an expert in the educational consulting field. Her wealth of knowledge regarding hundreds of colleges across the country is invaluable and makes the entire college application process less daunting. Using a holistic approach in assessing each student individually, she is able to successfully recommend the best-fit college for each and every student. I can wholeheartedly say I trust her 100%. Her very first suggestion turned out to be the college our daughter will be attending in the fall… and she was right!”
– S.G.
“The first university I attended was far from my preferences, so I wanted to transfer. I am so happy that I found Marcia at that time. Thanks to Plan the Path, I transferred to a top finance school! Marcia was always honest and did everything to help me reach my goals. I came to the US with nothing (a crisis happened in my country, so I left), and the fact that I made it into a top school speaks very loudly of the miracles that Marcia can do!”
– D.C.
“From start to finish, Marcia was not only a pleasure to work with but she exceeded all our expectations in a college consultant. She did not take a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach by any means, but took the time to get to know and understand my son, and his learning differences, in order to guide and help him through the college process—ultimately finding the best fit for him. Her kindness, intelligence, responsiveness, and patience make her a pleasure to work with.”
– B.B.
“Leading up to making my college decision, Marcia and her team helped me put together a vision board to weigh which schools were the best fit for my passions, my field of study, and the type of experience I wanted. She helped me think through what was most important to me, what my goals were, and how (and which) college fits into my future career path. I love Boston University and am so grateful for the support Plan the Path gave me.”
– E.P.