About Us
How is At The Core different from traditional college counselors?
We often act as a hub of information for families because they’ve connected with us early in the process and know we are a trusted resource. We offer a wide variety of support (website, newsletter, live programs, workshops, assessments, consultations, etc.) to help families, and much of it is available to you free of charge.
Students have access to school counselors via their high school. We always encourage teens to engage with their counselor for all the college planning help they can offer. Some students want more or different help than they can get at school. When families find that there are specific areas where they need additional help, we suggest they find a professional with deep expertise in that area of need (ACT/SAT, essay writing, etc.). We’ve collected up a list of folks you might turn to on our Friends of At The Core webpage.
Who are the At The Core facilitators?
The At The Core facilitators are amazing people! This growing team of professionals is carefully trained to use At The Core processes and methods. Each comes to At The Core with their own career journey, though most have backgrounds in career or school counseling, education or management.
What is the geographical area At The Core serves?
At The Core serves families nationwide. Meetings in Central Ohio and Cincinnati are typically face-to-face (if possible), and other sessions are completed online.
Where are one-on-one meetings conducted?
We typically meet with families in a public location, like a coffee shop. The At The Core resource who will lead the meeting will confirm the location prior to the meeting. (Meetings can be held online as well.)
Where are the various workshops and presentations held?
The majority of our programming is virtual to allow for participation by families from across the country. Some special workshops and presentations will be held at locations including local conference centers, community centers, college facilities, and libraries. See the details of each specific event to determine the exact location.
I heard you had a great newsletter to support parents. How can I sign up?
We do have a weekly free newsletter called “Seeds” that parents just love. It includes blogs, articles, tips, timelines, and announcements to keep you up-to-date with planning. Click here to sign up. We never sell your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Guided Self Assessment – For students struggling to identify potential careers and majors
Who should do the Guided Self Assessment?
At The Core helps the student who wants to determine their strengths, a possible major, or a potential career. The process was built to serve high school students (grades 10+) transitioning to college, but any student who needs direction can benefit. The timeframe for maximum usefulness for a high school student is late in the sophomore year or early in the junior year. This will also allow the resulting information to be used in scheduling classes and summer plans.
How much does Guided Self Assessment cost?
Good question! The pricing is best shared once you can see a sample of the final report. (It’s less than most people think, and families have said it’s a fantastic investment in their child.) There is no one else that does this kind of work, and because it’s so unique, we prefer to have a chance to explain the process and show you what you’d receive so that the price makes sense. If you’d really like to know pricing prior to scheduling an informational first family meeting, just call us at 614-404-0646.
Can accommodations be made for my student with disabilities or learning differences?
In most cases, probably yes. We would love to discuss your child’s specific needs with you. Please read this document for more information.
Where do the interviews take place?
For Columbus (OH) or Cincinnati area students, families can optionally choose from in-person meetings, online meetings, or a blend of both. In-person meetings typically take place in a public location like a coffee shop. For our remote students (or situations requiring remote access), we use online video meeting technology for the interviews and final family meeting. Note: We will do our best to accommodate your in-person request; however, we cannot guarantee your requested format.
How long does it take to go through the process?
Families can plan for the entire process to take 10-12 weeks. Five one-hour interviews (see Guided Self Assessment for more information) ideally take place over a two- to three-week period. Interviews are scheduled based on the availability of the student and the interviewer. Given our students’ dynamic schedules, there is always flexibility in the meeting dates and times although we aim to maintain a good flow to the conversations and hope to not let too much time pass between meetings.
The family meeting is scheduled when the report is complete. Report preparation time includes work the facilitator is doing preparing, analyzing, and collecting resources. They also collaborate with the team and customize the family’s binder prior to your meeting. The career exploration process (after the family meeting) includes the student’s career research work on their own and two additional meetings with the facilitator.
What does the final report look like?
Sample reports are available for you to look at during the first family evaluation meeting.
Do parents participate in the interviews? Isn’t parent input needed?
The interviews are conducted with the child only. The entire focus of this process is the child’s perception of their own traits. Occasionally, parents are asked to answer a few questions during the process, but parent input is minimal.
We’d like to move forward and schedule Guided Self Assessment for our student. What do we do next?
Great! Your next step is to book a short meeting with us (30 minutes, no fee or obligation). We meet every student considering the process. In this meeting, we share a sample report with you, discuss expectations, get to know your student, etc.
To schedule this first meeting for Guided Self Assessment, click here. Once you choose a date and time that works well for your family, you’ll receive an automated confirmation of the appointment via email. The At The Core facilitator you’ll meet with will reach out to you to confirm the meeting location.
What happens next after I schedule an initial 30-minute meeting for Guided Self Assessment?
Once you book your appointment online, you’ll receive an automated confirmation of the appointment via email. The At The Core facilitator you’ll meet with will reach out to you to confirm the meeting format/location. If you have not received a confirmation email, please check your spam/promotions folder.
Do I need to bring anything to the initial meeting for a Guided Self Assessment?
Families do not need to bring anything to the meeting. The initial no-fee, no-obligation 30-minute meeting is for students and their parents to learn the details about the process in order to make the decision if Guided Self Assessment is right for the student.
Do you use online assessments during the Guided Self Assessment process?
Good question! As parents, we are accustomed to online assessments. We find online assessments can be tricky for teens. They cannot capture an “it depends” answer, and they can yield confusing, misleading or even humorous results. We created Guided Self Assessment as an alternative to online assessments. All input provided by the student is verbal (in five interviews) or written (in associated exercises).
Private Consultations
How far in advance can I schedule a Private Consultation?
We generally make appointments available four to six weeks in advance.
How do I schedule a Private Consultation?
To schedule a Private Consultation, click here. These appointments are one hour in length, with an option to book an additional 30 minutes. The agenda is customized to answer your questions and provide tools/resources for your family.
During the spring, summer, and fall heading into college application season, we also offer Private Consultation for seniors. These special appointments are 1.5 hours to accommodate the material we’ll cover. Families have the option to book an additional 30 minutes.
You’ll receive an automated email confirmation once you book your appointment. The At The Core facilitator you’ll meet with will also confirm via email and share meeting location details with you.
What happens next after I schedule a Private Consultation?
Once you book your appointment online, you’ll receive an automated confirmation of the appointment via email. The At The Core facilitator you’ll meet with will reach out to you to confirm the meeting location. If you have not received a confirmation email, please check your spam/ promotions folder. Your facilitator may also ask you additional questions to help them prepare for your family’s meeting.
How often do you recommend families schedule a Private Consultation?
Families choose the frequency of the Private Consultations based on their needs. Some families meet a few times per year and others just need one meeting to get their questions answered. Private Consultations can be scheduled at any time throughout the year. Click here to view the calendar with available appointments.
What do I need to bring to a Private Consultation?
Just you and your student! Your facilitator will communicate with you to ask anything they need to know prior to the meeting.
Will we meet with the same facilitator if we schedule multiple Private Consultations?
We will make every effort to have families meet with the same facilitator for each consultation. However, the information shared in previous meetings will be provided to a different facilitator if necessary.
High school, college, and career planning programming
Who is the ideal audience for these presentations?
We have a wide variety of programming touching on all the high school, college, and career planning topics of interest to families. The ideal grades vary by programming and range from 6th all the way through high school grads. For the majority of our programs, we encourage parents and students to attend together. Some are more geared to parents; however, students are always welcome.
Visit our upcoming programming and events page for an overview of the wide variety available.
If you have a senior or a second semester junior, we recommend a Private Consultation. That meeting will give your family the targeted information you need now, because the runway to the application process is shorter for you.
How do I find out when the next event will be?
We schedule all our great programs throughout the year. Please see our Events webpage for an up-to-date listing of all of our upcoming presentations. Our programming page includes our on demand offerings.
The best way to stay informed about everything At The Core is doing is to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about everything we announce, right when we announce it! Our newsletter also includes blogs, articles, tips, timelines, and more to keep you up-to-date with high school and college planning. Click here to sign up. We never sell your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Looking Ahead™ : Planning for Success in High School and Beyond
Who is the ideal audience for this presentation?
We created this program for 8th grade parents, and we typically deliver it during the winter/spring of each year. We find that students are well-supported by their school districts, but PARENTS need some support too! If you have to or want to bring a student, feel free to do so. We often repeat this program over the summer before starting 9th grade for any parents who missed it over the winter/spring months.
What’s covered in this program?
This presentation encourages parents to consider their student’s future high school experience as they enter high school. We’ll talk about what you can expect each year, choosing courses, the value of pre-planning, extracurricular, and understanding all the options available (like honors classes, AP classes, College Credit Plus, etc.)
Also, we’ll start to dig into college prep considerations and give you some foundational knowledge about how it works (applications, ACT/SAT testing, etc.). We ask a real, live high school student to join us too to answer questions that are really geared toward students.
Can I attend one in another school district’s area?
Yes. We will focus on the local district and use their information in the presentation (ex. some districts offer International Baccalaureate classes, but not all do). However, much of the information and the general concepts are universal, so feel free to come.
How do I find out when and where the next Looking Ahead presentation will be?
We schedule Looking Ahead (and all of our other great programs) throughout the year. Please see our Events webpage for an up-to-date listing of all of our upcoming presentations.
The best way to stay informed about everything At The Core is doing is to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about everything we announce, right when we announce it! Our newsletter also includes blogs, articles, tips, timelines, and more to keep you up-to-date with high school and college planning. Click here to sign up. We never sell your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Other Questions
We have lots of college money questions! Can you help with that?
Funding college education can be complex (to say the least!). It’s critical for you to connect with a trusted resource. Please see our Friends of At the Core webpage for resources that we trust.
Do you offer assistance with ACT/SAT prep?
The best, first place to visit is our ACT/SAT webpage. You’ll find dates and details to get you started.
We cover a lot about college admissions testing in our Private Consultations (and you can ask all that is on your mind!). Although we do not offer any tutoring or test prep, please visit our Friends of At the Core webpage to see the resources we know and trust.
How do I find out when and where your presentations will be held? I don’t see the one I’m interested in listed on the webpage.
We schedule a variety of programming throughout the year. Please see our Events webpage for the always up-to-date listing of our upcoming presentations. Our programming page includes our on demand offerings.
To stay informed of upcoming events and more, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter. We announce and post the information for each of our presentations and workshops in it. Our newsletter also includes blogs, articles, tips, timelines, and other announcements to support your family. Click here to sign up. We never sell your email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.