Hello friends and neighbors!

Westport Island is home to a number of small business owners. I am happy to use this column to help give these small businesses some publicity! This week allow me to introduce you to Wendy Thompson of  Westport Educational Consulting. Wendy served on the admissions staff at Bowdoin College from 2000-2012, where she evaluated thousands of applications and conducted hundreds of interviews. Prior to that, she was an admissions director for several boarding schools, an admissions officer at colleges in both Pennsylvania and Virginia, and a faculty member of college planning workshops at Lehigh University. Wendy’s admissions career spans 30 years, and she has been advising students in the process of college selection and application since 2003. Wendy has been growing her own business the past four years largely by word of mouth and public presentations in libraries. Simply put, Wendy knows colleges!

Being a former high school guidance counselor myself, I can attest to the value of Wendy’s services. It is true that high school guidance staff offer help to students during the post-secondary admissions process. It is also true that a typical counselor has a caseload of several hundred students, and her duties are school-wide, meaning she is often spread thin. Both students and concerned parents could benefit greatly from the individual attention a consultant like Wendy can offer. She is there when you need her for what you need as long or as short as your need lasts. Westport Educational Consulting is the answer to an organized, experienced, and supportive college search process.

How does it work? Wendy will give a student and the parents questionnaires to ascertain their hopes and needs. She will ask for a transcript to help her learn more about the student’s school record to date. She can assist with high school curriculum choices, if desired. Collaborating with the student and parents, Wendy will recommend appropriate colleges based on academic and extracurricular interests, selectivity, geography, and other factors deemed appropriate. She will help determine the prospect of admission as likely, target, and reach choices. She will continue to refine the list to one agreeable to all.

The next step is helping with applications. Wendy will review, evaluate and provide feedback on essays with respect to both grammar and content. Here’s where Wendy’s experience is key. She has been around long enough to read all sorts of essays: the backpack as metaphor for life, the influential “dead grandma”, the “ewww” cannibalistic hamster, the roommate test essay, the oversharing essay, the thesaurus-laden report. She can help students understand what is trite and inappropriate versus what is unique and memorable. Having an objective yet caring coach in the corner can be a student’s lifesaver in this often scary process.

Wendy will also help prepare students for college interviews, plan and coordinate college visits, and communicate with admissions officials, faculty, and coaches as appropriate. She will stay with the student until a choice is made, if desired. She can advise on early decisions, waitlists, and acceptances as well. If you need and want help with the college selection process, Wendy is there!

For more information, check out www.westporteducationalconsulting.com. Client testimonials are generous, describing Wendy as a “gifted, exceptionally caring communicator who connects with folks on a very individual, personal level.” You can contact Wendy at westporteducationalconsulting@gmail.com. Best of luck to all students as they prepare and plan for their futures this year!

If you would like to highlight your small business on Westport Island, contact your newshound pat-dick@midcoast.com or call 231-4049.