Erich Schweikher
Education Consulting
The college search and application process is not mysterious. There are steps and deadlines, protocols and predictable forks along the path.
Book a free introductory meetingAbout
My passion for college counseling comes from my belief that all students deserve opportunity and options.
For nearly 20 years, I worked directly with students as a college counselor and English teacher in independent schools. Previous to my career in secondary education, I taught English and writing at community college and university. From my experience working in independent high schools and in higher education, I have an understanding of how diverse backgrounds, talents, and interests all have a place in selective colleges.
Applying to college is a process of decision-making. College is more than the major you choose to pursue and the courses you take; it's the interests you develop, the causes you pursue, the career preparation you receive, the friends you make, and the memories you will cherish always. The college years coincide with a period of self-maturation, when you are learning about your ability to interrelate, to push your intellect, and to establish independence and self-reliance. Therefore, applying to college cannot be isolated from personal growth and development. This activity, as well as being an exercise in learning how to make decisions, is an important process of self-realization.
Expertise in working with
- High-need students and families
- First-generation students
- Students with learning differences
- NCAA and NAIA bound athletes
- Visual and performing arts students, including those interested in conservatory
- Students pursuing gap years
- Students pursuing university in the UK and Western Europe
Working partnerships
- Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
- USA Climbing
- US Rowing
- US Ultimate (ultimate frisbee)
Credentials
- BAs in Anthropology and English, and an MFA in Writing
- Voting member of NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) and PNACAC (Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling)
Approach
I firmly believe that students need to embrace the high school experience, before focusing on the college admissions process.
In short, the majority of high school is getting comfortable with it or seeing it come to an end. This is why I like to hold off serious conversations about college until the beginning of junior year. I may be an outlier in encouraging a later start to the process, but I have found that students who wait until their junior year are more mature, more self-aware, and have a lengthier academic and extracurricular resume to make informed choices about what they want and where that will happen.
There will be uncertainty and anxious moments. Experience has taught me that students who are most successful and happiest about the college process are those who understand their abilities and needs best and, therefore, are able to find schools that make the best fit.
The goal of the college counselor is to help students and their families make informed choices about which colleges and universities best suit their needs, abilities, interests and aspirations. The college process strives to empower students: to assess themselves realistically, speculate creatively about their futures, assume responsibility, value their independence, learn that risk and rejection are key aspects of their emerging adult lives, and, ultimately, to choose a college or university that epitomizes who they are and who they are becoming.
The college search and application process has one ultimate goal: to match the student and who they are becoming with a post-secondary education that both challenges them and enables them to grow as a student and a person. Fundamentally, the best “fit” seeks to match what they are looking for with what a college is looking for.
The process, phase by phase
- Self-assessment
- The College Search
- Identifying Matches
- Accessibility
- The College List
- Applying
Services
- Academic and extracurricular advising
- Summer planning
- Support and resources to assist the student in taking ownership over the college search and admissions process
- A comprehensive list of colleges based on academic interests, personal interests, and other ‘best fit’ criteria
- Tips for getting the most out of college visits
- Standardized test planning and advice (if appropriate)
- Coaching on interviews and presenting your best self to college admissions staff
Additional services
- Assistance with all application materials: essays, portfolios, resumes, letters of recommendation, and etc.
- Gap year and semester planning
- Athletic recruiting
- Assistance with scholarship applications and financial aid forms
- High school admissions and placement
- Graduate school admissions
- Writing instruction and coaching
Results
- Acceptances
- 2023–2026
- Merit scholarships
- $2,200,000
- Average award
- $45,833Per student, per year
Contact & Rates
- eschweikcc@gmail.com
- Phone
- (360) 358-3075
I understand that independent education consultants (IECs) can be opaque and pricey. I strive to be as transparent as possible about my services and costs. I believe that all families should have access to sound educational advice and college admissions resources. For these reasons, I use a sliding scale. Additionally, contracts are tailored to an applicant's needs, ranging from all services (flat rate) to targeted focus areas (hourly).
Rates
- Hourly rate (contact and non-contact time)
- $150
- Initial one-hour introductory meeting and consultation
- Free