Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jim Overton.
Hi Dr. Jim, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After retiring after 25 years as a school counselor at Spring Valley High School, Columbia, SC, I started College Consultants of South Carolina, LLC. My goal was and is to provide in depth assistance for college panning assistance with all aspects of the college search, application, and final decision to attend following acceptance. process. Since 2008, I have assisted clients throughout the Unites States as well as internationally. In addition, clients have an opportunity for career exploration to identify college majors resonate with their abilities and interests in order to identify potential college majors that resonate with their aptitudes and interests, At the heart of my practice is a commitment to identifying colleges that fit for each client: educationally, geographically, personal values and financially. I hope to help parents worry less about the college application process while assisting clients to find their best fit college. My past experiences as a chemist, psychologist, family therapist and educator have been valuable in working with students and families. I have found that starting early in the college search process leads to better outcomes and the spring of the sophomore year and start of the junior year of high school as the best times to start this process.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I opened my practice just as the 2008 recession began, Other professional colleagues urged me to stay through the first three years of a practice, particularly since Educational Consulting was a relatively new and unknown field in South Carolina. Their advice was spot on. Over the past 17 years, this practice has grown and the number of clients has increased to include students throughout the east coast and Southeast as well as Australia and Europe. Actually waiting long enough to actually see the benefit of word-of-mouth advertising has lean to my present success and client outreach.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I have a sole [practitioner practice. While this allows more freedom in client assistance, I limit the number of clients each year to a group no larger than I can guarantee effective service. This has led to working with fewer clients, but allowing me to deliver more direct contact with each. Typically, I will spend 50-60 hours of contact and research with sophomore and junior clients. late junior year and senior clients have benefited more from hourly packages that range from 10- to40 hours, depending on the amount of contact required for each. I specialize in college consulting only, and have not ventured into private school, boarding school or graduate school admissions. Since the COVID crisis, I have met with families and clients via Zoom exclusively. Not only has this allowed me to work with clients in widely differing geographic areas, local clients have benefited from being able to schedule around their activities wit hut having to build in travel time. I do offer a no fee, no obligation initial meeting fr students and families so they can decide if I am a good fit, and if so, I can better propose a more detailed consulting plan for their review and approval. As delighted to be one of the first educational consultants in South Carolina and am a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultant Association, having served a a member of the educational committee, member and chair of the membership committee and a three-year board member.
I am most proud of the number of satisfied parents and students, the amount of growth and maturity I have noticed with clients, the consistently high percentage of client admissions yearly and the individual return on investment for families once award letters and acceptances come in to the student.
I believe I set myself apart from others educational consultants through my amount of direct contact with clients and how parents are able to worry less about the college process.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Lancaster, SC and would consider myself a pretty good student in high school. After attending undergraduate school at Wofford College and graduate school at the University of South Carolina, I completed four years of active duty at Ft Ord, CA, where I earned an MA in counseling Psychology . After returning to South Carolina, I worked as a staff psychologist for the department of Mental Health. From 1983 until 1991 I was a family therapist for Richland County School District Two until I became a school counselor in 1990 until my retirement in 2008. I am also proud that I retired from the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel. My personal interests are in movies, music, science fiction and travel.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.collegeconsultantsc.com
