Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Klaar.
Hi Charlotte, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When my daughters began their college search processes, I became enamored by all the moving parts of it. We had recently moved from Maryland to Massachusetts with an 11th grader and a 10th grader. To do this, I left my teaching job which gave me a lot of time to learn about the process and the differing elements that went into it. For example, geographic diversity was not a factor that I had considered previously.
My own educational story was very different from that which my daughters would experience. As a first-generation American and the last of six children, my options were severely limited both by finances and custom. My father knew that the road to success in the U.S. was through education, but having a daughter live away from home before marriage was never going to happen. Because of that, I read, studied, and visited colleges to gather as much information as possible. Best of all, I joined the Independent Educational Consultants Association, which was life-changing for me and my business.
We hired an IEC for my first daughter, and I came away with a great list for her, but without a roadmap to follow. By the time she was ending her senior year of high school, my then 11th grader was ready to begin her process. I felt more able to help her sort through the many options she had and decided that I could help others as well. Her friends became my pro bono test cases.
I loved seeing young people come into their own! I also loved presenting them with choices which they previously did not know existed. I loved shepherding them through the essay process by reinforcing to them the idea that they had something important to say about themselves. Therefore, on January 1, 1995, I filed papers to start my business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. I started College Consulting Services in Northborough, Massachusetts in 1995. In 2004, we were moving back to Maryland. After traveling back and forth and spending at least a week a month in Masschusetts, I decided to sell my thriving business.
I opened a single-person LLC under the name Klaar College Consulting in Maryland. It was a struggle to, in essence, start again. Frederick, Maryland, was a very different place from Northborough, Massachusetts. Whereas hiring an IEC in the latter, that was not the case in the former. I still had my Massachusetts client families while I tried to build my reputation in my new state. I had the support of many other IECs in the Greater Washington DC area who were generous with their time and suggestions. Eventually, I opened a second office in Reston, VIrginia which provided access to families who routinely hired IECs. Klaar College Consulting finally gained traction.
In September of 2016, we moved again. This time to Fort Mill, SC. I was confident that I could rebuild yet again, and then COVID hit. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Where it was formerly looked down upon to see clients in any way other than in-person, virtual meetings now became the norm. This opened up completely new markets for me. I could see clients from anywhere in the country who were referred to me or who found me on the Internet. I had found my footing.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I focus on the students’ strengths and work to help students develop the self-awareness to make informed decisions about their lives. The college search process is one of self-discovery that emphasizes Fit and Match rather than trophy hunting. I work only with domestic students because I know them best. I also pride myself on telling the family the truth about what I see rather than reinforcing what they may want to hear. Sometimes, this causes me to lose a client family, but I cannot take their money if they are not willing to listen to my advice. They don’t always have to agree with me, but I prefer that they are willing to at least listen.
My brand is one of honesty, straight talk, and focusing only on what is best for the student. I have been told by families that these are the reasons they want to work with me. I am proud of this reputation. It may mean that I don’t get as many students as I could, but I do get those who are open to my help.
I also have a well-oiled process in which students move from one step to the next with as much or as little intervention as they feel they need. My families have access to me anytime they wish. They don’t need to ask me for an appointment; they simply schedule themselves at any time within the constraints of my calendar. If I feel the need to speak with them about an issue, I don’t wait but contact the family myself.
I think my work teaching others how to do this work, as I have done for about 20 years now, is what sets me apart from others. I have taught in the IECA Summer Training Institute and currently teach for UCLA Extension in their College Counseling Certificate program. I teach both the Business of Educational Consulting, a course which I developed, and the Introduction to College Admissions Counseling, in which I teach both IECs and school-based counselors.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My student’s growth in self-awareness and independence matters to me more than almost anything else. For them to make informed decisions and to learn to stand on their own two feet, they need to know who they are and be willing to stand up for themselves. That sometimes means standing up to their parents and to me. This does not mean that they learn to be confrontational, but they need to recognize that they can and should voice their opinions about their own lives clearly.
To foster this attitude, I help them see and learn to examine all sides of the decisions they make. We talk about the relative pros and cons of the colleges that I recommend, and that they are considering. I help them understand that they will learn about half of what they learn in college outside the classroom. Therefore, the setting and makeup of the campus community is as important as whether the school offers the major they are considering.
I listen to their stories, and often have to draw these stories out of them to help them shape the narrative their application presents to the colleges. Colleges seek to admit real people who will contribute to the campus not just a collection of numbers. The student must come alive in the application, and no one can do that but the students themselves.
Pricing:
- I offer payment plans
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cklaar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-klaar-7198b87/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlotte.klaar.5
