Unlock a Bright Future
We are Vine & Douglas Educational Consultants, Springfield, IL, based educational planning experts with decades of insider experience in providing admissions help for students and families applying to colleges and private high schools.
Our mission is to empower every student to discover and realize their full potential. We believe that every student deserves the opportunity to develop their passion and reach their goals. As dedicated guides, we help students highlight their unique strengths and gain admission to the best institutions for them, while expanding access to top-tier educational resources.
Parents: Be Mom and Dad, not a project manager
For modern families, educational planning is as important as financial planning. No matter where your child is in their academic pursuit – upper elementary, middle school, high school freshman or senior – the fact that you’re considering engaging the professional services of an educational consultant means you’ve placed high priority in education and taken the step to secure a bright future for your child.
Use the insights collected from our decades of systematic research and insider experiences to your advantage, so you can sit back and enjoy the ride.
Students: Admissions Help from someone who truly believes in you, no matter what
We are so glad you’ve decided to check us out. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to the important decisions – what high school or college to apply to, what to major in, whether to go to grad school…
We’re here to work through these questions with you and figure out a plan that fits your personality, learning style, passion and goals, together. Using a personalized approach and result-proven toolkit, our advisors not only take the stress out of the application process, but make it fun.
As you’re committed to the wonderful journey of self discovery, we’re excited to be your partner, coach, sounding board, and best friend.
Our Services
We offer both comprehensive packages designed to support and grow with you at each stage of your academic pursuit, and a-la-carte services to meet your specific needs at any given time. All of our services feature targeted, personalized support and access to our exclusive toolkits and resources.
Packages
All packages include an initial meeting to assess needs, goals, priorities and expectations.
Destination: College
Comprehensive Pathway
Our most popular plan, for students in 9-12th grade. Dedicated advisor with 1:1 meetings throughout the years.
All inclusive, unlimited support.
- High school curriculum review and planning
- Extracurricular planning
- Passion and leadership development
- Summer / winter program guidance
- Standardized testing preparation
- Career and major choice strategy
- College list development and on-going review
- Customized application plan with key deadlines and timeline
- Application organization, review, and monitoring for deadlines
- Essay brainstorming, editing
- Resume building
- Recommendation letter strategy
- Self introductory video development, scripting, filming
- Interview coaching with mock interviews
- Campus visit guidance
- Waitlist strategy
Private High School / Boarding School
Comprehensive Pathway
For students in 5-8th grade considering private high schools. Dedicated advisor with 1:1 meetings throughout the years.
All inclusive, unlimited support.
- Middle school curriculum review and planning
- Extracurricular planning
- Passion and leadership development
- Summer / winter program guidance
- Standardized testing preparation
- High school list development and on-going review
- Customized application plan with key deadlines and timeline
- Application organization, review, and monitoring for deadlines
- Student essay brainstorming, editing
- Parent essay brainstorming, editing
- Self introductory video development, scripting, filming
- Writing sample selection and real-time practice
- Interview coaching with mock interviews
- Campus visit guidance
- Waitlist strategy
Focused Admissions Help:
Sprint to Goal
Our second most popular package, for students starting 12th grade (for college applications) or 8th grade (for high school applications).
Focused 1:1 meetings with a dedicated advisor to build a stellar application that showcases your talents, passions, and confidence in your true voice.
- Review and assessment of transcript, standardized testing, extracurriculars, and educational experiences to date
- School list development
- Customized application plan with key deadlines and timeline
- Application organization, review, and monitoring for deadlines
- Essay brainstorming, editing
- Resume editing
- Recommendation letter strategy
- Interview coaching and mock interviews
- Waitlist strategy
Swoop Up: Scholarship and Financial Aid Pathway
You have the list now with your dream school at the top, but how are you going to pay for it?
This package is specially designed for 11-12th graders and families and runs concurrent with the college application process.
- Review and assessment of family financial situation, existing support, potential cost, and unmet need.
- Scholarship search and list development
- Customized scholarship application plan with key deadlines and timeline
- Application organization, review, and monitoring for deadlines
- Scholarship essay brainstorming, editing
- FAFSA step-by-step support
- School-specific financial aid application support
- Aid package evaluation and negotiation strategy
A-la-carte Services
These admissions help and educational planning services are individualized to your specific needs and can be purchased in 2-hour blocks of time.
- School selection, application strategy
- Application materials review
- Essay brainstorming, editing, revisions
- Application tracking, organization, personalized reminders
- Mock interview
- Financial aid application support, review
- Course selection guidance
- Summer internship / research / focused activity guidance
- Career counseling, externship placement
- Passion development resource assistance
- Transfer strategy, application review
- Graduate and professional school application coaching (Arts and Film Schools, Business Schools, Medical Schools, Nursing Schools, CRNA / DNP Programs, Masters and Ph.D. Programs)
- International student application coaching
- International student on-boarding
Not sure what packages or services best meet your needs? Contact us today to schedule a complimentary 30 min consultation.
Our Team
At Vine & Douglas, we are committed to your growth and success in high school, college and beyond. Collectively, our expert educational consultants have more than 60 years of experience advising students in college preparation and admissions. Our team members also have first hand experience as the alums of top-ranked highly competitive schools, admissions officers and interviewers, and parents of students successfully admitted to their dream schools.
Benjamin Morgan
BA, Stanford University
MFA, University of Southern California
Morgan is a seasoned educator and educational consultant with more than 30 years of experience. He’s served as a recruiter and interviewer for undergraduate admissions at Stanford University, the Director of Admissions at New York Film Academy, and the Director of Education at AcademyNEXT summer schools. Morgan believes that applying to schools should be an ultimately rewarding process of personal growth and achievement. He aims to provide students with an enhanced vision, self-understanding, and confidence in themselves, so their application tells the authentic story of who they are and how they got there.
Kevin Parker
BA, MPA, University of Illinois
MBA, Boston University
Ed.M., Harvard University
Kevin has more than 20 years of experience advising high school, undergraduate and graduate students on admissions help and career planning. He’s been on faculty at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and Georgetown University Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, and a member of the admissions committee at University of Illinois. Kevin believes that education is an investment into the future and therefore the goal is to maximize the return on this investment. He emphasizes fit and value in the school selection and application process and helps students and families gain acceptance into places where they will thrive.
Qing Yang
BS, Yale University
MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine
Qing has taught and mentored students of all ages – from elementary to professional school – for over 20 years. She’s been on the Admissions and Clinical Curriculum Committees at Yale School of Medicine, and an instructor at Harvard Center for Bioethics and Yale University MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. She’s written articles on educational planning, language learning, STEM careers and medical literacy, and co-authored review books for standardized testing. Qing is an educational strategist and excited to help students discover what makes them tick and plot a path to achieve their dreams.
FAQs
What is an educational consultant?
An educational consultant is a skilled professional who guides students and families through the process of finding, selecting, and applying to a college, private high school, boarding school, graduate school, or any type of program that will foster the student’s academic, emotional, and social growth. Think of the educational consultant as your personal guide, coach, cheerleader, project manager, analyst, advocate, and ultimately, a partner in your educational journey.
Why work with an educational consultant?
In 2024, the average cost of attendance was $27,146 per year for in-state public colleges and $55,840 for private colleges (source: Education Data Initiative). If you’re considering spending $100,000 to upwards of a quarter million dollars for four years of education at an institution for higher learning, you’d better make sure it’s a place you can fit in, grow, and shine. Education is an investment in your future and it starts with finding the right school for you, getting in, and succeeding at that school.
The process can be daunting and stressful. Admissions help from an educational consultant can greatly reduce the stress while keeping you organized, on track, and motivated. Educational consultants bring extensive expertise and unbiased, non-judgmental perspective to help you navigate the process and stay focused to achieve your goals.
Who can benefit from Admissions Help from an educational consultant?
You may think that only those students applying to hyper-competitive schools need admissions help from educational consultants, but that’s not true. There are many different types of educational consultants with various specialties and approaches. When shopping for an educational consultant, finding a fit between student and consultant is just as important as finding a fit between student and school. At Vine & Douglas, we work with students from all walks of life to evaluate a broad range of options and find the ones that can best contribute to your success.
We focus on you as a person, on understanding and building your story and presenting it in a compelling and impactful way to the admission committees. We have a genuine interest in your dreams and ambitions and take pride in your accomplishments.
When is the best time to start working with an educational consultant?
No matter what grade you’re in or how old you are, we can provide customized application and admissions help, educational planning, career planning, coaching and guidance. Most frequently students start working with us at the beginning of 9th grade and throughout high school to develop their interests and passion while building a solid academic foundation. Others come to us at the end of 11th grade or beginning of 12th grade with a focus on putting together an impactful application package for college. We are able to work with your time frame and customize the timeline to meet your goals.
Middle schoolers thinking about applying to private high schools and boarding schools typically come to us for admissions help at the beginning of 7th of 8th grade. Another important service we offer is helping families with long term educational planning starting in the upper elementary years.
In addition, we advise and assist with transferring applications, graduate and professional school applications, and international students applying to US schools. We always recommend an early start in these cases so you have sufficient time to explore the options and prepare. Please contact us for a personalized plan.
What is it like to work with an educational consultant?
At Vine & Douglas, our process starts with a complimentary 30-minute consultation during which we discuss your needs, priorities, and goals, and go over what services or packages would be the best fit for you. If you decide to engage with us, you will be assigned a primary advisor who will provide 1:1 support for you, and specialty advisors (such as essay editors and financial aid counselors) to give you additional admissions help, depending on the services selected.
We will set up meetings at a time convenient for your schedule, usually on weekday afternoons, evenings, and select weekend days. In-person meetings are available in Central Illinois and Los Angeles areas, and we work remotely with clients via Google Meets and FaceTime.
With any of the packages, you will also have unlimited support from your advisor via email and text messages.
Have a question for us? Get in touch by filling out the form below. We will get back to you within 24 hours.
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