Dr Maruta Vitols

Additional Info

Description of Services : A+ College Consulting, LLC provides comprehensive college counseling to students in grades 9-12 in the metro-Boston area and beyond. Services include:
• guiding students (and, often, their parents) through the processes of exploring potential careers and college majors;
• high school curriculum planning;
• advising on extracurricular and service activities;
• investigating different colleges and universities with the goal of creating a list of schools to which the student will apply;
• assisting each student with the details of the application process (from standardized testing choices to crafting short responses to writing college essays);
• educating students and parents about standardized testing and financial aid;
• teaching time-management and organization skills; and
• helping students and their families make the most informed decision when evaluating college admission offers and financial aid award packages.
A+ College Consulting does not provide standardized testing preparation, nor does it provide college financial counseling. However, I will refer clients to a list of suggested resources, upon request.

Description of Experience : - I cap my paying client total at 20 students. During the 2022-2023 cycle, I counseled 8 full-pay students and 2 pro-bono student. I also helped an additional 3 students with their college essays. During 2021-2022, I counseled 7 full pay students and 2 pro bono students. During the 2020-2021 cycle, I counseled 4 full-pay students and one pro-bono student, and helped 4 additional full-pay students with their college essays.-I'm currently volunteering with the Newton North High School Transitioning Together (T2) program where I mentor one student for 18 months (starting the second half of junior year through graduation) through the entire college application process in collaboration with the college counseling center at NNHS. My mentee from the Class of 2020 is a sophomore at Harvard, while my mentee from the Class of 2021 matriculated to UMass Boston. My Class of 2022 Mentee has been accepted to 4 schools already. I just began work with my Class of 2023 mentee. I also provide feedback to any NNHS T2 student who asks for help with their college essay writing.-In 2018, I offered 19 free presentations and workshops on a variety of college-admission related topics at 2 local public libraries. In 2019, I offered free presentations at Wellesley College and many at the Newton Free Library, including a summer 'counseling drop-in' hours program called 'Ask a College Counselor!'In 2020, I gave 1 in-person presentation and 2 webinars, due to COVID. In 2021, I presented online 4 times, and have already presented online 1x in 2022. -I volunteered on the NEACAC Working Group for Gender Inclusive Language, and was be part of the panel presenting on this topic at the NEACAC annual meeting May 2019. Since then, the NEACAC Board agreed to make our Working Group a Sub-Committee, and I hope to continue my work with them in the near future. - For my UCLA certificate Practicum, I counseled 11 students, almost all at-risk youth in the Pathways Program at Milford High School (seniors, juniors, and sophomores). After completing my official practicum, I continued volunteering at Milford High through the end of May 2018. - In 2017-2018, I counseled 3 pro-bono clients - all high school seniors. In my previous consulting business, I worked with 4 paying students from 2015-2017.- As a faculty member at Olin College, I taught undergraduate first-year writing courses for 5 years, as well as upper level media studies courses (prior to that, I taught undergraduates for 6 years at Emerson College). - At Olin, I was a member of Olin's on-campus Fulbright Committee for 4 years, being part of a team that helped make Olin one of the top Fulbright-award producing schools in the nation. - Finally, I was a staff member in Olin College's Admission Office from Nov. 2001 through April 2004, and then I was a faculty application reader for their office from 2012-2013. I served as a faculty voting member on the Olin College Admission Committee from 2013-2014.