Craft an Application as Unique as Your Story:
Virtual College Guidance
Students and parents often ask if challenging experiences like these are "red flags" for college applications:
The answer is that – if presented correctly – these experiences of challenge and growth can make applications stand out and show colleges that these students are actually more college-ready than their peers.
Think about it. Many of these students have:
- Faced and overcome challenges of identity formation, substance use, or school difficulties
- Developed an understanding of their learning styles and an ability to advocate for their needs
- Lived away from home in a dorm (or in the wilderness!) with peers
- Cultivated significant experience and interpersonal skills
- Developed a resume like no other
Meet Your Future College Counselor
Martin Naffziger has been guiding students with unique stories to tell in the college search and application process for nearly a decade. A lifetime educator, Martin has worked with non-traditional students for over 20 years, and truly understands the unique perspectives, experiences and growth that these students can - with the right support - harness to create outstanding college applications.
Martin holds an undergraduate degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Wittenberg University, an M.Ed. in Global Studies in Education from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and a Graduate Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. Martin's personalized methodology empowers students, helping them gain admission to their top-choice schools: universities and colleges aligned with their social and academic needs. Despite only working with a small, select group of seniors each year, Martin's students rack up over $1,000,000 per application season in merit scholarships offered. Most importantly, students are led through an introspective process of identifying characteristics of a learning environment where they will succeed, so the colleges where they are accepted are extraordinary fits. |
Open Doors"Simply put, Martin was the beginning of my university education. Before I met him and before he began walking us through the application process, I did not even consider higher education an option, let alone a viable one. Martin proved this is not the case." Tell Your Story"Martin helped me highlight my strengths and tell a narrative of growth, which is ultimately what a lot of schools are interested in." Feel Supported"What I liked best about the college process was that Martin worked closely and personally with me to make sure I understood everything that needed to be done." Get Results"Learning to better yourself through your struggles is a skill many never learn, and has helped me with many aspects of college life, including academics. With Martin's help, I got into my top schools, and I love where I am." |
What Can I Expect? |
What Are Students and Parents Saying? |
"Martin did a fantastic job helping our son get into the best college for him. Martin has a great deal of knowledge regarding schools that are appropriate for kids with learning and emotional issues. He worked directly with our son but was willing for us to be as involved as we wanted to be. He was always super responsive to our feedback and helped us understand our options. Martin helped with writing the essays and was in charge of the entire college application process. We have two older kids who used another counselor, and working with Martin was easier and he provided more help. At the end, our son’s college application was incredibly strong, and he was able to get into all of the schools he was interested in, including his reach schools. I have absolute confidence in Martin and his college guidance offerings."
-Mother of 2019 Graduate from Therapeutic Boarding School
-Mother of 2019 Graduate from Therapeutic Boarding School
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