College Admissions Consulting in the Chicago Area

College Counseling for Students in Chicago

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Selective Admissions, a premier college advising firm led by a former Harvard Admissions Officer and Stanford Dean, provides personalized, one-on-one college consulting to students across the Chicago metropolitan area and the state of Illinois. Our expert college counselors guide students in developing compelling applications that highlight their unique strengths, maximizing their potential for admission to top colleges and universities.

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Chicago College Admissions Landscape

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The Chicago area is home to a wide range of competitive high schools, including top-tier private schools, nationally recognized public schools, and prestigious academies. With a strong emphasis on academic excellence, leadership, and extracurricular achievement, students in this area face an increasingly selective college admissions process.

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Top High Schools

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High schools across Chicago, including those in the city itself (Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, Gold Coast), the North Shore (Evanston, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park), the western suburbs (Naperville, Hinsdale, Oak Park), the south suburbs, and throughout Illinois, consistently send a significant number of students to top colleges.

Whether you attend a prestigious private school, a highly ranked public school, or a smaller independent school, standing out among your peers is essential. With such a competitive applicant pool in the Chicago area, students must craft applications that go beyond strong GPAs and test scores to truly differentiate themselves.

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How to Stand Out in Elite College Admissions as a Chicago Applicant

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One of the most common questions we hear from parents is: "How can my child differentiate themselves in such a competitive applicant pool?"

That’s where we come in. At Selective Admissions, we specialize in helping students build unique extracurricular profiles that demonstrate academic excellence, intellectual curiosity, leadership potential, and a compelling personal narrative that resonates with college admissions committees.

Chicago offers a wealth of opportunities for students to engage in business, finance, technology, the arts, community service, and a wide range of academic pursuits. From access to world-class museums and cultural institutions to opportunities for internships, mentorships, and real-world experience, we help students leverage these experiences to enhance their applications and position themselves as standout candidates at highly selective institutions.