Sarah Loring de Garcia

Sarah Loring de Garcia

Independent Educational Consultant


Sarah Loring de Garcia, Independent Educational Consultant


I like letting my path evolve, and I evolve with it.

Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.
Graduated from college with my degree in middle / secondary general science education. Got my first teaching job, teaching science at a public high school in the midwest, near where I grew up.
Mom was my mentor, but she died during my second year teaching. She always talked about the places she'd travel when she retired.
I realized life is too short to stay in one place. After five years teaching in the midwest, I decided to try teaching internationally.
Went to a job fair, and accepted a job teaching science at an American school in Mexico.
My 3rd year in Mexico, I lived with a friend who was the college counselor, which looked REALLY interesting. I decided to apply if she ever left. She left after my 4th year; I applied and got the job.
I worked as the college counselor at the American school for another eleven years (fifteen years total at the school). I was happy for a long time, but things changed, and I needed a change too.
I decided to leave the school and start my own business as an independent educational consultant. It was a big pay cut, but I huge raise in happiness and joy in my work!
Who knows what the future holds for me yet... I like letting my path evolve, and I evolve with it.

Career

Independent Educational Consultant

I am a college counselor, helping students find and apply to programs that best fit their needs.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Writing
Teaching / Mentoring

Day to Day

Because most of my students are in high school, I work afternoons, evenings, and weekends. My work day starts around 1:00pm with personal tasks and organization, and once students are out of school for the day, appointments begin. I meet with students in my home office or online, with my work day ending around 9:00pm. This work is quite seasonal, too - the fall is extremely busy, while the spring is a more casual pace.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for professionals

If you're just starting out as an independent educational consultant with no previous college admissions or high school counseling experience, you need to start with pro bono cases and gather some experience. Visit campuses. Network. Join organizations like IECA, HECA, and / or NACAC (or regional affiliates) for professional development, and to learn about the ethical guidelines for this work.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

certification
Certification/License
College Counseling

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Peers:

"You can't be a college counselor if you never worked in an admissions office."