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Writer's pictureCheryl Coughlin

BFCA: Best College Admissions Consultant in Portsmouth, NH

Updated: Oct 31


Portsmouth NH riverside

The thought of preparing your high school student for the college admissions process can feel overwhelming. However, expert guidance is just across the river! BestFit College Advisors offers personalized support and proven strategies to help Portsmouth High School students find their best-fit schools and achieve their college dreams.


How A College Advisor Can Help


College advisors assist students and their families with every part of the application process, including:

  • Creating a Personalized Plan: Advisors develop a complete college admissions strategy based on the student’s needs. They detail everything from student preferences to choosing their best-fit colleges and meeting deadlines.

  • Course Selection: Advisors help students improve their academic profile by selecting high school courses that will meet future college admissions guidelines. These include core classes, electives, AP, and IB classes.

  • Extracurricular Activities: Advisors help students find activities that match their interests, build critical skills, and enhance their college search profiles and applications.

  • Test Prep Guidance: Advisors suggest test prep resources and strategies to improve standardized test scores, like the SAT or ACT.

  • College Essay Help: Advisors assist with brainstorming, editing, and polishing college admissions essays to help them stand out to admissions officers—an essential factor in competitive enrollment.

  • Application Review: Advisors oversee applications to ensure they are complete, error-free, and submitted on time.

  • Interview Practice: Advisors conduct mock interviews to help students prepare and feel confident when applying to colleges that require in-person interviews.


With this personalized support, college advisors help students present their best selves to colleges and improve their chances of acceptance.


Simplifying the College Admissions Process


Taking on college preparation can be stressful, with so many tasks to handle. Yet, BestFit College Advisors breaks the process down into four easy-to-manage steps, simplifying and organizing college preparation for both students and parents. Each step is part of a complete roadmap to college success:

  1. Self-Discovery

  2. College Matching

  3. Application Advising

  4. Decision Making


Step 1: Self-Discovery

The first and most important step is discovering the student’s passions, interests, and goals. This self-discovery points to colleges that will best support their personal growth. Through regular meetings, open and honest conversations reveal core interests and abilities. Students reflect on what they truly want from their college experience. These conversations guide school selections aligned with their social and career goals. Creating a best fit is key to long-term student academic success and happiness at college.


Step 2: College Matching

Finding the right college goes beyond rankings. It’s about discovering schools that fit the student’s personality, academics, and interests. BFCA encourages college visits so students can experience different types of campuses. These visits give students a close-up view of their potential college experience. They are more likely to select schools that fully meet their personal and academic needs.


Step 3: Application Advising

College applications can feel overwhelming for students and parents, causing stress and anxiety. But with expert help, this stress can largely be avoided. BFCA keeps students organized and on track with a roadmap to college admissions. From gathering materials to writing college essays, our advisors guide them through every step. Our support keeps students focused and on time for their deadlines. In the end, our process leads to applications that highlight the student’s best qualities. With less stress and more confidence, students put their best foot forward.


Step 4: Decision Making

BestFit College Advisors helps students navigate this final stage. They guide students through everything from college visits to reviewing financial aid offers. They also encourage students to speak with faculty members to gain a better sense of each school. By looking at all the details, BFCA helps students make the most informed decisions, instilling confidence for the next chapter in their academic journey.


How a College Advisor Differs from School Counselors and High School Guidance Counselors


While school counselors play an essential role, they support many students, limiting the amount of personalized guidance they can offer to each. In contrast, a private college advisor provides focused, one-on-one support with in-depth knowledge of specific colleges and current admissions trends. This allows them to deliver targeted advice that maximizes a student’s potential in the application process.


The Benefits of Hiring a College Advisor


Hiring a college advisor offers numerous advantages for both students and families:

  • Customized Strategies for Student Success: Advisors take the time to understand each student’s strengths, interests, and goals. They recommend courses, extracurricular activities, and even summer programs that help showcase a student’s talents at application time. Advisors also help students choose colleges that fit their academic and personal preferences, ensuring they apply to a variety of schools to maximize their chances for success.

  • Improving College Acceptance Chances: With deep knowledge of what colleges seek from applicants, advisors help students create stronger applications that match desired student profiles. From guiding the best-written college admissions essays to helping students achieve higher test scores, advisors boost students’ acceptance chances to their preferred schools.

  • Reducing Family Stress: The college application process can feel overwhelming. It’s a long journey that demands careful preparation well before application time. College advisors provide a structured, organized approach that ensures no deadlines are missed and nothing is overlooked. This guidance relieves much of the stress families often feel during this critical time, building confidence as students and parents focus on informed decision-making.


Customized College Admissions Consulting Services


At BestFit College Advisors, we provide students with one-on-one, tailored guidance to meet their unique academic goals. Every student’s path to college is different, which is why we customize our services offered to fit each student’s specific needs. From developing a comprehensive application strategy to perfecting college admissions essay writing, we ensure students are well-prepared for every step.


For example, our Comprehensive College Package includes:

  • Application strategy and timeline creation

  • Essay topic development, critique, and proofreading

  • College interview preparation

  • Financial aid and scholarship searches

  • Application review and finalization

This package includes everything you need to put your application at the top of the pile!


Our Local Connection to Portsmouth, NH


Cheryl Coughlin, Educational Consultant and founder of BestFit College Advisors, offers invaluable support for students at Portsmouth High School and surrounding areas. Based in Kittery, Maine, Cheryl has worked with local high school students for over 30 years. Her strong connection to the community shows her commitment to each student’s success. Her passion for helping students “find their spark” helps students prepare for competitive admissions requirements and stand out in the college search and application pools.


Why Choose BestFit College Advisors?


With over three decades of experience as an educator, mentor, and college admissions advisor, Cheryl is uniquely equipped to support seacoast area students through this critical transition. Having worked with high school and college students across various academic backgrounds, including those with learning differences, Cheryl brings a compassionate, results-driven approach to her consulting practice.


Her background includes a degree in Administration of Higher Education from Suffolk University and graduate studies in Special Education from the University of Southern Maine. Cheryl is also a member in good standing with several professional organizations, including the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC), keeping her current on the latest college admissions trends.


Parents can trust BestFit College Advisors to provide personalized attention, detailed college planning, and expert knowledge—ensuring students are well-prepared and confident in their journey toward higher education and lifelong learning.



Take the First Step Toward College Success


For students and families in Portsmouth, NH, expert college admissions guidance is just a phone call or text away. Contact Cheryl at BestFit College Advisors today—207-229-8603—to schedule a consultation and start planning a path to college that fits your unique academic, social, and financial needs. Cheryl's personalized approach will guide you every step of the way to success in college and beyond.



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