College Planning Services

I provide insight and expertise to guide families in preparing for college admission through a variety of strategic services, including four package offerings.

The Premier Comprehensive package is designed for a thorough planning process starting in the tenth or eleventh grade. It includes career assessments and suggestions for exploration, academic and summer planning, and college list development, covering the entire application experience.

If space is available, two options are for seniors only: a Fast Track one for students starting the college planning journey in May-June before senior year, and a Terrific Ten option for those needing support starting in July, August, or September of senior year. Each option includes essay and application guidance.

For students seeking to transfer to a four-year college, whether from a community college or another four-year college, I offer a Time to Transfer package.

A variety of tech tools and assessments help me support students in identifying and exploring their strengths and interests, clarifying their goals, and managing the many details involved in successfully applying to college, including essays.

My goal is to make this journey as calm, organized, and stress-free as possible for students and their parents.

Testimonials

“We hired Donna when my son was a junior in high school and her knowledge and expertise in college admissions was beyond valuable to us. Not only did she navigate us through the process of applying, Merit Aid, advising on essay writing and SAT testing, but she tailor-made a list of colleges that fit, not only our son’s major, but also his personality. He graduated from Baylor University, and he could not have picked a better college. Without Donna’s help, we would have never thought to leave our home state of California. We are so grateful to her as Baylor was perfect for him.“

"Donna Sakabu was instrumental in helping us research colleges for our son. She helped our son foster his genuine talents and guided him to convey his personal and academic strengths through his applications. Donna minimized our family’s stress during the application process, which let us enjoy exploring various college opportunities. Donna was honest about college acceptance expectations and encouraged our son to apply to a range of different schools. We were pleasantly surprised at the multiple choices that followed. Our son was accepted to U. C. Berkeley. We are simply grateful for ALL her guidance!"

“ We are so thankful for Donna. Her knowledge and expertise is priceless. She understands what each school is looking for in the application process. Donna did an amazing job keeping my daughter on track to accomplish each task in the application process. She is supportive, kind, and made the college application process seamless. I am proud to say my daughter was accepted to CalPoly SLO and I know I would not have been able to manage the process, essays, dates, etc., without Donna. “

Package Offerings

  • For the Classes of 2028 & 2029

    This package is available for rising high school sophomores & juniors until May 1st before Senior Year, unless the roster fills.

    Up to 35 hours

    Full-service, comprehensive, college planning services may include:

    • High School Academic Planning & Activities Review

    • Testing Strategy and Prep Options

    • Summer Planning

    • Career Assessment

    • Financial Aid Strategies

    • Creation of Balanced, Customized College List with a range of admission selectivity that fits academic, social, and financial criteria

    • Behind the scenes research & communication

    • Instruction on researching colleges

    • College Visit Tips & Planning Suggestions

    • Application Timelines and Requirements-up to **10 applications

    • Strategy for Early Action/Early Decision Application Plans

    • Brainstorm for & review of required application essays

    • Instruction on writing powerful activities descriptions

    • Resume Development

    • Final detailed review of student’s application(s) prior to submission

    • Interview Preparation

    • Wait-List and Final College Decision Guidance

    • Financial Aid Package Review

    • Communication with parents-meeting summaries and emails

    • Use of collaborative software account-College Planner Pro and essay management software, Prompt

    *If hours exceed 35, additional hours can be purchased in 3-hour or 5-hour blocks.

    **The UC & CA State University applications each count as 1, no matter how many campuses are selected on each of those applications

    Student may apply to more than 10 colleges for an additional fee per college, determined by the number of required essays.

  • For the Class of 2027, available July 1-Sept. 15

    Up to 10 hours

    If you are a senior in need of college planning support, this package offers focused guidance, depending on what you need, including,

    • Application Timelines and Requirements-Common Application, UC, CA State University Applications

    • Brainstorm for & review of essays

    • Instruction on writing powerful activities descriptions

    • Detailed review of application(s) prior to submitting

    • Use of collaborative software account-College Planner Pro & essay management software, Prompt

    *If more time is needed, additional time can be purchased in 3 hour increments for this package.

  • Available Now on a space available basis.

    Up to 20 hours

    Focused support to create strong applications, which may include,

    • High School Academic Record & Activities Review

    • Creation of or rounding out to create a Balanced, Customized College List with a range of admission selectivity that fit academic, social, and financial criteria

    • Instruction on researching colleges to quickly finalize list

    • Application Timelines and Requirements-up to **8 applications

    • Strategy for Early Action/Early Decision Application Plans-if timeline permits

    • Brainstorm for & review of required essays

    • Instruction on writing powerful activities descriptions

    • Final detailed review of student’s application(s) prior to submission

    • Interview Preparation

    • Wait-List and Final College Decision Guidance

    • Communication with parents-meeting summaries and emails

    • Use of collaborative software account-College Planner Pro and essay management software, Prompt

    *If hours exceed 20, additional hours can be purchased in 3-hour increments.

    **The UC & CA State University applications each count as 1, no matter how many campuses are selected on each of those applications Student may apply to more than 8 colleges for an additional fee per college, determined by number of required essays.

  • For a student seeking to transfer from a community college or a 4-year college to a 4-year college to finish the undergraduate degree.

    Available in 3-hour blocks

    Full Service, College Transfer Planning Services may include, during and/or outside of meetings,

    • Application Timelines and Requirements

    • Brainstorm for & review of required application essays

    • Instruction on writing powerful activities descriptions

    • Resume Development Instruction and Review

    • Interview Tips

    • Wait-List and Final College Decision Guidance

    • Communication-text messages and emails

    • Behind the scenes research

    • Use of collaborative software account-College Planner Pro

    Time can be purchased in 3-hour blocks as needed to complete the transfer application process.

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