comprehensive college counseling
empowering students and families with tools to thrive in the college admissions process
A personalized approach to college admissions
JLG Education Services draws on over twenty years of college counseling experience and builds attentive, caring relationships to guide students and their families through the entire college admissions process.
We take the time to understand your student’s personality and your family’s dreams. We relieve stress around college admissions by helping you create a clear, manageable path forward.
We show students how to highlight their unique voice in applications. We also ensure that they take ownership of the process, helping them build skills for their future and stay on top of homework and deadlines so that parents don’t have to.
Our services
Identify
your needs
Before you make any commitment to working with us, we sit down with your family to understand your needs. What are you looking for? What would your student benefit from? We use this conversation to determine if our counselors will be a good fit for your student and to create a plan that’s unique to your family’s goals.
Create a college
research plan
We start with approximately 25 potential colleges and narrow down a list that is balanced for selectivity and financial fit. We offer our input and expertise as students research and visit schools, while also encouraging their own self-reflection.
Project manage
Your applications
We help students compile their application materials, coach them as they write their essays, and support their time management so that they can enjoy their junior and senior years without feeling burdened by deadlines. We help you look through multiple acceptance letters to find the best fit, too.
comprehensive plan
- Consultation to develop and refine your list of colleges
- Development of a standardized testing plan and guidance on which scores to submit
- Guidance on course selection for senior year of high school
- An overview of the financial process and how to maximize merit aid opportunities
- Monitoring of requests for transcripts and recommendations
- Guidance on deadline programs including Early Decision, Early Action, Priority Admissions, and Rolling Admissions
- Assistance creating an activities resume
- Coaching to brainstorm, outline, draft, and revise your Common App essay and supplemental essays
- Assistance submitting your Common App and school-specific applications
- Mock interviews and feedback.
Just-the-Essay support
We also offer support for students who would like coaching on the college essay only. Our College Essay Specialist guides students from start to finish with their main essay in up to five one-hour coaching sessions.
Meet the Team
Jen Gabel: Principal and Founder
JLG Education Services’ Principal and Founder Jen Gabel has decades of experience in public and independent schools. She has worked as a school guidance counselor at a high-performing public school in Massachusetts for the past nineteen years and served as an Associate/Assistant Director of Admissions at independent schools in New Hampshire and California. She is a member of the Counselor Advisory Board at Bryant University and has mentored college admissions counselors as a faculty member of the NEACAC Summer Institute. Jen’s counseling background and in-depth knowledge of colleges brings sanity and levity to the admissions process. She enjoys seeing students learn about themselves as they discover what they are looking for in a college. In her career, she has guided over 1,000 students through the college admissions process. When she isn’t college counseling, she enjoys skiing, running, and driving her two children around to various activities.
Jen holds a BA in English Literature from Rollins, an M.Ed. in Education and School counseling from Boston University, and an M.Ed. in Organizational Management from Endicott College, and has attended the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions.
Sara Mann: College Essay Specialist
College Essay Specialist Sara Mann taught 11th and 12th grade English at Acton-Boxborough Regional High school for ten years before moving with her family to Hamilton, Ontario. Since 2012, she has coached over 400 high school juniors and seniors as they write their college essays. She loves helping students recognize and refine their voice and ideas in writing. She enjoys learning about her students’ stories and identities, and she likes that the college essay gives them a chance to find or create a cohesive narrative to parts of their life experience. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys painting, swimming, and playing goofy instruments with her two young sons.
Sara holds a BA in English Literature with honors in Nonfiction Writing and a Master of Arts in Teaching, both from Brown University.
Cynthia Williams: College Counselor
Drawing on more than fifteen years of experience in secondary and post-secondary education, College Counselor Cynthia Williams works step by step with families to support a college search process that feels manageable and even fun. After several years of working in K-12 public schools as a school psychologist, Cynthia transitioned to working in undergraduate admissions, both in a liberal arts/pre-professional setting (Ithaca College) and a research institution (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). In addition to application review, she facilitated essay writing workshops, mock interviews, and mock review committees for high school students. Cynthia’s knowledge of human development, mental health, and learning profiles informs her strengths-based approach. As she prepares students to complete their applications, she mindfully guides them in identifying and highlighting their unique strengths. Cynthia also loves yoga, travel, and time outdoors with her husband, young children, and dog.
Cynthia holds a BS in Education and Environmental Studies from Cornell University and an M.Ed. / CAGS in School Psychology from UMass Boston.
what our clients have to say
Your college admissions journey can be an exciting time, filled with opportunities for self-discovery and growth.
Let us guide you through it!
