National College Consultant and Rhodes Scholar Susan Goodkin to Offer College Application Workshops to Local Students

SANTA BARBARA, CA--(Marketwire - Jul 6, 2011) - As school budgets shrink and the student-to-guidance counselor ratio grows, too often Santa Barbara students who have set their sights on attending competitive colleges aren't getting the college planning advice they need from their schools.

To help these students, national college consultant and Rhodes Scholar Susan Goodkin will be offering college application workshops in Carpinteria and Ventura this summer. Ms. Goodkin, a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Oxford University, writes and speaks throughout the country on college planning.

"The number of students applying to competitive colleges this year was astounding," Ms. Goodkin says. "With 81,000 students applying to UCLA, and 34,000 applying to Stanford, students hoping to attend top schools must create college applications that will make them stand out from the pack."

Students in these interactive and hands-on workshops will learn:

• How to write a great essay
• How to create a compelling resume/UC activities list
• What colleges look for in recommendations
• The best way to prepare for college/scholarship interviews
• Insider tips for researching colleges
• How to search for scholarships

Students will leave the program with a draft of their essays and resume. They will also participate in mock interviews.

The workshops will be offered on July 24th from 1-5 pm in Ventura, and on August 14th from 1-5 pm in Carpinteria.

"The application process seemed overwhelming, but Susan's guidance made everything from writing the essays to preparing for interviews straightforward," said Rikki Horne of Ojai. "My daughter ended up deciding between a number of her top choices."

The workshop cost is $195 for early registration before July 10^th, and $225 for standard registration. Group discounts are available.

For more information, or to register, visit www.LearningStrategiesCenter.com, or call Ms. Goodkin at 805-642-6686.

About Susan Goodkin
Susan Goodkin is Executive Director of the California Learning Strategies Center, www.LearningStrategiesCenter.com and a national college consultant. She is a graduate of Harvard University, Harvard Law School, and Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. In addition to advising parents and students about college admissions, Susan writes and speaks nationally on education issues including college planning. Her articles have appeared in newspapers including The Washington Post, The Miami Herald, The Philadelphia Enquirer, The Sacramento Bee, and The Houston Chronicle. Susan is the creator of numerous college planning webinars, including "Acing the College Application Essentials."