A college counseling firm with a holistic approach
Debbie, Karen and Linda bring a wealth of varied experience in admissions to their clients. They understand how to expertly guide each student through the college application process from enhancing academic rigor during high school to essay assistance and the myriad pieces of the application that determine whether the applicant is accepted or declined. They will give you insightful guidance with your selection of extracurricular activities, prepare and rehearse with you for your interviews, shine the brightest light on your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. Additionally, they will provide a timeline for each student that will break down the process into manageable tasks, avoid last minute cramming before deadlines and minimize stress on the entire family.
Debbie Van Solkema
Owner, Consultant
After a fulfilling career spent in communications, Debbie began coaching high school students for the college application process and has tremendously enjoyed the rewards of helping young people to find the best college fit for their individual needs. After attending a small private girls college preparatory school in Cleveland, Ohio, Debbie matriculated to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. These varied and rich educational experiences provide her with an appreciation for both an intimate private academic setting and the large public institution and the need for individualized counseling to identify the right path for each student.
For over ten years, Debbie has coached students both for college and graduate school admission with remarkable outcomes. The coaching relationship ideally begins freshman year for a high school student, and Debbie has demonstrated success in guiding students to select a rigorous course load and to broaden their extra-curricular focus at school and in the community. Those experiences both enrich their high school years and aid in building a foundation for the college application as well as college readiness. Due to her past experience working for Kaplan tutoring students with preparation for the SAT and LSAT, Debbie can encourage and advise students in improving their achievement levels.
Debbie's particular expertise is with aiding students to find the right topic and voice to respond to college essay questions. She finds great pleasure in getting to know each candidate intimately to enable her to partner with them in creating a profile that tells their story in a unique and impactful way.
Debbie and her husband of more than 35 years, Tim, have launched two young adult children. Their daughter graduated from the University of Denver and now lives and works in Chicago; their son, a proud alum of University of Florida, calls Colorado his home. Debbie and Tim and their beloved dog, Phoebe, live in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Contact Debbie at debbie@launchconsult.net.
Karen Peterson
Owner, Consultant
Karen received her undergraduate degree (B.A. Spanish) from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where she also spent a year studying abroad in Málaga, Spain. Her graduate degree (M.S. Counseling Psychology/C.A.S. School Counseling) is from the State University of New York at Albany. Therefore, she has experienced student life at both a small private college and a large public university. Karen has been a teacher and counselor at the preschool/elementary, middle school, and high school levels and has worked at both public and private schools in suburban and urban settings.
Having lived and worked in New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida, she is familiar with the variety of colleges and universities in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic region and Southeast. As a graduate of a small liberal arts college, she is a proponent of the philosophy and environment offered by the liberal arts experience and has toured many such schools as part of her children’s college search.
As a counselor, Karen served as chair of the Students of Concern Committee which helped to identify students in need of psycho-educational testing for learning differences. She assisted in the coordination of accommodations for diagnosed students. As a counselor and parent she is knowledgable regarding the accommodations process for the College Board (SAT, AP) and the ACT, and with transitioning students with learning differences to college.
She believes in the need to begin the process early in high school as it helps to develop motivation and focus and gives purpose during the often difficult and demanding teenage years. The college consultant can provide support and serve to ease familial stress for both students and parents.
Karen and her husband, Don, have two daughters, one who is enrolled at the University of South Florida and the other, who received her B.A. from the University of Richmond, is a graduate nursing student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The family resides in St. Petersburg with their cat, Shadow.
Contact Karen at karen@launchconsult.net.
Linda Black
PARTNER, Consultant
Linda graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio with a degree in Economics and received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. While at Denison, Linda spent a semester studying abroad at the London School of Economics. She worked at a consulting firm in Washington D.C., prior to attending law school. After graduating from law school, she practiced corporate and real estate law for ten years at Calfee, Halter & Griswold in Cleveland before relocating to Chicago where she raised her children. Linda’s interest in college consulting started with her own children; her son graduated from the University of Denver, and her daughter attended Vanderbilt University for undergraduate studies after which she completed her MBA at University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
As a college consultant, Linda enjoys helping the student explore schools that match a student’s personality, interests, and academic goals. Linda has expertise in helping student-athletes to be recruited at a variety of Division I and Division III programs. As the college application process becomes increasingly competitive, Linda focuses on many of the nuances involved in navigating a successful outcome.
Linda and her husband, Rich, and their dog, Millie. split their time between Door County, Wisconsin and Naples, Florida.
Contact Linda at linda@launchconsult.net.
As co-author of A Guide to Writing College Admissions Essays, Linda’s expertise in essay topic selection and development is highly valued by Launch students and assures a quality and authentic finished product.
Even though I am a college professor, I was unsure how to advise my children when they asked for feedback on their college admission essays. Of course, I told them to check grammar rules and avoid typo's at all costs, but that was not much help.
This book would have been the perfect guide, providing a clear road map of what to avoid (hackneyed themes) and how to use the essay writing process as a way to learn more about themselves. What a great blessing to families navigating the college admissions process!
—Cynthia Conlon, JD, PhD, adjunct faculty Northwestern University