Jenny Buyens
Partner and Independent Educational Consultant
College Connectors
Over 8 years experience in public, private and independent counseling making your college search informative and less stressful.
Call Rates
| Duration | Price |
|---|---|
| 6 minutes (SixFree Call) | $0 (No charge) |
| 15 minutes | $45.00 |
| 30 minutes | $85.00 |
| 60 minutes | $165.00 |
Tags
Biography
You've come to the right place! I advise college-bound students on key pillars of their college search:
- building a college list containing a spectrum of possibilities
- crafting a strong personal essay
- building a financial aid plan
- choosing the best fit college.
My goal is to reduce the anxiety and stress many families feel at this point. I put the student in the "driver's seat", and consider this process a journey from which the student will learn about themselves. I Skype clients from around the country as well as meet in person with clients in the Twin Cities. I live and breathe college, so I am ready to answer any question you have!
I am an active professional member of IECA, HECA, and NACAC, MACAC and LDA-MN. I engage with a national professional network of independent consultants, and I visit over 25 colleges each year. You know you will get the latest and best information from me. I have a master's degree and experience as an application reader, a scholarship reader, webinar presenter, and leadership in various college consulting groups.
I like watching and playing tennis, biking, and staying warm in the cold Minnesota winters!
Experience
founder, college consultant
collEDGE4u, LLC
September 2013 - September 2017
College and Next Steps Counselor
The Howard School
August 2011 - July 2013
Founder, Co-Director
Grady High School College and Career Center
August 2006 - August 2013
admissions reader
University of San Francisco
November 2016 - present
Partner and Independent Educational Consultant
College Connectors
September 2017 - present
Partner, College Consultant
College Connectors
October 2017 - present
Education
University of California - Irvine
Independent Educational Consultant certificate.
Lewis University
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Northern Illinois University
Bachelor's Degree
Illinois Valley Community College
Associate's Degree
Other
Volunteer
graduation coach
achieveMPLS (Education)
January - January
advisor
Edina High School ACCESS program (Education)
August 2014 - June 2017
active member
MACAC Inclusion Access and Success Committee (Education)
January 2014 - present
mentor
MACAC Camp College (Education)
July 2015 - present
College advisor
Matchlighters Scholarship Program (Education)
July 2017 - present
scholarship reader
Minnesota Association of Counselors of Color
April 2015 - present
There are many expenses directly related to college that are covered by 529 plans. Unfortunately, college advising services is not one of those expenses. The IRS is clear that tuition, fees, room and board, and books, computer technology or equipment required by the college attended are covered expenses. Its not worth the tax risk to pursue paying for college advising services with 529 money. Save the 529 for tuition and the other qualified educational expenses.
An important Step One to receiving need-based financial aid from colleges is to complete the FAFSA. The information you report on your FAFSA is used to calculate your EFC (Expected Family Contribution). That will give you your EFC which is subtracted from the total cost of attendance (COA) of the institution. The remaining balance is called your 'need'. You can’t receive more need-based aid than the amount of your financial need. For instance, if your COA is $22,000 and your EFC is 12,000, your financial need is $10,000; so you aren’t eligible for more than $10,000 in need-based aid.
