Dear College Planners of America, Thank you for all that you did with getting our son set up with college...

“Dear College Planners of America,

Thank you for all that you did with getting our son set up with college. We didn’t realize how much is involved in choosing the college as well as all the paperwork involved in the process (as this was our first child going through this process). With your help, the whole experience went so much smoother than we could have hoped for. The truly amazing part was how much more money we received in grants and scholarships after you helped us with the paperwork. We had initially received a small scholarship award from the college, but after we re-filled our paperwork and you worked your magic, we received an additional $10,000 per year! The time you spent with my first son and the time you will be spending with our other son going over his four-year plan will be awesome.”

Thanks again,

Tom & Mary, Lisle, IL

Thanks, College Planners! From the start of my senior year to now as a college sophomore at Vanderbilt University...
“Thanks, College Planners!

From the start of my senior year to now as a college sophomore at Vanderbilt University, my experience at College Planners of America has been both positive and rewarding. Through working with your staff, I was able to maximize my opportunities by capitalizing on my current situation, and I owe it to the expertise and advice of your team. Be it editing an admission essay, formatting a resume, attaining an internship, or getting into college, I have the reassurance that I chose the right people to help me secure my future. I highly recommend this service to all students and think it holds great promise for those who give it a chance.”

R.B., Naperville, IL

Working with a professional has been so cost effective. We saved on unnecessary travel expenses...

“Working with a professional has been so cost effective. We saved on unnecessary travel expenses (because we had a highly-targeted list of just-right-for-my-son schools from the start). We saved on admission expenses. (No applying to schools we never had a shot at being accepted into.) And we saved on overall tuition expenses because Mike directed us first-rate schools that don’t show up on many of those school ranking lists. His recommendations easily saved our family $50K.”

Dan N., Glen Ellyn

Our family has utilized Mike and his team to assist us with the application process and follow-up for three college bound kids...

“Our family has utilized Mike and his team to assist us with the application process and follow-up for three college bound kids. Mike’s insight into the process, experience in the field, hands on approach and direct engagement with the prospective student are key to his success in working with young people. He genuinely cares and it is apparent. College Planners of America was an essential element for our family in moving through a very complicated process.”

Dan H., Naperville

I want to give a shout out to Micheal McKinnon and College Planners of America...

“I want to give a shout out to Micheal McKinnon and College Planners of America for helping our family through three children’s worth of college applications and excellent financial planning advice. If you have a high schooler who is interested in attending college, visit Mike. The process starts freshman year.”

Daniel H, Naperville, IL

As a student-client of College Planners of America for about a year now, I am very impressed with my experience...

“As a student-client of College Planners of America for about a year now, I am very impressed with my experience. I walked into the office knowing what I needed from college but knowing little-to-nothing about how to get it.

Mr. McKinnon introduced me to colleges that fit my academic, personal and financial needs. He showed me the best-hidden gems for scholarships in my field of study, which allowed me to access greater opportunities than I would have found on my own without breaking the bank!

Christy Sharafinski was an enormous help as well. Early in my freshman year, I found an extremely competitive internship with the United States Department of Energy which required a lengthy application. The application included four essays which Christy and I went back and forth revising many, many times. All this support allowed me to refine my thoughts into the perfect submission. As a result, I have been accepted as an intern at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory this summer!

My experience at College Planners of America has been very positive. I cannot wait to see the opportunities that lie ahead with their help!”

Rosemary H, Engineering undergrad from Wheaton, IL

College Planners of America helped us find a school that offered the best academic program for our student...

“College Planners of America helped us find a school that offered the best academic program for our student. We had not considered out-of-state or private schools as an option because we assumed the costs would be too expensive. As a result of your guidance, our son applied at in-state, out-of-state and private schools. We were shocked to find out that in-state schools do not always offer the best cost solution for educating a student! Both the private schools and out of state schools provided far more scholarship opportunities than the schools here in Illinois.

If we had not taken the time to work with College Planners of America, we would not have been able to identify a school that offered us the best cost solution for our son’s education. The real benefit though was finding a top school here in the Midwest that offers a much better overall academic opportunity for our son. Thanks, College Planners!”

Mike, Bolingbrook, IL

Although my daughter had an excellent GPA and a long list of extracurricular activities, her standardized scores...

“Although my daughter had an excellent GPA and a long list of extracurricular activities, her standardized scores were consistently disappointing and nowhere near remarkable enough to get her noticed by a top university.

Because of Mike’s ACT prep (the third test-prep course we tried) and Mike’s study methods, my daughter finally had a breakthrough and attained the score that she needed to get the attention she so deserved!

Working with College Planners of America was by far the most beneficial decision we made in all of our college-related endeavors over the last two years of the selection and application process. The fees I invested in Mike’s services have had a massive ROI for us culminating in an impressive and significant tuition-free grant to Vanderbilt University worth over $65,000/year for 4 years.

We highly recommend Mike and College Planners of America to any family with a child on his or her way to college!”

Renee S., Omaha, Nebraska

The college process is completely overwhelming. There’s no way a parent today can know how much they don’t know. The fact...

“The college process is completely overwhelming. There’s no way a parent today can know how much they don’t know. The fact that Mike McKinnon has visited so many colleges and has a personal relationship with so many admissions departments is an invaluable resource.

Mike knew so many schools that were great matches for my son that we would have never explored.

I’m so thankful I made that call to Mike–he’s like the Google of Colleges!”

Michele A., Lombard

College Planners of America has provided a tremendous service to our family in helping us through the college selection process...

“College Planners of America has provided a tremendous service to our family in helping us through the college selection process. There are so many factors to consider in today’s environment that our family was just not equipped to address – cost, fit, course of study, extra-curricular activities, professional outlook, likelihood of gaining admittance, etc. College Planners of America has all the data at their fingertips, wisdom in the “behind the scenes” factors used by the academic institutions and many years of experience – all of which come together to help our students make the right choices. The College Planners of America team forges a relationship with the student and helps him or her to take ownership of the application process and to become accountable for their decisions. A true partnership is established between the parents, student(s) and counselor.
College Planners of America continues to guide our family members in making the right choices for their (and our) future college experience. In addition to selection advice, College Planners helped our family negotiate the tangle of financial aid requirements and options. From counseling on planning, to filling out all the necessary forms, College Planners has served us as a “full service” academic councilor with whom we plan to work for many more years to come.”

Dan, Naperville, IL

My son’s father has researched local college planners for months. He found the College Planners of America website...

“My son’s father has researched local college planners for months. He found the College Planners of America website and liked what he saw enough to sign up for a free Meet & Greet Session. He and my son attended and were really impressed with all they heard. I joined them for a second session. I didn’t know what to expect. We told Mike McKinnon that our number one priority is to get as much financial aid as possible. Within the first ten minutes, my eyes were opened to all the options available to us.

Mike is so very knowledgeable about both schools and financial aid options. He immediately knew which schools we should put at the top of our search list that would match our needs. In that first meeting he also talked very directly with my son about next steps with his ACT scores, laying out a strategy to bring them even higher, which would help us be eligible for even more financial aid.”

Molly P., Winnetka

Micheal has the instinctive ability to provide guidance on a personalized basis. I benefited from his sincere...

“Micheal has the instinctive ability to provide guidance on a personalized basis. I benefited from his sincere interest in assisting me choose the educational path that best suited me. When I selected Arizona State University, it turned out to be an excellent choice, and I owe it all to Micheal. His past experience in coaching football and serving as faculty advisor to student groups enhances his versatility and gives him a distinct advantage in providing college planning services. Time spent utilizing his services is like money in the bank and the college experience will be much better for it.”

Colleen M., Arizona

My wife and I engaged Mike’s services as we began the transition for our son from high school to college...

“My wife and I engaged Mike’s services as we began the transition for our son from high school to college. Mike and his staff offer a complete planning process for aptitude assessment, test preparation, college selection and financial planning. We have been most impressed by and pleased with Mike’s work with our son to evaluate the attributes of various schools. Mike has an immense depth of understanding of the college application process and efficiently navigates the timelines associated with the scholarship and financial assistance process.
We see a very direct interaction between Mike and our son, which Mike has encouraged right from the start. Mike treats our son as an adult and lets him know what is expected of him which will well prepare him for his college life and adulthood.”

Robert and Patricia E., Naperville

Mike advised both my sons and members of my extended family. Each process with him was multi-faceted and complex...

“My wife and I engaged Mike’s services as we began the transition for our son from high school to college. Mike and his staff offer a complete planning process for aptitude assessment, test preparation, college selection and financial planning. We have been most impressed by and pleased with Mike’s work with our son to evaluate the attributes of various schools. Mike has an immense depth of understanding of the college application process and efficiently navigates the timelines associated with the scholarship and financial assistance process.
We see a very direct interaction between Mike and our son, which Mike has encouraged right from the start. Mike treats our son as an adult and lets him know what is expected of him which will well prepare him for his college life and adulthood.”

Robert and Patricia E., Naperville

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THE FIRST STEP BEGINS WITH AN EMAIL OR PHONE CALL (630-971-2300)

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 Sunday by appointment only.