It is a common dilemma for most parents: what school do I choose for my child?
There are open houses for elementary and high schools, CEGEPs and universities, the feverish devouring of information flyers, surfing the internet and endless phone calls. Public or private? Canada or the USA? Entrance exams and scholarship opportunities. There is so much to consider.
Finding an expert in this field who will be objective and helpful at the same time is no easy task. Marla Pinsler is well aware of this. The Côte Saint-Luc District 2 resident and mom of a primary school student herself, she has spent the past 25 years in individual, family, career and university counselling and worked at several of the most renowned preparatory schools in Canada. Her time at Havergal College and St. Clement’s School in Toronto & Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School (ECS) here helped her gain the invaluable experience and knowledge required to help others navigate the college application process with ease, responsibility and control.
Pinsler’s knowledge of the Canadian, British, and U.S university systems makes her a logical choice to help make life challenging decisions.
A strong background in the field
Let’s back up a bit. Pinsler grew up in CSL and attended United Talmud Torahs (when it was in the present-day Merton School building in CSL), Bialik High School and Vanier College. She enrolled at Concordia University and obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Applied Social Sciences, moving on to earn her Master’s in Education Counselling Psychology at McGill.
Bialik turned out to be her landing spot for her initial placement, followed by work at Ometz and Herzliah for two years. She signed on to ECS as a guidance counsellor and after four years and at the age of 30 she made the difficult decision to relocate to Toronto. Her sister was there and her niece was two years old at the time. Getting a job at one of the country’s top girls schools, Havergal College, did not hurt either. She stayed there for 14 years, became a mom to her beloved son Andrew, and had a chance to fly across the continent to different colleges and universities. As well, she benefitted from extensive professional development.
When it came time to return home, Pinsler landed back at ECS. It was full-time work, focusing mainly on social and emotional counselling. “But I missed the academic counselling piece,” she admitted. “I realized there was a need for private education counselling.”
Launching her own company
So with that in mind, Pinsler launched her own company. She still works part-time in the education sector, but the demand for her private consulting services seem to grow each day. Clients lean on her expertise in the areas of: college search and finalized application list; essay brainstorming and editing, resume building, transcript analysis, course selection, scholarship info, interview strategies, college tours, academic coaching, personal counselling and the MMIs (Multiple Mini-Interviews) for Medical School Admission.
You can book a free 20 minute consultation to get the ball rolling with Pinsler. “My services can amount to anywhere from two, five, eight sessions or more,” she says. “For a Grade 9 student already looking towards university, I can spend three years on the same dossier. It is all very flexible and my success rate is 100 percent for one of the student’s top two choices. I help organize school visits and college tours and can contact schools to help them arrange that if needed.”
Pinsler made headlines recently when the college admissions scandal in the United States surfaced and it was learned that wealthy celebrities were buying admissions into top universities for their children.
Here is a story on Pinsler by Bill Brownstein of The Gazette .
Pinsler was also interviewed here on Global TV.
Pinsler was disgusted with what came out about this scandal. “This scheme is awful for several reasons,” she says. “What does it say to the daughter about her own mom's confidence in her if she needs to pay someone to rig her SAT? The obvious is this gives those who do all the right things less chance to get in, it provides college counsellors and consultants who follow the rules and have worked for years to cultivate healthy, professional and appropriate relationships at colleges - like myself - a negative image and bad name. It is shameful, pathetic and elitist..”
You can go to http://www.marlapinsler.com for more.
