Learn more about Chris by listening to the 16 minute feature on the Tests and the Rest Podcast.
Chris collaborates with experts from colleges and universities across the country. One key local advisor is Dr. Michele Moses, a higher education researcher who advises on all aspects of the admissions and higher education landscape. Other collaborators include experienced essay specialists, former admissions officers, student affairs professionals, and career counselors.
This phase involves assessments, inventories, and conversations to discover and explore the student's personality, aptitudes, and interests.
Activites during the YOU phase include ...
Here we build a list of colleges moving from a not real list to the perfect-fit college list through iteration, web-based research, and conversation.
Activities during the FIT phase include ...
The APP phase involves essays, applications, and deadlines. The student's own words and ideas shine through skilled brainstorming and reviews.
Activites during the APP phase include ...
Chris is professional, organized, compassionate and a strong listener. Teenagers are notoriously resistant to authority but Chris's approach engaged my student in a substantive way. With his respectful approach, Chris encouraged my student to think in an independent and adult manner.
When Chris Bell walks through the door, in comes sunshine! He brings his positive attitude and upbeat manner—along with a wealth of knowledge about every aspect of the college application/selection process. My son met with Chris regularly to go through a series of steps around self-knowledge and preferences, and then they started in on “the list.” Chris was there for me, too, to ask questions over the months—advising us about SAT re-takes, financial aid submittals, deadlines, essays, and much more. I highly recommend Chris Bell to guide your teen and family!
I appreciated that you took the time to get to know (our kid) and celebrate him as a student and a person. You brought very positive energy to a process that is long and hard. You achieved a perfect balance of meaningfully supporting (the student) while still ensuring that he owned and drove the process and decisions. Working with you was money well spent and I will recommend you to others!
With my husband and I being very busy with our careers, we were worried about trying to take all of the right steps and helping our kids really think about choosing a college, writing essays, financial aid, and making sense of testing and how that factors in. We also did not want to make it a stressful experience and have nothing but arguments day in and day out about what needed to be done choosing a college. Quite frankly and now working with Chris I became painfully aware of everything that needs to be taken care of and considered. We would have never thought to have our kiddos complete assessment tests to help them find out which college (size, atmosphere, location, major) best suits their needs. Furthermore, he has resources that help the students try and perfect their incredibly important essays. I can't say enough how important Chris Bell has been to our family for the last 3 years. Thanks Chris!!
I highly recommend working with Chris Bell with respect to the college application process. I really liked the fact that Chris worked with our entire family and he especially made my daughter feel at ease. She told me that Chris really listened to her preferences, and his process made it easy and fun for her to participate. I think his review process on the essay portion of the applications was especially helpful since this is a key differentiator for many schools. Chris was also extremely attentive to my interests and concerns as a parent of a college-bound student. I asked Chris to help me navigate the financial aid process since that will play a large part in where my child attends college.
(Our son) is in his 4th week of college and loving it. He really likes that he has a close relationship with his teachers due to small classroom and also has made a lot of friends as there are so many like minded kiddos. He really is flourishing and stoked to be there! I just wanted to say thank you again for all your hard work with him and by hard I mean the gentle nudges and just confidence boosting that you orchestrated in the most genuine way! His college is the perfect fit for him and I'm so glad he worked with you to find that school!!!!!
Hiring Chris Bell has been the best decision we have made to help our son navigate the college process. He has transformed the tedious process of finding a school into a fun, uplifting confidence building journey. His enthusiasm and dedication to the college counseling field gives him the expertise we were seeking in a counselor. Chris has given my son the motivation and confidence to work through a the college application process.
Working with Chris is the best decision we could have made for our family and son. From start to finish, the college search and application process has been calm and intentional. Our son has truly enjoyed his journey with Chris and the results, thus far, really demonstrate that Chris has a clear understanding of the current college admissions landscape. Chris is a wonderful human who you will want in your student's corner!
Chris takes an overwhelming, stressful process, demystifies it and breaks it down so that each piece feel manageable. Chris is unfailingly upbeat, supportive and compassionate, all while being an expert in the college search and application process. It also helps that the can be very funny. After every meeting, I could see my daughter feeling more relaxed and energized to do the next set of tasks.
Working with Chris Bell was a blessing. Every week I had a meeting with him and it was something that I looked forward to every time. At the beginning we got to know each other and talked about my interests. After we got to know one another, he started helping me with the college search. Because of the help from Chris Bell I will be attending Kansas. This was a college that never came to mind for me and with his help he allowed me to find the college of my dreams.
By the way, thanks again for everything you did with our kid. He is thriving at his college!
You are wonderful, Chris. You are unfailingly positive and caring, and you are excellent at coaching young people through a tough, emotional time. Thank you!
Chris cares about you as a high school student, college student, and person. He has your back in all of those areas which provides a very personal experience that left me feeling super confident in my college decision and happy with my admissions results. He makes the whole process feel less daunting by breaking it down step-by-step. Thanks for everything!
Chris is really fun to talk to and I looked forward to every meeting. After every meeting with Chris, I felt a lot more calm about the position I was in and what I needed to get done for next time.
Chris was very helpful throughout the whole process, and really took a lot of the stress off me.
I did very much enjoy working with Chris. I would even go as far as to say I have become a better person from doing all of the YOU phase work.
Our daughter was working with a college counselor who was the wrong fit and it was affecting her motivation and ability to choose the right college. We switched to Chris, and immediately her enthusiasm and confidence increased. His upbeat attitude and understanding of the college research process (which included fun games, personality tests, and resources) reduced her stress and helped her find the right fit. His ability to listen and ask great questions took the pressure off us as parents. We appreciate the time and energy he has invested in getting to know her and we highly recommend him.
The experience of working with Chris over the last few years, with two different kids preparing for college, has been absolutely amazing. The quality of his work is only matched by the quality of his character. We consider ourselves blessed to have found him. To highly recommend Chris just doesn't seem like enough. I would be happy to talk to any perspective parent looking for the assistance provided by Bell College Consulting. I can't thank you enough, Chris. I honestly couldn't imagine having managed this process without you.
Our kid is having a fantastic time. He’s made a great group of friends. We’ve met their parents. Everything is going really well. His college turned out to be a really good fit, friendly, collegial, academic, but not too academic. Thanks for guiding him to a good spot.