Caroline Small

Caroline Small is a collegiate consultant who founded CGS Collegiate Consulting in April 2017, providing personalized college counseling services from her base in Los Altos, California. She brings a unique combination of professional consulting expertise with deep commitment to supporting first-generation, underrepresented minority students through volunteer work in her local community. Her approach emphasizes individualized guidance through the entire college process with particular strength in essay assistance, college list preparation and financial aid package evaluation.

From August 2017 to May 2022, Caroline served as both an AVID College Mentor and AVID College Mentor Coordinator at Los Altos High School through the MVLA Scholars program. As coordinator from March 2019 to May 2022, she managed a volunteer college mentoring program serving approximately 50 AVID students each year who are first-generation students, underrepresented minorities with unique, complex personal and financial backgrounds. She selected, trained and managed 24 mentors who provided one-on-one college counseling, worked directly with high school college counseling and teaching staff to oversee all college applications, and served on the Board of Directors for MVLA Scholars, the local scholarship and mentoring organization that provides guidance and funding for the mentoring program. From July 2017 to June 2018, she also worked as a Virtual College Counselor for ScholarMatch, providing professional virtual college counseling services to high-achieving, low-income high school students nationwide.

Before transitioning to college counseling, Caroline built a diverse career in administrative leadership, healthcare and technology. She worked as Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer at CALIENT Technologies from 2000 to 2002, Administrative Assistant at Cisco Systems from 1996 to 2000, Clinical Services Supervisor at University of California Berkeley Student Health Service from 1994 to 1996, Tour Director and Patient Relations at Stanford University Hospital from 1991 to 1994, Alumni Relations and Public Events Coordinator at Stanford University School of Medicine from 1989 to 1991, and Administrative Assistant at Stanford University Real Estate and Lands Management from 1986 to 1989. Caroline holds a Certificate with Distinction in College Student Counseling and Personnel Services from UCLA and a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from UC Santa Barbara.?

Services Offered

• Independent college counseling through CGS Collegiate Consulting
• College list development based on student fit and goals
• Essay assistance and personal statement coaching
• Financial aid package evaluation and guidance
• Support for first-generation college students
• Counseling for underrepresented minority students
• One-on-one personalized college guidance
• Virtual college counseling services
• Support for students with complex personal and financial backgrounds
• Application strategy and timeline management
• Scholarship search and application support
• Mentor training and program coordination