If you’ve hesitated to invest in CollegePlannerPro because you’re worried your students won’t use it, you’re not alone. Many IECs assume the platform’s value depends on student engagement—but I’d argue that the true value of the platform is in the business management and organizational tools it offers for you, the counselor.
At its core, CollegePlannerPro is built to support your business. From managing student and parent data to streamlining scheduling and accessing college information, the platform empowers IECs to work smarter, stay organized, and save time—regardless of how often students log in.
Let’s face it—getting students to fully adopt a new software tool can be challenging. Between school portals, apps, and digital resources, students often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of platforms they’re expected to navigate. But that’s where CollegePlannerPro shines: it’s designed to support your efficiency, organization, and professionalism, whether or not students are actively using their accounts.
Here’s a closer look at how CollegePlannerPro has transformed the way I work as an IEC:
1. Staying Organized with Student and Parent Information
As soon as I hear from a prospective client, I create a parent Contact in CollegePlannerPro. The Notes feature becomes my go-to place for recording everything shared during our initial conversation: grades, extracurriculars, college goals, learning differences, fees quoted, next steps, and even sibling details. These notes remain at my fingertips, even if months pass before the family becomes a client.
Tracking my pipeline of prospective clients is also seamless. Parents remain in the Recruiting stage until they sign on, making it easy to see which families I’m actively working to onboard.
2. Simplifying Student Onboarding
Once I start working with a student, CollegePlannerPro becomes indispensable. I upload transcripts, record GPAs and other academic details, and organize all of their information within the Student Profile.
By having much of my standard workflow saved within CollegePlannerPro through the Multi-Student Files & Folders, Checklist Templates, and Profile Note Templates, I am able to drastically reduce the administrative time spent onboarding a client and managing their program.
One of the greatest benefits of CollegePlannerPro is having everything related to my work with each student in one place. Test scores, contact details, tasks, notes, file storage, and communication logs are all available at a glance on a single page. No more toggling between platforms, systems, or scattered Google Docs—everything is centralized, organized, and easily accessible, making my workday significantly more efficient.
3. Streamlining Meeting Coordination
The Calendar might be one of the most valuable tools for IECs. I'm not even talking about the Scheduling Tool (which is awesome and a true timesaver).
CollegePlannerPro’s calendar lets me:
- Set reminders for students and parents.
- Include meeting agendas and tasks.
- Add Zoom links for virtual sessions.
- Sync with my personal calendar to avoid conflicts.
Meetings appear on the student’s profile page and feed directly into the Time Tracker, so I can easily monitor how much time I’ve spent with each student. Running reports on past and upcoming meetings is effortless, giving me insights to manage my workflow effectively.
4. Leveraging Built-In College Data
The platform’s extensive college data saves me countless hours. Instead of toggling between the Common Data Set, college websites, and other resources, I rely on CollegePlannerPro to gather everything in one place.
For example:
- When a family asks whether a student’s test scores should be submitted, I create a College Comparative Report to see where their scores fall within the 25th-75th percentiles for target schools.
- To check whether a college considers demonstrated interest, I use the Admissions Considerations feature in College Profiles.
- Essay prompts, including supplemental and major-specific requirements, are at my fingertips—no need to hunt across multiple websites.
- With integrated, up-to-date write-ups included in College Profiles, there’s no need to purchase the bulky Fiske Guide each year!
While CustomCollegePlan is a fantastic tool for helping students, the real magic of CollegePlannerPro lies in how it empowers you—the counselor. By streamlining workflows, keeping everything organized, and providing unparalleled access to data, the platform makes running your business smoother and more efficient.
Not a CollegePlannerPro member yet? Schedule a demo or try out the platform with a free trial to explore the ways that CollegePlannerPro can transform your workflow, keep your business organized, and save you valuable time.