College Counseling in Illinois

Families across the Chicagoland area turn to Great College Advice for personalized college admissions guidance backed by decades of counseling experience and proven results — from Chicago to the North Shore to the Western and Northwest suburbs, and beyond.

Why Local Guidance Matters

Illinois families face a distinct set of pressures:

UIUC admits by major, not by university. Its published overall acceptance rate tells you almost nothing about your student’s actual odds in Grainger Engineering, Computer Science, or Gies Business. Not only that but some selective UIUC majors can only be chosen as a first choice major.
Strong pull toward out-of-state Big Ten neighbors especially the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, and Purdue where your application must stand out due to the number of out-of-state applications received.
A new statewide direct admissions program that excludes both the UIUC and UIC campuses which means the state’s most-wanted public universities still require a full, strategic application.
A FAFSA graduation requirement that puts every senior into the financial aid system, whether or not the family has a plan for it.
Intensely competitive high school environments in the Chicago suburbs and CPS selective-enrollment schools, where dozens of students from a single graduating class target the same handful of programs, not only the OOS Big Ten universities but also Northwestern and the University of Chicago.

College Counseling Services in IL

✅ Common App & supplemental essay support
✅ College list building & fit assessment across Illinois publics, privates, and out-of-state options
✅ UIUC first-choice and second-choice major strategy
✅ Application strategy & timeline planning, including Early Decision and Early Action
✅ Guidance on One Click College Admit and Illinois direct admissions
✅ High school course planning including AP vs. dual credit options
✅ Standardized test prep strategy and test-optional decision-making
✅ Financial aid / FAFSA guidance
✅ Merit aid strategy, net-cost comparison, and aid appeal support
✅ College interview prep
✅ Support for high-achieving, gifted, and neurodivergent learners
✅ Guidance for Illinois students applying out of state or internationally
✅ Guidance for out-of-state and international students applying to Illinois schools

Meet Your Illinois-Based College Counselor

Sarah Farbman — Chicago Office

Sarah leads our office in Chicago and brings a background in higher education policy alongside years of hands-on admissions counseling. She holds a BA in French and Linguistics from Grinnell College, where she was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and an MA/MS in Student Affairs Administration and Policy from Northwestern University. She is a member of NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Sarah defines “a successful outcome of an admissions process is when a student has choices. They don’t just have to go to the one school they got into — they have choices, and they can make choices in which the school is closely aligned with their own needs.”

Illinois families are matched with other members of our six-counselor team based on the student’s goals, target schools, and working style. Every client benefits from the full team’s collective knowledge through weekly case discussions.

Illinois High Schools We’ve Worked With

Adlai E. Stevenson High School	Batavia High School	Benet Academy
Carmel Catholic High School	Chicago Academy for the Arts	Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences
Deerfield High School	Downers Grove North High School	Downers Grove South High School
Evanston Township High School	Fenwick High School	Francis W. Parker School
Glenbrook North High School	Glenbrook South High School	Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale South High School	Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School	Jones College Prep
Lake Forest Academy	Lake Forest High School	Lane Tech College Prep High School
Latin School of Chicago	Lindblom Math and Science Academy	Loyola Academy
Lyons Township High School	Maine South High School	Maine West High School
Marist High School	New Trier Township High School	Niles West High School
North Shore Country Day	Northside College Preparatory High School	Oak Park and River Forest High School
Oswego East High School	Payton College Preparatory High School	Prairie Ridge High School
Prospect High School	Regina Dominican High School	Riverside Brookfield High School
Rochelle Zell Jewish High School	Saint Ignatius College Prep	St. Charles East High School
St. Charles North High School	Stevenson High School	University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
Vernon Hills High School	Wheaton North High School	Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
William Fremd High School	York Community High School

Note: This list reflects general GCA outreach across IL and is not tied to any specific counselor.

Ready to Get Started?

Schedule a consultation with Great College Advice to build a personalized plan for your student’s college journey. All counseling is delivered online, so families anywhere in Illinois can work with us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best Illinois colleges to apply to?

“Best” depends entirely on the student. Illinois’s most commonly targeted schools include the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois State University, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Bradley University, Illinois Wesleyan, Knox College, Lake Forest College, and Wheaton College. Our counselors help students look past name recognition to focus on programs, campus culture, and outcomes that actually fit — academic fit first, prestige second.

How does attending a highly regarded Chicago area high school affect college admissions?

Colleges evaluate students in the context of their high school and the opportunities available to them. Admissions officers understand that course offerings, grading standards, academic rigor, and extracurricular opportunities vary from school to school.

Students attending strong public and private schools in Chicago or its suburbs may have access to an impressive range of honors and AP courses, advanced academic programs, athletics, arts, clubs, leadership opportunities, and other activities.

But that environment can also make it harder for students to distinguish themselves. A student who performs very well at a highly competitive Chicago-area high school may be competing against many classmates with similarly strong academic records and impressive activities. Families should therefore be cautious about relying on anecdotes such as “our high school sends lots of students to that college” or “a student with these grades should get in.”

That’s why successful college planning involves more than simply taking the hardest courses or accumulating impressive activities. Students should develop depth in areas that genuinely interest them and build a profile that reflects who they are as an individual. Strong credentials get a student into the conversation, but a compelling story can help them stand out.

How is the college admissions process different in Illinois?

Three things set Illinois apart. First, state law requires every public high school senior to complete the FAFSA, the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, or a formal non-participation waiver in order to receive a diploma — a requirement in effect since the 2020-21 school year. Second, Illinois now runs a statewide direct admissions program, One Click College Admit, that can deliver acceptances based on GPA alone. Third, the state’s flagship uses major-specific admissions, which changes how a student should build their application from the beginning rather than at the end.

What is One Click College Admit, and does it include UIUC?

One Click College Admit is Illinois’s statewide direct admissions program, launched in 2025 by the Governor’s office alongside IBHE, ICCB, and ISAC under House Bill 3522. Qualifying Illinois high school seniors and community college transfer students receive admission offers to participating public universities and community colleges based on one criterion — GPA — with applications, application fees, essays, and letters of recommendation waived. 10 of the state’s 12 four-year public universities participate. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago are not participating. The full program takes effect for the 2027-28 academic year; the class of 2026 could use One Click College Admit for fall 2026 enrollment via a Common App account and GPA, while the class of 2027 and beyond must complete an online opt-in form during junior year. It’s a real advantage — and it is not a substitute for a strategy, because the two schools most Illinois families are aiming at sit outside it.

Why is UIUC harder to get into than its acceptance rate suggests?

Because UIUC admits students to a specific major, not to the university. Applicants select a first-choice and a second-choice major, and each program carries its own effective selectivity — Grainger Engineering, Computer Science, the CS+X programs, and Gies Business are dramatically more competitive than many programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences or ACES. UIUC’s own admissions office strongly recommends selecting a second choice, particularly for engineering and business applicants, and notes that a student admitted to their second choice is treated as waitlisted for the first.

Do we need to live in Chicago to work with a Great College Advice counselor?

No. All counseling is delivered online, so families anywhere in Illinois can work with a GCA counselor. Working with an online counselor is a feature, not a compromise.