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Sue Ruth liked advising students on college choices, but was less fond of other aspects such as discipline as a high school career guidance counselor.
So she did something others might only dream of and turned the best parts of her job into her own business.
Luse launched College Expert in 2001 to provide college selection advice to students and parents.
Since then, Ruse, a certified guidance counselor and educational consultant, has worked with more than 2,000 students and visited more than 330 campuses. Each pennant now adorns her office.
“My only business plan was to treat every child like a rock star and do everything I could to make sure every client had a positive outcome and was satisfied,” Ruth said. said. “I just loved doing it, so I never thought about money.”
After majoring in elementary education, Ruse concluded that teaching was not for her. Instead, she stayed home with her children. As her first steps as an entrepreneur, she taught piano lessons and helped students prepare for university entrance exams.
She also did college consulting for several families. She earned a master’s degree in counseling and worked as a high school career guidance counselor for four years, after which she became independent.
At first, Ruse just wanted to pay for her daughter’s tuition at Duke. However, her College Expert grew rapidly through her referrals, which continues to drive most of her business.
Remote counseling sessions that began during the pandemic have expanded Eagan-based College Expert’s reach to students and families across the country. To accommodate the growth, Ruth hired two more counselors and an essay specialist, bringing her staff to 12. Ruth runs the business with his son Ryan, who is also a college expert education consultant.
College Expert strives to save families money by advising students not to travel to campus or apply to schools that are not a good fit. It can also identify schools that students and parents may not have heard of that might be a good fit. Ruse declined to disclose the cost of College Expert’s consulting services, but said the initial consultation is free.
Ruse’s company often works with athletes and students employed in the arts fields, as well as students with specific needs related to dyslexia and neurodevelopmental disorders, she said. She said the company’s “Class of 23” includes students from Northwestern University, Duke University and Stanford University, but the school accepts only 3% of its students. Luse encourages students to apply to a combination of “universities within reach, potential, and certainty of admission.”
“If your family is selective about colleges, hiring a college consultant can definitely help,” Ruth says. “We will help your students stand out.”
Brian Kensicki of Minneapolis said that’s exactly what Ruth did to her son, Charles. With Ruth’s encouragement, he went from doing no extracurricular activities to prepare for college, to becoming captain of his state championship-winning esports team, to tutoring, volunteering, and other activities. Additionally, we launched a stock finance club.
“I could have told him the same thing, but kids don’t listen to their parents,” Kensicki said. “I give a lot of credit to Sue for helping him do that, which has allowed him to grow so much through social growth, leadership growth, and communication skills. He will finish where he started. It lasted day and night.”
Kensicki’s son was accepted to Boston University, and his father plans to have his daughter, who will be a freshman in high school in the fall, also work at College Expert.
Ben Santelman said Ruth helped highlight his son’s activities, from lettering in three sports to participating in choirs and musicals to church activities. School will be a priority.
“It’s kind of like a coach in sports, where someone who isn’t a parent can give you encouragement, advice, advice, and that’s a good thing,” Santelman said.
Santelman believes Ruth understood her son holistically. Hope College in Michigan didn’t catch his eye, but they accepted him. But when the pandemic hit, he chose to move out of state and is currently attending Bethel University.
“He’s doing well academically and has great friends who are likely to be lifelong friends, which is what you want in a child,” Santelman said.
Luse describes what he does at College Expert as a calling.
“That’s my purpose in life,” she said. “It helps the family dynamic so that the parents don’t get stressed out and don’t argue with the kids. They leave everything to us so they can enjoy the process.”
Ruse advises those on the path from work to management to start part-time like she did.
“Whatever you love to do, be the best at it,” Ruth said. “Learn everything you can about it and start doing it part-time while working.”
Todd Nelson is a freelance writer living in Lake Elmo.his email is todd_nelson@mac.com.
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