College Sage offers assistance to students in our community who do not have the resources they need to successfully navigate the college preparation and application process.

All students deserve an opportunity to achieve their academic dreams! 

  • College Sage provides free college counseling for students with demonstrated financial need 

  • FAFSA assistance

  • Scholarship help

College Sage can assist with:

  • Explore students’ interests and strengths and identify potential majors and career paths

  • Administer career and personality Assessments


  • Review student’s educational history


  • Guide and plan future high school curriculum choices

  • Discuss standardized test preparation and scheduling 

  • Identify colleges, both 2 year and 4 year options

  • Assist with the Common Application 

  • Brainstorm, edit and guide scholarship and admission essays

  • Prepare for job and college interviews 


  • Assist with final matriculation decisions  

  • Transfer applications

  • College success planning for course registration, majors, summer internships


Financial Aid 101 Tutorial


  • Current FAFSA knowledge to assist students and their families

  • Personal Finance 101 Tutorial for College Bound Students

 

The mission of The College Sage’s pro bono work is to ensure all students have equitable access to the college counseling they need and deserve.  The College Sage has been providing pro bono college counseling for almost ten years, annually assisting over 150 students with more than 400 hours of services.  The College Sages offers free services to all Pell-eligible students through Community in Schools, Raise Up, Kids on Point, Meeting Street Schools, Doors to Dream and secondary schools in Charleston County and beyond.  College Sage works closely with the Reverend Pinckney College Readiness & Scholars Program, and supports students in achieving eligibility for the Meeting Street Scholarship.

The College sage PRO BONO efforts are led by our generous and talented counselors:

Sue Woods

sue.thecollegesage@gmail.com

Sue Woods, Pro-Bono Counselor

Sue Woods, Pro-Bono Counselor

Sue understands the value of education and its potential to change lives. Sue joined College Sage to serve the needs of economically disadvantaged young people and their families by sharing her ability to navigate the college application and financing process.

After an early career working internationally in system consulting, Sue co-founded a set of successful businesses in the Cayman Islands, California and the Carolinas. She served as CFO for her businesses while devoting time and talent to actively support educational needs in her community. In Charleston, Sue served on the School Improvement Council (SIC) for Academic Magnet High School and she has held various treasurer and other leadership positions for school support and fund-raising entities. She also serves as a board member for Kids on Point, a year-round program introducing young people to the world of opportunity in the classroom, in the community, and on the squash court. After guiding her family through education and life transitions from San Francisco to Grand Cayman and ultimately to Charleston, Sue is excited to share her accumulated expertise – helping more young people identify, create, and secure college opportunities. 

Cindy Smithy, Pro Bono Counselor

Cindy Smithy, Pro Bono Counselor

Cindy started her career in software sales to large financial management companies. While taking time off raising her two children, she was involved in leadership roles for local school projects in her Massachusetts hometown. Returning to her original passion of helping today’s youth navigate the complexities of adolescence, she graduated from Boston College with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and as a licensed school counselor. During her practicum , she worked with the English Language Learners in a Boston high school with over 50 target languages and assisted these first generation college students with their college planning and other post secondary options. After graduating, Cindy began working as an Adult Education Counselor helping students who had left high school reach their goals. Now that she has relocated to Charleston, she is excited to help students unlock their strengths and passions to find light and turn it into a dynamic spark. She feels strongly that the power of education transforms and enriches lives and with some assistance along the way, anything is possible.  

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18 Broad Street, Suite 101
Charleston, SC 29401
(843) 906-8748
thecollegesage@gmail.com