betteryourodds.org

What It Is

Better Your Odds College Admissions Counseling is a U.S.-based college admissions consulting service founded in 2007 and located in Pittston, Pennsylvania. Its core positioning is not that of a traditional online course platform, but rather private college planning and application counseling for high school students and their parents, with the goal of helping students improve their chances of getting into their preferred colleges.

Core Services

According to the website, BYO provides counseling across different stages of high school. For seniors, the focus includes Early Action, Early Decision, Rolling Admission, college interviews, waitlists, FAFSA, CSS Profile, merit scholarship, and other application and financial aid issues. For juniors and early-stage seniors, the service covers transcripts, course selection, SAT/ACT, extracurricular activities, community service, Common App essay topics, teacher recommendation letter etiquette, student profiles, and identifying safety, target, and reach schools. For freshmen and sophomores, the emphasis is more on long-term preparation, such as course planning, AP/Honors, class rank, PSAT, extracurricular activities, work experience, social media, and service projects.

Pricing and Delivery

The website does not publish specific pricing. It only states that users should inquire about the current BYO Program Fee via the contact form or by phone. The service is described as a “Private College Consultation with both Parents and Student,” and it emphasizes that the program does not end until all college applications are completed and all parties agree that the student’s application presentation is strong enough. The website lists an office address and notes that office hours are by appointment. Whether remote consulting is supported is not stated in the main text.

Pros and Cons

The main advantage is that the service covers the full admissions journey, from early high school planning to final application submission, and it explicitly includes parents in the counseling process. This makes it suitable for U.S. undergraduate applicants whose families want to make decisions together. The organization was also founded relatively early, suggesting a certain level of industry experience. The limitation is a lack of transparency: pricing, the number of counseling sessions, session length, deliverables, and admissions outcome data are not disclosed. In terms of staff, the main text only mentions Marie K. Donnelly MS NCC, without providing a more complete professional background.

Who It’s For and Access from China

BYO is better suited to students and parents within the U.S. high school system who are planning to apply to U.S. colleges, especially families unfamiliar with admissions terminology, timelines, and financial aid processes. For students in mainland China, the website does not state whether it offers cross-border remote services, Chinese-language support, or dedicated programs for international students. Access from China cannot be determined from the available text, so it is marked as unknown.