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Spending thousands of dollars for anything, let alone one week of intensive college application completion coaching, is a big deal! Yet, for the right students and right families, Bellagio Apps is a very wise strategic investment.

Craig Meister only wants right-fit students to take part in Bellagio Apps each summer; therefore, he is happy to answer your questions about Bellagio Apps in order to ensure that you make the right choice related to taking part.

Below, please sign up for your free twenty-minute question-and-answer session with Craig in order to engage in smart due diligence before deciding whether signing up for his 2020 retreat makes sense for you (or your student). Craig looks forward to giving you a call to discuss Bellagio Apps.

A magna cum laude graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Craig earned his Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and worked in both Penn’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Office of International Programs before relocating to New York City to work as a communications consultant. In New York, Craig developed innovative business and communication strategies for some of the world’s most successful corporations.

Craig eventually served as an undergraduate admissions officer for a public university before building from scratch and rebuilding college counseling offices at high schools in Baltimore, West Palm Beach, and Rio de Janeiro. His myriad experiences allow him to be the strongest possible advocate for high school students and parents as they navigate the college admissions process.

Seeking to combine his communication and consulting skills with his passion for college admissions, Craig founded a one-man college consulting practice, Tactical College Consulting, LLC, in 2006. Over the next decade this small operation grew leaps and bounds. Tactical College Consulting, LLC, which started with just one Baltimore-based client in March of 2006, served its 1,000th client, located, in of all places, Alexandria, Egypt, in 2014.

When working with students and their families, Craig employs the extensive editing, interviewing, and writing know-how he gathered from his time as a speechwriter for the U.S. Department of State and a journalist for local and national news operations.

When not entrenched in the realm of finding the right fit and getting in, Craig enjoys travel, discussing international affairs and European history, and spending time with his family.

Q&A
When does Bellagio Apps take place?
Bellagio Apps 2021 takes place August 1 – August 6, 2021.

Where does Bellagio Apps take place?
The retreat takes place at and around a small boutique hotel in Bellagio, Italy. More information will be provided once attendance is confirmed.

Do I just show up and get started?
No. Within 48 hours of registration, Craig will send both the student and parent(s) in-depth questionnaires to complete. These questionnaires must be completed no fewer than five weeks before the retreat begins because one month before arrival, Craig will begin engaging with the student in a series of three pre-arrival college admissions counseling sessions. By the time students arrive in Bellagio, and in collaboration with Craig, they hit the ground running tactically implementing their preplanned college application completion strategy.

Will student participants work with Craig or some sort of assistant?
Unlike many college application boot camps in the U.S. that are headlined by well-known (and quite joyless and unimpressive) college admissions consultants but primarily worked by part-time college interns who are tasked with instruction of student participants and editing their essays, Bellagio Apps is led and operated entirely by Craig. In addition to having independent daily dedicated drafting time, students will have exclusive one-on-one college application coaching and engagement sessions with Craig for a minimum of six hours each day of the retreat. Craig does not outsource.

Where will my child sleep?
This is up to you, as the retreat does not include the cost of lodging or meals; yet, we hope you select accommodation close to the heart of Bellagio. Hotel Du Lac and Hotel Bellagio have amazing and reasonably priced hotel rooms with spectacular views.

How do I get there?
Students are responsible for their own transportation to Bellagio. The two closest airports are in Milan and Lugano, with more international flights landing in Milan. Milan is roughly two hours away from Bellagio by rail + boat in typical travel conditions.

What will my child accomplish?
By the end of the retreat participants will have finalized their extracurricular resume, Common App essay, Common App, at least six Common App supplements (or the equivalent), and developed – through strategy sessions and mock interviews – a college admissions interview game plan.