About Best College Fit®
Mission Statement
Best College Fit (BCF) was founded by Peter Van Buskirk on the premise that education holds the key to the attainment of happy and productive lifestyles for both individuals and the communities in which they live.
Through BCF, Peter is dedicated to promoting access to post-secondary education through healthy, productive, student-centered solutions to college planning.
Goals
At the heart of all messaging produced by Best College Fit is a commitment to advocacy for young people, their parents and their mentors/advisors in the college planning process. BCF's goals are to:
- Help you find and gain entrance into the college that fits you best.
- Reveal the "hidden agendas" that influence college admission.
- Close the informational gap between the rhetoric you hear from colleges and the reality.
- Orient you to the vagaries of college ranking guides.
- Guide you in evaluating financial aid opportunities.
Services and Products
Best College Fit was established to advance the cause of college access for all students. Through Best College Fit, Peter Van Buskirk provides:
- College awareness and motivational programming for students and their parents
- Professional development programming for college access professionals
- Private, one-to-one consulting regarding all aspects of the college-going process including, but not limited to, college list development, campus visit strategies, application preparation and essay development/editing.
About Peter Van Buskirk
Peter Van Buskirk, Founder and President
An industry analyst, thought leader and student advocate, Peter cuts insightfully through conventional rhetoric and hyperbole to promote a healthy, student-centered, college-going process for families of all backgrounds.
His experiences as a recruiter and evaluator of talent, admission strategist, director of athletics and executive officer in the office of the provost position him uniquely to share a truly holistic perspective on college planning with families. Now, an author, in-demand motivational speaker and workshop leader, Peter founded Best College Fit as a means of bringing transparency to the college admission process and helping students position themselves to achieve their educational goals. He has presented his creative programming to more than 2,000 audiences worldwide.
Peter spent more than 25 years in selective college admission including twelve as Dean of Admission at Franklin&Marshall College. He subsequently joined Peterson’s Guides for two years where he served as Vice President for College Planning Solutions.
In 2007, he established Best College Fit®, an entity he has operated since, including a year during which he served as Director of Student Advocacy for Revolution Prep.
Peter attended Harvard’s Management Development Program and is a 40-year member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling. Perhaps, more than anything, though, he credits the college-going experiences of his three children with opening his eyes to the need for patience, humility—and a good sense of humor—in navigating the college process!
A graduate of Bucknell University, Peter and his wife reside in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Partnerships
The following are collaborative partnerships through which Peter Van Buskirk has provided college planning advice and content:
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Peter Van Buskirk is a 40-year member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling and complies with NACAC's Statement of Principles and Good Practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What does Peter mean when he talks about being student-centered?
A. A student-centered approach to college planning always puts the best interests of the student first. It is rooted in reflective conversation and focuses on questions such as "Why do you want to go to college?", "How do you like to learn?" and "What are the 3-4 things you want to accomplish by the time you graduate?" And it assumes that the best colleges for the student will emerge from, rather than precede, these conversations.
Q. Does Peter offer private consulting services?
A. Yes, he works with a limited number of students each year on all aspects of college planning. Families value his insider perspective and students find his support during essay development, from brainstorming through critical editing, to be immensely helpful.
Q. What sets Peter's work apart from others who offer college consulting services?
A. The focal point of Peter's efforts is teaching and advocacy. His objective is to empower young people with information and insight so they can be confident and self-sufficient in the college planning process.
Q. How do I book an event or arrange a consultation?
A. Contact Peter at 717-808-5462 or Peter@BestCollegeFit.com.
