College Counseling at Verto Experience a Rich & Rewarding Path to College

Verto is on a mission to help students like you discover themselves and the world around them by making education abroad a foundational and accessible part of a four-year college education. A critical part of our mission is to prepare you for success in your Verto semester(s) and beyond. That starts with developing a four-year plan that works for your interests, goals, budget, and a variety of other factors that will help determine the best fit for you!

As a Verto student, you are part of something bigger. Hundreds of your peers have successfully matriculated post-Verto into their colleges of choice, armed with support, confidence, and a global perspective. We’re excited to help you get there.

STUDENT SUCCESS AT VERTO & PARTNER COLLEGES VERTO METHOD AT A GLANCE

  • 45+

    The number of Verto partner colleges (and growing!)

  • 7:1

    The staff:student ratio on Verto semesters, giving students the personalized support in their first year of college and preparing them for success in their partner institutions

  • 2 Weeks

    The average time it takes for students to receive admissions decisions from Verto and partner colleges

  • 12–16

    The number of transferable college credits students earn on a Verto semester

VERTO COLLEGE COUNSELING TEAM YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO IT ALONE

We work with 100% of Verto students to ensure that you have a four-year college plan that inspires you and aligns with your goals. Our consortium of partner colleges offers a wide variety of locations, specializations, sizes, and types of institutions. However, even if you don’t choose one of our growing list of partner institutions, we are dedicated to your long-term success and can help you navigate a plan that works best for you.

Photo: Liz Le

Liz Le

Verto College Counselor

liz@vertoeducation.org

How can the Verto College Counselor help you?

Hi there! As Verto’s College Counselor, I guide students like you through the college selection process. It can certainly be overwhelming to make such a big decision, so together, we will walk through your college goals, aspirations, and academic interests to help you narrow down your options. After working with hundreds of students and countless universities and colleges, I’m looking forward to helping you create a four-year plan that includes a transformative semester or year with Verto!Read more about my journey to Verto

Maybe you’re unsure of how to move forward in developing a four-year plan. Let us ask you this:

  • Do you need help selecting a best fit partner college? Maybe you don’t know where to begin, or none of them stand out to you yet?
  • Do you have a dream school in mind that isn’t a Verto partner college, but you want to enroll in a Verto semester?
  • Do you know what you want to get out of your college experience, but you’re unsure which colleges may offer that?
  • Are you having a hard time articulating your personal story to colleges? Is your academic profile not a complete reflection of your capabilities and college potential?
  • Do you have a solid college plan, but need help with deferring in order to complete a Verto semester?
  • Are you ready to start college differently with Verto, but you need to confirm your credit transfer first?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, we can help! Just ask some of the other Verto students who have worked with Liz.

“Liz is such a phenomenal advisor with so much to offer us, as students. She never fails to answer any of my questions and honestly is willing to help in any way possible. She has made my Verto experience extremely rewarding thus far!”

Cole N.Spring 2021 South Pacific Student

“Liz along with other members of the Verto team have provided me with all the materials I may need to get all my credit to transfer to UMD. Not only did Liz get in contact with UMD but she was my advocate and I immensely appreciate it. If the credits wouldn't have transferred I would unfortunately make the decision to opt out of Hawaii so I am very excited that everything worked out.”

Amelia K.Global Impact Year 2020-2021

“Liz has been incredibly supportive of me during the process of writing my college essay. She gives great feedback and has the ability to give suggestions of how to improve my writing that I would not have considered on my own. She is a stellar counselor and I have greatly enjoyed working with her!”

Holly S.Fall Hybrid 2020 Student

NAVIGATING YOUR FOUR-YEAR PLAN SETTING YOU UP FOR SUCCESS IN VERTO AND BEYOND

START HERE CHOOSING A COLLEGE CAN BE OVERWHELMING, BUT WE’RE HERE TO HELP

With so many options in front of you, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed by the college selection process. Fortunately, we’re here to help.

While we’re excited to help you set up a four-year college plan, one of the great benefits of Verto is that students have the opportunity to learn, grow, and self-reflect during their Verto semester, helping them to narrow their search for the right fit. You may learn more about yourself and your academic interests as the semester progresses and that’s encouraged! Whenever you’re ready to explore, we’re here to help you navigate the process.

Let’s get started now by learning more about Partner Colleges below.

EXPLORE VERTO’S PARTNER COLLEGES TRAVEL WITH PEACE OF MIND, KNOWING YOUR CREDITS ARE GUARANTEED TO TRANSFER

Why choose a Verto partner school?

Verto is extremely proud to partner with a quickly growing consortium of forward-thinking colleges and universities—enabling students to see the world, gain academic knowledge, and meaningful life experience while receiving college credit.

  • Seamless credit transfer

    As a partner school, these colleges and universities have already mapped out how Verto credits will transfer as general education requirements at their institutions.

  • Meet other Verto alumni

    If you choose to attend a partner school, you’ll likely be alongside other Verto alum with whom you can share your global experiences.

  • Aligned with Verto’s mission

    We only partner with institutions that share our mission to provide accessibility and global citizenship as core tenets of a college degree. That means that after your Verto semester, a partner college may be an even better fit since they’ll share your global perspective and a strong desire to help you achieve a meaningful education.

Explore All Verto Partner Colleges and Apply

ADD A GLOBAL FIRST YEAR TO YOUR NON-PARTNER COLLEGE PLAN YOU’VE GOT Your DREAM SCHOOL, ADD Your DREAM FIRST YEAR

At Verto, we believe so passionately about the positive impact of the experience you’ll have at Verto that we work one-on-one with every student to help you navigate your college plan—even if that plan includes a non-partner institution! In fact, we have many students who also take this path.

Verto Courses Satisfy General Education Requirements

Verto courses are designed with you in mind. No matter which semester you choose, Verto courses take the shape of general education requirements. That means that Verto curriculum is designed to serve all students, regardless of major, in earning credits for courses that all first-year students are required to take at most universities. Courses like Rhetoric and Composition, Introduction to Anthropology, Introduction to Sociology, World Language, Creative and Critical Thinking and more, are great examples of courses that universities require students to take during their first year. With Verto, you’ll be taking these courses and pairing them with valuable experience in the field, making them all the more interesting! Learn more about how credits transfer in our Academic Overview.

What can you do now to explore if/how your non-partner college will accept your Verto credits?

We’re happy to walk alongside you to help you and your non-partner college determine if Verto is the right fit for your first year of college (hint: we think it is!). As part of our commitment to put students first, we’ll even offer you a full refund if you deposit at Verto and then discover that credits will not transfer to your non-partner college or university.

How to get started

  • Check out your selected college’s policy on deferment. This should be information available on their website if you search “Deferral Request” or if you reach out to their Admissions Office directly.
  • When speaking with your college’s Admissions Office, ask if they allow “gap year” options or if they’ll allow you to earn credit during a “gap year.”

Helpful hints when investigating your options

  • Some universities will automatically approve your deferment if you follow their steps, but others will require a formal committee to review
  • Be specific in your request for information from their Admissions Office
  • Note the specialized learning and life experience that you’ll receive at Verto, you can even copy your Verto College Counselor on the email to give more context and information on your behalf

If your college’s Admissions Office says yes and is open to your deferment, the first step is done! That’s great news. At that point, in order to do your due diligence, here are some additional things to consider:

  • How will earning credits potentially impact your financial aid or scholarships at the college or university?
  • Is there a limit on how many credits you can earn, before you’re given a different “admissions status” with the school?
  • Will the experience with Verto as a launching pad outweigh any of these factors for you?
  • Are you fully committed to this non-partner school or would you be open to exploring partner schools with our college counselor? If so, schedule a time here to meet with Liz!

Don’t forget—a Verto semester provides way more benefits than a simple credit offering! Although ensuring credits will transfer is an important part of your first year, keep in mind that you’ll be gaining cross-cultural experience, mentorship, clarity, confidence, self-awareness, global citizenship, and more.

Transfer DetailsMAPPING OUT YOUR CREDITS

Now that you’re clear on your non-partner college’s deferment policy, it’s time to consider exactly how your credits will transfer. Here are the steps you can take to learn more about your selected university:

  • Visit your non-partner college website for “transfer equivalency”
  • Could be under admissions, registrar, or an academic advisor
  • Do they have a transfer equivalency tool? If so:
    • Choose, “Search by Transfer Institution”
    • Search for Virginia—Richard Bland College
    • What are the requirements in terms of GPA, in order to transfer the credit in
    • Review your Verto courses compared to the courses within your major, based on how they fall in the transfer equivalency tool
  • If they don’t have an easy tool to use on their website, review the policy information. Is there a form that needs to be completed? Can you complete this form prior to having an official transcript.
  • If you still need more clarity or to speak to an evaluator, send an email to the designated department or email contact and CC liz@vertoeducation.org, so that we can provide further context to help! You can even use the email template below to get the ball rolling:
Dear [enter name of primary admissions contact, e.g. "Admissions Department" or "Registrars"],

I am very excited about the possibility of attending your University for my degree, and wanted to reach out about a program that I have been accepted into for a semester prior to arriving on campus. I am interested in attending Verto Education’s first year semester in [enter your location] and taking four courses, which are fully accredited by Richard Bland College.

Could you help me confirm that these credits will be accepted for my degree requirements for my first year with you all? I’ve also copied my Verto contact, Liz Le, on this email. She can answer any questions about the course descriptions or other information you may need. I look forward to working with you and Verto to map out my college career!

Great job! Some questions your college or university may have about Verto follow with answers.

  • Is the course technical in nature?

    • No, Verto courses are general education courses.

  • Is the course considered remedial?

    • No, students are expected to complete the appropriate college preparatory work to attend our college level courses.

  • Is the course a physical education course?

    • No, Verto courses are designed by faculty, are based on approved curriculum, and driven by student learning outcomes.

  • Is the credit awarded on an official transcript?

    • Yes, Verto students receive a transcript from Richard Bland College of William and Mary.

  • Is the credit issued by an accredited institution of higher education learning?

    • Yes, see transcript question above.

  • Is the grade issued a letter grade or pass/fail?

    • Verto students are issued letter grades.

  • What grade do colleges typically need to see in order to accept the credit?

    • Colleges range from C-, to C or C+…varies depending on the specific institution.

We're Here to Help You Need more guidance on your college selection?

Contact Liz
Schedule a Counseling Appointment