For Families with Students in Grades 8–9
You're not behind, and you're not too early. You're approaching college the same way you've approached every other parenting milestone: you want to understand what's coming before it arrives.
The Early Risers program introduces families to the college journey before high school pressure begins. Instead of reacting to deadlines later, you will gain the clarity and communication tools needed to approach high school with intention.
A 20-minute introductory conversation — no commitment, no pressure.
Build Confidence. Explore Strengths.
We spent decades inside university enrollment offices. We reviewed thousands of applications. We counseled families through financial aid. We watched the patterns repeat.
The families who arrived at junior year already understood how admissions works, how financial aid is structured, and what their student actually wanted, making calmer, more strategic decisions that reflected the student's real interests.
The families who waited, and most families wait, because the industry tells them to, found themselves reacting to timelines they couldn't control. Course selections already locked in. Extracurriculars chosen without direction. Financial aid conversations are starting too late to matter. Family discussions about college are happening for the first time under pressure.
None of that was anyone's fault. The information simply wasn't available to them earlier.
That's the gap we built SUM TOTAL to close.
Starting in 8th or 9th grade doesn't mean rushing your child toward college applications. It means your family enters high school with a shared understanding of what's ahead, so when the decisions start to matter, you've already had the conversations.
The Families Who Started Early Were Different.
Why Families Begin in 8th & 9th Grade
Eighth and ninth grade are the last years your student has the freedom to explore interests without the pressure of a transcript being evaluated. Course decisions made in 9th grade shape the academic profile colleges will eventually see.
Families who understand this early make more intentional choices, not because they're gaming the system, but because they're informed.
This isn't about getting ahead. It's about not starting behind.
“I loved the financial conversations - they’re usually so emotional. You break the topic down so everyone understands how to make college feasible, and bringing it in early builds real comfort around it” - Early Riser Parent
HOW IT WORKS
Students, Parents, and the Family — Each Has a Voice
Our program includes dedicated sessions with the student, with parents, and with the whole family together — because each relationship needs its own space.
What Your Student Experiences
Your 8th or 9th grader will work one-on-one with their counselor in sessions designed to meet them where they are. This isn't test prep. It isn't college applications. It's the beginning of a conversation about who they are and who they're becoming.
Students explore the difference between curiosities and genuine interests. They build language to talk about their goals that goes beyond school names and major titles. And for many students, the most valuable thing they gain is confidence.
What the Caregiver Experiences
Parents or caregivers meet separately with the counselor to build the context needed to support your student effectively. You'll learn how the admissions landscape actually works, from people who spent years inside it. You'll develop a clearer picture of your student's strengths and learning style. And you'll align your expectations with what the process actually requires.
What the Family Builds Together
The family sessions are where it comes together. Parents and students create what we call a better dinner table conversation, one built on shared understanding rather than assumptions, on curiosity rather than pressure.
You'll learn what colleges actually evaluate, how to think about academic fit, social fit, and financial fit, and how to connect your student's interests to real exploration.
We accept a limited number of Early Risers families each semester to ensure every engagement receives the full attention of your assigned counselor.
SUM TOTAL is the culmination of decades of hands-on experience in admissions and financial aid. Both founders in their positions on the high-school and college side of the desk have been instrumental in shaping experiences of countless students and families.
We built this company because we spent years watching the same pattern: families arriving at junior year with decisions already behind them. Course selections that limited options. Financial planning conversations that started too late.
The families who had guidance earlier arrived in a completely different position. Not because they were wealthier or more connected, but because they were informed.
We've Sat Where the Admissions Officers Sit.
8TH GRADE
8th Grade Early Risers Program
Sessions Included
2 Family Session (45 minutes)
2 Student Sessions (1 hour each)
1 Parent Session (1 hour)
Plus: unlimited engagement with your assigned counselor during the program period. Questions don't wait for scheduled sessions — when something comes up, we're here.
Parent Session
A clear understanding of how admissions actually works, from people who've worked inside it
Tools to identify and articulate your student's strengths, challenges, and learning style
Aligned expectations for academic growth
A framework for keeping your student's perspective at the center of the process
Student Sessions
Exploring the difference between curiosities and interests, and how exploration leads to discovery
Building language to talk meaningfully about goals, beyond school names and "what do you want to major in"
Demystifying high school so it feels like an opportunity, not a source of anxiety
Beginning thoughtful academic course planning for 9th grade
Connecting personal interests to potential academic pathways
Students leave with greater confidence and curiosity about the journey ahead.
Family Session
Healthier conversations about school, goals, and the future
Understanding what colleges actually evaluate in admissions
The concept of academic fit, social fit, and financial fit
Tools for productive family discussions that reduce pressure and increase clarity
The goal: a better dinner table conversation — one built on curiosity rather than pressure.
“The self-discovery work in the Early Risers program builds the foundation for everything I do with 10th and 11th graders. Students arrive having already explored these questions, alone and with their families, and that makes my job so much easier.” - School Counselor
PROGRAM INVESTMENT
$5,000
This includes your dedicated counselor, all sessions, and unlimited engagement throughout the program period.
Ask about our sibling rate during your introductory conversation.
Accepting new clients SEPTEMBER 2026
9TH GRADE
9th Grade Early Risers Program
Sessions Included
2 Family Sessions (45 minutes each)
3 Student Sessions (1 hour each)
1 Parent Session (1 hour)
Plus: unlimited engagement with your assigned counselor during the program period.
Parent Session
Resources and frameworks for supporting your student through high school
Clarity on expectations, and how they align with your student's goals
An understanding of the evolving admissions landscape
A framework for keeping your student's perspective central to the process
Student Sessions
Translating curiosity into longer-term direction
Strengthening communication with parents about goals and interests
Developing a realistic four-year academic plan
Exploring career pathways and how they connect to potential fields of study
Building time management and academic planning skills
Students leave with a clearer sense of direction and increased ownership of their high school experience.
Family Sessions
Positive habits for discussing school, goals, and the future
Understanding academic rigor and how context matters in admissions
The meaning of college "fit" — academic, social, and financial
Building a support network and utilizing school resources
Tools for productive family conversations through senior year
“This program gives me a roadmap for the conversations I need to have with my child. I’m not inventing them from scratch - they’re guided, family-friendly, and they help me actually get to know my kid better” - Early Riser Parent
PROGRAM INVESTMENT
$5625
This includes your dedicated counselor, all sessions, and unlimited engagement throughout the program period.
Ask about our sibling rate during your introductory conversation.
Accepting new clients SEPTEMBER 2026
By the End of Early Risers
Your student enters high school with confidence and self-awareness. You enter it with clarity about what's ahead. And your family has a foundation of communication that will carry you through the decisions that come next.
Most importantly, you gain time — the one resource that can't be created at the last minute.
What Comes Next
Early Risers is designed to stand on its own. Many families find that the clarity they gain is exactly what they needed to move forward independently.
For families who want continued guidance, our programs build naturally from one year to the next. Your counselor already knows your student, your family, and your goals; the relationship continues without starting over.
Once you're part of our family, you stay part of our family. Explore the support available to our clients beyond your program.
Services Beyond Sessions →
You're Not Too Early. You're Prepared.
If your student is in 8th or 9th grade, this is the window — the time when exploration is still possible without pressure, when course decisions can be made with intention, and when your family can build the communication habits that will matter most.
20 minutes. No commitment. We'll learn about your family and help you decide if this is the right time to begin.