Providing accessible, affordable, and easy to follow resources for families with young high schoolers for early college planning!

Our goal is to help overwhelmed & busy parents to better understand the college admissions process and filter through the vast amount of college preparation information so they can effectively support their children without feeling stressed and overloaded.

Welcome Families!

Welcome to Digital College Planner, your essential resource for stress-free college preparation. As an experienced college planner and parent, I understand the challenges of navigating the admissions and the college funding process. My mission is to empower busy parents like you to guide your high school freshman or sophomore towards college success, saving time and energy. Our proven strategies, digital courses, and personalized resources simplify the journey, ensuring your child stands out and thrives. Ready to start planning?

What we offer

Digital

Courses & Products

Great resources available for you if you're...

• Parents new to the college admissions process who want a reliable guide.

• Busy parents seeking an organized, step-by-step approach to planning for their freshman or sophomore.

• Parents eager to maximize their child’s college acceptance chances.

• Families looking for an affordable alternative to hiring a private college counselor.

• Parents needing help with understanding the college funding and financial aid system to better plan for college financially.

One-on-one Consultation

If you feel that your student will work better with a college/career counselor one-on-one to determine potential career path, majors, and colleges to consider

(OR)

If you'd like to discuss your options on how to better position your financials and strategize to maximize grants and scholarships or financial help for your student

(OR)

Would like us to assess your situation and determine how we can help your family with your college planning journey

Schedule a 30 min one-on-one consultation with Lea Cruz!

Meet Your College Planning Consultant - Lea Cruz

Coaching from experience professionally and personally!

Imagine this: you’re in a room full of parents whose children are in their junior and senior years. A frequent comment you’d hear is, “We wished we would've started sooner.” This realization hits hard when they face the complexity of college admissions and college funding—missed opportunities, neglected steps, and a rush to catch up because they thought they had more time. I’ve heard it countless times in my 13 years specializing in college preparation. This scenario is precisely what I aim to prevent for you.

The personal story here isn’t just about my experience as a college planner—it’s also about my journey as a parent. Early planning with my own child didn’t just make the college application process seamless; it allowed my child the opportunity to explore interests, build a compelling academic resume, and confidently apply to his dream schools. I am passionate about helping other families replicate this strategy, ensuring that they’re not caught off-guard by admissions competitiveness.

"I am so pleased that I was able to work with Lea as we prepared for my daughter to select and go to college. I definitely needed the support, guidance and assistance and that is what I received; actually, I am still depending on it!

She could not be happier with her college choice, it was exactly what she wanted; rigorous curriculum with a supportive community in a beautiful setting-and I’m so happy that after the grants and scholarships we received through proper strategizing that I’m able to send her there."

- Evelyn A.

I am very happy with the service provided for financial college planning by Excel. Lea is very knowledgeable and thorough. She absolutely knows a lot about the difficulties of college planning. I would highly recommend her. She is also a pleasure to communicate with. She goes the extra mile too. The college planning process is so complex so any help is worth it. This is your kids future so why leave it in fates hands. So happy I made a proactive decision and called Lea.

-Kendrea R

My family has worked with Ms. Cruz, since 2014, when our twins were still in high school and we were trying to navigate the whole college application and financial planning process. Ms. Cruz helped every step of the way and four years later, we also used her services for our youngest son. Ms. Cruz is very knowledgeable and caring. She listened to our needs and really personalized her services to meet our family's needs. Even today, I can reach out to her and know that she will respond in a timely fashion and answer all of my financial questions. I highly recommend Lea and her team!

-Rosie G

Excel College Planning lead by Lea has been critically helpful.  She and her team are professional and personable taking the daunting tasks away from the process.  My wife and I highly recommend rendering their service.  We have three children and rendering their service was a must.  We have one more child to go and we know we will be in good hands with Lea and her team!

George & Tiffany

Take the next step towards your child's early college planning process...

Freshmen and sophomores

Start building your academic resume and apply confidently to your top choice colleges in your senior year!

My Personal Digital College Planner

The 9th-12th Grade College Planning Roadmap

Recommended for freshmen and sophomores for early college planning for better admissions chances!

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