Website to offer one-on-one college advice

Wednesday, September 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Live, one-on-one college advisory services, offered until now primarily off line, are now available on the Internet through PureAdvice.com, a new Web site. It is offering tools and services to help high school students identify and apply to colleges appropriate for them and seek financial aid.

Some information, such as extensive data on all the colleges in the United States and a calculator that estimates the total expense of going to college, is free.

But live, one-on-one counseling sessions with experienced guidance counselors, financial aid experts and former college admissions officials involve fees that start at $75 for a 45-minute session. Included in this fee is a written report summarizing the session, which is sent to the student and to the student's guidance counselor, if desired.

PureAdvice.com's president, Steven Ehrlich, says 140 advisers from across the country, each with a minimum of five years' experience, conduct the online sessions.

"In-school guidance counselors are often overburdened.

"PureAdvice will help change that, giving students, their parents and guidance counselors the tools and personalized attention they deserve," Mr. Ehrlich says.

PureAdvice also receives fees for referring visitors to vendors â€“ like student loan providers â€“ that are listed on its site.

In addition, the company has formed a partnership with U.S. News & World Report to provide its counseling services on the portion of the magazine's Web site that carries its annual college survey.

Mr. Ehrlich says U.S. News & World Report would receive a fee for each referral to PureAd-vice.com.