<p>Hello everyone! I am quite new to this forum so I hope this question belongs here. I am a rising junior (Grade 11) and I was wondering if it is worth it to hire an admissions consultant. If yes, does anyone know any good admissions consultants near Boston or more specifically Andover? Thank you so much.</p>
<p>No I really don’t think you need to hire one. Just take the time to learn the admission process and you will be able to do everything they can do.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s really necessary either. The process isn’t that complicated and if you get confused you can ask people at your school (guidance counsellors etc.)</p>
<p>There are two primary sources of value a college admissions consultant adds:</p>
<p>-- S/he is very familiar with many colleges around the country and is likely to know of a at least a few that would suit you well given parameters of fit, focus, and finance.</p>
<p>-- At application time, s/he will probably be able to optimize your application to make it as strong as possible while still making sure it retains your style and voice</p>
<p>A consultant might also help you to figure out what matters to you most in a school, to motivate you in your search and application process, to make high school course choices that will improve your admissability, to evaluate financial aid offers, to help come to a final decision after your admission results are known, and even to give you some tips on preparing to leave for school.</p>
<p>If you will be looking primarily at local schools which you can easily visit or at relatively non-competitive schools and if you already have access to focused and expert advice through your school (not common at most public schools) the value an admissions consultant will bring you is decreased. If, however, some of the factors are not true of you it might be worthwhile to interview a few consultants. You can find lists on the HECA and IECA membership sites.</p>
<p>I am actually really happy somebody else posted this question. What is everybody’s thoughts on admissions consultants just to help with essays/resume if you already know what schools you are looking at?</p>
<p>Descartesz has provided an excellent description of what a good consultant can do. As others have said, it is also possible to do an excellent job with your applications without hiring a professional to help you. If you go that route, I would suggest reading CC regularly and thoroughly, although you will also have to learn to distinguish the valid advice from the speculation. Books can help as well. And, of course, if you have a good counselor at school who knows you well and isn’t overburdened, that’s a great asset through this process. English teachers and family members can be helpful when it comes to your application essays, but be careful. Some (not all!) English teachers can get too caught up in the formal aspects of the writing; they may pay more attention to structure and grammar than to how your essay will strike a reader who does not know you. Beware losing your genuine “voice” through too much editing by others. Family members are often too close and know you too well to be objective. College App time can also be pretty stressful for students and their families, so having a neutral third party can be valuable.</p>
<p>Which leads me to ArtsyGirl13’s question - I’m a professional essay and application coach, so maybe I can give you some idea of what a good one can do for you.</p>
<p>An essay coach can definitely help steer you a bit when it comes to choosing topics to write about. While just about any experience, observation, etc. can serve as a jumping off point for a great essay, there are some topics that are better avoided, because they are too controversial, might reflect poorly on you, or are overused. Perhaps even more important is the question “What do the stories I choose to tell in my essays IMPLY about me?” Again, an outside reader with experience can often shed light on how your essay might be interpreted at a deeper level. </p>
<p>On another thread, I mentioned a student I worked with who wrote her main Common App essay about a comic series of mishaps at a beloved internship. The essay was definitely an entertaining read, laugh-out-loud-funny, but there was also an unstated message. The student came across as someone who persevered through the mishaps, never giving up on her task, no matter how ridiculous the situation became (although, of course, she never stated anything like that directly). Her love for the internship came through, as did her dogged determination and refusal to be discouraged. Nice subtext. Of course, when she initially told me the story, she had only thought of it as a funny series of events, which it was, but having an experienced outside reader allowed her to understand how her story might be interpreted on a deeper level.</p>
<p>An essay coach can be helpful with supplemental essays, as well. In my experience, many students do not fully appreciate the importance of the “Why do you want to go to X College?” essay that appears on many supplements. This essay should be utterly truthful, but can be challenging to write, and doing it well may actually require significant research. An experienced coach can direct you as to what kinds of specifics schools are looking for from you when you answer this question.</p>
<p>A good essay coach has read and critiqued hundreds of essays and has a sense of what does and does not appeal to admissions committees in general. A good essay coach will provide references with those s/he has worked with in the past. A really good essay coach will feel like an ally throughout the essay writing process and will keep you on task, but will never actually put a hand in any of your essays. I describe the way I work this way: I might say “Can you think of a more descriptive word to use here?” but I would never suggest a specific word. It is important that all your work be your own, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have guidance.</p>
<p>By the way, thanks to the miracles of Skype, googledocs, email, etc., you need not find an essay coach in your area. Many coaches work long-distance.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone with their apps! Feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions!</p>
<p>Christinapreps, I like your location description</p>
<p>Many students feel that a college admissions consultant can help them find schools that they may never have considered. They also have the expertise to make sure you have covered all of the bases. They provide individual attention which few high school guidance counselors are able to do. They understand the college admissions process and can help you become a stronger college applicant. Many parents feel that hiring a college admissions consultant is one of the best investments they have made.</p>
<p>Ha ha DarthPars, yes - it is true that I consider myself to be located “anywhere there is Skype.” My physical location is in the city many would consider to be the college-application-frenzy capital of the Western world, but a few years ago I began to work with students online, as well.</p>
<p>It’s been great, not only for my local students who often travel during summer months, but also for meeting with kids from other communities. What really surprised me about working online, though, was how “natural” it could actually feel. Seeing someone on your computer screen and talking to them/sitting across a desk from them…not so different after all.</p>
<p>There is also something to be said for the independence of an independent consultant. Prep schools are often interested in seeing their students admitted to “prestige” colleges and prep school counselors might feel as if they need to encourage students in that direction rather than in the direction of best fit. A good independent consultant will not be so inclined and student-clients might end up with a better list of schools as a result.</p>
<p>I’ve been on CC a long time now and when I started I saw no need for admissions counselors. At this time I still do not see the value proposition of the multi-year $25k type deals … those just seem really silly to me. </p>
<p>That said it now seems to me in many situations paying for a few hours/meetings of support may make a lot of sense. Situations like …
- the applicant is looking at some very specialized programs
- the family (and community) has little knowledge about schools and the application process
- the parent/kid relationship is strained over the applications
- etc</p>
<p>An admissions counselor should cost about the same per hour as other consulting professionals in your area. Ballpark numbers might be $100-$200/hour with search guidance and app help needing somewhere on the order of 20-50 total hours. $25K would be outrageous for most situations.</p>