<p>There are so many college admissions consultancies out there...would they really make the difference between acceptance and rejection at the top universities?</p>
<p>My opinion is that you do not need one. You can find out what you need to know on these boards. There are other threads on this subject if you do a search. If your high school counselor is really bad, you might want an outside consultant for limited purposes- to review your application for you, help you select some schools etc. Many of these consultants are outrageously expensive and many colleges do not take a favorable view of a professionally packaged applicant.</p>