<p>^^Working with the parents is a huge part of it, in my experience as well.</p>
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<p>It is a flawed assumption that it an either or case. The no prep is usually a canard as most kids have had a barrage of tests during their K12 days. Inadequate prep is a better term and most of it is due to lack of interest or plain laziness. Even the best coaches are unable to overcome such position. Willing and able students might find a coach helpful but not a necessity. All one needs is a few bucks and the desire to improve. </p>
<p>College coaches are not generalists but specialists. Make the analogy to doctors. I also believe that 90 percent of the high end coaches is related to …train the family or keep them out of the process. This site is for the DYI and obsessed. Both systems work. </p>
<p>@hanna - without getting into too much detail - he was doing two sports/activities and liked one way more than the other but was much better at the other (and it was very unique) and could have had an “edge” by focusing more on the one he liked less and was better at - but he cared more about his enjoyment which I absolutely support but am aware that changed some potential opportunities for him given what the other one was. He wanted to do what he wanted - some kids are more willing to “twist” themselves a little in certain directions for an overall larger goal and some aren’t - some are made by their parents to do it and some aren’t.</p>
<p>Wow. Kids should have some sense of responsibility and determination to eventually get to the college of their choice. Encouraging children to study and do well in school is one thing, but hiring an outside firm for an 8th grader to help them get into an Ivy League school is yet another. Lots of growing up happens between 8th grade and 12 grade, and sometimes the kid chooses a different path than the one planned for them by their parents. Also, many a fine college lies outside the Ivy League. Also, for all its greatness, depending on a myriad of factors, including academic offerings, a kid might find that the Ivy League just isn’t for them. Some like a smaller school. Some would like to give warmer weather a try. Some might not like the atmosphere. Some might want ALL of the classes to be taught by a professor. Some might want to participate in college athletics but not necessarily want the pressure of Division 1. Some might WANT the pressure of Division 1 athletics AND want the athletic scholarship that usually goes along with it (Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships).</p>
<p>To pigeon-hole a kid as going to an Ivy League school so early on is a huge mistake in my opinion. Yes there will be some kids who appreciate that kind of hand-holding and direction, but I’d venture a guess that a kid who is truly in on the process and in on the decision will be much happier with their college choice in the end. My daughter commented during the process that this was the most adult decision she has made. True…and she LIKED that she was a part of it, not just being told where she had to go. While college is just 4 years of a person’s life, when you’re 18, that’s more than 20% of your life so far, so it’s a big deal where you might want to spend the next 4 years.</p>
<p>Anyway, in case you wondered, I would NEVER pay for such a service. So much information is had online that it’s just not necessary. </p>
<p>College counselors are NOT just for those with hopes of attending an Ivy League school. As well, students who work with college counselors are certainly “in on the decision” and in fact, the counselor is a resource and advisor, and the decisions lie with the student.</p>
<p>In case you want to discuss fees, how about this:</p>
<p>There is a college admissions counselor who is offering a package that guarantees the student admission to their first choice college (or money back), though the counselor has to agree as to whom she will sign on for that service. The fee? $1,000,000. That’s right. Not kidding. I can’t link to the site due to CC’s Terms of Service.</p>
<p>Hmm, I think my fees are too low, LOL…more like .3% of that fee, but I guess the one million dollar fee is worth it because I am unable to offer such a guarantee! 
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<p>(it also makes the fees in the original article posted in the original post look very cheap!)</p>
<p>I would pay zero. </p>
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<p>Quote the fee and offer the guarantee to return 99 percent of the fee in case of failure to land the Shangri-La school! Score a couple of victories and you’ll be set for early retirement. Might have to look at dictators from Azebadjan or nutty dentists from Hong Kong, but some of the clowns are out there, and have gone with the crazy contracts. We know about those because of the lawsuits they filed! :)</p>
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<p>I hope I might have to pay a lot and that it will be insignificant in my budget or represent a real savings in terms of opportunity cost. Just like an athlete dreams of paying huuuuuge fees to his agent! </p>
<p>“College counselors are NOT just for those with hopes of attending an Ivy League school.”</p>
<p>Yep. I work with many types of kids, but my specialty is kids who have gotten themselves into some kind of trouble. I have a couple of clients this year for whom it will be a massive triumph if they can get into a South Whoville State and continue their education. We’re talking felony convictions, expulsions for alleged assault, etc. People seek help for a lot of different reasons.</p>
<p>I always feel bad for young people in that much trouble. </p>
<p>But I know some young people can do a lot of damage…I hope you can counsel your kids into a better way of living.</p>
<p>I’d probably pay a small premium. Maybe 10%-20% more than what we agreed to pay for top 100 school. But no more than that.</p>
<p>My mom is probably gonna pay next to nil if I get into one of the top 25 schools…family’s poor.
And about SAT classes…spent $100 on books…that’s about it…classes to me are useless.
And $10,000 boot camps for college applications? Are you kidding me? That’s just ridiculous…How would you feel if you got into your dream university for an application you received tons of outside help for? I guess getting is all that matters…</p>
<p>“How would you feel if you got into your dream university for an application you received tons of outside help for?”</p>
<p>How much coaching does every top athlete get? They’re still making the play on the court/field. I don’t think any of them feel that they didn’t earn their accolades, though most of them appreciate all the people who helped them to excel.</p>
<p>I will never understand the point in hiring someone like this. I didn’t even understand the point in when my friends paid $500 for an ACT boot camp and then another $1000 for an ACT tutor. None of their scores went up, and I definitely would find it far more prideful in achieving your goal by yourself. Although I’m not going to an ivy I have recently just gotten into my states top school. My family is on the lower half of middle class, never have I had a tutor and I definitely didn’t get help on my college applications, plus neither of my parents had gotten into college as a teenager so they had no clue what the process was like. And I do agree with @ThePariah, I feel as if the self satisfaction I received by doing this completely on my own was far greater than if I had spent thousands of dollars on getting help.
Personally I don’t believe in having anyone tell you what to do, ie. telling you where to apply, what classes to take, etc. If you grow up having people make such important your decisions for you, how are you going to be prepared for the independence that comes along with college? Especially in the case of the Harvard student who began getting help in 8th grade, they lost virtually any personal choice and I’m sure they lost a huge chunk of important teenage memories - both of which I think are very important to have growing up in order to become a well rounded and independent adult. </p>
<p>Chiming in with NYC experience, from big high performing, high poverty public school. Son is graduating in June 2015 and applying to engineering schools. My family is sort of middle class - i.e., we won’t get need based aid, and we can’t afford an Ivy without such aid. So, I would not encourage my son to pursue admission to an Ivy League school, not that I would out and out discourage it. </p>
<p>Seems like a few different models are being discussed. First, families with children in schools with little or no attention from guidance office. I am in that position, and I probably would have paid something (not sure how much, maybe $1,000 - $2,000), if I had found it would really help (a) identify great schools that we would not know about otherwise, (b) find schools with good merit aid that might like my son and’/or © give my son some manageable advice, in terms of tweaking how he presents himself. But, I did’t find that person when I went looking, so I managed with CC and with advice from friends. Result, son will not apply to MIT (which of course we couldn’t afford anyway), but I think and hope he will go to a good engineering school that we can afford. </p>
<p>Second, families with special situations. For example, students who have some special issue, e.g., maybe great kid but with some past indiscretions, and needs help figuring out what school, how to put his/her history in context. Or, a really smart student who doesn’t have a lot of money, but with some strategic thinking and planning, could get some really terrific financial aid if they just get pointed towards the right schools. </p>
<p>The most interesting group are the parents who pay tens of thousands, and whose children are reportedly willing to be directed so they can get into the most “elite” school possible. What can one say about such families? Are there really that many? Who knows, I tend to agree that these stories are mostly clickbait. However, if they do exist and have all that excess cash, and they want to spend it on college coaches, who probably need the money more than they do, fine. Spread the wealth around. I personally doubt it makes all that much difference to society as a whole, and its keeping the rest of us entertained. </p>
<p>heyoimsam, college counselors don’t tell applicants what to do or where they must apply, nor make any of the decisions for the applicant. They guide the applicant. They suggest schools that might be good fits. They look over the final list to determine if it is appropriate and well balanced. And so on. The counselor is a facilitator. Some people feel it is helpful in helping them navigate a process they are not as familiar with. The student still has to do the work to apply and has to have amassed the qualifications to be admitted. </p>
<p>@hanna yeah I guess. I just feel like the process isn’t very fair. Most of my classmates in school have no clue about the college process until mid-October…</p>
<p>No, it isn’t fair. Pretty much nothing connected to education in the U.S. is fair. But there’s a false distinction between the help consultants provide and all the other kinds of help that are distributed unfairly. </p>
<p>I (like most consultants) work with some pro bono clients every year – poor kids whose families pay us nothing or very little. My pro bono clients who get access to very expensive one-on-one help this way are still at a gigantic disadvantage compared to kids with college-educated families who don’t have a consultant. It’s harder to serve these clients because there are so many years of cultural knowledge I’m trying to catch them up on in just a few hours. It highlights how much my paying clients already understand without ever having to think about it. The advantage I offer my paying clients is a drop in the bucket compared to the 17 years of help they’ve gotten already. Devoted parents, good schools, and educated communities build strong college applicants. I’m mostly helping them make smart decisions and become better writers.</p>
<p>So you’re right that it isn’t fair, and consultants, for the most part, don’t make it any fairer. But other kinds of unfairness play an even bigger role. The best advice I can give you is to do everything you can to help yourself, starting with using CC as a free resource, and then work for the kind of political or social change that you believe does the most to relieve the unfairness for other kids like you.</p>
<p>I would have paid any amount, if I had it, to not go though the screaming matches my daughter and I had. Of course looking back at it, she thanks me. These were the worst times of our lives, and we may laugh about it now but it was horrible.I would pay for a counselor if I could have.</p>