College Admissions/applications Consultant

Parents Forum
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** Posting both here and in the “Admissions” sub-forum because I think the audiences generally don’t overlap and have different perspectives - please let me know if this is unkosher**

Does anybody have any good recommendations for a top tier college admissions/application consultant? I am looking for a fairly specific type of consultant: someone who can take a strong candidate and take them to that “next level” in terms of making their application as effective as possible.

Current situation: my younger brother is a rising high school senior. He is, on paper, a very strong candidate - 2400 SAT, 800s on all 3 relevant SAT IIs (forget which ones exactly). Aced the PSAT, so he is sure to get National Merit semifinalist/finalist. I’m not familiar with his exact AP courseload, but it is a full one, and he’ll have enough 5s to get the highest AP Scholar honors. So the usual academic laundry list is fully checked. He has good to very good extracurriculars - a mishmash of a few club presidencies and state-wide leadership positions, and he has interesting if not eye-popping summers (CTY, internship for a political campaign). He leans social science and business, but he is pretty much a generalist - he is far and away good at everything and is interested in everything. I outline this not to brag (though I do adore my brother), but to demonstrate his strengths and reveal our needs. In other words, he is strong all around but doesn’t have any spectacular hook (nothing exotic like curing cancer or starting your own charity, etc).

I’ve looked at the usual suspects of consulting services. Most packages seem overly broad in their services - he is motivated, organized, and disciplined enough to go through the entire college application process by himself. And having done the same thing 10 years ago, I can help. So we’re not looking for hand-holding (which is not to disparage those who need more active involvement from their consultant). What we really need are the following things:

  1. Great selling point and "marketing" message. I get that this sounds kind of pitch-y and commodified, but at the end of the day, like it or not, a college application is a sales pitch of your best self. We'd like strong advice (advice I or friends wouldn't be able to provide ourselves) in crafting the best message, point of view, and branding for his application.
  2. Great essay editing - brother is a great writer, so the mechanics aren't what we're worried about - more the big picture stuff and writing flair.
  3. Helping select the best ED school. Brother already has his list of schools, and he has a shorter list of 3 or 4 schools he would be equally happy at that he would like to ED or single choice EA to. We need someone to help us find the best school strategically for the early app cycle.
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Sorry, this post is very disheartening. Let your brother do his own application and be himself. Let him write his own essay. The idea of “branding” and “marketing” in this context is awful. It’s great to apply early, and have some schools in mind if that does not work out. He will do fine. But I would think he would want to be admitted as he is, not as a result of some consultant’s manipulations.

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The notion that a top tier student can’t be responsible for his own applications is baffling.

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I agree…your brother should be handling this. If he is smart enough to apply to competitive schools, get a perfect SAT score, and attain NMSF status, he should be able to deal with all of these questions himself. Certainly you can give him feedback…but really…if he is THAT smart, he should,be smart enough to open his own CC account, ask his own questions, etc.

And…in addition, where are your parents on all of this…because a top tier consultant is going to cost a bundle. Who is going to pay?

Your brother should be able to do this himself with the help of his school counselor, and perhaps with some questions asked here.

Getting him “packaged” isn’t necessary if he is a strong student.

Can your parents pay the full cost of attendance?

What major is he interested in pursuing?

Have you looked at your instate flagship/honors college programs?

Does he need merit or need based aid…how much?

Which region of the country is preferred.

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I would ask around. Maybe ask people who attend local private schools if they have a suggestion. It is very expensive and possibly not necessary but that would be a great place to start.

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Why not direct the questions to the usual suspects that you located? They are better placed to answer questions about what needs to be done. Few people on this site have a good idea of what such consultants do. This site is all about the DYI process that (easily) represents an improvement over what is available at the GC office or can be gained through conversations with well meaning but clueless parents and friends.

Fwiw, it is a MISTAKE to think that super students are always able to prepare great applications. There have been examples of shoo-in applicants who compiled darn awful applications with horrible essays that were the product of “local” guidance. I’d stay from the locals as much as I could.

The “top tier” consultants should provide testimonials and most have blogs or books that describe their views. Also, how much of a coincidence was it that you used that top tier term?

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I agree with xiggi. The application should be viewed as a piece of marketing material to sell a product (applicant). It should tell a story, not just a laundry list of everything the applicant has done.

There are many different kinds of consultants, some specialize in FA, some are very good with the process, and there are few who can help you get into the next level of school by helping you strategize which school to ED/EA/RD, and the whole packaging. The whole trick of packaging is it looks like it was done by the student.
It is not cheap.

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I agree with all of the above…it IS disheartening and baffling to think that a student like the one OP described would need the assistance of professional “packaging” to get to that top tier of schools. And yet…I sure am seeing this around me a TON. It’s sad, not to mention an indictment of the current application process, to realize that this has become the new norm in higher socioeconomic circles. It’s disheartening to realize that so much adult effort has become highly recommended (if not actually required) to help a student like this achieve entry into top schools. I do know a tiny handful of kids who reached top schools presumably on their own efforts (presumably…no way to really know). But the vast, vast majority of kids I know who got into the top 20’s had quite a bit of adult assistance.

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In my opinion, the posters who are discouraging you from getting consulting assistance are telling you how the world should be. The posters who are telling you it is a good idea are telling you how the world actually is.

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I know a lot of people who have used high priced consultants for college admissions- and their results tend to be “kid who could have been attending Southern CT State without the consultant got into Hofstra and Fairfield U- yay”.

I think it is very, very hard to take a kid who- like the OP’s brother- has the “full package” and try to put a finger on the scale through judicious editing and packaging. I think it is MUCH easier to throw the app’s into the colleges the kid is interested in- and discover a couple of places that would be thrilled to have him just as he is. Either because he brings geographic diversity, or because his political campaign involvement makes him a great addition to campus, or whatever.

I don’t think these counselors are the new norm. I think that once in a while they help a kid who wants to go to JHU and has the stats to go to JHU actually get INTO Hopkins and everyone thinks the counselor walks on water. And of course, their real "secret sauce’ is the kids with the disciplinary issues or the funky transcript-- and the combo of good counseling and judicious applying gets that kid into a four year college.

On what planet would this kid not be a credible applicant to Dartmouth or Penn or Cornell???

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To those who have sent me PMs with helpful suggestions – thank you very much, I greatly appreciate the help.

It seems I am getting quite a bit of flak for starting this thread. Enough has been said by other posters about how terribly difficult it is to get into the top schools given the oversupply of highly qualified applicants, or the benefits of an expert polishing a candidate with great raw materials. It’s precisely because nobody is a shoe-in that getting some expert help could be effective. The purpose of this thread is to seek help on weeding out the true experts from the charlatans.

My brother doesn’t know I started this thread, but that’s because we are each our own persons. He is doing what he can – research, devising school lists, practice essays – and I am doing what I can. Two minds are better than one – there’s nothing wrong with leveraging the resources (as mentioned) of family members like myself, and it doesn’t at all mean my brother isn’t thinking for himself or driving the process (or that he doesn’t have his own cc account lol). He, myself, and our parents have all talked about this and are on board with the game-plan that we have all devised together. I am co-leading the process with my brother because I had gone through it myself with some success (a few ivies on inferior stats). My parents are educated middle class immigrants, so they are mindful of the big picture but they defer to my brother and myself on the process and details, because they didn’t grow up in this culture.

One more note: it’s routine practice for the children of the rich to surround themselves with an army of consultants and advisors. They attend prep schools or competitively situated public schools that send kids to the top 25 in droves and have the guidance counseling resources that dwarf ordinary public schools. I’m sure somewhere out there is a rich kid who is equally smart and driven, with similar stats, but also has had expert help since middle school and probably had the network and connections to have much better summer internships. These people leverage their networks and resources all the time – it’s why they can consolidate intergenerational wealth and success. My family can’t afford any of that, but we do have the resources to spend 500-1500 dollars on targeted, strategic help on a few things (essays, ED school choice, overall application packaging). If it’s helpful, why not do it? We’re going to be spending (and you are too) more than half that amount on application fees anyways.

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It’s going to be more than 500-1500. If that’s what you can afford to spend then spend it on few hours of a very good essay writer.

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Blossom, you are definitely right - I agree with you almost 100 percent. It’s incredibly difficult to actually find great consultants (and maybe they don’t exist? I’m hopeful but not optimistic), and those with success - the issue is, as you pointed out, distilling what the actual value added they provided was.

I know my brother is a great candidate. But, this is as much about managing downside risk as it is about getting into his #1 school. I have read enough articles to know about kids - like my brother, or perhaps on paper even more qualified - who got dinged by all their reaches and even most of their matches. I’m not saying it is likely, but I am saying, hey, why not spend some money (nothing exorbitant) to at least address and, if possible, minimize that risk?

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Why would THAT be the purpose of a thread on CC? Do you think that people here have the monopoly of such information? At best, some who have posted here have retained one or two consultants, and might share how happy (or displeased) they are. Yet, they would not be able to tell you if their choice was the best available. There are members of this forum who happen to offer such services and have written extensively on the subject and shared their viewpoints, but safe and except for people who actually hired them, who could talk about their services?

Here is one reality. There are consultants who could do wonders from your brother. And your brother could pick everything he needs by diligently posing questions here and gradually understanding what his applications should contain. Some might even help with helping the formulation of target schools, but let’s face it, from a quick reading, your brother would be the typical ambitious student who will be one of those “all Ivies plus a bunch more” type of applicant.

As far as the merit or the need to hire the best people, those are issues that should be private and confidential. It is not up to you to have to justify, explain, or even weigh the benefits of doing it. The attention should be on what has to be accomplished.

Fwiw, if you do not have the resources, why bother with the process of finding the non-charlatans? While it might help to retain a real specialist, one CAN do it with little resources and a LOT of dedication. There are plenty of books that have been written by the Cohen, Steinberg, Hernandez, and Hughes of this world, and the list cuts a dozen out. Many are available at your local library or have Kindle versions. Specific help is easily found with authors such as Harry Bauld, among others… All of THAT has been discussed here for the past 12-13 years.

In so many words, there are different paths to the top of the mountain, but one item remains consistent: and that is the need to find the correct information. You’re looking at the people with perhaps the hope of discovering the “secret sauce” … it does not exist. The better consultant have learned through experience and are adapting their message to the new process. Yet, they do NOT have secrets nor a crystal ball. They are interpreting the information that everyone could and SHOULD find. The difference is that it takes time. For some people, hiring an expert represents a … saving. If one makes 500 dollars per hour, it is easier to spend 100 on a consultant! An unemployed parent, OTOH, would not spend 25 dollars on a specialist.

My take? If you cannot afford the super consultants, start the DYI without hesitation. The worse that you could do is trying to do it by spending a “medium” sum, and especially if you want to avoid the charlatans and pretenders. With 500 to 1500, your best bet is to read plenty of books, and perhaps hire an essay consultant to provide a FINAL review.

PS Fwiw, I think you are grossly overstating the pool of highly qualified applicants!

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Thanks Xiggi.

A few quick notes:

  1. My point is we can't/couldn't have afforded a consultant to work on my brother from middle school until now ie. we aren't the type that would spend 20-30k on years of step-by-step guidance. Nor, quite frankly, do we need to. My brother has done a lot of the heavy lifting on his own. In contrast, we can spend 1-2k (maybe a bit more, hopefully a bit less) on TARGETED application help ie. essays, ED list.
  2. We have a few of those books listed. Problem is the book is not going to look at your finished product and give you feedback. I can provide a how-to manual on doing yoga, but it's still not the same as getting a yoga instructor who can give you tips for your situation at hand.
  3. I'm asking people on this forum because they may have experiences, good or bad. It's just one source of information in this research process - I never said I automatically trusted the feedback to be the word of god.
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Also, some of these higher profile and cost consultants like to start working with students early in high school. That way they can advise on course selections, ECs, etc.

It helps the counselor know more about the student.

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@lonedarkness78, the books cannot replace individual guidance, but can get you there! If I were in your shoes, I would take advantage of the generosity of this site by asking pointed and direct questions (as opposed to generalities) and move slowly in the right direction.

For example, one could ask if Dartmouth has a better program in Economics than Georgetown and … why. On the other hand asking “Which LAC or quasi LAC has the better Economics program” is a sure fool’s errand that will only yield a couple of correct answers in a sea of biased and uneducated guesses.

Same thing for asking “Who is a good consultant” in admissions.

You said you’re familiar with the books. Well, asking why Hernandez recommends to prepare an activity list might yield a set of good insights. Asking if Hernandez is better than Cohen is quite silly, and even more if asking why they charge what they do!

You also wrote that the books cannot look at the final product, but they could point you in the right direction. To be blunt, if one really reads a shelf of the best books --even a few mediocre ones-- I am not sure that a consultant would add much to the process. Again, their job is to provide direction but they are reading the same tea leaves as you would.

Again, I would suggest that you’d ask more directed questions as you and your brother progress. What are your immediate concerns? Choice of targets? Essay writing? Financial aid?

After all, this is not Rhodes Scholars stuff!

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i know what you mean by very good vs the less experienced. I personally know 2 people who advertise as consultants. one is barely a college graduate herself.

perhaps your brother may have 2 specific questions. After researching the schools that are strong in his areas of interest, he could review with some one knowledgeable. Second question, after writing essays, review with this person. CB probably has someone in his field. There are at least 2 regular contributors to CC whom I would trust. (I don’t know if it is out-of-bounds to mention names.)

In the meantime, tackle the first question. Come up with a list of schools, run the financials, and come back to CC general readership for comments. Have your brother consider how far he wants to be from home. For example, there were no schools in my state that were on my son’s list (besides the flagship as safety for admissions and 0 cost). So, we then checked out which had direct flights.

After your brother writes his essay, he could have 1 or 2 people review it. Make sure it remains in your brother’s voice. When I’ve reviewed, I mention if a sentence is too long, if too wordy, if too many words that read like a thesaurus. I often have someone review letters I need to write to lawyers or agencies. JMHO

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The counselors in my area charge 10K and up for what you are talking about.

There are a couple of grad students in English/Rhetoric and similar who advertise assistance with college essays (and similar) for 1K. I don’t think they have great insight into college admissions, but I’ve heard they are great at editing without eliminating the kids own “voice”.

But if your brother is a good writer, these folks aren’t going to help much. They are great at taking a kid who is a weak writer and tightening the flow, focusing on an interesting idea while retaining the “teenage” like quality of the writing while making it grammatical.

Every minute you spend helping your brother eliminate the idea of his “top choice” and looking instead at a broad range of exciting choices, is a valuable exercise. He loves Williams? Get him excited about Middlebury also. Loves Princeton? Have him visit Northwestern and Vanderbilt. He wants to study engineering at Cornell? Make sure he’s also thinking about Michigan.

He sounds like a very credible candidate everywhere. I’m not sure that helping him increase the odds of admissions to Harvard from 8% to 15% is worth time and money with a consultant. Better to spend the time falling in love with Wash U and Rice as great “back up’s” to Harvard. I think his odds of admissions to these kinds of schools (barring a felony conviction or other funky thing on his transcript) are extremely high… sky high… and then he can have his “tiny odds but I’m as qualified as anyone else” list as well.

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Here’s an exercise. Have it writing an essay that CANNOT contain anything about

  • his grades
  • his test scores
  • any activity at the school
  • any award
  • any organized EC.

It should be all about who he is and not about what he has done. Nothing about the VERY typical list of students who checked all the right boxed for the last 12-14 years. Nothing about the problems of immigrating to a new country.

You probably see where I am heading … and that is to write an essay that only he could have written, and not one of the hundreds of the Stepford Children who were baked in the same mold and pushed to do all the right things. In other words, an essay about who he is, how he thinks, and how an independent thinker might contribute to a school.

Trust me in that it is NOT as easy as it sounds as most of what he thinks will be important will be off-limit.