College Consultants - Value or Venom?

Parent Cafe
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<p>I am a parent of 2012 and 2007. With the first one we didn’t use a private counselor because she was going to a top notch private school, and their bread and butter was to send kids to top tier schools. They had 4 counselors for 120 kids. D1 was counselled starting 9th grade. We didn’t really see the need to hire a private counselor, and in hindsight, she could have used one.</p>

<p>For our 2012 kid we hired one because we were moving to a new country/school, and we didn’t know what kind of college counselling she would get at her new international school.</p>

<p>The counselor helped her in selecting courses at her new school (IB vs AP, SL vs HL). He also discussed with her about ECs she wanted to participate at her new school - debate vs newspaper, track vs dance, student government and other volunteer work. D2 had limited time, with adjustment to the new school, she needed to use her time wisely. </p>

<p>The counselor interviewed us (parents) and her separately about what we looked for in a college - location, distance, prestige, course offerings, costs…He then spoke to us to make sure there would be no conflict between us (acted like a broker).</p>

<p>He mapped out optimal time for D2 to take her standarized tests so she wouldn’t be too stressed out. This was worked out independently between D2 and the counselor. </p>

<p>He came up with the initial list of schools based on our discussion, and we refined it as D2 started to get additional stats. Some schools which we thought were super reaches became more attainable as she got her junior and senior grades and her test scores.</p>

<p>He also guided D2 with her summer program choices. Instead of just hanging out her junior summer, D2 ended up getting into a competitive program, which she enjoyed tremendously. </p>

<p>I think the most valuable service the counselor provided was essays. Unlike what some people like to think, they do not write your kid’s essays. The counselor had someone on his staff work with D2 to discuss topic ideas, helped D2 with the organization of those essays, and sometimes would say, “This is what I am getting from your essay, is this what you want to convey to your readers?” The counselor also kept D2 on a schedule over the junior summer so she would do most of her essays before senior year.</p>

<p>By senior fall, D2 had decided on her ED school independently of the counselor, she had her ED application done by Oct, and all of her RD applications all ready to go before the ED result came out.</p>

<p>We didn’t need FA, so we didn’t have that added complexity. I have been on CC since 2007 and I probably know more than an average person, but there were still things that the counselor told me that I wasn’t aware of. I won’t mention it here because it would be too controversy.</p>

<p>Our experience with D2’s college’s process was a lot less stressful than with D1’s. I am fairly certain D2 would have gotten into her ED school with or without a private counselor, but our household was a lot less stressful with someone to work with D2. </p>

<p>I think if people think a private counselor could get your kid into a school he/she couldn’t normally get into, you would be very disappointed. But if you think a counselor could give your kid that little bit extra edge and make your life easier, it maybe money well spend. Of course, if a consultant tells you that for $X they could guarantee in getting your kid into an Ivy or top tier schools, I would like to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.</p>

22

<p>We have not used a college counselor. We didn’t see any need to with the 2 oldest, and the last one already has a list of schools, many in the ‘very highly selective’ category. The only reason it has crossed my mind lately is for the essay help oldfort described. My D could use help pulling together all her activities and interests and showcasing herself in the best way. There was a counselor who spoke at our high school years ago, and I get his free blog e-mails regularly. He holds workshops on this topic, but they are not close to home, or I might sign D up. She will probably just do it on her own as her older siblings did, but they were not reaching so high.</p>

23

<p>I hired a consultant (my son is a Junior) because I’m a single parent working fulltime. Frankly, the value I see is less about the selection process (I’m a tireless researcher) and more about what she will do for us regarding the essay and the applications. She will take over the deadlines and her partner will work with my son on the essay and any supplemental essays. By working with her, all of his apps will be done by the end of October. She doesn’t get involved in the scholarship or FA process, so I’ll have to do that on my own. Still, so far I think it’s been worth the investment. It also alleviates some of the friction that can happen between kids and parents (she’ll be pushing him, not me).</p>

<p>She has also helped us determine the reach/target/safety status of schools given the fact that his grades have soared in Jr. year (so the Naviance GPA is really out of whack) and she’s really taken the time to know him as a complete person.</p>

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<p>If you can afford it and if you can find a good counselor and if that counselor focuses well on your kid and your wants and needs, it can be great. Me? Well, I find it hard to find a good GP or cleaning crew , so when it comes to someone to have that kind of skill and to trust him/her…I don’t want to spend the money, so it is a moot point.</p>

<p>I had a very bad experience in entrusting those who should have been able and assured me they were able, with one of my kids’ college application process. I was specifically told, as were other parents at the school to let the very experienced college counselors “gatekeep”. They flubbed it with my son, and I had to step in and work with the fall out. They simply did not understand the niche field that my son had chosen, clumped it with something they did know when it was a whole other ball game,and the results were disasterous. My son was accepted ED into a program he did not want, and every bit of that was done under the auspices of a counselor whose defence was that it was the program he should want. My fault in the end, as I let go of the process, because I did not want to learn the ins and outs of a niche field that was not one of my interest or even remotely my expertise. THe sad part was that it didn’t take me a whole lot of research to figure it out and find out that the school counselors at this expensive, selective prep school had it all wrong This is when I discovered College Confidential and I still hurt when I think how things could have been had I only known. </p>

<p>So I am leery about handing the reins of the process to anyone without being right there too. I have heard of success and satisfaction stories like Oldforts, which for the cost, time and effort needed to work with outside consultants on this, should have good outcomes. But the problem is that I have heard of a lot of horror stories. Of course, many of those who are happy do not disclose that they were working with anyone,but since I am 15 years away from my first kid’s app process and in an area where college consultants are rampant with many people using them, and people have “come clean” over time when it doesn’t matter any more, I think I have a decent picture of the odds. I don’t think they are that great. I would have to do just about as much work but at someone else’s beck and call, taking into account their schedules. It would cost me money. If I pick the wrong person, I’d lose the money and it is painful extricating oneself from these situations. </p>

<p>The thing that I have consistently seen with these consultants is that they do seem to get more out of the kids and force them to stay on schedule better than we parents can. It takes the emotion out of it and kids often will listen to someone other than a parent better. That has been a positive remark that everyone has said. </p>

<p>I think in the next few years, those who want to go to the most selective schools will be using such services for the most part, if the money and consultants are available. It’ll be like the SAT prep courses, once a rare thing, now a standard thing to do with high schools even offering private courses on their premises and encouraging kids and parents to take them. It’s become so that many parents want either the state school or other low cost option, or a top name school, and at the prices that are now being charged, I don’t blame them. With more applications going to that small group of schools, the competition becomes fiercer and there is less room and chance for those who do not have someone who knows the process well advising them. I’d like to spit in the faces of a number of selective college admissions officers who claim they can spot a Packaged appl. Ha! The school that two of mine attended had more packaged apps than not, that I knew about, and those very adcoms admitted and admit a large number of those kids each year, even as they brag they could tell. I know personally of one mother who did the entire process for her kid—yes, he had the stats, but most of his ECs and accolades were bought, and he did very well in the process. I know several parents even last year who did the same, and the results tended to be favorable. The kids who did not do so well, with some exceptions, were the ones without involved, informed parents.</p>

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<p>"Beyond the debate, if you do hire one, try to get one that takes you completely through college. "</p>

<p>-Why to stop there…go all the way thru jobs / graduate school, amrriage counseling, baby preparation, funerals…the rest of life.</p>

26

<p>I’m toying with the idea of having someone help mainly with D’s essays (keeping her on schedule, providing feedback) and also perhaps with suggestions on colleges that may be a good fit academically and financially. Does anyone know the going hourly rate? I’m in the midwest if that matters.</p>

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<p>You get what you pay for. If you can afford to retain one of the mid range consultants, expect to pay $15k but they worth every penny that you pay. The best consultants have been admissions officers in top schools for years, not just 5 years. CC is a great and helpful tool but it can not provide the level of information and experience that a seasoned ex-admissions officer can provide. BTW, families that hire consultants are not interested in financial or merit aid but to get their child into a top 10 school, or a mediocre student into a top 30. Top flight consultants that are involved from course selection and ECs every year, to essay editing, are about $40k+. There are also some companies that have small packages for basic help like evaluating your application and suggesting what needs to change, editing essays for only one school, and offering school suggestions for ~$3k. Admissions Consultants is a good company and looking at the website will give you an idea of pricing. Michele Hernandez is the queen of one-to-one and in the 40k range. She flies to see you personally -you pay the travel expenses. Her 4 day summer bootcamp is $14k and I believe it is already solid booked. You do not have to live near any of the consultants as they work by phone and internet.</p>

<p>Admissions consultants (in general, not the above named company) are also being used by the majority of applicants to business and law schools nowadays.</p>

28

<p>I could not stop laughing out loud to think of spending 40k for a college consultant. I cannot begin to comprehend getting a return on that type of investment. Mind boggling.</p>

<p>That being said, I know of people who have used them and loved them and others who did not. As a stay at home mom, I have the time and resources to do all the work myself. I know my children well and I won’t have to struggle with them on the essays. We won’t qualify for any aid and my kids are classic underachievers - solid B+ students in high school - so we’re not looking at top schools. So I’ll take a pass on them but wouldn’t think less about anyone (especially the single working parent) using them - they really are a great help for some people, especially with the first child. Okay… I would question spending 40k on one…</p>

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<p>YOWZA! Thanks for the information. </p>

<p><em>scratches “hiring a consultant” off the list of things to do</em></p>

30

<p>That single working parent had better be making some serious money. I don’t see why it has to be a single working parent, by the way, that could use a counselor. There are families where both parents work and it’s a tough go staying on top of home life due to the nature of the jobs and the homesituation. I am and have been a SAHM, and I like to say it’s like being a volunteer fireman. Yes, there is the down time and discretional time, but when that fire alarm hits, you are on overtime with no choice for the ride. There were times when I had to devote all of my time to situations and those who HAD to work, just did not get things done the way they should have been or dropped the job anyways. </p>

<p>Though it is not affordable for us at those top prices, and I can’t even justify paying a few thousand dollars for the services, I will tell you that I know any number of families not pleased with the services, advice and outcomes of even the highest rated services. Sometimes it is the parent who is just being a pain, but sometimes the service is not what it should have been, mistakes where made, balls were dropped. You don’t always get what you pay for.</p>

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<p>cptofthehouse: *There were times when I had to devote all of my time to situations and those who HAD to work, just did not get things done the way they should have been or dropped the job anyways. *</p>

<p>Wha?</p>

32

<p>I posted prices and some of the reputable companies so people have an idea of general price ranges, level and type of services offered, and where to start. If you can afford it pricewise, a good consultant will be diplomatic but blunt on whether your child is the genius that you think and a shoe in for an ivy, or that you have to look at other great schools but better fit for the child’s gpa/scores/interests. They have intimate knowledge of the process and can provide these small details on how to make the application shine. An admissions officer spends on average 20 minute or less per application. You spend hours on the essay, the application details, and might think that the essay is excellent, shows feeling and demonstrates the character and qualities of the child. Frequently we do not understand that a person just glances in a hurry, at a busy airport, a hotel room, will not read the essay slowly-slowly, while enjoying their coffee, and understand the prose and clever writing. That’s where the value of a consultant comes in. As whether who pays $40k, per articles, Hernandez only takes about 80 kids every year and she is in full capacity.</p>

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<p>Suzy, the point I am making is that the single parent is not by any means special in terms of not having the time to devote to college search. As a SAHM, I should be prime for having the time to do this. Yet there have been times when I had to devote full time to serious crises, severe enough that those who were working parents either could not address the way the should or having to quit their jobs to address it. I don’t believe college apps fall in the category of those crises, but if a severe situation such as bad health hits a family right in a college app year, the parent is very likely unable to help much at all in the process. It all depends on what is on the plate for the family, not the family configuration.</p>

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<p>I know people who felt burned by their private counselor-- that the process was more akin to “if we lower your expectations enough you’ll be thrilled with the result” sort of psychology. And I don’t think parents in the NE in general think they’re going to pay a private counselor so their kid can end up at Hofstra or Adelphi (not knocking these schools-- and they ended up being a good fit for the kids in question. Just saying nobody is paying top dollar for a counselor to tell them “your kid can get into Hofstra”.)</p>

<p>So go in with your eyes open. If the counselor helps you identify schools which you couldn’t or wouldn’t have found on your own; helps your kid broaden the search a bit to include schools which could be a terrific fit; reduces the tension at home by outsourcing the nagging- then terrific. But if you want someone who can take a mediocre HS transcript and turn your kid into an academic star- not happening. Counselor isn’t finding a hidden pathway into a school for which your kid is already not a candidate based on his or her record. Counselor isn’t using “connections” to get your kid a second read at Harvard. Counselor can’t take your kids 10 summers at Camp Woe-be-gone where the highlight was winning Color War and turn your kid into a cello wielding/cancer curing applicant.</p>

<p>I’ve read wretched essays done by 17 year olds all on their own, and wretched essays produced with the help of professional college consultants. Personally, if you’re going with wretched, I’d opt for cheap.</p>

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<p>^“if you want someone who can take a mediocre HS transcript and turn your kid into an academic star- not happening.”
That’s what the $40k package is all about. They take the student from sophomore year to earlier and advice about everything, from which courses to ECs the student should take.</p>

<p>That’s an old article with the info about consultants. It is from 2007 and states that 22% of students in private colleges had used them so I assume the number is much higher now.</p>

<p>[I&lt;/a&gt; Can Get Your Kid into an Ivy](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>

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<p>“I could not stop laughing out loud to think of spending 40k for a college consultant. I cannot begin to comprehend getting a return on that type of investment. Mind boggling”</p>

<p>-Good for economy. Supports yet another jobs position, costing much less than gov. has spent on some to keep them accupied (up to $500k per job of our tax money). At least here, it is funded privately by willing buyer of services. I have no complaints, apploud to anybody who is buying anything in addition to paying those tuitions…we are on hold and frankly lost interest in many things that money can buy outside of tuition payments…hopefully eventually will re-ignite the interest in at least home improvements, or god knows, maybe it will never happen. Spend money while you have interest to do so…it is very good for the rest of us, keeping more jobs…</p>

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<p>I agree with Blossom. I would not have been happy if I didn’t see some true step up results after paying that kind of money. This is sort of the situation with some of the high priced independent schools that have a large % of kids going to name schools. Parents have to be told at the onset, that this is not a ticket to a better school—your kid will be better prepared there than at most school for college,but it doesn’t mean that the school will get your kid into a higher ranked, more elite college. But with college counseling the whole point of paying for a private counselor is to get your kid into a better school than you could on your own with advice, packaging and inside info.</p>

<p>I have not used an independent counselor and my latest son to go off to college did not have a particularly active and interested school counselor. I personally knew several families who did use expensive private services starting at sophomore year. First of all, you do have to be accepted for some of these services that have some guarantee of results. In the cases, I know of personally, from last year, I have no hesitation saying those kids could have gotten into those schools they did without the private college consultant services. </p>

<p>Also, you can’t always do what they say. It’s all very good to want your kid in a certain AP course at sophomore year, for instance, but the high school might not cooperate. And your kid just might not perform as needed either. It’s not like charting a course and it all happens as planned. With kids you can just hear that GPS “recalculating route” many, many times. I don’t know about others, but I’ve never been able to stick my kids into ECs they did not like. It just wasn’t going to happen. I had a nationally ranked chess kids who decided he was done with chess except for fun when he went to high school. I have one who was perfect for a sport and he decided he didn’t want to do it anymore but love another sport where he didn’t have a chance in the world of being able to play in college (but won the team award for his dedication and support doing so). I threw up my hands with them all. I can’t even get them to correct their essays most of the time. They like their own stuff.</p>

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<p>Ana1 gives good advice. As a former college counselor (not private), I do believe a good private counselor, brought in early, can help a lot. But the good ones are very expensive. They don’t generally work with kids who need aid as if you can afford them you’re unlikely to have need. So counselors working with you on financial aid tend to not be the top ones and a good book is probably your best source there.</p>

39

<p>CPT- I howled when I read “recalculating”. That’s exactly right. Whether it’s Expert College Consultant or Mom and Dad trying to maneuver the kid onto Chess Club instead of sitting on the couch eating Doritos after school, the result is usually the same- most kids end up doing what they want. And that’s what makes it so much fun raising kids. And I had more than one kid, so I got to see the difference between the world class couch sitter and true and unstoppable ambition. It’s funny to see friends and neighbors trying to transform their own couch sitter into a go-getter.</p>

<p>If I’d had the money for a private counselor, I could have also had the imagination to see what else could have been done with that cash.</p>

40

<p>A lot of those kids going to these counselors may already have a decent chance of getting into the schools where they are accepted. I’d like to read some surprise outcomes that are results of this sort of counseling. </p>

<p>Also since the target market are the high income crowd, they are by every educational study I have seen, the ones who are going to have the greatest chances of success in getting into these top schools.</p>