<p>How helpful is college consulting? They charge like 2,500 for the UC Process. I am leaning towards the rip off side. But I want to see CC's Opinion.</p>
<p>Hard to see paying that for the UC application. I’ve paid quality counselors much less for what the UC application would take. Though I am a believer in professional help which is quite controversial on this site.</p>
<p>I’ve known people who’ll swear by it: A daughter of a colleague ended up going to a small univ. near Myrtle Beach that most of us had never heard of, but it met the family’s main requirements - the major, admission criteria comparable to the young lady’s credentials, and money. The mother felt that the 800 bucks was the best investment she made. Then again, there are others who feel paying hundreds of dollars is an utter waste.</p>
<p>What does paying that 2500 $ get you? What exactly do they do?</p>
<p>For us I would describe what we got as strategies on standing out in a very competitive pool. It can include anything from composing the list to approaching the application, to guiding essays.</p>
<p>If you have the money, it works.</p>
<p>I think it’s a total rip-off and appeals to people who are sooo stressed out. These kind of money-takers only fed the frenzy. It’s also something that you could and should do yourself. I have friends who feel the need to have a college person to help, but that’s only b/c she has the money and isn’t confident. Does she need to have this? Absolutely not!</p>
<p>No, but if she has a good one and she’s applying to highly competitive schools, it’s highly likely to up her chances. Just like my accountant knows about more tax loopholes than I do, good counselors know their way around college admissions. Even people with lots of money don’t like to throw it away.</p>
<p>I would tend to think college consulting helps only as much as you need the help. I had absolutely no desire to seek college consulting because I was lucky enough to have a great guidance counselor, supportive and helpful teachers, and a resource in my parents. I’ve heard horror stories of totally unqualified guidance departments and maybe college consulting would be a better option for students having to deal with them.</p>
<p>I don’t want to pay for it and I don’t believe I need it. I probably know 90% of the application process from CC, workshops, and college websites. The only reason I would even think about going to one would be for the essay. Even there… just to see how mine compared to others or for some additions or removals. </p>
<p>Here is a link to the consulting I was talking about…</p>
<p>[ThinkTank</a> Learning: Academic Help, College Admission, SAT Preparation, Tutoring, and More!](<a href=“http://www.ttlearning.com/en/consulting/college/pcap_video.shtml]ThinkTank”>http://www.ttlearning.com/en/consulting/college/pcap_video.shtml)</p>
<p>It’s this local Tutoring place around the Bay Area.</p>
<p>I would not go to a tutoring place locally to get college essay help. Go to one of the services that just do college essays–they don’t need to be local.</p>
<p>Even though I worked in admissions years ago and my kids are good writers, this is where the help was invaluable. These folks know what colleges want to hear and how they want it delivered. When applying to top schools, it often comes down to the essay.</p>
<p>It’s a rip-off, IMO.</p>
<p>There’s no perfect combination of anything that will get you into college. If you are a reasonably good student with an outstanding record, and you have a little common sense and some time to put into working on your applications, you can do very well in the application season without shelling out $2,500 of your parents’ hard-earned cash.</p>
<p>What can a college counselor do for you? They can’t change your GPA or your transcript. They can’t change your SAT scores (you can get test preparation, but I’m not talking about that). They can’t change your extracurricular activities. They can’t change your work experience or the summer programs you’ve attended. Really, the only aspect of your application that you have control over is how neat and clean it is and how you present your activities, and your essays.</p>
<p>Do you really want to pay $2500 just for comparisons on your essay when you’ve got a perfectly good English teacher and others around you who will serve that purpose for free?</p>
<p>Personally I would not pay for any assistance in the college admissions process. Maybe 30 years ago. But with the advent of the Internet, everything you need or want to know about college admissions is online. You can find samples of successful essays online, advice about applying, etc. Beyond that, there are books you can order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other places for maybe $25, maybe $35 with sample essays and advice (that are written by some of these admissions people).</p>
<p>And if you do decide that you want to pay $2,500, investigate all of your options first. Don’t assume that ‘these folks know what colleges want to hear.’ How do they know what they know? Did they used to work in the admissions office(s) at colleges like the ones you want to go to? Or did they just get into the profession by freelancing? (Just having gone to a top school a couple years ago isn’t necessarily qualifying). What is their success rate with getting students into one of their top 3 choices? If they can’t answer those questions or get wishy-washy about their answers I wouldn’t spend my money there.</p>
<p>Julliet, your post is akin to asking what an advertising agency can do for a Hershey bar. They can’t change the chocolate but they can repackage it, make it more desirable and get you to buy it.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/college-application-essay-tutoring-specialist/[/url]”>http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/college-application-essay-tutoring-specialist/</a></p>
<p>For 2500 you can get essay help from Michele Hernandez’s shop. A friend used it and claims it helped. Basically you talk to this guy on the phone, email him your essays, wait a few hours for his edits, stuff like that. It’s expensive, but it’s directed at a clientele for whom no expense is too great so long as Junior gets in to daddy’s alma mater.</p>
<p>^I don’t want to pay the $2,500. Anything under $500 I might consider. Even then…lol.</p>
<p>If you do hire a college counselor, make sure their qualifications are sound. Anyone can hang up a shingle and say they’re a college counselor, without any training, background, or even college education. And for a UC its a complete waste of time - just get help with your essays from a good english teacher or someone who knows how to write.</p>