Has anyone received mail from an organization named CollegePoint? It is advertised as a free college advising service. I saw one thread on CC a while back, but wondering if anyone has used their services yet. I’m assuming they’re legit???
Never heard of it, but remember the old saying “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”
My D got a call. They said they are affiliated with College Board. I don’t trust this kind of stuff and was ready to bluntly say NO. My D gave me that “Gee mom, your life must be so fun that you don’t trust anybody” look. She talked with them some more and I reluctantly let her receive the service. I didn’t like the idea because hey I’m a College Confidential member (and that means a lot) but my gullible husband sided with my D. I said OK as long as they don’t bring up the subject of any kind of “fees”.
So far, they called one more time and just discussed basic college preparation stuff with my D and said they would be calling again close to the application time. So far no harm’s done. (No gain, either.)
I don’t see College Board listed as an associate (thought it does seem to be affiliated with Bloomberg). Apparently they are administered by America Achieves which seems to be above board.
http://americaachieves.org/who-we-are/
All this is just google research with no knowledge behind it.
Bloomberg Philanthropies website explains College Point as follows, so I guess my D thought they were affiliated with College Board.
“Match trained advisors from College Advising Corps, College Possible and Strive for College with high-achieving, low- and moderate-income students, as identified primarily by the College Board, as well as the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The advisors will use virtual interaction and communication tools, such as video conferencing and document sharing, to reach students across all 50 states.”
Thank you for the website, @“Erin’s Dad” . It doesn’t look like a scam. I’m relieved.
D decided to sign up, and so far, she has filled out some surveys and received emails with general information as well as specific scholarships. I don’t know how helpful it will end up being, but I spoke to someone who used the service last year and they spoke highly of it. At the very least, D is a little more involved in the process than before.
My D, too. Seems like she is texting her counselor with questions. She is also enjoying saying, “my college counselor” because there are quite a few kids at school whose rich parents hired private college counselors.
Interesting. My DS attends a large private school, and he has an assigned college counselor already. BUT… the counselor has to handle at least 80-90 kids. We’ll have to look into this.