<p>^^by parents who are still interfering and looking for coaches or “edges” for students who are in grad school. – imagine hiring products of such a process and having to work with them on a daily basis?</p>
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<p>Nope, not hopeful. My kids have never been tutored nor coached, and they don’t need it. </p>
<p>It’s analogous to SAT prep, though. There are people making a living off of SAT tutoring, or, ahem, “college counseling.” (and there are very ethical college counselors who are basically doing what guidance counselors back in the day used to have time to do in public school.) There are loads of articles about well-educated adults making good livings as SAT tutors in Manhattan and similar competitive cities. </p>
<p>If it didn’t work, wouldn’t you think the clientele would eventually stop paying? Now, maybe the people who use the services for their children are worrying without cause, because their children would get into good colleges without all the extra fluffing. Of course, the people making money offering these services claim they work.</p>
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- yep - lol! I know some in their 30’s still getting direction from their interfering parents. By then they’re co-dependent.</p>
<p>Periwinkle, hopeful is good. Those kids who are really slick and polished really stand out - and not in a good way. They’re the ones so coached that they stumble when asked a basic question any other kid could answer. Or are so slick they have a neat and tidy answer for everything. My husband loves to ask them what their favorite movie is - or if they were a Star Wars character, what character would they be. Trust me, we can get through academic and EC “BS” with laser like precision by asking off the cuff questions ten different ways to see if we get the same answer. </p>
<p>Kids who aren’t good at interviewing shouldn’t sweat it. I know the difference between shy, socially awkward but still a great kid, versus the students who acts like it’s a privilege to be in their presence.</p>
<p>Can I tell you the kids I’ve remembered all these year? The one who brought his artwork and talked about the details and what he learned teaching himself to draw, the one who told me about singing in a show choir and going to New York for the first time. The one whose parents were fighting over who could bring her to the interview (the loser got to bring her to the admit reception). The ones who come with questions about the school that are not all academic based. The one who hated chemistry and compared being a drum majorette to herding bovine. The ones who had no time for EC’s because she was working a part time job to help out at home. And the one who bugged a scientist until he was allowed to help with a research project. Adcoms tell us they want the kids who linger long after they’ve read the file for a host of reasons having nothing to do with grades and perfect scores or perfect interviews. The ones that make them laugh, or cry, or cringe. </p>
<p>The point of the interview is to fill in the blanks and see a real person (not a consultant’s version of Extreme Makeover).</p>
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<p>LOL! Would that it worked that way. Often the kid is just fine and would get in on his/her own. But once the consultant gets involved, how will the parent know if the consultant had an influence or not? Then they tell friends “look what hotshot did for my kid!” That’s why it’s self-perpetuating. Kind of like scholarship predators who promise results for a monthly fee (and your credit card number). Or the junk mail we get each month for my kids promising modeling contracts and instant success. Or all the “make money for nothing” schemes on TV. People believe in their delusions and fuel an industry.</p>
<p>Maybe we should all start a business coaching parents on college and BS. We could be millionaires! - lol!</p>
<p>I think it is not prudent to act like I’m an all knowing AO with radars that no one can fool me, after all you are human. Now a days even computers can outsmart humans let alone slick people. Have you watched the jeopardy game with Watson? :D</p>