<p>So im not really sure about it. But my cousin is urging me to go for it. I decided to meet the guy. This guy promises to stay with me 100% through the process. (I was gonna use my vp acting as a gc, shes not too useful but i thought she'll help me somewhat). Adjust my college list to fit academically and financially. Help me get into the reaches. Hook me up to a unique project (this was his selling point i guess). Read my essays. Help me with any forms such as the fafsa. Claims to have sent a 1950 int'l student to wharton.
Oh and the best part is he charges $1000. (Insane, thats why im not too sure about it)
I wanted some thoughts other than my cousins biased opinions.</p>
<p>Is this guy really credible? You should do some more research on him before taking him seriously.</p>
<p>I havent met him yet, my cousin talked to him on the phone</p>
<p>I believe the general consensus on this forum is don’t do that. </p>
<p>Making tough decisions like where to go to college is part of growing up, and hundreds of thousands of kids do it by themselves each year. There is not going to be anything he can do to ‘help you get into reaches’ that can’t be done yourself. He’s not going to be able to change your SAT score, your GPA, what extracurricular you participated in, etc. The fafsa is not a difficult form to fill out. Have friends, family, and teachers read over your essays at no charge.</p>
<p>And I don’t know what a ‘special project’ means.</p>
<p>^i dont know what that means either tbh.</p>
<p>My main concern is “do i really need him?”</p>
<p>What does “hook me up to a unique project” mean? </p>
<p>I would never do it…I honestly don’t see the point with the abundance of resources that are available.</p>
<p>“Help me get into reaches” There’s nothing he can really do that CollegeConfidential here cannot offer. Reading essays, SAT/ACT advice, chancing threads (albeit being inaccurate at times), course advice, financial aid help…The list goes on and on.</p>
<p>Save the $1000 dollars, post your stats in a chance me thread, and the schools you want to go to, and we can give you a better view of what you can aim for!</p>
<p>Edit: Like hell he’ll hook you up with a unique project. He never said if it’s prestigious or recognizable. What if his reading skills are worse than yours? You never know.</p>
<p>Why do you think you need him?</p>
<p>The college list you originally posted was exceedingly high. This guy didn’t get a “1950” into Wharton unless the kid had the basic goods. Have you pared down your list? Not going through all your posts, but I am pretty sure CC has told you where you stand.</p>
<p>If you need advice, that’s one thing. Expecting some guy to come in and work miracles- or take over- is another.</p>
<p>I honestly dont know what unique project even means. But now my dad wants to meet him at my cousins request.</p>
<p>Send me the money. I won’t help you get into college, but I won’t waste your time either. ;)</p>
<p>Seriously, if you’ve got buckets of money to spend, then why not? But then you check out the guy’s credentials first. Don’t just get sucked in by his sales pitch. Of course HE says he’s the greatest thing in the world - he wants your money!</p>
<p>In the U.S., reputable college counselors have training and certification. That doesn’t mean they’re licensed by the government, but they do belong to at least one of two (I believe) well known and reputable professional associations. There are many, many more people out there claiming to be college counselors who have no such training. They’re in it for the money, it’s often a scam, and you should stay away from them.</p>
<p>I’m not really sure what it is that college consultants can do for you if you have support at the high school level. Ironically, I think the people who might be most helped by them (low-income students and first-generation students) are the ones least likely to have access to them.</p>
<p>You can select your own colleges doing some Internet research. There’s very little a consultant can do for you to help you get into the reach schools - that’s dependent on things you’ve already done. What “unique project” can you get hooked into? The FAFSA is incredibly easy to fill out; it takes 30 minutes tops unless you have some extremely complicated financial situation at home. The consultant didn’t send a 1950 international student to Wharton; likely the student had other accomplishments that helped him get admitted.</p>
<p>The only thing that the consultant seems to be able to do that might be worth money is reading your essays, and that’s not worth $1,000. I’m sure that your parents, teachers, or guidance counselor would either be willing to proofread your essays for you or refer you to someone who is.</p>
<p>Thanks for the answers guys. Im gonna tell my dad today that the guy is a complete ripoff who is in it for the money.</p>
<p>How do you know that to be true? You don’t seem to know anything about him. There are legitimate experienced advisers and there are ones that aren’t worth it. </p>
<p>You may need some help with level of colleges to apply to. People couldn’t help you in your chances thread because you were educated in UK and they don’t know how to interpret your levels and scores (if I recall correctly)</p>
<p>@Brownparent. I was educated under the british system, so yea the chances were the most useless things since everyone chanced off soley my sat score. But i dont think $1000 is worth it. Im pushing for a cheaper alternative.
Hes not really a random stranger. My cousin contacted him out of reference. He is a yale graduate and his brother is an oxford grad. The two opened their consultancy with some other guys who went to top tier universities</p>