<p>Another example…Many of my students are applying to audition based theater programs. Every single one of them is coached by someone on their monologues and someone on their songs. It would be a disadvantage for a student who applies to these highly competitive audition based programs to not have an acting or vocal coach. Most competitive applicants to these programs have this. The college programs know this. Is it an advantage? Yes. Unethical? No. It is actually a disadvantage to have no coaching to get into these programs. I’m just talking of the artistic coaching (not the college counseling aspect). But hey, there are kids who attend performing arts high schools who get lots of individualized coaching right at school. Not so for my rural public school kid. We had to hire a private voice teacher and acting coach to prepare for college auditions. And on the college admissions aspect, you can betcha that our rural public school guidance counselor (whom we loved as a person) had no clue about BFA in Musical Theater college admissions, and very little experience with Ivy/elite admissions that my other child went through. Now, parents can be savvy and help guide their kids and arm themselves with information. It is like a part time job. But it certainly is doable. But some parents choose to pay to get guidance.</p>
<p>A private college counselor who does reserach on schools, knows how to position the student and advices the student is in my mind kosher, as long as they do not write the essays or do the application themselves (as mentioned by oldfort)</p>
<p>However, if the private college counselor tries to actually intervene or use their connections, that it is a very slippery slope. It may be construed as trying to buy access and many schools would be loathe to have that reputation i.e. if you know a connected counselor, your path is easier in that particular school. It could lead to a situation where the counselors try and make these connections at all costs and possibly indulge in illegal actions.</p>
<p>School GC’s on the other hand are expected to be advocates for their students and as long as the relationship is professional, there is nothing unethical about it.</p>
<p>When you hire a private counselor, they are like a consultant, you hire them for the knowledge and experience and their ability to guide you, not to do things for you. That said, in many cases the student or the parents can get much of the information themselves without needing to pay for an expert.</p>
<p>If you are, for example, targeting your state flagship schools or even some of the LAC’s or lower ranked institutions, there may be no need for such expensive advice. If you are looking for very selective institutions, such advice may be worth the expense, though there are examples of people who got in without that.</p>
<p>Agreed that it is unethical for a private counselor to advocate or contact college admissions officers. </p>
<p>I don’t agree that a private college counselor is only needed or justified in cases of students applying to very selective institutions. To the contrary, many students who are not seeking top colleges and who are not stellar students, need a lot of guidance in finding appropriate colleges. In fact, at the moment, I was taking a break from working on college selection and assessing a student’s chances at various schools and this student, who has a 3.8 GPA (good student), has just an SAT of CR/M of 920. This student is also seeking a specific field of study. I have had students with 2.8 GPAs. I could go on and on with examples. It is an erroneous notion that only students seeking highly competitive colleges seek private independent college counseling. I think I have worked with more students with average or below average stats than Ivy seeking students (though I have those too).</p>
<p>“It may be construed as trying to buy access”</p>
<p>It wouldn’t just be construed this way – it would BE trying to buy access.</p>
<p>My experience is the same as soozie’s. The kid who needs the most help is the academically motivated B student with average scores who’s trying to find a solid academic experience. This kid may end up at community college or the local tier 3 – which may be all wrong for him – without help from a savvy person who knows small LACs.</p>
<p>Art imitates life.</p>
<p>Michael: My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.
Kay Adams: Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don’t have men killed.
Michael: Oh. Who’s being naive, Kay?</p>
<p>If you think there aren’t backroom deals occurring every day, well, … That doesn’t mean there are a lot or that every consultant is doing it - that’s probably not the case, but there’s stuff going on every day. Too much money, prestige, and power at stake for this business to be clean, unless you’re prepared to believe that everyone in this business is holding themselves to a higher ethical standard than just about every other business in the world.</p>
<p>It’s happening in athletics, music, theatre, etc. Why wouldn’t it happen in an admissions office?</p>
<p>I do believe there is wheeling and dealing and advocating, etc. between school counselors and admissions officers, particularly with counselors at well established private high schools or competitive publics. If you read The Gatekeepers, this is quite evident. That is not shady. It is just the situation. </p>
<p>However, it is considered unethical for private college consultants to have that contact with admissions. I also don’t think admissions offices would welcome it. So, while there may be exceptions, I do not believe this is the norm when it comes to independent college counselors.</p>
<p>Further, it is a creed that private counselors not be in contact with their clients’ college admissions offices. It is not a creed for school counselors and in fact, just the opposite. A school based counselor should advocate for their students.</p>
<p>I think private college counselors (very prevalent here, most people seem to have them) can serve a useful purpose but (so far at least) appear to be very overpriced for what you get and further share the flaw with school counselors of always trying to make you aim low, presumably so you end up a happy camper having gotten into your “first choice”. I have buyers’ regret on hiring one, though this may change as the year goes on…</p>
<p>Setting aside the ethics for a moment, it strikes me as a self-defeating business practice to sell clients on the idea that as a consultant you possess some sort “special pull” at good old Whatsamatta U. A consultant selling that idea obviously has to deliver on the promise; if they can’t, word will spread pretty quickly when Dad “A” starts screaming at the next PTA meeting that “MacDaddy College Consulting” is a fraud. The only way to stay in business would be to imply this sort of influence to candidates who are nearly slam-dunks to begin with; in which case, what’s the point? If anything the consultant will look more like a wizard by not promising and then delivering than the other way around.</p>
<p>On the flip side, why would a college take the risk of becoming known as someplace that traffics in Consultant “A”'s pedaled flesh? How long would it take before that type of reputation blossomed into a full-blown PR nightmare on someplace like CC? </p>
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<p>I guess I just have a hard time envisioning an ex-admissions office employee turned consultant having enough pull to sway the results of an admissions committee, (keeping in the Godfather theme, this assumes that the consultant doesn’t possess some sort of incriminating information). </p>
<p>At the top schools I highly doubt it’s going to be a consultant having enough influence to get a candidate in. At those places it will be the phone call from the alumni CEO talking about an employee’s son or the email from a Senator’s office extolling the virtues of the daughter of a constituent who just happened to raise a lot of money for the last campaign.</p>
<p>Thousands of years ago the oldest profession was born, the next day the first pimps showed up.</p>
<p>Once upon a time, very few if anyone took test prep courses for the SAT. You got the little pamphlet when you registered and filled in the sample questions so you had some idea about the test. If you really were motivated, you could check out a practice book from the library or actually pay for a book. I never heard of classes, tutors or anything of that sort. </p>
<p>Then suddenly Kaplan and PRinceton Review and tutors for the SATs became something kids started to do. The counselors all poo-pooed the idea that you could STUDY for the SATs. Educators also insisted that studying and prep courses made no difference. As did the test makers. </p>
<p>Fast forward to today. Most all high schools advocate test prep and many even offer it. Even private schools that have disdain for outside tutors and prep are contracting with companies to provide this service. Nearly EVERYONE takes test prep courses. It has become part of the college process. </p>
<p>So it is morphing with the private counselor. They have them for financial aid, for admissions, for selection of colleges. Necessary? Not to some people. But for others, it could make a big difference. </p>
<p>Most college adcoms want nothing to do with independent college counselors. Everything I have heard and read about their feelings about enlisting this sort of help, is that they find it repugnant. They feel strongly that the student should be doing the college app process, and are not really interested when parents call and are looking for answers. Yes, they do have to talk to the parent, but we all know that getting the best resolution from colleges is often by having the student himself take care of the matter. It’s time for helicopter parents to fly away or hover a distance unseen. And bringing in a paid counselor smacks of silver spoon in the mouth which does not endear an applicant to admissions.</p>
<p>Admissions counselors tend to be the type of people that really want a fair deal for all kids. They are for the underdog, the disadvantaged, the true applicant, not the kids who have had their way padded and paid in every aspect. There is a definite place in their hearts for those who have had to work for what they get rather than having a paid ride. Most of those working for the pricey privates would not be able to afford the COA of their colleges.</p>
<p>Where I have seen relationships, are with the school guidance/college counselors and some admissions officers. When people have been in this field for a while, there are certain schools that have a lot of good prospects for certain colleges. A relationship does develop. Though “feeder school” is a misnomer since it’s not as though the majority of the kids go to the college or that the process is automatic, there is a strong relationship between the provider and acceptor of the these students. The private independent schools that have as many as 25% of their kids being accepted to the most selective colleges are well known to those schools. And that is where there can be someone advocating for the student.</p>
<p>Because these schools offer a lot of information, are well involved in the admissions process, follow the rules religiously, let the colleges have some sneak peeks at some info, can clarify situations along with the fact that every single student from these schools could probably do well at nearly any college in the US including these selective schools, so well prepared are they, there is a preference for these kids. Why should there not be? When you accept a “product” that has been satisfactory, reliable and excellent over time, you do put some trust in it. The kids that come from these schools tend to be well prepared, can pay for the education, graduate, are active contributors to their colleges during their time there. They are prized students. The colleges are not taking much of a chance on these kids. You know if that kid took a calc course at XYZ Academy, he is going to know his calc, whether it is an AP course or not. You know the kid is well prepared in all areas. So these kids do get a bit of an advantage. Also many of the counselors who work for these schools once were in admissions on the other end. I know the counselors at my sons’ high school both worked at highly selective college admissions office at one time. Also the adcoms from some mighty selective schools come a visiting each admissions season to get some prospects on their list. They give talks to the parents are guest speakers at the Parent’s Group meetings. </p>
<p>But I 've never known a private counnselor to have a current in with a college, though they may have worked at the college at one time (Michelle Hernandez is a prime example).They work on the sidelines, helping the student put together the best possible apps for their school.</p>
<p>If you worked in a admissions office or have done many years of college applications, you would have gained some experience knowledge of the process. You start getting a good feel for what sells and what does not. School counselors have the advantage that they can often get these feedback from the college admissions department. I don’t see the problem with someone buying or selling this expertise.</p>
<p>Also, altough adcomms do hate “overpackaged” kids, it is by no means the case, any longer, that they look down on kids with private counselors. My friend is an adcom at an Ivy and she spoke positively about private college counselors and the role they can have in the process (particularly, ironically, in getting the parents out of the process) and gave me some recs. So the impression that adcoms disapprove I think is also outdated.</p>
<p>^^^Having an independent college counselor doesn’t get the parents out of the process. I am a private counselor and I welcome parents being part of the “team” in this process, though do not feel that their communication with me should replace that with the student, but can be in addition to it. But trust me, parents who enlist a private counselor are rarely out of the process. It varies from family to family but I have parents as clients who contact me daily (some several times per day!).</p>
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<p>And taking your SAT’s more than once was what the “losers” did … not the smart kids! You only took your SAT’s more than once if there were some unusual circumstance, like falling ill in the middle of the test.</p>
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<p>I think this is a generalization. When D1 was applying to schools, both of us spoke with various schools´adcoms. Overall, I got better results than D1 did, and they didn´t have any issue in speaking with me. </p>
<p>Adcoms are regular people, you would like to believe they are above it all (to look for what´s fair and just for everyone), but I don´t believe it. At my kids´old private school (strange to refer to it as such now), I know for fact there was a lot of wheeling and dealing behind the scene. It wasn´t just at our school, I heard of similar thing at friend´s schools. A friend´s son ended up going to a highly ranked school in PA instead of going to D1´s college because the GC pushed for it. It turned out the GC was wined and dined by the school´s rep because they wanted more students from that prep school.</p>
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<p>Well, I would imagine that part of what one pays a private counselor for is the ability to “package” without the packaging being evident.</p>
<p>^^^^ 
Although I must say haven’t seen much of that with our private counselor, alot of focus on selecting colleges (as noted, I feel they encourage kids not to shoot too high, totally against my philosophy) and getting started on essays early (amen) and getting interfering mom out of the process (who exactly does he think pays him and will pay for college remains a mystery…)</p>
<p>A school counselor also advises students (not from the school) for pay. Two students (one from the school, one paying) apply to College X. Both are waitlisted. Since it’s unethical to advocate on behalf of private clients, the counselor could call up College X and advocate only on behalf of her school’s student.</p>
<p>There are many colleges that not only don’t look down on private counselors–they promote themselves to the counselors. These aren’t the very top schools, but they are the kinds of schools that a counselor might help a student identify. This is particularly true for students with special interests or special needs.</p>
<p>“A school counselor also advises students (not from the school) for pay.”</p>
<p>Most private schools wouldn’t allow this. I don’t know anyone who’s able to do both, though I’m sure there’s someone who gets away with it.</p>
<p>Well, I know someone who did both, and they were also an Internet presence.</p>