Do you know anyone who actually has one of those expensive college counselors?

<p>Of course I'm from PNG! Why is that so suprising? I think thats one of the major reasons I got into Andover. Why is that so hard to believe!? I love it though, because I hope that can get me into the Ivies.</p>

<p>An utter and complete waste, really. I didn't even have my parents see my application (and still haven't) and I'm in good shape, so why bother paying all that money?</p>

<p>I could handle most of the admissions process on my own, but as a foreign student whose school doesn't have a guidance counsellor, I needed some help figuring out what the options are. The college counselor helped me out a lot with the search and cost way less than it would to visit all the places I was considering and then discover that I didn't fit into the campus culture.</p>

<p>I offered to hire one who had come highly recommended by friends for my D. She agreed to meet the counsellor, and after the meeting she told me "no way" would she work with her. She also told me she thought using such a person was "cheating." Now that we have survived the process, I think hiring a counsellor would have been a huge waste of money for us (she charged $5000.) However, I have a good friend who swears by a counsellor she has used for all of her children. I suspect she didn't want to do the research herself!</p>

<p>ivysuccess charges 10K for junior + senior year, and 5K for each prior year (I remember from back when I was a freshman noob)</p>