I’m a junior right now and me and my parents have been discussing meeting with a private college consultant/counsellor . I’m just really looking for guidance in picking out safety/matches that fit what I’m looking for in a college (finding reaches is the easy part 
) as well as a little help with ECs, etc. My question is, is it better to go with an agency that has positive reviews or a more local counselor? I’m not sure what qualifies one counselor as “better” than another.
Look to the left and note the link: College search and selection. Start off with that list on the left. Don’t assume scholarships and grants to be available if you do not have tip-top scores and grades. Looking at your parents wallet will help you determine some schools.
How will they help with your ECs? That’s on you: a sport, a job, an activity that you are passionate about.
@“aunt bea” lol i just realized how weird that sounds “help me with me ECs.” what i meant was more of how to package them if that makes sense? i have several ECs that ive been doing for years but theyre not all music related, all sports related, or something, theyre kinda all over the place. ive heard from a lot of people that this makes you seem scattered. im not sure if thats true but thats the kind of thing i would want a counselor for, helping me figure stuff like that out. i would just go to my school counselor but my school opened a couple years ago and we have our school’s first senior class this year so my counselor really knows nothing about college admissions – it’s her first year in the position, she also has like 10 other roles within the school.
We never used private counselors and found that thorough research (websites, college guide books), a realistic attitude, and visiting schools to be sufficient to come up with good lists for both of my kids. But if I did go the private counselor route I would not hire someone based on reputation alone, For example if you use an agency there could be people all over the map in terms of quality etc. I’d try to make an appointment with a couple of counselors and then decide who is the better fit.
And try the SuperMatch function on CC – it is on the left under Find A College.
How could they hire a counselor who knows nothing about college admissions? That doesn’t sound right. Part of her job as a guidance counselor had to include experience in the area of admissions.
She also has to attend the university meetings for local universities/colleges, as well as state and ivy institutions.
The the guidance counselors are invited by university representatives to meetings regarding admissions, costs, coursework required, changes to policies, etc.
You and your parents need to ask the school.
If you decide to hire a consultant, be sure to find someone who has experience working in an admissions office. It makes a big difference when someone has been on the admissions side of the equation and can help you understand how you will be viewed by the colleges. (And, yes, I’m soeakin
The industry is rife with charlatans and prices can be very high. The best bet is to pick someone through direct word of mouth–someone you or your parents know who has used the service and has positive things to say about it. Anything else is a crapshoot, unfortunately. @curlypie99
Oops - end of my post #5 should read “speaking from experience.”
@curlypie99 , I used a private college consultant. We probably had 8-10 hours worth of consultations, some of which was useful. Was she worth it? No. However, I say this because I actually knew almost as much as she did. I admit I have been obsessively studying the ins and outs of the college process for the last two years. I think I hired the consultant because I wanted to affirm that my daughter was on the right track. I also think if I hadn’t done all the research, then we would have needed the consultant. There is so much to learn. So, if you or your parents can devote a LOT of time to doing everything right, then you defintiley cna navigate it all successfully. But if you can’t, and you are looking to get into some selective schools, then you might want to hire someone. The other big factor is, will you be willing to listen to someone else’s advice? My D is pig-headed. Even though the advisor and I know what she needs to do to get in, she has often disregarded our advice. As she is applying to most schools RD, it remains to be seen if all the advice she received was worth it. If you are the type of person who doesn’t want to take suggestions, then save your parents the money. I got off rather lightly as far as how much I actually ended up paying for our advisor, but expect them to charge roughly $175 an hour and up. Or, they will often use a “package” fee, which is very often in the range of $5000. Companies such as The ___ Coach can run into tens of thousands, I believe. Discuss with your parents, or,whoever is paying. It is not cheap.
Alos, I much prefer the word of mouth route. Ask you parent to maybe post in a local paretns forum on social media. That is how we found our advisor.
Why do you feel your school’s counselor staff is inadequate? Have others successfully been admitted to the sorts of schools you’re hoping to target? My kiddo’s counselors (public magnet school) definitely knew their stuff and handled many kids’ apps to many very selective schools.
Or go to the iecaonline site. They are listed by state.
I want to get a private college consultant for my son. It didn’t work out. He can’t finish anything prior to the due date. He refused to let people reviewed his writings. You need to contact them early. The good ones don’t have availability.
Many counselors who did not work in admissions nonetheless understand the process. Choose someone who can sit by your side and know you and your situation closely. That is typically not going to happen at an agency that promises $15 essay review.
Try to have your parents help you as much as possible. It can actually be a lot of fun given the right attitudes, and given a sufficient amount of time (which you still have, although the more the better). I can’t even imagine paying someone that much money, but that’s me. Everyone has different situations. My D had no interest in the process until recently as her senior friends have been receiving decisions. Now, she is getting excited, and it is more of a team effort. Spend the extra money on school visits, t-shirts, and extra/additional applications.
I think you should only hire a private counselor is a) you have money to spare and b) if you really, desperately need help with direction/fit/packaging. You’re on here and conscientious enough to ask questions, so my guess is you and your parents could accomplish most of the “help me find fit/safeties” part here on CC, for free. So many of the posters here offer excellent advice, gratis!
Where I think paying for a private consultant can be useful is for essay review/packaging. That’s where limiting yourself to your parents/English teacher/counselor/strangers on the Internet can be potentially damaging, especially for elite schools. (I’ve read many essays AFTER a student got rejected ED from an Ivy and immediately spotted multiple issues that begged for a rewrite/a new approach–hyper smart kids with “resources” submit bungling essays all the time) There are many excellent private essay review services with ample experience in admissions cycles who can spot issues that you wouldn’t be able to, and especially if you work with someone who reads ALL your essays (+ supplements) and they get a picture of who you are as a person/applicant, they can help you with making smart packaging choices. In that case, I agree with what others have said: look for word-of-mouth recommendations (your parents could ask other parents), and shop around.
thank you for your help everyone! thats mainly what we’re thinking about getting a private counselor for, for help “packaging” myself (i hate how that sounds).
@T26E4 my school is new and we haven’t even had a graduating class yet 
we have our first class of seniors graduating this year. ive met with my counselor a couple times about this but she doesnt really know that much. she literally looked at my gpa and SAT score and told me brown (my dream school) would be a match for me, not a reach. i was like …?? really dont get how she could think that…
@curlypie99 , seems like you are on top of stuff. Keep researching and ignore what your counselor said. Brown is a match for no one. Be nice to the counselor though, he has to write you a rec.