<p>Daughter is a HS sophomore. Hubby went to a college planning/fin. aid meeting at the high school, where one of the presenters represented a college financial planning/student counselling service. Today, we met with the company to find out what they offer... We are truly babes in the woods when it comes to financial aid, FAFSAs, helping her with college choices, etc. She does very well academically, and generally tests well (she's waiting to get the results from taking the PSAT as a 10th grader "cold" -- no prep -- as a baseline). Just came back from a performing arts college fair (excellent, if somewhat overwhelming!) as she's seriously considering Musical Theatre (B.F.A. or B.A.) as a major. </p>
<p>The service would offer student counselling, including some testing and interviewing for strengths and personality (?). They would review admissions essays, and offer a specific SAT prep course. In addition, they would help with FAFSA and CSS Profile, help with financial planning for college, best strategies for loans, scholarships, etc. Our HS guidance counsellor is basically useless when it comes to a kid like her, interested in musical theatre (and yes -- she does want to audition for the "big stakes" schools and yes, I cannot believe the advice and help available to us on the Musical Theatre forum here -- kudos!) </p>
<p>The guy we talked to was really the financial guy, not one of the actual counsellors. He really, really didn't get it about the fact that Musical Theatre admissions process is different than many other paths. However, he was able to speak well about his skills in the financial aspects. Daughter is involved in a training program and with private teachers who are preparing her for the audition aspect of this process.</p>
<p>The question is simply to find out if others have used college planning services, whatever their child's intended major, and if they felt this was helpful to them and worth the $$s. Thanks.</p>
<p>mommafrog,
You might try asking this question on the Musical Theater forum, too. There are a number of very knowledgeable parents there and it might be interesting to hear what they think.</p>
<p>Perhaps you might wait and see what her PSAT score is. If she does very well, one could argue that she does not need any other “packaging”–she will have the goods all by herself. </p>
<p>Also consider the amount of clerical work involved in sending off the applications: if one parent is at home, she/he can help or supervise the process. This is especially helpful if you are seeking outside merit scholarships. It takes a large amount of time to research them (fastweb.com is great), then do the paperwork.</p>
<p>Back in the last century, I worked for a college placement company. The students were all international candidates, and most were applying to MBA programs. The company did provide a very useful service as the students and their families weren’t familiar with university level education in the US, and knew almost nothing about the application process. That said, not one single student was admitted to a program that he/she was not fully qualified for. Several were admitted to reaches, but there were no miracles.</p>
<p>If you would like someone to hold your hand through the process, and you can afford the fees charged, you may find that this company is useful for you. Some parents like them just because it allows them to be loving parents rather than freaked-out-college-application-nazis in that stressful application year.</p>
<p>What seems a real red flag for me is the person your husband spoke with had no notion that applying to BFA programs is not the same as applying to BA programs. If he really has been in the college placement business for a while, no matter what his specialization within the company, there are a few things he should have down cold including the general differences between BA/BFA, MS/MBA, MS/PHD, BA/BS/BEng, LAC/Public U, in-state/out-of-state.</p>
<p>Before you shell out your hard-earned money in a time of financial crisis, I’d suggest that you spend an hour or two reading what is posted here in the Financial Aid forum. Then if you have another conversation with the “money guy” you will be able to judge whether he knows his stuff in that area, and you will be able to make a more informed decision as to whether he actually can help you.</p>