<p>Michele responds in person – I think many in this forum pinpointed the advantage of working with a counselor. Indeed, I start with many students in 8th or 9th grade and have several years to push them, channel their interests, help them develop areas of expertise, but you are correct in that I cannot invent TALENT. I work with many talented students, but I can’t “make” someone a great bass clarinet player. But I can help them find ways to build on their own talents and interests in a way that helps their college admissions chances. As for statistics - you are all correct in being wary of stats, including mine. A few points to clarify: 1 – I don’t turn anyone down because I don’t think they would get into a top college just to “juke” my stats. My goal is to match them to the best college that is the right match in their RANGE as determined by their academic prowess. I have many kids who don’t apply to Ivies - of those that DO, 92% get in, but many are gunning for the Hamilton’s, Colgate’s, etc… and not HYP. 2 – I would turn down the unrealistic parent who thought their 2.5 GPA kid would get into Cal tech - no point in working with parents who are unrealistic about their own kids. And yes, I have helped give free advice on CC for years, my books (4 of them) are all $10 (and by the way, the NEW UPDATED A is for Admission will be out in 2 weeks, so look for it as much of the outdated stuff is rewritten!), I sell many less expensive guides and products on my web site, but whether you think my one on one consulting is worth it (I’ll let parents and students, a decade’s worth, be the guide here), it’s unfair to criticize without knowing the time I put in and the results my students have had. The good news is, I offer help at every price point, so I don’t think CC members need to criticize my most expensive offering when much of what I offer is free or under $100. is it as good as working with me for 4 years? No, but it certainly can help and I’ve led the charge to making much of this “secret” info public in the first place.</p>