<p>1) Some admissions consultants have been working for so long with certain colleges/universities that those institutions have come to trust their judgment about who is a good candidate and who isn’t.</p>
<p>2) Some parents and children drive each other mad during the application process, and everyone is happier when someone from outside the family takes charge of things.</p>
<p>3) Some parents and children would rather pay for other people to do their research for them.</p>
<p>4) Some parents would rather deal face-to-face with a professional expert than trust to their own instincts.</p>
<p>5) 92% get into their first choice college does not tell you what those choices were, or whether they were places the student had ever heard of before meeting the counselor, or whether any financial aid made it affordable. It just means that in April when the letters came, the kids (and parents) were happy with the places they were accepted at.</p>
<p>You are absolutely correct that you can do the work yourself and get into a school where you will be happy and successful. Save your money for books.</p>