I am going to hire a consultant and I need solid recommendations. I need someone with a track record of getting a kid with great grades (valedictorian), great test scores (1570, 800s on both subject tests), good essays (I loved them but clearly they didn’t find love elsewhere), ok ECs (again, I thought they were great but clearly not what the schools were looking for) and ok community service (I knew going in that this was solid but not at Harvard level) into top schools. That is a summary of my kid who got rejected to nearly every school he applied to but got into the honors college of our most competitive state school (Northeast). I need someone to review his applications and advise us on what he should do next. Gap year? Go to the state school and transfer if he doesn’t love it? Go to the state school and try to kick butt. He plans to eventually go to Med School.
If he plans to go to med school then state undergrad would serve fine. Just maintain GPA, ace MCAT, do some research, internships and stay involved in community work. No point in wasting a year, medical education is a lengthy process.
Do you know of other students from your area who have had positive experiences with a consultant? That would be the place to start since you’d know that the references weren’t bogus and that the consultant they recommended understands how students from your local area are positioned for various colleges.
In my local area, there are several consultants. Talking to other parents who have used the consultants, there are two I’d consider if I wanted to hire a consultant; these would be the types I think you’d need - the ones that can help kids present themselves in positive, appealing ways and understand what certain colleges are looking for. There are others who I think have been not necessarily a waste, but served in more of a hand holding role to be the bad guy getting applicants to complete essays and things on time rather than having the parents serve in that role; from what you’re describing that wouldn’t be helpful to you. And there were still another few that IMO weren’t helpful at all. This is why it’s really important to talk to people who have used the services, so you can understand if the advice would be helpful to you.
If you don’t know any other families who have used a consultant, see if you can get some recommendations from the GC at your school. GCs see which consultants have really helped and which ones haven’t.
If your school doesn’t have GCs that are involved or the GCs don’t know for some reason, start calling the Guidance Department of your regional private prep schools. Private prep school GCs will have experience with consultants since the prep schools are dealing with a population with the $$$ and willingness to hire help for these sorts of things.
@milee30
Thanks for the info! Can you PM me with the names of the first two you mentioned?
@CupCakeMuffins
I hear you but there are a few moving parts to all of this. First, I don’t see it as a wasted year to do a gap year. I see it as him shifting his ultimate retirement out a year and spending a year on a meaningful adventure at 18 versus doing it at, say 60 or 65. And that assumes nothing unexpected happens where living for today becomes even more appealing. The cost of the state school is certainly a big bonus and major factor. That is why he would do this only if he could get into a top school. The benefits have to be worth the extra cost. There are schools I believe he can get into where their acceptance rates into med school are higher, for example. That has value. But, maybe, being in the honors program at a school with its own med school right across the street increases his chances over the published rate. These are the things I just don’t know.
I’m sorry I don’t have a name for you, but if your kid is serious about medicine, make sure to find a counselor who is is well versed in getting kids into medical school, not just into top colleges. The colleges that are best at getting kids into med school are not always the ones that rank highest. Some smaller LAC’s are excellent at this. Its not just the rigor of the coursework but the availability of good advisement. There are schools where pre-med advisers don’t see the kids until late in the process. On the other hand, there are schools where kids meet with advisers from day 1 and help them navigate the entire process, including which ECs to choose, how to get good research opportunities, etc.
Smaller schools may be better for some kids because its easier to make good connections with professors and therefore, better letters of recommendations.
I’m NOT saying that the top large universities are necessarily a bad choice. But it depends entirely on the kid and what kind of support they need and want.
A great private counselor should be able to point you to the very best options to help your particular kid eventually get into med school.
"Thanks for the info! Can you PM me with the names of the first two you mentioned? "
I don’t think it would help you. Here’s why:
- IMO it's really important for you to get a counselor who is intimately familiar with the high schools and situation in your particular area. Valedictorians with good test scores and OK ECs from a private school in Boston get into different colleges than kids with those stats from a public school in rural Mississippi or kids with those stats from an average school in Idaho. In other words, geography matters and also understanding the reputation of your kid's particular HS matters. You will get the best advice from a counselor who works with kids in your area, who knows how colleges view your kid's HS, who knows what is possible for your area.
- I could be a 13 year old boy in his mother's basement. :P That's the unfortunate problem with getting recommendations from the internet. Reviews are easy to fake, especially for things like a personal service. You want to get recommendations from live people in your area not just because they will be able to let you know which counselors understand your area, but because you know the recommenders aren't shills. Are there legit counselors who advertise on the internet and have completely legit recommendations and testimonials? I'm sure there are. But how would you know them from the fakes?
Excuse me, gotta go - I think my mom is calling and if she catches me down here I’ll be grounded!
@Huskymaniac If a student looses focus then a gap year can change whole trajectory of his life. S**t happens.
If you want to go pre-med then think about:
- The cheapest reasonable college so you/your parents can use the money for med school
- The college needs to prepare you for MCATs but still allow you to get a good GPA
- Access to volunteering opportunities (e.g., near a hospital)
- Success in graduates getting into med school
- Options if you don’t go to med school
So going to the honors college of state school seems like a great option.! He will get more personalized interaction with professors and opportunities for research if he really gets involved in the honors program.