<p>I agree that the Times went looking for the worst possible practitioners. I have no problem with the existence of college admission counselors at all. Some of the most valuable info I’ve read on CC has come from private counselors who’ve generously shared what they know here. Carolyn and soozievt come to mind (I’ve recommended them to friends several times).</p>
<p>The admissions circus is intimidating and confusing. Most high schools can’t begin to offer the kind of support a private counselor provides (think it’s an excellent point above that folks who can pay $40K for a private consultant are already probably paying that much each year in private school tuition - where you’d think their kids could get pretty decent college guidance). If a parent or high school student doesn’t have the time or desire to sort through the websites, deadlines, strategies, testing requirements, etc., and can afford a private counselor, I say great! But the idea of some slick fast-talkers pitching fashion shows for college interviews (how much lamer can it get?) or promising Ivy League admits if the parents come up with enough cash in advance is offensive. </p>
<p>Besides, what would I have done on the computer these past 10 years if someone else was helping my kids sort this out?</p>
<p>The fashion show hit my funny bone. When we did the college tour with Ss, we saw some prospective applicants going in for an on-campus interview. We noticed every permutation of clothing, from full suits (in summer heat) to flipflops and shorts.</p>
<p>Yes, frazzled, Soozie and Carolyn are great examples of pros who are giving advice for free on these boards. Carolyn also does pro bono work with kids from underserved schools.</p>
<p>The much reviled (on these boards) Michele Hernandez has posted on CC as well. I don’t recall her CC name, but she’s been here.</p>
<p>Isn’t Michele Hernandez the one who worked in Dartmouth’s admission office until they discovered she took a bunch of files so she could write a book?</p>
<p>I just did a quick search. Michele Hernandez has posted on CC under the screen name ClassicsGeek. It looks like she’s given a fair amount of free advice on these boards (and yes, it’s possible she drummed up some business along the way.)</p>
<p>Look, I think it’s absurd to pay $40,000 for college counseling services, and I think that any counselor who promises an ability to lobby particular colleges on behalf of a client is a charlatan. But they’re not all bad guys, and even the bad guys are probably not all bad.</p>
<p>Ooops - sorry to have been insulting about a fellow CCer. It would have been more accurate for me to say that her statement, as quoted in the Times, ("“I’m at the top of my field. Do people economize when they have a brain tumor and are looking for a neurosurgeon? If you want to go with someone cheaper, or chance it, don’t hire me”) is self-congratulatory and did indeed make my skin crawl. That’s an unfortunate analogy; I’d hope she wouldn’t let me get away with one like it in my college essay (although the $40K may not cover editing services, of course).</p>
<p>Perhaps she was misquoted. She’s obviously tired of hearing public criticism of her fees, but that goes with the territory - she’s taking in a lot of money. Certainly none of the high-priced consultants came off well in the article. I’ve noticed that folks in the news really can’t win if they get defensive or evasive with the press. (How’s that for some free advice? )</p>
<p>Hey, it’s America. If someone will pay you $40,000 to get their kid into a top school, go for it. But you’ve got to expect some public skepticism if you do …</p>
<p>The easiest way to guarantee a client gets into his/her thop three choices is to be very good about getting them to buy into what you decide their top three choices should be. If you asked any kid what their top three schools are, they are probably only really interested in the top one or two - by the time you get to the third choice, you could probably fill in any name and they’d go along with it because what they really want is choice no. 1. Later on, when the student has only gained admittance to the third choice, the one they didn’t spend much time thinking about, the paid counselor can honestly say the client was admitted to one of their top three choices.</p>
<p>I have no problem with people who have scads of cash laying down $40,000 if it makes them feel better. It would bother me if a family of ordinary means paid for a service they really couldn’t afford, because I don’t think anyone can do anything in the college consulting line that’s worth $40,000. I am bothered by some of the disingenuous quotes in the article about consultants’ backgrounds and experience. I suspect they advise their clients to present their own backgrounds in a similarly dishonest way - after all, it’s working for them. Maybe admissions offices should have the fingerprints of highly paid counselors on file, and they could just dust the envelope and essay to see if there was outside help. It wouldn’t be that hard, just offer MH a refreshing beverage during one of her heated sessions at a hotel, and sneak the glass off to the lab when she’s finished. Like everything else in life, it’s so much easier to be straightforward and honest. </p>
<p>I do see a difference between the overprivileged, madras wearing set and those from high schools where the counseling staff hasn’t the expertise to guide students. (And I don’t mind someone reaching into their blue blazer to pay off a counselor - wouldn’t do it, don’t get it, but it’s their money. I’d love for there to be full employment, and this seems to be employing some people I wouldn’t trust in more sensitive positions.)</p>
<p>I agree w/ wjb that the piece was surprisingly one-sided, somewhat in the genre of the articles that the NYT has done that involve making fun of the uber-rich who’ve had to downsize slightly. </p>
<p>I really doubt that there are lots of people paying $40,000 for the service, or that such is the coming, trendy thing to do, in the present economy. But the NYT knows to provide some escapist fare, just as Hollywood gave us Goldiggers of 1933, or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Or Slumdog Millionaire. </p>
<p>The article aims to make its readers feel superior. I do feel some pity for the people interviewed. In all likelihood they were too trusting, didn’t suspect what kind of story was likely to result.</p>
<p>Don’t. They’re not looking to market to CC parents, and they did make the main section of the Sunday NY Times. I can imagine two scenarios:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>“Muffy, did you hear that GS had a great quarter and that I’ll be getting my eight figure bonus after all? Would you see if Ivywise takes the Amex Black card or should I write a check?”</p></li>
<li><p>“Ms. Hernandez, I really want to go to college in America. Do you think I should mention that my dad’s a sheik in the essay?”</p></li>
</ol>
<p>“The easiest way to guarantee a client gets into his/her top three choices is to be very good about getting them to buy into what you decide their top three choices should be.”</p>
<p>^Exactly. Also, these services do not promise an Ivy admission to every student. From what I’ve read, you have to first do an evaluation (for a fee, of course). Then they decide if you are an ivy material. If you are, you get the privilege to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get into schools you would probably get into on your own anyway.</p>
<p>I know someone who did the Hernandez “bootcamp.” This person was not accepted to a single desired college and ended up attending the state school. Basically threw away around $6,000. I know someone else from CT who had a first meeting with one of the other counselors mentioned in the article and realized she knew way more from her time on CC than the young counselor did. Needless to say, she did not decide to hire them for additional consultations. These expensive counselors prey on people during a stressful, anxious time in their lives.</p>
<p>There were a few times during this past year when, serving as self-appointed executive assistant to my DS, I had mild panic attacks, thinking “we” had missed some detail or deadline in the process. At those times, I could definitely see the value of professional help. Now I’m just proud that we navigated it successfully!</p>
<p>Based on the research that I did about two years ago, the $40,000 price-tag was for four years of college counseling, not one. Think about the number of posts that are from seniors or late year juniors who are trying to decide what they need (schoolwork, tests, ECs, etc.) to be competitive. Its generally too late. I am not a college counselor, but I have given advice based on CC and the internet to parents and students (for free) about how they should be looking at colleges. Most ignore the advice and say they want to wait until Spring junior year or the Fall of Senior year to get serious. If your kid’s aspirations are for a top tier school this is way too late.</p>
<p>The parents who can afford these types of counseling are generally uber-rich. It is probably more time-efficient for them to hire someone to help their kid through this maze of applications than to research it themselves. They also probably do this in everything else in their lives, i.e. gardeners, chauffeurs, nannies, maids, accountants, etc.</p>
<p>Maybe Hat just means its too late at that point for a counselor to make a difference – if the kid already has the right stuff (top grades, great EC’s, challenging courseload), they don’t need a counselor – and if the kid doesn’t have that, there’s not much a counselor could do to make a difference. Whereas earlier the counselor could make some recommendations as to course selection, choice of EC’s, summer activities, etc.</p>
<p>(Not that I think much of the whole college advising thing, anyway. I think the kids who truly need and could use the help are not the kids who are Ivy hopefuls in any case. )</p>
<p>I think the very rich might start to all look alike and maybe some counsel is needed, but I see bright lower to middle-class students get into the Ivies and top colleges every year. I live in an urban area, GC’s are loaded with students, but many “diamonds in the rough” find acceptances without all the help. They are all races,incomes and some haven’t a clue what all the books tell them to do. I doubt any wise admission officer can’t see what one student can afford and what another can’t. Many have stated this fact in articles and I believe it is true.</p>
<p>people have ton of money, they can spend the way they want, giving somebody else a job. There is nothing wrong with this picture. Nobody is pushing anybody to pay, it seems to be part of free market (at least this one is)</p>
)</p>