<p>I’m a worried mother of 3 trying to make sure my first gets into a good college after school and was hoping for some advice! </p>
<p>Does anyone else feel as annoyed as me about these admission consulting people charging thousands of dollars to review your kids essays, resume etc??? I personally would love to use this sort of service but just cant afford the sort of money they charge. It feels as though its not a level playing field when my son is competing against people getting all this advice that our family cant afford!!</p>
<p>Are there any similar services where I can get someone who knows how to get into a good school to talk to consult with my son and I about his essays?? I’d even be more than happy to pay a smart college kid who got into a good school to give some advice to my son for a small fee (my budget is no more than $100) – has anyone else ever searched for anything like this before? Does it exist???</p>
<p>I was my D’s consultant after reading over a dozen books on college admission, college essays, and financial aids. Although I may not as critical in reviewing her essays as I am not a native English speaker, I do read what should be included in the essay. I spend $0 on this (except for some late penalty for books at the public library) and got my D accepted into most of her target schools and half with scholarships.</p>
<p>What resources are available at your son’s high school? In addition to the college counseling office, he may find that his English or history teacher is willing to review essay drafts and give feedback.
You may also find it helpful to read through a book covering the whole admissions process, like “Admission Matters” by Jon Reider. My favorite book specifically on the college admissions essay is called “On Writing the College Application Essay” by Harry Bauld-it is a classic and the advice is sound.</p>
<p>CC is extremely helpful for advice and essays… Post your questions in the appropriate forums, tell us about your son and we will suggest colleges, anything!. With the books and resources available, I don’t think anybody <em>needs</em> these services. </p>
<p>That’s honestly what CC is for. You don’t need a high-price adviser. I’d be happy to look at your son’s essay for free; I’m not a professional but I’m an English major with a 3.9 gpa going to an Ivy for grad school English teacher education so I’m fairly familiar with what a “good” essay looks like.</p>
<p>The best essay advice my daughter and son were given was from their recommendation writers; both showed their essays to their teachers for input and also so the teachers would know more about them – which I’m guessing paid off when the teachers wrote their letters of rec.</p>
<p>I, like billcsho, spent hours sitting on the floor of Barnes & Noble sifting through Admissions books for tips and tricks. If you can’t afford to spend the dime, you need to spend the time!</p>
<p>I’d say $100 was underpriced, but either way you must realize that your son is the one who need to do most of the work. If he starts early that is best as he will have time for developing thoughts, doing drafts and editing and running it by a teacher when it is in good shape. There are essay tips posted in the top of the essay forum. He can google what the prompts were for last year for the common application and try to work on a couple of those and see what turns out to be most promising.</p>
<p>My neighbor pay $200 per application for consultant. That is ridiculously expensive. I just checked out all the books regarding college admission from the library.</p>
<p>You do not need to use a private counselor if you and your son are willing to do a lot of work, and your son is willing to be diligent and organized. His guidance counselor or if your high school has a college center staff will be able to help him figure out essay choices. Then have him contact whatever English teacher at school that he had the best connection with. Our D got into an Ivy and did not use a private counselor. Female, caucasian, non-athlete.</p>
<p>@jenpetersham: perhaps people can better advise you if you can tell us a little about what sorts of advice you’re seeking?</p>
<p>Are you looking to match your high-achieving kids with possible admits to very competitve schools? Does this even describe your kids (I’m not assuming one way or another). Are they the top scholars at their HS?</p>
<p>Are you looking for leads to scholarships or colleges w/big merit award possibilities? There are some very good threads over on the Parents forum.</p>
<p>And I agree with other posters who have said your kids need to have a lot of skin in the game too. Keep searching on CC. Ask questions if things aren’t clear. I’m amazed at the wealth of collective wisdom that is often here (there’s a lot of chaff too, for sure).</p>
<p>I was my children’s college consultant. I read books (I like Princeton Review, Fiske, Insiders Guide), looked at the USNWR list of schools to get more ideas (don’t love the rankings, but it is an excellent list of schools), talked to my children about what they wanted in a college and what they want to study, was realistic about where their stats placed them. My kids and I visited many schools and different types of schools to narrow things down. I trusted their gut feelings and wish list for a college… They had their favorite English teacher read over their essays. Both ended up at a great school that was also a great fit.</p>
<p>The value of admission consultant is that they craft your HS class, tutor you to accomplish higher scores both in SAT and GPA, design your EC’s based on your personal preferences and guide you to write an essay acceptable by the elite colleges. I know many consulting company even have overseas camps designed for the benefit of the applicants.</p>
<p>IMHO, selecting of schools and correcting your spellings in essays are not worth the money to hire a consultant.</p>
While I agree that kids must have “skin in the game” unless that kid is also paying for their college tuition, room & board, I think it’s the parents responsibility to oversee where and how their money is being spent. Let’s get real here: In actuality, the FAFSA and CSS Profile are supposed to be completed by the student, but when private colleges are nearing 60k per year, I think it’s the parents duty to complete both of those forms to make sure they are accurately filled out. And for those not in the know, there’s a learning curve with the FAFSA and CSS Profile that can be lessoned by reading lots of books or by employing a college consultant. Likewise, there are certain tips and tricks that can be employed to help make your student’s application stand out from the crowd. I know there are many students that understand what those tips and tricks are, but it’s the parents job to make sure their kids know what they are doing – and that can be done by reading many books or employing a college consultant. Maybe I’m too much of a helicopter parent, but when so much money is involved, I think a parent must have “skin in the game” too.</p>
<p>I also was my kid’s college consultant. Did a better job with #2 than #1, I have to say… but if I had found CC earlier, would have done a better job on #1. I did offer #2 the option of working with a private counselor we know on essays specifically. Told her if she did not feel comfortable working with me, we could pay him for this service. She decided I would suffice… but we did almost all of our communicating about it via email. I would remind her of when a draft was due. She would email it. I would send broad feedback, and give her another deadline and get another draft. Rinse and repeat… but this only works if you have confidence in your own ability to judge topics, tone, etc. Other options include asking your kid’s GC for help, or maybe a trusted English teacher. And as others have said, CC is a good resource.</p>
<p>I don’t feel annoyed by it–people have an expertise that they’re capitalizing on. I went to see someone for my daughter not b/c we couldn’t figure it all out but b/c I didn’t want to fight with my daughter every step of the way. For me, it was worth the money. And yes, I read a number of books anyway (I liked A is for Admission).</p>
<p>I would like to use one, but mainly just for identifying the safety, 50-50, and reach schools and for the info on the schools disabilities services and supports. Then, with our college funding financial planner, I think my husband and I can fill in all the other counseling/coaching. I hope to tap the massive wisdom of CC once my DD starts solidifying her college list, too. </p>
<p>Honestly, you could get that same advice for free out here on identifying schools and discussing disability services/supports (and probably with a broader perspective than many counselors bring to the table). You can also get great FA advice on that forum out here. There is a huge pool of experience, and some professionals who work in the industry who post on the FA forum that can’t be beat. Better than most college counselors in that arena, IMHO. I think the value in the counselors comes more from packaging and polishing the application.</p>
I did offer