I don’t think I necessarily feel sorry for anyone attending an elite (and probably very expensive) prep school. Surely their highly successful (and more than likely well educated) parents can navigate the college admissions process if I can do it, being a lowly state school graduate in one of the statistically least educated states. We (my daughter and I) did pretty much all of her college search on our own, from the financial aid possibilities, to what majors were considered their ‘specialty’,to housing and campus life, to extra curricular and study abroad. Our super sweet GC (at our small town public high school) wasn’t even familiar with some of the reach/selective schools my D18 (and her friends) were considering except by reputation. But she did write a great recommendation letter! I now have several local parents who based on our successful college search process, private message me and ask for help or suggestions. I’m by no means a professional but I do know how to google and was thankful for College Confidential and other forums to fill in some blanks. The information is out there… and it’s not that hard to decipher! Those private school students will be just fine.