Hello - I understand this may have been asked many times, but I’m unable to find a list of recommended counselors (besides the private companies collegewise, collegevine etc.) and IECA lists. Any recommendations would be most appreciated for my S1 in junior yr class of 2021.
We have had a great experience using a local consultant. They do a lot of in-house workshops so I don’t know how it would work if you lived far away but I would see if there was one in your local area. Nothing against big, national operations but we have gotten a lot out of personalized face-to-face meetings and the workshop events.
Completely agree with @helpingmom40. Ask parents with older kids who they used for private counseling and interview them.
In addition, I personally would only use one that charges hourly and then you can use them as needed. Just like selecting a doctor, make sure to do your due diligence before committing to one. They should do in-person meeting and really know your high school and your child’s strengths and weaknesses. The good ones are well worth the money and took a lot of the stress away from all of us and had some great insight into how to “package” my D20.
Thanks @helpingmom40 and @socaldad2002 . I’m in Norcal (Bay area) and almost all the recommended counselors on IECA are fully booked for 2021. I was holding off on the same point to get face-to-face interaction and workshops.
When I ran out of recommended counselors, I tapped the national companies. Companies such as Collegewise are asking for $15K-$20K+ fixed package for counselors who were prior admission officers at Stanford or other Ivys. Highly selective colleges are probably reach at best for my S1. They aren’t offering any hourly rates.
Not sure if anyone would recommend this…
I don’t think I would recommend that. It seems like an awful lot of money. We are in upstate NY and paid around $3600 for a 2 year long package.