Should We Hire a Private College Counselor?

Archive Ask The Dean Archive
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<p>Question: Our friends have hired an independent college counselor to help their son maximize his Ivy League admission chances. My own son (a junior with a B/B- average) has a college list that is far more modest, but the guidance counselor at his high school is new and doesn’t seem very well informed. We are [...]</p>

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<p>No. The information and advice they will give you can be found online and is easily accessible. However, most states do I have a public organization providing free counselor appointments. Check to see if your state does. Go to your states higher education website to check</p>

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<p>I did that work for my son, starting when he was thirteen and learning as I went. It was a lot if work, but the results were excellent. Many parents then asked me to do the same for their kids in just a few hours, but they didn’t realize his much they were asking and how late in the game they were. I could do it now, but I chose not to do it at that time because I was busy with other things and moving. I don’t know how the longtime pros affect admissions as compared to results when the work is done by a hardworking, educated parent. The pros probably have a seasoned perspective, information that can save you time, and resources to point you to. But, you can do it yourself. If we had hired someone in they probably would have been taken aback by how nontraditional our approach was, but it worked well for us.</p>

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<p>We did it ourselves too with our first child who is off to college in the fall (second is just entering high school). Between us, my husband and I have studied and/or taught at enough colleges that we felt we had a pretty good and current idea of what it is all about (I am changing fields and in grad school again right now). The one thing I regret is that I did not find the “Ask the Dean” column sooner! Even though I surfed the forums here on collegeconfidential for the past 6 months or so, somehow I did not see it. So many of the questions I had are answered here. Thank you, Sally – I am recommending this forum to all of my friends.</p>