Thoughts on Hiring a Professional College Planner/Advisor

<p>What worries me most about this is the added pressure it may represent to the child. If parents make such a big deal of this that they put out thousands of dollars, will the child feel worse if things don't work out? Also, could it backfire? After all, teens are known to push back when parents get overinvolved in their lives. Like most "real" teens our S was not very engaged in this process...still he muddled through....if we had hired someone I actual wonder if it would have given him additional stress along with a message that we as parents were blowing this out of proportion. We had to let go and trust the process and learn that if he spent less time on his essay then we felt he should...well thats how it goes. Still, I understand some students may have unique needs but I do wonder if the style of an application that received professional help is perceived by the admisiions counselors in a negative light.</p>

<p>Check <a href="http://www.nacac.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.nacac.com&lt;/a> for private counselors in your area.</p>

<p>Lukester-
You've gotten some really good advice here. I'd suggest you think about it from the "what do I want/need- what am I looking for" perspective, and then see if the counselor can provide that. You are absolutely correct when you say that the counselor is equally for your comfort as for your s's guidance, and both are legit reasons to get some consultation.</p>

<p>As many have said, services vary widely. There are those counselors that will sit in the back of the boat with the rudder to keep you from crashing into shore while you sail the boat, and those that will control the boat, sails and all. Many counselors have a lot of knowledge at their fingertips, and can save you a lot of time, provide a structure and timeline to the process, as well as guidance and support. I agree that it helps to hear things from a non-parent. However, other counselors will want to "package" your son. I'd stay away from that approach. The latter is, in my view, a waste of big bucks.</p>

<p>Did you mention whether your school had a well-organized approach to college and if past parents/students were happy with the GC?? We are very fortunate in that our school has a finely-tuned system, that starts early on in HS. When it comes time to sit down with the college counselor in the junior year, they have already given the kids a 5 pg questionairre to complete about themselves and return to the GC BEFORE their meeting with them, and they give the kids a WONDERFUL 40 pg College Handbook that they put together. They hold assemblies to go over the handbook with the students and parents as groups, but separately (ie students in school, and parents in the evening). They really do walk you through the process. </p>

<p>If we did not have this invaluable resource in the school, I would have hired a counselor to help navigate the process. One of the counselors actually does do consultations privately on the side, and is very well respected. She knows things about many schools off the top of her head. We had already done a lot of homework, but when s. described what he wanted in a school, and what he planned to study, she was the first to mention the school that he ultimately fell in love with, and where he currently attends. </p>

<p>I did not find CC until later in my s's search/app. process. But here I stay, trying to learn more for s # 2. I think getting the first one through the college app. proccess is like building a house-- you learn from your mistakes and hope to do better next time. </p>

<p>This is getting long, so let me end by suggesting that you cull some questions together to ask the counselor when you go-- about their philosophy, procedure, etc. Do they charge by the hour, by # of appointments, etc. </p>

<p>Hope this helps!! Good luck!</p>