Hello! Would you consider using a college admissions consultant to help your child get into college/university? And when would you hire someone? I’ve heard of consultants starting as early as middle school, which feels early to me.
Middle school is too early, although there are consultants who will take your money. Usually a pre-high school consult would just cover the courses a student is planning to take, and a discussion about getting involved in clubs and activities. After freshman year, some consultants will help students make sure their summers are well-planned, that they have an appropriate sequence of courses planned out, and (depending on the consultant) they may take about early standardized testing like a pre-PSAT or PLAN. Families may also want an overview of the college process and some ideas about getting started with college visits early on (e.g. visit a small, a medium, and a large school near your home or where you vacation). But the best reason to meet with an advisor in 10th grade is to lock in pricing… if you get a price quote or contract from a consultant when a student is in 10th grade, you will be paying at their current rate, instead of whatever rate they are charging a year or two later! (Not to mention they also get to know your child that much better…)
And, yes, lots of people will post here that you don’t need a consultant and that this board has enough information especially for someone starting early, but that wasn’t your question!
I think a lot of the consideration and timing depends on several things - whether or not you’ve been through the process with older children, how much research you or your child have already done, level of support from the guidance counselor, your relationship with your child but most importantly whether or not you think there is a need for guidance on course selection, standardized testing, summer stuff, ECs, etc.
Our daughter (only child) will be a HS senior in the fall - we did hire a college consultant, although I feel like our daughter is already on the right track. She has a good head on her shoulders, has excellent grades with a lot of rigor and strong test scores, solid ECs and has the desire to go to a top 20-30 school. The consultant came for an initial visit a few weeks ago - 90 minutes after both our daughter and we submitted answers to a questionnaire in advance. We will use her on an hourly as needed basis over the next six months. It feels a little late in the process and she didn’t tell us much we didn’t already know but it was helpful to have input from someone else who has been in the business for twenty plus years. Some people will use a college consultant as the “nag” so the parent doesn’t have to!