Becoming a Private College Admissions Counselor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize there are many parents like OP who want to turn a buck based on what they learned micromanaging their own kids through the college process, but IMO a number of the recent college grads on instagram selling their expertise would probably do a better job than most of these adults. Just my two cents.

OP here. I'm not a parent, nor am I the age of the typical high school parent.

This probably would have been helpful to post earlier on the thread, as many assumed you were - esp since you said you were helping the kids of your friends. I think being just a few years out of college is actually very helpful to breaking into the business - the families at our school hire the $100k/year college counseling companies, and they all employ 25yos (supervised by my experienced staff) to be the personal counselors of each kid. a season or two doing that with a lot of success and you can easily go out on your own just by word of mouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Counselors are for people who don’t want to help their kids (like we all did). You guys are so dense. Most people I know don’t research or spend time here.

There are so many of them and spending $5-10-15-25k is not a big deal. Your demographic is not the target.

I guess you’re correct. I just can’t imagine spending $5-25K on something we can do ourselves, especially something as important and personal as college admissions. Of all things, that doesn’t feel like it should be outsourced.

So I’m definitely not the demographic. Leaving this thread.

5-25k is nothing when you are targeting people who spend 250k on high school, 250k on college and 250k on professional school.

Exactly. I spent $25k in a week just randomly on an impromptu five night trip. The demographic for this kind of thing is very different than the people who sit on this site day and and day out.

Even if you’re not super rich, if you are the type who spent thousands on prepping your kid to take the test to get into a selective high school, spent thousands on SAT prep and cram schools, etc., it makes sense to spend another few thousand making sure essays and applications look good.

I’m sure I’m going to get flamed for this, but here goes:

If your child needs all that support (essay writers, test prep, people to apply for them), SHOULD they be going to these colleges?

The answer is no, they shouldn’t.

I don't agree. The colleges have done wrong here by turning this into a ridiculous game, benefitting those who know how to play it. The fact that the kids need help navigating reflects a broken system, not their lack of qualification. (I'm just talking about college app advice generally, not folks writing their essays for them)

The vast majority of kids don’t need paid help. Stop normalizing this because you have more money than sense and then blaming the colleges.

You and I are on the same page. This isn’t a “need” at all.

I’d love to go back to the idea of OP volunteering these services for students who could most benefit from this type of help, like students who will be the first in their families to go to college. Now that would be beneficial work.

Why would anyone random base their life decisions on what you’d want?
Focus on by your own family.

What a d-bag - as if OP cares what you “love”?

Resorting to insults, I see.

The OP already stated money isn’t an issue. There are kids in real need, people who don’t have college-educated parents. They could benefit from OP’s services considerably more than wealthy kids. I’ve volunteered for an organization that does this because I, like the OP, know a lot about college admissions.

Maybe OP has a heart for service and helping others. I’d like to think people are driven by more than just excess money. It could happen.

[Anonymous]

nobody would ever tell a man to work for free

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Reached out to some contacts who know my work and have my first payment and contract.

I'm charging a little less than the PP above, but in range.

I think you're only thinking about half the job - the application part. A good part of the work is putting together an appropriate list for a student and that can be hard, especially if the parents (and students) have outdated or unrealistic expectations.

You need a really expensive knowledge of colleges around the country. IECs spend some time on the road visiting colleges so they can advise clients about them.

NP… while this is good, not everyone wants an IEC to make a balanced list for them. And if we’re talking demographics that you don’t share, your list can be way off!

Op here—I have worked with a lot of kids who have a certain profile in NOVA and NYC suburbs (where I am from) and they all allow me to share their data w/others with the same profile.

The kids I work with also tend to apply to a small set of schools I’m very familiar with.

I have a lot of success with kids with a certain profile (who know that a lot of kids are similar to them on paper) and that’s who I’m targeting.

Congrats!! That’s a huge part of it.
Come back in a year and let us know how your business is going!

Thank you! Most of the kids I have worked with attend a handful of high schools, want the same 2-3 majors, and target the same 25 or so schools. I have pretty detailed notes and get consent to share information in my circle, so sometimes I’m also able to do things like set up meetings with kids who are applying with current students who I know are similar (I’ll buy them lunch as a thank you when they come back home), that sort of thing.

So you aren't a counselor at all or you'd be finding those kids schools that actually fit their needs instead of the same 25 colleges that everyone targets.

Good luck.

Exactly. LOL. I love that she wants to buy them a lunch as a thank you. Just what every 19yo wants!

OP here. It works for me! I continue to support many of them with career and internship advice and they reach out to me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:nobody would ever tell a man to work for free

💯
That PP is delusional

[Anonymous]

In our circle, ppl hire multiple counselors (one for essays, one for college lists and process and maybe a hybrid for narrative/strategy).

It’s usually not one person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:nobody would ever tell a man to work for free

It’s called volunteering, and I know several men who do it.

You know… contributing to society, giving others access to opportunities, giving back to the world that has given you so much, etc…

There are people who prioritize this. Even men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:nobody would ever tell a man to work for free

It’s called volunteering, and I know several men who do it.

You know… contributing to society, giving others access to opportunities, giving back to the world that has given you so much, etc…

There are people who prioritize this. Even men.

Maybe she’ll do both? Why do you care so much? So bizarre to have deep thoughts about something that doesn’t affect you.

Did you DC end up in a subpar college experience bc you couldn’t afford the $5 or 25k and now you’re bitter?

None of us care what OP does with her life. Why do you? Think it says more about whatever you have going on in your life (or the lack thereof).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our circle, ppl hire multiple counselors (one for essays, one for college lists and process and maybe a hybrid for narrative/strategy).

It’s usually not one person.

Essay coach is different than college counselor and can be more expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:nobody would ever tell a man to work for free

It’s called volunteering, and I know several men who do it.

You know… contributing to society, giving others access to opportunities, giving back to the world that has given you so much, etc…

There are people who prioritize this. Even men.

Maybe she’ll do both? Why do you care so much? So bizarre to have deep thoughts about something that doesn’t affect you.

Did you DC end up in a subpar college experience bc you couldn’t afford the $5 or 25k and now you’re bitter?

None of us care what OP does with her life. Why do you? Think it says more about whatever you have going on in your life (or the lack thereof).

And more personal attacks. This weakens your argument immediately. You realize that, correct? I’m above the need to defend myself, so I won’t comment on your thoughtless, juvenile attack.

Suggesting that someone should give their talent to others is not bizarre. The OP has already illustrated that money is not an issue. Therefore, giving talent to people in NEED should be on the table. If OP is simply money-driven, then the OP can ignore me. But perhaps the OP is one who wants to contribute the greater good, and therefore OP might actually consider my suggestions. Why shut that down? Isn’t that you caring what OP does with their life, implying they should only go the profit route?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Reached out to some contacts who know my work and have my first payment and contract.

I'm charging a little less than the PP above, but in range.

I think you're only thinking about half the job - the application part. A good part of the work is putting together an appropriate list for a student and that can be hard, especially if the parents (and students) have outdated or unrealistic expectations.

You need a really expensive knowledge of colleges around the country. IECs spend some time on the road visiting colleges so they can advise clients about them.

NP… while this is good, not everyone wants an IEC to make a balanced list for them. And if we’re talking demographics that you don’t share, your list can be way off!

Op here—I have worked with a lot of kids who have a certain profile in NOVA and NYC suburbs (where I am from) and they all allow me to share their data w/others with the same profile.

The kids I work with also tend to apply to a small set of schools I’m very familiar with.

I have a lot of success with kids with a certain profile (who know that a lot of kids are similar to them on paper) and that’s who I’m targeting.

Congrats!! That’s a huge part of it.
Come back in a year and let us know how your business is going!

Thank you! Most of the kids I have worked with attend a handful of high schools, want the same 2-3 majors, and target the same 25 or so schools. I have pretty detailed notes and get consent to share information in my circle, so sometimes I’m also able to do things like set up meetings with kids who are applying with current students who I know are similar (I’ll buy them lunch as a thank you when they come back home), that sort of thing.

This is all so gross. As is the number of people willing to pay tons of money for work the kid should do themselves. But enjoy your tiny bubble of elite high schools and slacs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our circle, ppl hire multiple counselors (one for essays, one for college lists and process and maybe a hybrid for narrative/strategy).

It’s usually not one person.

Essay coach is different than college counselor and can be more expensive.

A lot of people hire someone to just help with planning and editing the common application essay in particular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our circle, ppl hire multiple counselors (one for essays, one for college lists and process and maybe a hybrid for narrative/strategy).

It’s usually not one person.

Essay coach is different than college counselor and can be more expensive.

A lot of people hire someone to just help with planning and editing the common application essay in particular.

Yes multiple FB groups just for that.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t hire you OP, because you are not experienced, have no certificate, no shingle, no business license and have not worked as an admissions officer. I also don’t know if you are any good at evaluating essays. How can you be when you’ve never worked in admissions. You haven’t even worked as a contract reader for a college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our circle, ppl hire multiple counselors (one for essays, one for college lists and process and maybe a hybrid for narrative/strategy).

It’s usually not one person.

Essay coach is different than college counselor and can be more expensive.

A lot of people hire someone to just help with planning and editing the common application essay in particular.

Yes multiple FB groups just for that.

Yes, and this is one piece a lot of parents are especially happy to outsource if they are high-earning people who hate things like essay writing. There are a lot of those.