Expensive Private College Counselors

[Anonymous]

Do you know anyone who hired one this cycle?
Think $15-50k/year?

How has it worked out for them?

[Anonymous]

I did hire one by the hour and was very pleased. But I’m not posting more because you wrote “expensive” so you are here to troll. I got great value from the one we hired so they were not expensive” just like my monthly mortgage ( much more!) is not expensive. They are both investments of resources

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did hire one by the hour and was very pleased. But I’m not posting more because you wrote “expensive” so you are here to troll. I got great value from the one we hired so they were not expensive” just like my monthly mortgage ( much more!) is not expensive. They are both investments of resources

Not really. Not a troll.
Of course they are investments.
Trying to figure out if the pricey/word of mouth referral types are actually worth it.

The by the hour one we hired for older kid was just meh.

Looking for something else for current junior. Have chatted with two - who don’t advertise - and I’m trying to figure out what they really do that’s different/special/worth it?

I’m sure there’s something.

[Anonymous]

Nope not playing. You said “expensive” so you are here to troll

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope not playing. You said “expensive” so you are here to troll

Whatever.
Next.

[Anonymous]

Mine was 3k and a waste of money. Kid knew the schools he wanted to apply to and we looked at the common data set.

I paid separately for someone to help pick a topic for his essay and it was worth it,

[Anonymous]

We needed one to motivate our kid. Had no confidence in the DCPS office. Found ours through family referral. The previous private counselor was not a good match. Came up with a list, but no charisma. The one we used was full service- motivated her, SAT tutoring, mentoring. Worked out great, SAT went up enough, submitted score, accepted at ED2 dream school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine was 3k and a waste of money. Kid knew the schools he wanted to apply to and we looked at the common data set.

I paid separately for someone to help pick a topic for his essay and it was worth it,

Ok this does not answer the question because OP said expensive, HOWEVER I am using a midrange counselor and it is such a waste of money. I think there is value in helping with essays. Building a college list? It’s not brain surgery, let’s be real.

[Anonymous]

Based on articles I have read expensive college counselors develop the entire candidate, from course selection to tutoring for the grades and scores to helping identify activities that create a story or narrative to helping conceive and edit essays, etc.

Would it work? Maybe. Is it good for your child’s long term development? I doubt it.

As a parent, I helped with some of the above, but it was always toward an eye towards my child’s development as a human being. Paying enormous sums for a formula to a particular result feels like something else entirely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We needed one to motivate our kid. Had no confidence in the DCPS office. Found ours through family referral. The previous private counselor was not a good match. Came up with a list, but no charisma. The one we used was full service- motivated her, SAT tutoring, mentoring. Worked out great, SAT went up enough, submitted score, accepted at ED2 dream school.

+1. Similar experience with DC 2. Wish i had hired someone for DC1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine was 3k and a waste of money. Kid knew the schools he wanted to apply to and we looked at the common data set.

I paid separately for someone to help pick a topic for his essay and it was worth it,

Ok this does not answer the question because OP said expensive, HOWEVER I am using a midrange counselor and it is such a waste of money. I think there is value in helping with essays. Building a college list? It’s not brain surgery, let’s be real.

+1. Private counselor didn't want to do what we paid for. $8K and overcharged us for hours we didn't use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine was 3k and a waste of money. Kid knew the schools he wanted to apply to and we looked at the common data set.

I paid separately for someone to help pick a topic for his essay and it was worth it,

Ok this does not answer the question because OP said expensive, HOWEVER I am using a midrange counselor and it is such a waste of money. I think there is value in helping with essays. Building a college list? It’s not brain surgery, let’s be real.

+1. Private counselor didn't want to do what we paid for. $8K and overcharged us for hours we didn't use.

Well, maybe you shouldn’t have asked him to write your kid’s essays

[Anonymous]

We paid a flat fee of about 6k, they worked with DC from end of sophomore year thru senior. What you get out of it is help thru the process, staying on track with deadlines, helping you kid focus on their preferences. No one however can get your kid into college. There were disappointments, no ED success, but DD was very happy where they ended up.

[Anonymous]

We paid about $12k total for support from sophomore through senior year (includes essay support but not test prep). Our FCPS counselor was worthless, and we knew that we just didn't know anything these days. Our counselor gave us critical advice about taking practice SAT and ACT tests to determine which one would work out best for DD, taking the test before junior year because of DD's advance math, advising on which summer programs would provide the most value, giving lots of ideas and feedback on different types of colleges based on what DD liked, and building a coherent student profile with extracurriculars (and encouraging DD to drop extra-curriculars that were time consuming but would not yield anything of value for colleges, aka sports if she is not going to be a recruited athlete). Counselor also advised on which AP to drop/add given what DD was interested in. Because the counselor works with candidates in this region, he knows what kinds of kids get admitted to in-state VA schools and competitive private colleges, and what to consider as a reasonable safety given DD profile. We hired a counselor ultimately because I wanted to make sure that DD would apply to schools that she could actually get into, and give us a bit more confidence given the last couple of years of admission rates that seem to perpetually drop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you know anyone who hired one this cycle?
Think $15-50k/year?

How has it worked out for them?

I know someone in NYC who is paying at least $50k for one. I think Koppelman.

It is a full-service deal. Hired as a Freshman, her appointed advisor is available basically 24/7 via text or phone. They cultivate her classes, arrange volunteer activities that look impressive, arrange internships that look impressive...will help incorporate a business or non-profit if it makes sense, etc.

You have to realize that the counselors that charge a ton and have great success get to work with kids that are rich, probably attend the most prestigious NYC privates or Magnet programs, probably have legacy, etc.

People may find this repulsive...but it seems like better value than many that spend say $15k and all you got was a mediocre college list and minimal help.