Are college consultants worth it?

[Anonymous]

I’m quite overwhelmed by this process, but feel that $5-10k might be better spent in my kids college fund than for a consultant. On the other hand, we need some advice…

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on what type of advice you need. The people on DCUM have gone through the process and can probably guide you.

I'm using one because my kid is in non public placement. He takes CTY classes but there no rigor in his actual school. He also has no ECs. I need help navigating which colleges will accept him and what his courses should look like.

[Anonymous]

I won't be using one, DD is not a stellar student- an exceptional child; I have faith in her, she will end up in a good college. Now if I can steer her to a state so school so I don't have to pay out of state tuition, is another matter. Make your school college counselor work, especially if your DC is going to a private school. Get your money's worth.

[Anonymous]

I really, really don’t think. All of the information is available if you have some time to get a sense of the climate of college admissions. I listened to podcasts, read a ton online, had a very engaged kid in process and all the stuff I see people post from their counselors is stuff we ascertained on our own. I especially don’t think necessary if not gunning for top schools. Now if you have money to blow, I can see appeal of passing it off if kid isn’t motivated and process will be a drag to keep peace in home.

[Anonymous]

I found it helpful as a different person giving advice and providing deadlines that was not a parent. I was not looking for the counselor to help them get into some prestige college (even though my older was applying to some of those). But more as one to give them advice on how to package themselves in the best light and to help manage the process.

[Anonymous]

We found it extremely helpful in terms of peace of mind and getting answers when we needed them on various things that came up during the process. It also helped our daughter stay on task and get things done without us having to nag. Having the confidence that you're dealing with someone who truly understands the process was invaluable, IMHO. Daughter at T25 from public school.

[Anonymous]

Unless perhaps you’re trying for T10-20 forget it. You can do it yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m quite overwhelmed by this process, but feel that $5-10k might be better spent in my kids college fund than for a consultant. On the other hand, we need some advice…

Thoughts?

High stat kids that need to stand out against top stat kids could use a consultant if you are aiming for schools with a 10% admit rate. Otherwise, probably not needed.

[Anonymous]

Unhooked public school child that got into 3 ivies and other top schools without one. We listened to Inside the Yale Admissions podcasts and read a lot online. Already had the stats, EC’s, strong recs and knew where they wanted to apply. Learned ourselves needed to package it all and use essays to show strong character and personality. What needed to be done to be competitive had already happened and the tools to packaging are readily available so for us it wasn’t a good spend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m quite overwhelmed by this process, but feel that $5-10k might be better spent in my kids college fund than for a consultant. On the other hand, we need some advice…

Thoughts?

I think if you easily have the $10-15K to spare and want someone outside you/your partner to guide your kid through the process (including doing all the essay editing/proofing and nagging to get stuff done on time), it's fine. It's like flying business instead of economy. But from friends who've gone through the process and done it, they do tend to end up where you'd expect in terms of results. So it won't get you into a top 20 if you weren't competitive to begin with. But it can be a much more pleasant process!

My sister has high anxiety so it functioned more as a family therapist and reminder-in-chief than changing the end result. She also had a lot of $$ to spare!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We found it extremely helpful in terms of peace of mind and getting answers when we needed them on various things that came up during the process. It also helped our daughter stay on task and get things done without us having to nag. Having the confidence that you're dealing with someone who truly understands the process was invaluable, IMHO. Daughter at T25 from public school.

Same. I think the important thing with a college consultant is to understand what you're buying. I loved the one we worked with, but we went in with very clear expectations of what she could and couldn't do. Can do: answer process questions, give a POV on supplements and EC descriptions, create a timeline and help DC stay on task, keep the peace at home. Can't do: Really change the outcome - especially if they are already second-sem juniors or seniors, their grades, recs and ECs are pretty much baked in and those are the main drivers of outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found it extremely helpful in terms of peace of mind and getting answers when we needed them on various things that came up during the process. It also helped our daughter stay on task and get things done without us having to nag. Having the confidence that you're dealing with someone who truly understands the process was invaluable, IMHO. Daughter at T25 from public school.

Same. I think the important thing with a college consultant is to understand what you're buying. I loved the one we worked with, but we went in with very clear expectations of what she could and couldn't do. Can do: answer process questions, give a POV on supplements and EC descriptions, create a timeline and help DC stay on task, keep the peace at home. Can't do: Really change the outcome - especially if they are already second-sem juniors or seniors, their grades, recs and ECs are pretty much baked in and those are the main drivers of outcome.

Very well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found it extremely helpful in terms of peace of mind and getting answers when we needed them on various things that came up during the process. It also helped our daughter stay on task and get things done without us having to nag. Having the confidence that you're dealing with someone who truly understands the process was invaluable, IMHO. Daughter at T25 from public school.

Same. I think the important thing with a college consultant is to understand what you're buying. I loved the one we worked with, but we went in with very clear expectations of what she could and couldn't do. Can do: answer process questions, give a POV on supplements and EC descriptions, create a timeline and help DC stay on task, keep the peace at home. Can't do: Really change the outcome - especially if they are already second-sem juniors or seniors, their grades, recs and ECs are pretty much baked in and those are the main drivers of outcome.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m quite overwhelmed by this process, but feel that $5-10k might be better spent in my kids college fund than for a consultant. On the other hand, we need some advice…

Thoughts?

I think if you easily have the $10-15K to spare and want someone outside you/your partner to guide your kid through the process (including doing all the essay editing/proofing and nagging to get stuff done on time), it's fine. It's like flying business instead of economy. But from friends who've gone through the process and done it, they do tend to end up where you'd expect in terms of results. So it won't get you into a top 20 if you weren't competitive to begin with. But it can be a much more pleasant process!

My sister has high anxiety so it functioned more as a family therapist and reminder-in-chief than changing the end result. She also had a lot of $$ to spare!

The flying analogy is apt. Whether that extra $ is worth it depends entirely on your budget and your perspective. Do you "need" it? No. You'll get to the destination either way.

[Anonymous]

I personally wouldn’t do it because I think I’m very up on the admissions process. One exception would be if my kid was broadly interested in studying overseas. I don’t know all the options and ramifications. But I also don’t know of any advisors that specialize in this. I suspect there are some. Surely, it’s a growth area.