recommendations for a college counselor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a college counselor. I recommend you ask friends and neighbors with college students. They will have recommendations for you.

DP. A couple of our neighbors used folks across the country. We'd like a counselor in the local area who we can at least meet face to face a couple of times to help with course selection/correction for a sophomore who is still trying to figure out what he wants to do in college and needs some motivation.

College counselor here again. I'm a better counselor precisely because I work with students in my area as well as students across the country. Having that broader context helps rather than hurts the professional's understanding and ability to help your son. I work just as well with my DMV students as I do with my students from elsewhere. I wouldn't dismiss your neighbors' recommendations solely because of location.

Thank you! I'd prefer an in-person resource though. DS2 is already having motivation issues with school and none of the remote help we have gotten seems to work. How would you recommend us trying to find someone local? What are the resources available to us parents (other than talking to friends and neighbors)? Also, a price range would definitely help. We'd likely start off hourly and then if needed sign up for a longer term deal. The initial help we'd need is (1) to get DS2 motivated about college and identify what he wants to do (or recommend colleges where that will not matter in the admissions process) and (2) create an EC plan based on his interests.

We have already gone through the admissions process for DS 1 but he was a highly motivated kid that knew what he wanted by Sophomore year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used Richard Montauk. Richardmontauk.com

Do you recall the cost roughly? I can’t find anything on the website. Thanks!

He’s hourly, which is one of the reasons we picked him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a college counselor. I recommend you ask friends and neighbors with college students. They will have recommendations for you.

DP. A couple of our neighbors used folks across the country. We'd like a counselor in the local area who we can at least meet face to face a couple of times to help with course selection/correction for a sophomore who is still trying to figure out what he wants to do in college and needs some motivation.

College counselor here again. I'm a better counselor precisely because I work with students in my area as well as students across the country. Having that broader context helps rather than hurts the professional's understanding and ability to help your son. I work just as well with my DMV students as I do with my students from elsewhere. I wouldn't dismiss your neighbors' recommendations solely because of location.

Thank you! I'd prefer an in-person resource though. DS2 is already having motivation issues with school and none of the remote help we have gotten seems to work. How would you recommend us trying to find someone local? What are the resources available to us parents (other than talking to friends and neighbors)? Also, a price range would definitely help. We'd likely start off hourly and then if needed sign up for a longer term deal. The initial help we'd need is (1) to get DS2 motivated about college and identify what he wants to do (or recommend colleges where that will not matter in the admissions process) and (2) create an EC plan based on his interests.

We have already gone through the admissions process for DS 1 but he was a highly motivated kid that knew what he wanted by Sophomore year.

PP College Counselor here.

If you are looking to reduce/contain costs, that likely means you should not consider the bigger groups as they will charge double the cost. So, find a sole practitioner. Don't necessarily go with the recommended names you read here because if you are regular on this board, you'll understand that there are some counselors who choose to spam the board as if they are "previous clients" recommending the counselor; any good college counselor is so busy with clients (this is a word-of-mouth business) that they should not need to spam an anonymous message board for clients.

Even though your son would likely do better with in-person counselor, many counselors will only work virtually due to Covid as their clients are teens, notorious for not following masking rules. I still think you should schedule an hour meeting with one of your neighbor's recommended counselors. You can review their website first to see whether you feel like they can be a good match and then arrange a free intro call before your son meets the counselor.

As you asked, my hourly rate is in the $200-$300 range, but I don't work hourly with students after 11th grade. If you will likely want to continue to work hourly with a counselor in 11th/12th, that's an important question to confirm with the counselors you are considering as some will not.

[Anonymous]

You do not need a counselor to pick classes for your DS. You can easily research this yourself. Look at college websites, join college focused FB groups, etc. In addition, course selection will depend on the specific high school. You can see on other threads that (for the most part and for most selective colleges) he should take the 5 core subjects all 4 years. He should choose the more advanced option when possible but without making his schedule so challenging that it is impossible or threatens his mental health. It’s more nuanced than that but you really don’t need a counselor for this.

[Anonymous]

Jeff Know, Moxie College Counseling. So very helpful and understanding especially dealing with a very anxious teenager.

[Anonymous]

Mean Jeff Knox

[Anonymous]

Jordan Kanarek College Confidential. Fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jordan Kanarek College Confidential. Fantastic.

Sorry- Collegewise!