Private college counselor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AO this isn’t a question

For a comparable school? How long ago? Do they have AO contacts? It is a question.

They don't. If your counselor was only a reader (and not AO) more than 10 years ago, they are kind of irrelevant to know how that school's process works. However, if they have a LARGE flow of applications, they should know what works and what doesn't in the modern application era.

They will know that Harvard likes leadership (both in and esp outside of school ("unusual achievement") plus, they are looking for truly outstanding qualities of character (courage and compassion, maturity, genuineness, humility and resiliency); while Yale is heavily focused on community (remember the 4 year res college), an interdisciplinary liberal arts approach to learning and those LOR (along with evidence for social impact and inclusion) while Princeton searches for innovative applicants who think first and foremost about their community.

There are obv hundreds of other schools, but your CC should be able to look at your kid's profile and suggest colleges where there is more natural alignment than you might think.

Is there one place where all of this info is stored or do you have to sift/search for it? Is that the only real benefit of a counselor ?

[Anonymous]

I genuinely believe that all the independent counselors are shysters. They prey on the doubts and fears of some parents and the extraordinary expectations of others, and they charge a frigging fortune and cannot guarantee anything. Then they brag about what they've done and talk disrespectfully about their clients to new clients.

Bad all round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely believe that all the independent counselors are shysters. They prey on the doubts and fears of some parents and the extraordinary expectations of others, and they charge a frigging fortune and cannot guarantee anything. Then they brag about what they've done and talk disrespectfully about their clients to new clients.

Bad all round.

Yes, and they will push you HARD to do ED. They want to lock it up as fast as possible.

[Anonymous]

What's your goal?

If it's school selection, you want someone who knows a ton about colleges. This could be an AO, or not.

If it's to keep your kid on schedule completing the application, rapport and "getting" the kid is essential.

Counselors do not perform special magic. They don't know the inside of many admissions office intimately (at best they have contacts/experience at a handful). Think about what you hope to gain and go for the person who can provide that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AO this isn’t a question

For a comparable school? How long ago? Do they have AO contacts? It is a question.

They don't. If your counselor was only a reader (and not AO) more than 10 years ago, they are kind of irrelevant to know how that school's process works. However, if they have a LARGE flow of applications, they should know what works and what doesn't in the modern application era.

They will know that Harvard likes leadership (both in and esp outside of school ("unusual achievement") plus, they are looking for truly outstanding qualities of character (courage and compassion, maturity, genuineness, humility and resiliency); while Yale is heavily focused on community (remember the 4 year res college), an interdisciplinary liberal arts approach to learning and those LOR (along with evidence for social impact and inclusion) while Princeton searches for innovative applicants who think first and foremost about their community.

There are obv hundreds of other schools, but your CC should be able to look at your kid's profile and suggest colleges where there is more natural alignment than you might think.

Is there one place where all of this info is stored or do you have to sift/search for it? Is that the only real benefit of a counselor ?

It's mostly BS though. For example: Kid who just got into both Harvard and Yale for our school is both highly exceptional and mega-talented, and not at all interdisciplinary, not into community, and (although an impressive person) not particularly noteworthy from a character perspective.

At our school the kind of kid who is likely to get into Harvard is also likely to get into Yale. And vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AO this isn’t a question

For a comparable school? How long ago? Do they have AO contacts? It is a question.

They don't. If your counselor was only a reader (and not AO) more than 10 years ago, they are kind of irrelevant to know how that school's process works. However, if they have a LARGE flow of applications, they should know what works and what doesn't in the modern application era.

They will know that Harvard likes leadership (both in and esp outside of school ("unusual achievement") plus, they are looking for truly outstanding qualities of character (courage and compassion, maturity, genuineness, humility and resiliency); while Yale is heavily focused on community (remember the 4 year res college), an interdisciplinary liberal arts approach to learning and those LOR (along with evidence for social impact and inclusion) while Princeton searches for innovative applicants who think first and foremost about their community.

There are obv hundreds of other schools, but your CC should be able to look at your kid's profile and suggest colleges where there is more natural alignment than you might think.

Is there one place where all of this info is stored or do you have to sift/search for it? Is that the only real benefit of a counselor ?

It's mostly BS though. For example: Kid who just got into both Harvard and Yale for our school is both highly exceptional and mega-talented, and not at all interdisciplinary, not into community, and (although an impressive person) not particularly noteworthy from a character perspective.

At our school the kind of kid who is likely to get into Harvard is also likely to get into Yale. And vice versa.

and tbh I have extensive experience with Princeton and that doesn't describe any recent admits I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's your goal?

If it's school selection, you want someone who knows a ton about colleges. This could be an AO, or not.

If it's to keep your kid on schedule completing the application, rapport and "getting" the kid is essential.

Counselors do not perform special magic. They don't know the inside of many admissions office intimately (at best they have contacts/experience at a handful). Think about what you hope to gain and go for the person who can provide that.

And think HARD about whether it's worth the fee. I know some extraordinarily busy, high-earning parents who felt it was worth paying for someone else to manage the process. A law partner or investment banker might not have time to dig into the weeds of the Common App, and frankly $10k or $15k is a rounding error for them anyway.

If that's not you, just do it yourself.

[Anonymous]

btw "strategy" is pretty much always "apply ED to a school you're pretty likely to get into"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:btw "strategy" is pretty much always "apply ED to a school you're pretty likely to get into"

what? not if you are applying to very competitive schools that are considered reaches for anyone. People apply ED because it might increase their chances. But it doesn't make a reach likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:btw "strategy" is pretty much always "apply ED to a school you're pretty likely to get into"

what? not if you are applying to very competitive schools that are considered reaches for anyone. People apply ED because it might increase their chances. But it doesn't make a reach likely.

Good point. An experienced counselor can help you to decide on which school to ED. A friend’s DC wasn’t sure he could get in an ivy. Counselor told him to ED Dartmouth and got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:btw "strategy" is pretty much always "apply ED to a school you're pretty likely to get into"

what? not if you are applying to very competitive schools that are considered reaches for anyone. People apply ED because it might increase their chances. But it doesn't make a reach likely.

Most of them will encourage you to ED to a target. Or University of Chicago or Tulane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:btw "strategy" is pretty much always "apply ED to a school you're pretty likely to get into"

Yup. That’s what they’ll recommend. There are no secret workarounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AO this isn’t a question

For a comparable school? How long ago? Do they have AO contacts? It is a question.

They don't. If your counselor was only a reader (and not AO) more than 10 years ago, they are kind of irrelevant to know how that school's process works. However, if they have a LARGE flow of applications, they should know what works and what doesn't in the modern application era.

They will know that Harvard likes leadership (both in and esp outside of school ("unusual achievement") plus, they are looking for truly outstanding qualities of character (courage and compassion, maturity, genuineness, humility and resiliency); while Yale is heavily focused on community (remember the 4 year res college), an interdisciplinary liberal arts approach to learning and those LOR (along with evidence for social impact and inclusion) while Princeton searches for innovative applicants who think first and foremost about their community.

There are obv hundreds of other schools, but your CC should be able to look at your kid's profile and suggest colleges where there is more natural alignment than you might think.

Is there one place where all of this info is stored or do you have to sift/search for it? Is that the only real benefit of a counselor ?

It's mostly BS though. For example: Kid who just got into both Harvard and Yale for our school is both highly exceptional and mega-talented, and not at all interdisciplinary, not into community, and (although an impressive person) not particularly noteworthy from a character perspective.

At our school the kind of kid who is likely to get into Harvard is also likely to get into Yale. And vice versa.

The Yale kids at our school never ever get into Harvard. They do get into Stanford (sometimes). Harvard kids do get into Princeton or MIT. Never Yale. Very distinct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your goal?

If it's school selection, you want someone who knows a ton about colleges. This could be an AO, or not.

If it's to keep your kid on schedule completing the application, rapport and "getting" the kid is essential.

Counselors do not perform special magic. They don't know the inside of many admissions office intimately (at best they have contacts/experience at a handful). Think about what you hope to gain and go for the person who can provide that.

And think HARD about whether it's worth the fee. I know some extraordinarily busy, high-earning parents who felt it was worth paying for someone else to manage the process. A law partner or investment banker might not have time to dig into the weeds of the Common App, and frankly $10k or $15k is a rounding error for them anyway.

If that's not you, just do it yourself.

Cost wise you're probably looking more than double these figures

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's your goal?

If it's school selection, you want someone who knows a ton about colleges. This could be an AO, or not.

If it's to keep your kid on schedule completing the application, rapport and "getting" the kid is essential.

Counselors do not perform special magic. They don't know the inside of many admissions office intimately (at best they have contacts/experience at a handful). Think about what you hope to gain and go for the person who can provide that.

And think HARD about whether it's worth the fee. I know some extraordinarily busy, high-earning parents who felt it was worth paying for someone else to manage the process. A law partner or investment banker might not have time to dig into the weeds of the Common App, and frankly $10k or $15k is a rounding error for them anyway.

If that's not you, just do it yourself.

Cost wise you're probably looking more than double these figures

You could pay $10k or $20k depending on many factors. But the successful bankers and lawyers I know make millions every year. The difference between a one time expense of $10k vs $20k isn't really a difference.