Did anyone get debriefed by Georgia Irvin?

[Anonymous]

We used Georgia and we were very pleased with the service (the comprehensive service ) we received. We got into our top choice of school as she had said we would and she did follow up after the acceptence letters were mailed out. We would do it this way again. $3000 well spent IMO.

A very pleased customer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We used Georgia and we were very pleased with the service (the comprehensive service ) we received. We got into our top choice of school as she had said we would and she did follow up after the acceptence letters were mailed out. We would do it this way again. $3000 well spent IMO.

A very pleased customer.

How could she know that you would get into your top choice school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We used Georgia and we were very pleased with the service (the comprehensive service ) we received. We got into our top choice of school as she had said we would and she did follow up after the acceptence letters were mailed out. We would do it this way again. $3000 well spent IMO.

A very pleased customer.

Are you Georgia?

[Anonymous]

I will say that before DCUM, these schools were more of a mystery. If you read enough threads, you will be able to figure out everything you need to know. Just blast a bunch of applications at the schools, go on tours, read online (DCUM, great schools). Wait for acceptances then choose, then go to a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used Georgia and we were very pleased with the service (the comprehensive service ) we received. We got into our top choice of school as she had said we would and she did follow up after the acceptence letters were mailed out. We would do it this way again. $3000 well spent IMO.

A very pleased customer.

How could she know that you would get into your top choice school?

She told me we would have no problems getting in and she was right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We used Georgia and we were very pleased with the service (the comprehensive service ) we received. We got into our top choice of school as she had said we would and she did follow up after the acceptence letters were mailed out. We would do it this way again. $3000 well spent IMO.

A very pleased customer.

Are you Georgia?

No. I just described my experience with her. Take it or leave it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will say that before DCUM, these schools were more of a mystery. If you read enough threads, you will be able to figure out everything you need to know. Just blast a bunch of applications at the schools, go on tours, read online (DCUM, great schools). Wait for acceptances then choose, then go to a school.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I will say that before DCUM, these schools were more of a mystery. If you read enough threads, you will be able to figure out everything you need to know. Just blast a bunch of applications at the schools, go on tours, read online (DCUM, great schools). Wait for acceptances then choose, then go to a school.


Good luck!

Are you being sarcastic?

Am curious bc this approach actually does work some of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I will say that before DCUM, these schools were more of a mystery. If you read enough threads, you will be able to figure out everything you need to know. Just blast a bunch of applications at the schools, go on tours, read online (DCUM, great schools). Wait for acceptances then choose, then go to a school.


Good luck!

Are you being sarcastic?

Am curious bc this approach actually does work some of the time.

This is exactly the approach we followed with both of our children, and it worked like a charm, including at the "top-three" independent schools in DC. If paying $3,000 for a consultant seems like a good investment to you, go for it. But those who are hesitant to part with the money should not feel that their kids will be at some kind of disadvantage as a result.

I would, however, have serious concerns about the credibility of anyone who tells you your child will "definitely get in" to a particular school, unless it's one that is chronically under-enrolled. Almost all of the better schools have many more qualified applicants than they do spaces for them. That means that in the end, many qualified candidates will be turned down. If someone tells you your child is competitive or "in the mix," that's one thing. If he tells you that your child "will definitely get in," it sounds to me like they might be trying to impress you with their own oracular status (and make you think you were getting your money's worth) rather than telling you the truth.

[Anonymous]

In defense of Georgia Irvin, I will say that she was frank about our daughter's chances of getting into the most competitive schools. (I am not 16:34, by the way.) She told us that given our daughter's personality and test scores, she "could" get into any of the most popular DC schools and would thrive there, but she made it clear that given the number of qualified applicants, there was no guarantee. Therefore, we discussed possible back-up schools, and her advice helped us pick one.

[Anonymous]

P.S. I have wondered since if using a consultant actually harmed our daughter's applications by identifying us as potentially high-maintenance parents. I still think hiring a consultant can be a good idea for those new to the area and/or new to private schools (which was our situation) OR if you are interested in exploring lesser-known options or options out of the area (boarding schools for older kids, e.g.), but if you are set on applying to Sidwell/Maret/GDS/Beavoir/STA/NCS, I think the case is harder to make. I do not think we will be using a consultant the next time we go through this.

[Anonymous]

This is exactly the approach we followed with both of our children, and it worked like a charm, including at the "top-three" independent schools in DC. If paying $3,000 for a consultant seems like a good investment to you, go for it. But those who are hesitant to part with the money should not feel that their kids will be at some kind of disadvantage as a result.

I would, however, have serious concerns about the credibility of anyone who tells you your child will "definitely get in" to a particular school, unless it's one that is chronically under-enrolled. Almost all of the better schools have many more qualified applicants than they do spaces for them. That means that in the end, many qualified candidates will be turned down. If someone tells you your child is competitive or "in the mix," that's one thing. If he tells you that your child "will definitely get in," it sounds to me like they might be trying to impress you with their own oracular status (and make you think you were getting your money's worth) rather than telling you the truth.

I am the poster you are referring to. You are entitled to your opinion and far be it from me to try to change it. I will clarify by saying that of course Georgia warned us that there are very few acceptances per school. She is not a charlatan. We were applying to the "top three"also and her point was that we would have no problems getting into any of them. She did tell us that she sometimes does disagree with parents' choices of schools but in our case she felt that we had made the right choices except in one case and we agreed with her that we had similar misgivings about that particular school and we did not apply. As it happens, she was correct as we were accepted into all the schools we had applied to. This was our experience and I am sorry if it does not sit well with you. Could it be coincidence and would our child have been accepted anyway? Perhaps but I guess we will never know - at least in this case. When it is time for number two and three (twins) to apply we'll see. For now all I can say is that our experience was very positive with an outcome that we were very happy with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I will say that before DCUM, these schools were more of a mystery. If you read enough threads, you will be able to figure out everything you need to know. Just blast a bunch of applications at the schools, go on tours, read online (DCUM, great schools). Wait for acceptances then choose, then go to a school.


Good luck!

Are you being sarcastic?

Am curious bc this approach actually does work some of the time.

This is exactly the approach we followed with both of our children, and it worked like a charm, including at the "top-three" independent schools in DC. If paying $3,000 for a consultant seems like a good investment to you, go for it. But those who are hesitant to part with the money should not feel that their kids will be at some kind of disadvantage as a result.

I would, however, have serious concerns about the credibility of anyone who tells you your child will "definitely get in" to a particular school, unless it's one that is chronically under-enrolled. Almost all of the better schools have many more qualified applicants than they do spaces for them. That means that in the end, many qualified candidates will be turned down. If someone tells you your child is competitive or "in the mix," that's one thing. If he tells you that your child "will definitely get in," it sounds to me like they might be trying to impress you with their own oracular status (and make you think you were getting your money's worth) rather than telling you the truth.

I am the poster you are referring to. You are entitled to your opinion and far be it from me to try to change it. I will clarify by saying that of course Georgia warned us that there are very few acceptances per school. She is not a charlatan. We were applying to the "top three"also and her point was that we would have no problems getting into any of them. She did tell us that she sometimes does disagree with parents' choices of schools but in our case she felt that we had made the right choices except in one case and we agreed with her that we had similar misgivings about that particular school and we did not apply. As it happens, she was correct as we were accepted into all the schools we had applied to. This was our experience and I am sorry if it does not sit well with you. Could it be coincidence and would our child have been accepted anyway? Perhaps but I guess we will never know - at least in this case. When it is time for number two and three (twins) to apply we'll see. For now all I can say is that our experience was very positive with an outcome that we were very happy with.

[Anonymous]

On what do you think she based her prediction that you would have "no problems" getting in? Every year there are plenty of delightful children with very high test scores from nice families who do not get accepted to one or more of the "top" schools."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On what do you think she based her prediction that you would have "no problems" getting in? Every year there are plenty of delightful children with very high test scores from nice families who do not get accepted to one or more of the "top" schools."

She used to be the director of Admissions at Sidwell so I suppose she knows what schools look for. She is not a fortune teller. I guess what she meant was - based on her knowledge of what the schools look for, but subject to the fact that there are few acceptances each year, her assessment of our child would lead her to conclude that we would have no problems getting in.