College admission consultant recommendation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you don't need help with time management or test prep, have parents who are writers/editors, and you work well with your parents. What does a college consultant do for you in that scenario? I'm really trying to figure this out.

Here's why it worked for us: 1) preserved peace at home, and made someone else the editor. (Someone else and not me, a mom who writes for a living, but who can't say "boo" to her kid without him taking it personally. And yeah, a combination of better parenting and different personalities might have meant he could listen to me, but that wasn't where we are. 2) helped my kid learn to articulate what he wanted to study and what he wanted from life in a mature and focused way, which helped us choose the right schools to apply to and helped him write an essay about his goals.

FYI, I didn't spend tens of thousands.

And he also helped us learn how to tell engineering schools apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you don't need help with time management or test prep, have parents who are writers/editors, and you work well with your parents. What does a college consultant do for you in that scenario? I'm really trying to figure this out.

Here's why it worked for us: 1) preserved peace at home, and made someone else the editor. (Someone else and not me, a mom who writes for a living, but who can't say "boo" to her kid without him taking it personally. And yeah, a combination of better parenting and different personalities might have meant he could listen to me, but that wasn't where we are. 2) helped my kid learn to articulate what he wanted to study and what he wanted from life in a mature and focused way, which helped us choose the right schools to apply to and helped him write an essay about his goals.

FYI, I didn't spend tens of thousands.

And he also helped us learn how to tell engineering schools apart.

Curious about this statement. Is there something special about engineering that's different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you don't need help with time management or test prep, have parents who are writers/editors, and you work well with your parents. What does a college consultant do for you in that scenario? I'm really trying to figure this out.

Here's why it worked for us: 1) preserved peace at home, and made someone else the editor. (Someone else and not me, a mom who writes for a living, but who can't say "boo" to her kid without him taking it personally. And yeah, a combination of better parenting and different personalities might have meant he could listen to me, but that wasn't where we are. 2) helped my kid learn to articulate what he wanted to study and what he wanted from life in a mature and focused way, which helped us choose the right schools to apply to and helped him write an essay about his goals.

FYI, I didn't spend tens of thousands.

And he also helped us learn how to tell engineering schools apart.

Curious about this statement. Is there something special about engineering that's different?

Yes. Kids fail out. Some schools allow major changes. Some don't. Some allow interdepartmental minors, some don't. Some have 90% of the freshman showing up sophomore year. Some don't. Some have freshmen competing for a limited number of sophomore spots. Some don't. Some segregate the students more or less than other schools.

I don't think it is hard to tell 10 liberal arts colleges apart, but we didn't care about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Find someone who has actually worked FULL TIME in a college admission office or as a high school counselor. It's amazing how many people who had a part time grad assistant or reader (not decision maker) job in admissions offices that talk as if they were full time AOs.

This is spot on! Ideally, you should work with someone who has done both of these before starting an independent counseling practice. That will make a huge difference and often does impact the cost of the services (the more experienced ones charge more, not shocking I suppose). When looking at the pricing for Nina Marks, don't forget that she breaks up her packages by year, but you have to have someone during junior AND senior year at a minimum. You can expect to pay about 5,000-10,000 for a package to get you through junior and senior year with most experienced consultants. Look at the IECA website directory for vetted options. Anyone can sign up through NACAC, the link above - there is no vetting.

https://www.iecaonline.com/quick-links/member-directory/

You have to search separately by state - so DC will exclude consultants in VA/MD and vice versa.

Remember that this is an anonymous board, and anyone can self-promote. Going through IECA makes the most sense.

This is false.

[Anonymous]

For us the college consultant has been useful in identifying lesser known schools that would still be a good fit for our kid. Yes we know all the top liberal arts colleges, but if he doesn't get into one of those, which in the next rung down have a similar feel to the places we know about and like.

[Anonymous]

Not that hard to do your own research. There is so much information out there. Nina Marks fees are ridiculous. I guess it works around here where people have more money than they know what to do with.

[Anonymous]

We are spending $7,500 for a comprehensive program from Sophomore to Admission. Our son is LD, so this consultant is very versed in schools that cater to different disabilities. Granted, it is only ADHD, but it is nice to know you have an expert in that area. Also love that we are not the ones who have to stay on top of him to complete tasks and essay review and critique will be out of our hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG!

$14,000 for Nina Marks and Team, or $6,500 for a Counselor for the July 2017-June 2018 contract year

What do you get for the 14k option?

[Anonymous]

What do you get for the 14k option?

Probably a free latte from Starbucks
There is nothing that a consultant can tell you that is not in DCUM or CC.
People think that hiring a consultant will give them an edge but in just a lot of BS...

[Anonymous]

Hiring one kept the peace at home plus helped with the match schools part of the list. These counsellors spend a great deal of time visiting admission depts. with the result that they know something about what type of student they are seeking. I found it a great shortcut. Could I have done the same myself? Probably close but the time vs. money trade off fell on the side of throwing money into it. I was fortunate to have that option. If you decide to hire one, IMO it's better to try to find a good match than automatically going for biggest rep. You want a counsellor that your kid will be important to and not handed off to junior people w/o oversight.

[Anonymous]

What does everyone mean about editing. Aren't the kids supposed to apply, write and edit themselves? Do people rally pay 5 figures to have someone write and edit essays for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For us the college consultant has been useful in identifying lesser known schools that would still be a good fit for our kid. Yes we know all the top liberal arts colleges, but if he doesn't get into one of those, which in the next rung down have a similar feel to the places we know about and like.

There are websites and books for that. I will gladly save my money for actual tours and applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are spending $7,500 for a comprehensive program from Sophomore to Admission. Our son is LD, so this consultant is very versed in schools that cater to different disabilities. Granted, it is only ADHD, but it is nice to know you have an expert in that area. Also love that we are not the ones who have to stay on top of him to complete tasks and essay review and critique will be out of our hands.

I absolutely loved reviewing my kids' college essays! First, on an emotional level, it was really a wonderful experience to read what life experiences they had chosen to highlight and how it defined them. On a more practical level, we were able to help them, along with their teachers and counselors, by identifying some structure and flow issues that could use a little work. It was also a really nice bonding experience with them. I wouldn't have traded that for anything!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does everyone mean about editing. Aren't the kids supposed to apply, write and edit themselves? Do people rally pay 5 figures to have someone write and edit essays for them.

My kids wrote drafts, had them reviewed by peers, teachers, counselors and parents, to get to a finished product. Nothing wrong with getting a little feedback along the way.

Before any of you jump in accusing me of writing my kids' essays, I'm talking about spotting a couple of grammatical errors and suggesting a few areas where, "I know what you are trying to say, but your transition from this sentence to the next is a little unclear. You might want to work on that..." or, "you might want to consider moving this paragraph up so that the next point is more clear to the reader..." - that sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you don't need help with time management or test prep, have parents who are writers/editors, and you work well with your parents. What does a college consultant do for you in that scenario? I'm really trying to figure this out.

Here's why it worked for us: 1) preserved peace at home, and made someone else the editor. (Someone else and not me, a mom who writes for a living, but who can't say "boo" to her kid without him taking it personally. And yeah, a combination of better parenting and different personalities might have meant he could listen to me, but that wasn't where we are. 2) helped my kid learn to articulate what he wanted to study and what he wanted from life in a mature and focused way, which helped us choose the right schools to apply to and helped him write an essay about his goals.

FYI, I didn't spend tens of thousands.[/quote

That fact that your kid tells you your advice iis poor and takes what you say personally is a indicator you are a great parent. Your kid is very normal Don't blame yourself