College counseling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We hired for the sake of shalom bayit.

(Peace in the house)

I did not enjoy raising a teen.

What company?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For parents and students who have gone through the college admission process, could you please give advice on a good college counseling prep company that worked for your DC? and if you think it was worth it? Would you say it is required to have for kid in public school?
My DC is in a large public school and not sure if counselors have time to provide advice. Any advice from parents currently going through this process or past experiences?
Thank you.

I work with dual enrollment students, but have done some college counseling work as well and can suggest resources. Are you in DC, MD, or VA?

[Anonymous]

are there any specific companies that are recommended for college counseling help? my DD is in mcps school and currently a sophomore in the magnet school.

[Anonymous]

Marks Educational Consulting

[Anonymous]

Limited sample size, but three families I know who went all in with college counselors to find the "perfect match" for their kids, well, all three bailed before the end of the first semester.

Our two college kids got tremendous support from their public school counselors. One kid was really motivated and the other not so much, but honestly, he really matured through the college search process because we really put the planning and execution of the whole process on his shoulders. This is not something you hire out like getting your taxes done or having someone deliver your groceries IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:are there any specific companies that are recommended for college counseling help? my DD is in mcps school and currently a sophomore in the magnet school.

I would suggest that she attend NACAC in the spring (it's in PG) so she can get a feel for what a college fair is like and then go again in the fall at the Washington Convention Center. (The one at the convention center is huge.) I would do college tours beginning this summer so she can start narrowing down her options. If you are going on a family vacation somewhere, I would see if there are any nearby colleges to go on a quick tour. If she's interested in a particular major, I'd ask the departments during open houses about what they look for in an admissions application. Some schools may look for a certain level of math, science, foreign language, etc... in order to get into that department. Don't just rely on the college admissions counselor to give you info about the school. Also the best students that I've had the opportunity to work with were active and engaged in activities. Don't burn DD out but it's refreshing to read about a student who's passionately engaged in their interests whether it's a sport or a community service learning project.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Limited sample size, but three families I know who went all in with college counselors to find the "perfect match" for their kids, well, all three bailed before the end of the first semester.

Our two college kids got tremendous support from their public school counselors. One kid was really motivated and the other not so much, but honestly, he really matured through the college search process because we really put the planning and execution of the whole process on his shoulders. This is not something you hire out like getting your taxes done or having someone deliver your groceries IMO.

Sounds like the kids who bailed had motivation or other issues and the families hired counselors to push the application process along?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marks Educational Consulting

waaaaayyyy too expensive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP +1000 on for the sake of peace. But I love my teens.

I love mine, too. But this was not a stage of parenting I liked.

+3 Kid really listens and takes to heart the college counselors advice and guidance. dc does not like change so working with a CC early really has helped the process. Started with choosing classes for 10th grade and added in tasks along the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marks Educational Consulting

waaaaayyyy too expensive

+1

Why does everyone always post one of the most expensive consultants in the area? OP you can find consultants on the website for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. The association serves admissions officers at colleges as well as high school and independent college counselors. Look for independent counselors here: https://www.nacacnet.org/membership/member-directory/

We did use one and even though there are people on here saying you can do it yourself, I think its pretty easy to miss pieces of information to help make informed decisions. I was just like the poster who said she wanted to keep the peace in her house. That was my motivation. After going through it (my kid was admitted to an Ivy) I'm not sure that it's so easy to do on your own. I'm of the mindset now, that the process has become so complex, it becomes a major barrier for entry to the best school possible. There are many, many moving parts. If I'm being honest with myself, hiring a counselor helps level the playing field a bit. I think these issues are magnified even more for a first-gen student.

[Anonymous]

I posted Marks because they have been great. Other less expensive options may be as good - I don’t know. But Marks is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marks Educational Consulting

waaaaayyyy too expensive

+1

Why does everyone always post one of the most expensive consultants in the area? OP you can find consultants on the website for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. The association serves admissions officers at colleges as well as high school and independent college counselors. Look for independent counselors here: https://www.nacacnet.org/membership/member-directory/

We did use one and even though there are people on here saying you can do it yourself, I think its pretty easy to miss pieces of information to help make informed decisions. I was just like the poster who said she wanted to keep the peace in her house. That was my motivation. After going through it (my kid was admitted to an Ivy) I'm not sure that it's so easy to do on your own. I'm of the mindset now, that the process has become so complex, it becomes a major barrier for entry to the best school possible. There are many, many moving parts. If I'm being honest with myself, hiring a counselor helps level the playing field a bit. I think these issues are magnified even more for a first-gen student.

Would you mind giving some examples of things that one might miss without a college counselor? My kid would accept my help, so we don't need one for peace in the house, and I'm finding it hard to imagine what the counselor could do for us. If the answer is editing the essays, I'm wondering what they do if you already have top-notch editors in the family. Thanks for any insights!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marks Educational Consulting

waaaaayyyy too expensive

+1

Why does everyone always post one of the most expensive consultants in the area? OP you can find consultants on the website for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. The association serves admissions officers at colleges as well as high school and independent college counselors. Look for independent counselors here: https://www.nacacnet.org/membership/member-directory/

We did use one and even though there are people on here saying you can do it yourself, I think its pretty easy to miss pieces of information to help make informed decisions. I was just like the poster who said she wanted to keep the peace in her house. That was my motivation. After going through it (my kid was admitted to an Ivy) I'm not sure that it's so easy to do on your own. I'm of the mindset now, that the process has become so complex, it becomes a major barrier for entry to the best school possible. There are many, many moving parts. If I'm being honest with myself, hiring a counselor helps level the playing field a bit. I think these issues are magnified even more for a first-gen student.

We didn't use a counselor, but probably would have if money was no object. So far based on EA acceptances, it's working out fine. One thing I'd highlight for those just starting the process is that there is a balance between "the best school possible" and the "right" school for your kid. At times I've had to remind myself that the goal is the "best school that's right for my kid."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marks Educational Consulting

waaaaayyyy too expensive

+1

Why does everyone always post one of the most expensive consultants in the area? OP you can find consultants on the website for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. The association serves admissions officers at colleges as well as high school and independent college counselors. Look for independent counselors here: https://www.nacacnet.org/membership/member-directory/

We did use one and even though there are people on here saying you can do it yourself, I think its pretty easy to miss pieces of information to help make informed decisions. I was just like the poster who said she wanted to keep the peace in her house. That was my motivation. After going through it (my kid was admitted to an Ivy) I'm not sure that it's so easy to do on your own. I'm of the mindset now, that the process has become so complex, it becomes a major barrier for entry to the best school possible. There are many, many moving parts. If I'm being honest with myself, hiring a counselor helps level the playing field a bit. I think these issues are magnified even more for a first-gen student.

Would you mind giving some examples of things that one might miss without a college counselor? My kid would accept my help, so we don't need one for peace in the house, and I'm finding it hard to imagine what the counselor could do for us. If the answer is editing the essays, I'm wondering what they do if you already have top-notch editors in the family. Thanks for any insights!

Let me give a couple of examples and some of it is really that the college admissions world is very closed and what you are buying is expertise and insight into that world. One caveat I will give is that we worked with our counselor starting junior year:

- Getting to know my kid to determine best fit and giving an unvarnished opinion about chances for acceptance to particular schools. A good independent counselor will visit colleges throughout the year and have a ton of insights and make solid recommendations. Our list was 9 schools that fit DC and it included a financial safety that DC got into early on. I can confidently say we would not have had that school on our list.
-Strategizing around ED, EA, ED1 and ED2.
-Pushing DC to reach out to and connect with admissions officers so they would know DC's name, without being annoying or pushy.
- Helping DC uncover his personal story - this drives the essay and prep for interviews.
- Connecting with our high school counselor to make sure high school deadlines were met.
- Regimented process and getting apps in early. All applications were in by November 1.
- Streamlining the number of extra-curriculars presented to help AOs visualize how DC would fit.
- I'll just say re:essays you may be good at editing, but a good counselor has reviewed hundreds of college admission essays and can help your kid come up with the focus of their essay that is the best representation of themselves. It's not the same as editing. These are personal statements and some high school students struggle with it because it's a very different type of writing style. It helps a lot if your kid is a strong writer.

I'll just add that DC did bring a lot to the table - lots of hard work, some unique extra-curriculars and very strong academically. However, I'm not confident we would have had the same result if we did this on our own. Hopefully that helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Limited sample size, but three families I know who went all in with college counselors to find the "perfect match" for their kids, well, all three bailed before the end of the first semester.

Our two college kids got tremendous support from their public school counselors. One kid was really motivated and the other not so much, but honestly, he really matured through the college search process because we really put the planning and execution of the whole process on his shoulders. This is not something you hire out like getting your taxes done or having someone deliver your groceries IMO.

Sounds like the kids who bailed had motivation or other issues and the families hired counselors to push the application process along?

Actually, all three had variations on the same theme - learning issues that required a specific environment for the student to thrive. The counselors/coaches were hired to find that perfect match for these kids' learning styles and get them set up with arrangements in which they would be successful. FAIL.