did anyone use Clare Anderson for consulting this year?

[Anonymous]

No. We didn't use anyone and also had no rejections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. We didn't use anyone and also had no rejections.

You should still have used Clare!!##

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. We didn't use anyone and also had no rejections.

You should still have used Clare!!!!

[Anonymous]

How much does she charge for a Big Three admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. We didn't use anyone and also had no rejections.

You should still have used Clare!!!!

Because ... why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much does she charge for a Big Three admission?

I do not believe any consultant will be able to promise you a Big 3 admissions. I'm sure she has guided many thru to Big 3 schools but mainly it is because the DD is an excellent candidate and just needed the "right" guidance to submit his/her application.

[Anonymous]

Clare is the best. A really amazing person and exceptionally good at her job. She truly knows the DC private school world, as well as the national boarding school world.

[Anonymous]

$11k for her services. Not worth it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$11k for her services. Not worth it

This is not true. That number is from a troll and is not even close to what she charges. Its was much less for us and both our kids got into their school of choice, "Big 5" for both, and one was definitely a long-shot for our second child. I am not saying Clare "got them in" but she guided us and the kids through the process and provided invaluable strategy and advice. She was honest and caring and followed up. I never went in expecting her to get the kids into a school that they were not qualified for- that is not what advising is about. We thought our second child had no chance at a big 5 school, but she looked at the profile and scores and disagreed- she believed in the child and told us to go for it, advised us on small details through the process and it worked out. She wants your child to end up in a school that is a good fit for the child and your family.

This kind of trolling annoys me because this is someone's livelihood you are talking about on an anonymous forum. If someone really wants a real reference with actual details, I would be willing to provide one offline- though I am not sure how to do that...

[Anonymous]

Hard to imagine how (1) a short paper application, (2) playdate, (3) and testing where prep is discouraged warrants a paid advisor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$11k for her services. Not worth it

We thought our second child had no chance at a big 5 school, but she looked at the profile and scores and disagreed- she believed in the child and told us to go for it, advised us on small details through the process and it worked out. She wants your child to end up in a school that is a good fit for the child and your family.

So pay thousands for "counseling" to be "encouraged" to apply vs. simply roll the dice with an $80 application fee and apply on your own -- wildly different costs, same outcome --- seems like a no brainer! I wish admissions people judged parents' boneheaded decisions like these!

[Anonymous]

I am curious about something as there seem to be mixed reviews. Are those who had great experiences movers and shakers in the area? Such as big law, lobbyists, etc? And those who have not had great experiences, are you more on the average spectrum? I am curious if she is more invested in helping those who will possibly benefit her sometime in the future through word of mouth with other influential people in the area, etc. I'm not saying this very eloquently but I think you can understand my question anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hard to imagine how (1) a short paper application, (2) playdate, (3) and testing where prep is discouraged warrants a paid advisor

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$11k for her services. Not worth it

We thought our second child had no chance at a big 5 school, but she looked at the profile and scores and disagreed- she believed in the child and told us to go for it, advised us on small details through the process and it worked out. She wants your child to end up in a school that is a good fit for the child and your family.

So pay thousands for "counseling" to be "encouraged" to apply vs. simply roll the dice with an $80 application fee and apply on your own -- wildly different costs, same outcome --- seems like a no brainer! I wish admissions people judged parents' boneheaded decisions like these!

PP IT WAS NOT ANYTHING CLOSE TO 11K- if you are actually interested, call her and you will see her rates are nothing even close to that. That is a troll. To the question above- no I do not think it is a big deal to spend $80 to apply to a school that was thoughtfully presented as a good option by someone who met with our family and knew our kids and looked at all the child's testing and history. She does work with the schools after the application is in. If you think having a counselor is "bone headed", that is your right, however this thread specifically asked if anyone had used her which we did, and we had great experience. And both our kids are in "Big 5 schools" (so I think the admission people disagreed that we are boneheaded idiots- or maybe Clare intervened and explained we are actually nice intelligent people). We viewed whatever we spent as a good investment. I really wish I knew how to talk to people off line because I would be happy to provide an actual non- anonymous recommendation to someone who is genuinely interested in using her and not a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$11k for her services. Not worth it

This is not true. That number is from a troll and is not even close to what she charges. Its was much less for us and both our kids got into their school of choice, "Big 5" for both, and one was definitely a long-shot for our second child. I am not saying Clare "got them in" but she guided us and the kids through the process and provided invaluable strategy and advice. She was honest and caring and followed up. I never went in expecting her to get the kids into a school that they were not qualified for- that is not what advising is about. We thought our second child had no chance at a big 5 school, but she looked at the profile and scores and disagreed- she believed in the child and told us to go for it, advised us on small details through the process and it worked out. She wants your child to end up in a school that is a good fit for the child and your family.

This kind of trolling annoys me because this is someone's livelihood you are talking about on an anonymous forum. If someone really wants a real reference with actual details, I would be willing to provide one offline- though I am not sure how to do that...

If that's not the correct number, then what is? How much did you pay? (it's OK to tell here since it's anonymous)