Senior Parents: if you hired a private college counselor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two things come to mind:
There’s a sucker born every minute
A fool and his money are soon parted

not helpful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any names or referrals for companies or counselors?

We tried to do it on our own for first child (too stressful plus SN). We hired Richard Montauk for no. 2. It went very well. Paid by the hour. Total was about $3500. Well worth it and same child is now using him for grad school applications. I found him by his Amazon author page (he's written a number of books about admissions). He works long distance. I don't know where he lives but DC loved him and the process went much better for us without mom and dad nagging

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any names or referrals for companies or counselors?

We tried to do it on our own for first child (too stressful plus SN). We hired Richard Montauk for no. 2. It went very well. Paid by the hour. Total was about $3500. Well worth it and same child is now using him for grad school applications. I found him by his Amazon author page (he's written a number of books about admissions). He works long distance. I don't know where he lives but DC loved him and the process went much better for us without mom and dad nagging

Aaaand…there it is. Folks, be skeptical of any name that just “happens” to pop up again and again and again, especially when so many of the posts have the whiff of inauthenticity.

[Anonymous]

Also hired one spring of Junior year for my now-Senior DS. Totally worth it and helped him narrow down a reasonable list of potential colleges, complete his essay and activity list, and get the Common App completed. All applications were done EA by 11/1 and he's gotten three acceptances back so far. He's not a top student by any means and has no idea what he wants to do, so we really appreciated the outside voice guiding him and keeping him on track. Now he can relax and enjoy the rest of Sr. year. Total cost was under 4K, maybe 3800 total.

[Anonymous]

Hired by someone recommended by a friend of my child (friend had older sibling who used this person). Child and counselor made a list, had 5 applications in the first week of August, and 4 more ready to go for Jan 1, and one ready to go for ED 2, but those last 5 didn't need to go in, because accepted ED from the first 5 that went in (1 ED and 4 EA). The rest of the year will be a piece of cake! Money well spent (maybe $1800? Cost was $150 an hour). And, I did no nagging, no nudging, no nothing. Money well spent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did it work out for your kid so far, to date, in ED, or REA/EA? What schools/results?
If non-DMV, can you list state?

If rejected or deferred, has your counselors advice, been helpful, comprehensive and specific as your kid enters the RD process? What types of suggestions have they made and what types of schools did they add to your kid’s list?

If you have to do it all over again, would you hire that firm or company?

Not a college counselor but someone to help with reading essays and giving feedback. Tried 2-one very expensive one ($300 per hour) and another a Yale grad in English ($50 per hour). The Yale grad was so much better. The expensive one kept (suspiciously) nitpicking. Would pick on technical minutia. The Yale grad read holistically and for flow and emotion. Spent close to $1200 on expensive one and then let DC work only with the Yale grad. DC in at first choice ED>

[Anonymous]

These all sound like great results. Esp ED/EA.

What schools did your kids get into? Stats?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any names or referrals for companies or counselors?

We tried to do it on our own for first child (too stressful plus SN). We hired Richard Montauk for no. 2. It went very well. Paid by the hour. Total was about $3500. Well worth it and same child is now using him for grad school applications. I found him by his Amazon author page (he's written a number of books about admissions). He works long distance. I don't know where he lives but DC loved him and the process went much better for us without mom and dad nagging

Aaaand…there it is. Folks, be skeptical of any name that just “happens” to pop up again and again and again, especially when so many of the posts have the whiff of inauthenticity.

Oh is this the poster whose kid went to Oxford? He seemed genuine to me, he's posted about his child's experience before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any names or referrals for companies or counselors?

We tried to do it on our own for first child (too stressful plus SN). We hired Richard Montauk for no. 2. It went very well. Paid by the hour. Total was about $3500. Well worth it and same child is now using him for grad school applications. I found him by his Amazon author page (he's written a number of books about admissions). He works long distance. I don't know where he lives but DC loved him and the process went much better for us without mom and dad nagging

Aaaand…there it is. Folks, be skeptical of any name that just “happens” to pop up again and again and again, especially when so many of the posts have the whiff of inauthenticity.

With someone like you, no one can win. People are actually asking for names. When someone gives them a name, you spring into action and claim foul.
Maybe you should just leave them to it and contribute to entirely different threads.

[Anonymous]

We hired a woman recommended by a friend. Cost $5K. Was totally worth it and we are not wealthy. DD ended up getting into Northwestern ED and she was THRILLED!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any names or referrals for companies or counselors?

We tried to do it on our own for first child (too stressful plus SN). We hired Richard Montauk for no. 2. It went very well. Paid by the hour. Total was about $3500. Well worth it and same child is now using him for grad school applications. I found him by his Amazon author page (he's written a number of books about admissions). He works long distance. I don't know where he lives but DC loved him and the process went much better for us without mom and dad nagging

Aaaand…there it is. Folks, be skeptical of any name that just “happens” to pop up again and again and again, especially when so many of the posts have the whiff of inauthenticity.

New poster: nope it’s the Richard Montauk recommendation that seems to be from the same person and seems fake

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/1033882.page

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1051129.page (who would tell someone to look his [almost no reviews] books up on Amazon?)

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1112887.page (mentions his books again)

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/971153.page

Often the posts include his website or a reference to books he’s written. When I once noted those books have almost zero reviews the poster jumped over me.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1059029.page (and a responder to the suggestion for montauk said he was horrible)

Here he is again - same website plug
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1088564.page

Plugging his books
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1176660.page

Same guy - most of the time says his daughter is at Oxford. This time it says she’s at an Ivy. Same website for montauk included
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1106027.page


He says in a post 2/14/23 that, “ Richard didn't write them, DS did, but DS felt confident that Montauk made improvements. The total bill was something like $3600 five years ago. DS is now using him for an application on doctorate work.”

Then October 2023: I found him too late to help DS. There are just too many moving parts and too much to learn…

Was it that you used him for your son in 2/2023 or you didn’t (as of 10/23)?

This poster always says Jeff can verify he doesn’t live where Richard does and that he doesn’t even know where he lives. That proves nothing. My brother doesn’t live near me but I could do fake posts in FX County saying how wonderful he is.

[Anonymous]

Our private counselor is me! Spent a lot of time researching because we can't afford one. And, if I daresay, I'm pretty darn good. Both kids at T10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not as easy to say if it is worth it or not - even with school results. What if they accepted your student based on something having nothing to do with the counselor's work? We hired a counselor once, not a high end one, and it helped us and our student. Since we have three kids, I can make a decent case that paying the first time helped across all three kids.

You hire a counselor to do one or more of the following:

1. College prospect selection without parent/high school bias
2. Set and manage a process
3. Overall story of the student and making sure it comes through the app
4. Additional eyes on essays and ideas for same
5. How to complete the common app
6. Any secret sauce on differentiation, how different colleges work, etc.
7. Maybe most important - you don't have to be the task master and sour your relationship with your student, the counselor does that (in a nice way).

For a family making a lot of money, spending 5k-10k won't matter. For the rest of us, I would say you can do a lot of this on your own for less. Or hire for specific areas of need, for example essay review.

College counselor here. This is a good post, although I'd add a #8 which is managing parent anxiety. This is increasingly part of the job for me and for other counselors I speak with.

I think adding a counselor to this master list if child has learning issues is also key. We are only little past half way but they’ve been wonderful and I expect that service to remain. Split up over 4 years the fees have not been excessive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do I find reputable ones? Witg good track records?

I’m also hearing the “good ones” are about 50-75,000 a year. Ones like IvyWise; IvyCoach; Crimson etc.

lol no one with real money ie rich paid that
. That’s my cronies

They have and do pay that much.

Sounds like the wealthy immigrant rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We hired a woman recommended by a friend. Cost $5K. Was totally worth it and we are not wealthy. DD ended up getting into Northwestern ED and she was THRILLED!

Name of counselor?