Is hiring a consultant a must?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

[Anonymous]

Generally, if you have some spare time to browse internet forums like this one (and college confidential and reddit), then no, you really don't need a consultant.

You have the kid you have. Make a list that fits the situation, not a situation that fits a list. The more selective the list, the more important the essays will be, but that doesn't mean you need a consultant for top schools.

A consultant by the hour might be useful for getting started with essays. Some people find this useful for all the essays, start to finish. Others just do some brainstorming and maybe a draft or two of the Common App essay. This can reduce stress on the parent-child relationship, though for some procrastinators, they're going to procrastinate anyway and no amount of outside push will help.

I had a consultant help with the Common App essay and a few supplemental essays for my oldest, whose top school was T30. Next kid, just helped with brainstorming for the Common App essay, simply to get the ball rolling, to help get the job done; at a T60. Next kid did not want help from the consultant, I suggested minor edits, attends a T10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We got one and I'm glad we did. However, you know your kid and really need to work in tandem with what counselor is telling you. For instance, our DC toured and liked a SLAC and mentioned that - next thing we knew, counselor presented a list of SLACs they thought DC should apply to. Liking and wanting to go there were different things. However, counselor was extremely helpful in how to list ECs on common app, answered questions we had about what activities mattered, which DC could omit, and keeping DC on a schedule for applications and essays that preserved our relationship with DC. DC ended up in a T25 flagship in state and is thrilled - a school that was not on counselor's list for them. Nice to have the expertise of what admissions officers are looking for, but ultimately you know your kid the best. And, based on my DC's very successful admissions process - I think it was worth it. Paid about $7000.

Name of counselor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

What tools do you mean?

[Anonymous]

Our kid was interested in top academic programs during high school (think summer programs with single digit acceptance rates) and going to a selective college and we could afford a counselor so we hired one and it was a nice resource but not necessary. She fine tuned the essays a bit and kept our kid organized but at the end of the day our child probably ended up where she would have otherwise. Think of it like a doula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Generally, if you have some spare time to browse internet forums like this one (and college confidential and reddit), then no, you really don't need a consultant.

You have the kid you have. Make a list that fits the situation, not a situation that fits a list. The more selective the list, the more important the essays will be, but that doesn't mean you need a consultant for top schools.

A consultant by the hour might be useful for getting started with essays. Some people find this useful for all the essays, start to finish. Others just do some brainstorming and maybe a draft or two of the Common App essay. This can reduce stress on the parent-child relationship, though for some procrastinators, they're going to procrastinate anyway and no amount of outside push will help.

I had a consultant help with the Common App essay and a few supplemental essays for my oldest, whose top school was T30. Next kid, just helped with brainstorming for the Common App essay, simply to get the ball rolling, to help get the job done; at a T60. Next kid did not want help from the consultant, I suggested minor edits, attends a T10.

Sorry, to be clear, I didn't mean to imply that the consultant drafts the essay. In all cases, the student is doing the writing and the consultant is suggesting edits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

What tools do you mean?

Search on here.
There are a bunch of new startup companies that are doing this every day.

They show you old essays that worked; how people listed activities; honors etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

Join ApplicationNation25.

Her zoom videos will show you how to fill out the common app and how to phrase certain things in the activities section and honor section. She’ll also edit essays if you need her to, for a large fee.

I found a good Essay editor on Wyzant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

What tools do you mean?

google is helpful here: https://www.lumiere-education.com/post/10-best-ai-tools-for-college-admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

Join ApplicationNation25.

Her zoom videos will show you how to fill out the common app and how to phrase certain things in the activities section and honor section. She’ll also edit essays if you need her to, for a large fee.

I found a good Essay editor on Wyzant.

For the $99/mo, Can I ask small questions like "Is this activity useful/well-phrased?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

Join ApplicationNation25.

Her zoom videos will show you how to fill out the common app and how to phrase certain things in the activities section and honor section. She’ll also edit essays if you need her to, for a large fee.

I found a good Essay editor on Wyzant.

For the $99/mo, Can I ask small questions like "Is this activity useful/well-phrased?"

Yes. I find it helpful and I’ve been through the process before.
Here’s a quick example (note I am not affiliated with it at all, but do find it to be relatively helpful and inexpensive for what it is. It’s also a great way to see the quality, depth and breath of other applicants to - sometimes - the same schools that your kid is applying to. There are some amazing kids out there btw.):

Someone just asked this question below with a picture of the activity entry in the common app:

“Student worked as a researcher in a lab this summer. It was not a “pay to play” program. Does including ”fully funded” in parenthesis look okay? Or is there a better way?

Any thoughts on description itself?
Thank you”

(Picture)

Response from senior member of AN team (not Sara, but another former admissions officer):
The parenthesis work and it's very clear. I'd change the verb "studied" (implies passive) to "analyzed" (little more action implied).

[Anonymous]

We hired and then fired a consultant once we figured out that we were getting better advice from the school (public). It was work to assist DC, to be sure. But I’m not sure how much of that really could have been outsourced. We know DC much better than any counselor, so our advice on schools to look at was more focused on DC’s personality and needs. We could suggest more specific anecdotes for the essays because we know our kid better. And when it comes to submissions, I don’t think most counselors are going to be available at 11pm when your kid is making a last minute change to an application and needs someone to check for typos before the midnight deadline.

[Anonymous]

download the free activities list guide/samples from Crimson if you can't figure out how to word ECs:

https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/campaign/15-successful-activities-lists-from-students-who-got-into-the-ivy-League-stanford-and-more/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

Join ApplicationNation25.

Her zoom videos will show you how to fill out the common app and how to phrase certain things in the activities section and honor section. She’ll also edit essays if you need her to, for a large fee.

I found a good Essay editor on Wyzant.

For the $99/mo, Can I ask small questions like "Is this activity useful/well-phrased?"

You can do this for free on chat forums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No of course not, but if you are already asking this question, you are probably going to do it anyway. Or balance the fact that you didn't hire a consultant for any substandard outcome.

OP- No, I would much rather not. I just worry that maybe I am doing ds a disservice because maybe they know "special" ways of phrasing things on the common app, know how to handle all the minute details. We filled most of it out but what if we did some of it wrong?

Use the the AI tools that show you former applications that were admitted. It democratizes the entire process.
For a few hundred dollars over the next 4 months.

Join ApplicationNation25.

Her zoom videos will show you how to fill out the common app and how to phrase certain things in the activities section and honor section. She’ll also edit essays if you need her to, for a large fee.

I found a good Essay editor on Wyzant.

For the $99/mo, Can I ask small questions like "Is this activity useful/well-phrased?"

Search for old posts on here:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1214129.page