Did you try a college counselor or advisor, and was it worth the money?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| TIA. I would like DCUM's input as to whether or not it is worthwhile to hire an outside, private college counselor for my llth grade DC. We are in private, and have absolutely no reason to doubt our school's college advisor, but she's relatively new, and we wonder if the added outside information might be helpful in the process. I know they are very expensive and most won't take anyone beyond Junior Year (which is where DC is). If you have done this and have someone to recommend, would you please post name, fee and why they were worth the cost. We're in the DMV area. DC has top grades but PSAT performance could have been better. DC has prepped well and has the summer experiences and outside activities recommended and is currently taking AP Calculus. Legacy at top schools for what that's worth. We're not loaded with money so this decision would be have to be justified so would appreciate useful responses and no snark, please. |
Anonymous
|
Didn't bother. We had one of those kids where you say "What college will even take her at all?" and we were able to do the leg work ourselves. We did a college tour of five colleges and met with admissions counselors while there to confirm DD had a shot.
She got into two of those. |
Anonymous
|
AP Calculus and during summers your child built latrines in Guatemala. You don't need a college counsellor, you need a party planner - Your child is IN!
Sorry - you said, please no snark, but it was too easy! Obviously, you love your child very much and like good parents you want only the best for your children. If you feel life is not worth living without a degree from a top 20 school then by all means hire a college counsellor. Wilson high School used to have a woman who was great. However, for most mortals life doesn't begin or end based on Ivy League acceptance letters. Your child exceptional and I'm serious this time! AP Calculus in high school is a significant achievement Hundreds of great colleges across the country would love to accept your child without forcing he/she to stand on their heads and spin like a top. They may also offer interesting and unusual programs of which you are not even aware. Be kind to yourself and to your child - look beyond the bubble and you just may find happiness. However, if only the will do, I've given you a contact person who can package your child perfectly and get those acceptance letters rolling in. Sorry for the early snark - wishing your family well in this difficult year ahead. |
Anonymous
|
AP Calculus and during summers your child built latrines in Guatemala. You don't need a college counsellor, you need a party planner - Your child is IN!
Sorry - you said, please no snark, but it was too easy! Obviously, you love your child very much and like good parents you want only the best for your children. If you feel life is not worth living without a degree from a top 20 school then by all means hire a college counsellor. Wilson High School used to have a woman who was great. However, for most mortals life doesn't begin or end based on Ivy League acceptance letters. Your child is exceptional and I'm serious this time! AP Calculus in high school is a significant achievement Hundreds of great colleges across the country would love to accept your child without forcing he/she to stand on their heads and spin like a top. They may also offer interesting and unusual programs of which you are not even aware. Be kind to yourself and to your child - look beyond the bubble and you just may find happiness. However, if only the bubble will do, I've given you a contact person who can package your child perfectly and get those Ivy League acceptance letters rolling in. Sorry for the early snark - wishing your family well in this difficult year ahead. |
Anonymous
|
Nope. Use Naviance. Read up on Fiske. Campus visit (on online virtual tour).
Find out what she wants to be, and then work from there. |
Anonymous
|
Well, Ivy League can be amazing if your career will benefit from that brand name. If not then you are better off saving yourself that pressure and cost.
If a graduate degree matters a lot in the chosen profession, I would go the route of an in-state school and then spend money to go to the top graduate school.... |
Anonymous
| Didn't try one, as I didn't know anyone who had used one (big public school). There were about 6 information sessions at our school starting junior year, and maybe 50+ colleges came through the school for information sessions |
Anonymous
Whose career wouldn't benefit from and ivy pedigree? |
Anonymous
|
OP, you need to fight the creeping competitiveness. What i take from your post is you went to ivies and you want your DC to go to an ivy and are willing to plunk down money to make it happen, if it will make it happen. This is the attitude that makes senior year so toxic for so many kids. Maybe your DC will get into an ivy and maybe DC wants to go to an ivy (are you sure? or is DC following what is expected?) or maybe not. But there are plenty of better places to get an education. I say this as a graduate of HYP whose DC is attending a SLAC and getting the kind of education I wish I had -- faculty attention, rigorous intellectual environment, not a lot of the sharp elbows of pre-professionals.
Maybe you need to take a deep breath and stand down, saving the money in the process (to answer your question, no it won't help). Let DC do what s/he wants rather than activities that are "recommended." I guess its too late for that, but you can decide now whether to make the next year more or less painful. |
Anonymous
AB or BC calculus? |
Anonymous
This is what we did and DS got into his top choice school. The College Confidential threads on particular schools can also be a useful source of information (sometimes current students or admissions reps will go on there and answer questions). A friend paid thousands of dollars for one of the well known counseling outfits for advice and tutoring (Nina Marks I think). Her son got into a school that I would have expected he would get into anyway based on what I know of his record. Seems to me that the best help they got was steering the boy away from schools that were likely beyond his reach and using early decision to apply to a school in his range where early decision is an advantage. We did the same tning just by doing our own homework. Save the money. BTW I was tempted by those essay writing tutors that charge 300 an hour, but my son declined, and it all worked out fine. I was tempted because we really didn't know what a college essay should look like, but we got some books with examples and that was enough. Read the first chapter of Andrew Ferguson's book Crazy U about how these folks prey on nervous parents like us. It will all work out! |
Anonymous
Medicine for one. An undergrad in an Ivy college means nothing. A medical degree from an Ivy is more useful. |
Anonymous
Ha ha. I know some Bethesda parents that paid 24K for getting someone to write their kids essays. All I could think was that the kid was a total loser. DC churned it out in a week. I felt that I should reward at least a few grands to this kid. And DC got in with early action as well in December - applied to 4 schools, only asked us for our credit card and details of our education - that's it. BTW - DC only did the campus visit for 2 schools. As far as I can tell - these are people who do not tutor instead they actually write the essays. Now DC has a bad case of senioritis - but that is another story. |
Anonymous
| Go ahead. It will be a drop in the bucket compared to college costs. Can't recommend someone since our circumstances were different. But in your circumstance, I would. |
Anonymous
| We are contemplating this too, but for different reasons. DC has some disabilities issues that need to be met. |