Did you try a college counselor or advisor, and was it worth the money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

-Essays - essay work comprises the bulk of my time. When I start working with most families, they often tell me that their child will hardly need any essay help, is a great writer, etc. Let me tell you, I see more awful essays than anyone could believe! These are kids with good grades, good scores, good high schools, etc, and are on the route to good colleges- but so many of them would have just been in real trouble without me. I am really not sure why so much of their writing is so poor, but it is what it is. So, I would say this is the one particular area where it might be worth spending some money. You don't have to pay my rates, but pay someone something to really read through your child's essays carefully- both for grammar AND content. Your child's school counselors will not have the time or resources to read and nitpick over revisions to every single essay, and a lot of them really need this kind of editing.

Here is my concern about this, and I mean this totally respectfully: is the writing actually awful, or is that just the way some teenagers write? Shouldn't the admissions people see how the applicant actually writes? I get proof reading and minor edits, but at what point does professional help turn an essay into something completely different from what the teen is capable of producing on his/her own?

I have a friend right now whose child is getting help with college essays from a pro. I have read the main common ap essay the child is turning in and it is very, very different from any other writing this child does for school. I wonder what effect this has on the process? Is it appropriate for an essay to reflect a very different writing skill level than the applicant has actually attained?

This is a great point. There was just an interview with the Dean of Admissions at Duke making this very point. They want to hear the voice of the student in the essay, and often too many edits from the grownups obliterate that voice and what comes across isn't authentic. Some editing is fine, of course. No one wants an essay with typos or grammatical errors, but admissons folk at colleges can tell when a fancy consultant has essentially written the essay for the applicant.

That's what we'd like to believe but then many of the kids who can't write that well -- yet whose parents hire the outside college consultants -- end up with admission to great schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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....

Whose career wouldn't benefit from and ivy pedigree?

Mine hasn't. Two Ivy degrees and currently looking for work.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but I hire a lot of people and it seldom means anything. That being said, when I practiced corp law, it did matter. When I was in an investment banking firm, it depended. Goldman, you need a good degree, Bank of American, not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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....

Whose career wouldn't benefit from and ivy pedigree?

Mine hasn't. Two Ivy degrees and currently looking for work.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but I hire a lot of people and it seldom means anything. That being said, when I practiced corp law, it did matter. When I was in an investment banking firm, it depended. Goldman, you need a good degree, Bank of American, not so much.

Same goes at Bank of America.

[Anonymous]

I am currently working in Admissions at a top school and about to exit my current job. I am thinking about doing consulting for college applicants later this summer and fall (2015). I would like to help kids find their own voice, make it stand out as significant, and proofread their essay(s). I do not think I'm qualified to help kids decide where to apply, but I can help with their essays once they make that decision. Is this something for which there is a market? My rates would obviously be much lower than the full-service consultants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am currently working in Admissions at a top school and about to exit my current job. I am thinking about doing consulting for college applicants later this summer and fall (2015). I would like to help kids find their own voice, make it stand out as significant, and proofread their essay(s). I do not think I'm qualified to help kids decide where to apply, but I can help with their essays once they make that decision. Is this something for which there is a market? My rates would obviously be much lower than the full-service consultants.

Yes - come back and post your contact info when you're ready to start reading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a college counselor. Here are the main reasons why people hire me:

-Picking a college list - you don't need a professional for this. Buy the "Book of Majors" book if your child has a specific intended major, to get ideas, do some visits. and cross compare with Naviance. The main important thing to remember is that you need a true range of reaches, middles, and safeties. I find that parents are oftentimes not honest with themselves about which schools are reaches, but as long as you are realistic, you will be fine.

-Strategizing - when to pull the ED card, etc.

-Managing the process- some parents really just don't want anything to do with it.. And that is ok! I get it.. If I could pay someone to do frustrating parenting tasks, I probably would too. It can be easier for the parent/child relationship to let someone else be the bad guy, do the nagging, etc.

-Essays - essay work comprises the bulk of my time. When I start working with most families, they often tell me that their child will hardly need any essay help, is a great writer, etc. Let me tell you, I see more awful essays than anyone could believe! These are kids with good grades, good scores, good high schools, etc, and are on the route to good colleges- but so many of them would have just been in real trouble without me. I am really not sure why so much of their writing is so poor, but it is what it is. So, I would say this is the one particular area where it might be worth spending some money. You don't have to pay my rates, but pay someone something to really read through your child's essays carefully- both for grammar AND content. Your child's school counselors will not have the time or resources to read and nitpick over revisions to every single essay, and a lot of them really need this kind of editing.

Good luck to all of you!

Have you ever worked with students with LDs or only with students with EDs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a college counselor. Here are the main reasons why people hire me:

-Picking a college list - you don't need a professional for this. Buy the "Book of Majors" book if your child has a specific intended major, to get ideas, do some visits. and cross compare with Naviance. The main important thing to remember is that you need a true range of reaches, middles, and safeties. I find that parents are oftentimes not honest with themselves about which schools are reaches, but as long as you are realistic, you will be fine.

-Strategizing - when to pull the ED card, etc.

-Managing the process- some parents really just don't want anything to do with it.. And that is ok! I get it.. If I could pay someone to do frustrating parenting tasks, I probably would too. It can be easier for the parent/child relationship to let someone else be the bad guy, do the nagging, etc.

-Essays - essay work comprises the bulk of my time. When I start working with most families, they often tell me that their child will hardly need any essay help, is a great writer, etc. Let me tell you, I see more awful essays than anyone could believe! These are kids with good grades, good scores, good high schools, etc, and are on the route to good colleges- but so many of them would have just been in real trouble without me. I am really not sure why so much of their writing is so poor, but it is what it is. So, I would say this is the one particular area where it might be worth spending some money. You don't have to pay my rates, but pay someone something to really read through your child's essays carefully- both for grammar AND content. Your child's school counselors will not have the time or resources to read and nitpick over revisions to every single essay, and a lot of them really need this kind of editing.

Good luck to all of you!

Have you ever worked with students with LDs or only with students with EDs?

ED = Early Decision

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a college counselor. Here are the main reasons why people hire me:

-Picking a college list - you don't need a professional for this. Buy the "Book of Majors" book if your child has a specific intended major, to get ideas, do some visits. and cross compare with Naviance. The main important thing to remember is that you need a true range of reaches, middles, and safeties. I find that parents are oftentimes not honest with themselves about which schools are reaches, but as long as you are realistic, you will be fine.

-Strategizing - when to pull the ED card, etc.

-Managing the process- some parents really just don't want anything to do with it.. And that is ok! I get it.. If I could pay someone to do frustrating parenting tasks, I probably would too. It can be easier for the parent/child relationship to let someone else be the bad guy, do the nagging, etc.

-Essays - essay work comprises the bulk of my time. When I start working with most families, they often tell me that their child will hardly need any essay help, is a great writer, etc. Let me tell you, I see more awful essays than anyone could believe! These are kids with good grades, good scores, good high schools, etc, and are on the route to good colleges- but so many of them would have just been in real trouble without me. I am really not sure why so much of their writing is so poor, but it is what it is. So, I would say this is the one particular area where it might be worth spending some money. You don't have to pay my rates, but pay someone something to really read through your child's essays carefully- both for grammar AND content. Your child's school counselors will not have the time or resources to read and nitpick over revisions to every single essay, and a lot of them really need this kind of editing.

Good luck to all of you!

Have you ever worked with students with LDs or only with students with EDs?

ED = Early Decision

Aaahh, I my world ED = Emotional Disability

[Anonymous]

Where can I find a college counselor? And when should I start the process (i.e. when do kids start working on their applications)? I would like to get a jump on this info so I can determine whether or not its affordable.

[Anonymous]

The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) has a member directory online that you can search:
http://www.iecaonline.com/cfm_PublicSearch/pg_PublicSearch.cfm?mode=entry

[Anonymous]

You don't need one. They are good for people who
1 have an 8 grader and are planning
2 have a child who will not listen to advice from parent so need an outside professional to tell kid things

[Anonymous]

Looking for colleges together can be a great bonding moment if you both have a sense of humor and adventure. Start early on essays and let them develop over time. This really is the hardest part. The prompts are terrible and kids don't understand what purpose they serve. Please do look specifically online about what to avoid and how to discover what the question really is asking.
The next single most important aspect is major. This impacts which schools to consider. You mention SLAC's so I assume non tech major. If you know a specific major there will be help online for which schools really have departments with depth and opportunities.
Next is narrowing the field. Scores are VERY helpful. Look at how the sat distribution is at various schools you like and how how well they match your kid. There's a lot of advice on safety reach etc but you really want to see the scores be in range. Don't count on schools to recalculate GPA or to superscore.
Once you have a good grasp of the overall landscape in college admissions for YOUR child you can then get much better results from the school counselor. You will have done the hardest most important part which is to put your child into context. Don't be afraid of going with the new counselor. At my child's big three the new one was the best one.

[Anonymous]

I didn't realize Harvard put out these results for admission. These counselors skew the process even more but I guess Harvard doesn't care. All these schools are already for the elite. It's not like they need more help to get in.

http://features.thecrimson.com/2014/freshman-survey/admissions/


Students whose families make more than $500,000 annually hired private admissions counselors nearly four times as much as those students whose families earn less than $40,000. Additionally, this year, 32 percent of those students in the highest income bracket hired private counselors, compared to 22.6 percent last year. Students whose families make less than $40,000 per year attained, on average, SAT scores 80 points lower than those whose family income exceeded $500,000 per year.

[Anonymous]

PP I'm not sure sure it skews it. Only 16.3% of the 2018 class (those who answered the survey) used private admission counselors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP I'm not sure sure it skews it. Only 16.3% of the 2018 class (those who answered the survey) used private admission counselors.

Kind of pathetic that they had to. You'd think kids talented enough to get into Harvard would be able to do it on their own. Perhaps that's a question they should add to the application...