In hindsight, was your college counselor worth it? If so, can you share who it was?

[Anonymous]

Paid 5K for essay help. Not helpful. In fact, detrimental I believe. I always liked the first version without editing much better. Helped with 4 schools. Could not get into any of them. Did not get any help with a specific HYPSM and Accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paid 5K for essay help. Not helpful. In fact, detrimental I believe. I always liked the first version without editing much better. Helped with 4 schools. Could not get into any of them. Did not get any help with a specific HYPSM and Accepted.

I heard this a lot this cycle. Too much over-editing.

Best essay coach might not be fancy consultants but a college student who doesn’t know your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for a private counselor with experience with private prep school kids.

Please advise!

Does counselor need to be in the DMV? Kate Peltz in Concord Mass was very effusively recommended by some prep school families we know. Didn’t hire, but not for any reason having to do with her — our kid just had a different profile than what sounded like her norm.

Np. Thx for suggestion. I’m looking too.
Any essay coaches?

This seems affordable
https://www.crimsoneducation.org/sg/resources/essay-review/

[Anonymous]

Check Wyzant or IECA website

[Anonymous]

Big NO! no only it was a waste of money, it wasted dc lots of time by giving bad suggestions. counselors have no incentive to put a lot of effort in helping the clients. They got paid regardless. Plus, word of mouth is useless as no one knows for sure if the counselor moved a needle. People often attribute positive admission outcome to counselors only because they don't care no more once the application is over.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t use one. My kid reached out to coaches at target schools directly. Kid recruited at multiple schools and is a junior at top choice. If we had used a counselor; it would have been for us parents, not for our kid.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Our college counselor is this website, so long as 3 rules are followed: 1) ignore anything said about UVA; 2) ignore anything said about Michigan; and 3) ignore rankings threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This seems affordable
https://www.crimsoneducation.org/sg/resources/essay-review/

Crimson is hit or miss, mostly miss. They are a large organization and have an application template, if you kids fits into their model, it works. Most don’t. If you are looking for personal essay coach, I think Wyzant or a college kid would be much better.

We tried Crimson and bailed. We mostly did it ourselves but did a 90-minute strategy session with a local college counselor to review our list, common app answers, essay and think about overall narrative/ED strategy. That was very helpful. She had insight on schools on our list, where DC would most likely be successful in ED and why, different strategies for applying to reach schools, how to tighten up narrative.

But this is for 2025 so I can’t if it’s successful yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you aren't willing to dedicate the time to research the schools your kid is probably just fine somewhere outside of the top 50. Take the toughest course load available from the HS and get good grades. Take the SAT three times to take advantage of super scoring. Don't over stress about the essay, just check for spelling and grammar. Use the published info from the school to know the target GPA and test scores. Visit the school and show interest.

You can Venmo me $300.

Pretty much what I am paying my counselor much more for. Except the essay is worked over to death.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Worth it if what you care about is making sure your kid stays on task (assuming he will respond better to a third party than to you) and preserving your relationship with him.

NOT worth it if you think the eventual outcome (i.e., acceptances) will be different.

For us, it was worth it.

THIS^^^ The counselor is not going to get your kid admitted. Your kid has to do that with their essays. But helping them stay on task and creating an excellent list for your kids major(s) is key. A great counselor will come up with schools you have never heard of/thought of. They will help you find several amazing safety schools and targets. Letting the CC nag my kid rather than me having to do it was worth every penny.

Yes! All of what these two previous posters have said was true for my experience. And I was eyes wide open about why I was hiring a college counselor— To relieve myself of navigating that process when I knew it would make me anxious and my anxiety might interfere. I essentially viewed the choice to spend the money as similar to the choice to spend money on therapy or other health and wellness services. (I’m simply sharing that as my personal framing and I know that would not be the case for everyone.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This seems affordable
https://www.crimsoneducation.org/sg/resources/essay-review/

Crimson is hit or miss, mostly miss. They are a large organization and have an application template, if you kids fits into their model, it works. Most don’t. If you are looking for personal essay coach, I think Wyzant or a college kid would be much better.

We tried Crimson and bailed. We mostly did it ourselves but did a 90-minute strategy session with a local college counselor to review our list, common app answers, essay and think about overall narrative/ED strategy. That was very helpful. She had insight on schools on our list, where DC would most likely be successful in ED and why, different strategies for applying to reach schools, how to tighten up narrative.

But this is for 2025 so I can’t if it’s successful yet.

Once you decided to bail on Crimson, were you able to get any of your money back from them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This seems affordable
https://www.crimsoneducation.org/sg/resources/essay-review/

Crimson is hit or miss, mostly miss. They are a large organization and have an application template, if you kids fits into their model, it works. Most don’t. If you are looking for personal essay coach, I think Wyzant or a college kid would be much better.

We tried Crimson and bailed. We mostly did it ourselves but did a 90-minute strategy session with a local college counselor to review our list, common app answers, essay and think about overall narrative/ED strategy. That was very helpful. She had insight on schools on our list, where DC would most likely be successful in ED and why, different strategies for applying to reach schools, how to tighten up narrative.

But this is for 2025 so I can’t if it’s successful yet.

Once you decided to bail on Crimson, were you able to get any of your money back from them?

Nope. My only recourse is sharing my negative experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big NO! no only it was a waste of money, it wasted dc lots of time by giving bad suggestions. counselors have no incentive to put a lot of effort in helping the clients. They got paid regardless. Plus, word of mouth is useless as no one knows for sure if the counselor moved a needle. People often attribute positive admission outcome to counselors only because they don't care no more once the application is over.

We’re in the midst of this now. I have so many regrets about using our counselor. I feel quite trapped! Our counselor does not have a good feel for my son despite many meetings and conversations. The list she has cultivated is populated by schools he could get into blind. If you try to correct her, she won’t hear of it. There is a large gulf between what parents have in mind when we hire a counselor, and what counselors see as their objective. It’s simply not worth the money for most. I suggest it only for parents who have no idea what they’re doing, such as international and first gen, or those too busy to help.

Both my child and myself have been frustrated by the whole process. A complete waste!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for a private counselor with experience with private prep school kids.

Please advise!

Does counselor need to be in the DMV? Kate Peltz in Concord Mass was very effusively recommended by some prep school families we know. Didn’t hire, but not for any reason having to do with her — our kid just had a different profile than what sounded like her norm.

What type of profile does well with her?

To be honest, higher achievers than my DC was.

But thinking about it, they were high achievers who were also pretty intellectual, the kind of kids who love learning. So the rank/fit sweet spot, maybe? That’s my sense.

[Anonymous]

Both my kids were recruited.
We didn’t use counselors because quite frankly, it depends a lot on their athletic level.
Coaches had no clue, and high school counselor had even less of an idea.
Recruiting was a delicate dance that required a spreadsheet or two or three, and telling the kids to blame everything on the parents, e.g. during visits when pressure was exerted.
Also take everything with a grain of salt that a college coach will tell you.