did anyone use Clare Anderson for consulting this year?

[Anonymous]

How was your experience?
On a practical level, did your child end up getting accepted into a good fit school?
Does she have any actual pull with particular admissions people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How was your experience?
On a practical level, did your child end up getting accepted into a good fit school?
Does she have any actual pull with particular admissions people?

Sincere question: if the child hasn’t attended the school yet, how can it be determined for certain they it’s a “good fit?”

[Anonymous]

I don't think you should think of education consultants as necessarily having 'pull' with admissions. Their job is to help you find the best fit for your kids and help you navigate the admissions process.

We worked with Clare last year and felt she was worth every penny in the guidance and advice she gave our family. We ended up applying to a school that wasn't necessarily on our radar screen (was actually harder to get into vs the schools we initially identified). Our DD was accepted and we couldn't be happier on how things worked out.

[Anonymous]

I think it can be helpful to help to navigate the process if you are very busy and have more than one child applying at the same time, but don’t expect them to get your child a seat at a specific school for you.

[Anonymous]

We used Clare two years ago. She knew the schools, knew the admissions teams and logistics, and generally had a great sense of fit. She didn't say "don't apply here" though she did suggest some schools as better fits than others (e.g., we didn't apply to a couple schools that are regularly lauded on DCUM). As an example of how well she knows the admissions teams, when we mentioned that our DC was very big into a particular extracurricular activity, she said that the AD of a particular school we were considering was captain/president of the club for that activity while in college and continued to be involved in that activity while now in the AD role (i.e., we should be sure to keep that in mind in answering essays, at parent interview, etc.). I came away from meeting with Clare -- granted, it was about a 2 hour meeting -- with, no joke, about 10 pages of notes. It's not just for new DC residents either - -we're longtime residents who already have one child in a big-3. She helped us set a plan the timing of interviews (which ones to do first; most important ones later after getting "practice," etc.); timing of admissions testing; value of letters of recommendation (and from what people - coach? neighbor who's a long-time booster/alum? former teacher?); and more. We loved her. Money well spent! DC now at a fabulous school (and got into all but one of the schools applied to).

[Anonymous]

^^ The stuff you're saying here is just blindingly obvious to me, aside from the anecdote about the AD with college hobbies.

I'm sure its worth spending the money if you are genuinely clueless though.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I wish we had had that kind of help from Clare Anderson. We were disappointed by what we received.

[Anonymous]

Pam Tedeschi?

[Anonymous]

Used Clare two years ago to advise us and got in to multiple competitive schools. Highly endorse.

[Anonymous]

independent school consultants? really?

what does she charge for the hour?

[Anonymous]

How much does she charge? Do you pay by results?

[Anonymous]

We are thrilled with the guidance provided by Clare Anderson & both of my kids landed in schools she suggested as good "fits". She's worth every penny!

[Anonymous]

We used Clare this year and in another year for another child. Both years, our child got into first choice "big three" school and in one case, it was definitely not a sure thing. She genuinely cares about your child and family but is realistic, and gives thoughtful practical advice. She was extremely knowledgeable and and patient. One year involved a highly emotional situation for our child and her advice and strategy was spot on. Worth every penny. We viewed her fee as a small percentage of the overall cost of private school and it was worth it to do what we could to make sure our child's school was a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I wish we had had that kind of help from Clare Anderson. We were disappointed by what we received.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are thrilled with the guidance provided by Clare Anderson & both of my kids landed in schools she suggested as good "fits". She's worth every penny!

How man pennies did it cost you?