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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m quite overwhelmed by this process, but feel that $5-10k might be better spent in my kids college fund than for a consultant. On the other hand, we need some advice…

Thoughts?[/quote]

High stat kids that need to stand out against top stat kids could use a consultant if you are aiming for schools with a 10% admit rate.  Otherwise, probably not needed.[/quote]

Any truly competitive T20 application could use counseling help. By the time you figure out how to stress the main 3 points essential for a compelling Northwestern application, it might be too late. Best to get professional help early so you know how to accentuate the key ethos of a school.

I’d advise getting help from counselors who have actually served as AO if aiming for T20.[/quote]

We hired someone for my oldest, who got into a couple top 20s, and he didn't give that kind of ultraspecific tip at all. Do counselors really do that?

[/quote]

I think you can pick up most of this stuff in other places - here, Reddit, and podcasts (Ingenius Prep; Yale; The Game; YCBK; Crimson Education webinars; Admittedly; CEG webinars).

There's also a weird guy who does "The College Admissions Process Podcast" and he interviews the head AO at many top schools. If you listen to those interviews, you will get a ton of info on the type of student they are looking for (Duke; Wake Forest; Northwestern; Amherst; Midd, and Cornell were all particularly good and relevant for us). I find this all fascinating - so it's really not "work" for me to dig into this but your experience may differ.

It's my 2nd rodeo now and I see all the things we missed when we did have an (inept) private counselor the 1st time around because I've spent weeks of my life researching and memorializing what I've discovered (everything did work out well for DC1 but now I see why some of those RD apps were destined to be rejections).

Schools have different things that they look for in applicants and different focuses for an "ideal" student. It's not as simple as focusing on an open curriculum at Brown - it's deeper than that. In my opinion, so much needs to be changed and tailored for RD apps to make sure the "Why Major essay" at Brown works at Penn (it won't work without a different type of focus). Do kids get in without all of this extra work - absolutely! But sometimes they have something else going for them too, or they are not in a crowded field or xyz. You never know.

Many of us can help our kids do the research necessary so that they tailor essays to align with the mission and values of the college; research the institution’s culture/vibe, programs, and initiatives that matter to them; and then, most importantly, incorporate these insights into a cohesive story or narrative - so it looks like the school is a natural fit to everyone and anyone who reads the app. There are some older posts on here with some excellent information. I did do some searching through the archives here.

I think the experienced private counselors who have massively staffed offices filled with dozens of former AOs and a flow of applicants probably have more info readily available among them than we do. Note we didn't use one of them - but in hindsight, I may have wished we did. I did pay for "Application Reviews" from a national firm. I found the quality of the feedback and the detail to be exceptional.[/quote]

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