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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD going to what is regarded as a strong local private next year in 9th Grade.  Goal is Ivy League.  What do I need to do/know starting now.  Is the college coach type thing worth it?  They charge 10-15K for one kid.  
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Assuming that your DD will be a standout student and an extremely selective school is a reasonable goal, the best partner/source of information will be the school's college counselors. They will have the best perspective on how students like your DD fair in the process. Remember, a large proportion of DD's classmates are going to be legacy at the Ivies, so if DD is unhooked, the college admissions list may have little bearing on your DD's individual chances. There really isn't a need for a private college counselor/advisor for that group of colleges because you need very top grades, curriculum/course selection, and test scores and you don't seem to care about the difference between them. The English teachers at the high school are prepared to spend considerable time helping the juniors and seniors write their college essays, so you don't really need a coach for that either. A private college advisor is probably most useful to help the top students consider alternatives that would serve their goals and fit. They are also especially useful for the B students to sort out what colleges might fit since they probably won't be competitive for the name brand schools.

That being said, the most important thing your DD can do is to do well in high school and not get over focused on college. Choose challenging classes, do well in them, and engage the teachers at the school out of class. Most importantly, get involved in things other than schoolwork to grow up and find out who she is as the matures from a child to an adult.  [/quote]

Thank you somebody actually provided a helpful answer.  The issue is that most of the high school counselors don't do course selection in early grades which the counselors I have met with say is important early in the process (even 9th grade).  I met with one for two hours on an early basis to decide between top high schools in the area (the ones you know from the other forum--GDS, NCS, Potomac, Holton, Sidwell, etc).  And she gave useful advice.  But it is a lot of money on top of tuition for three kids.  [/quote]

What well-regarded private school in the area offers so many course options to freshmen that outside guidance is needed to choose among them? Most private schools simply aren't large enough to offer that many choices to freshmen. Your DD will take a freshman English language/literature course, a foreign language, a social science course, a science course, and a math course. The school will have a lot of say as to where she is placed for math and foreign language, and there will likely be established science tracks starting with earth science or biology for 9th graders. You really need an outside consultant to make these decisions? Email me, I'll help you for much less than $15k.[/quote]

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