Anonymous wrote:NP here -- no one thinks the school Admissions office sees a family working with a consultant as a 'red flag' for a difficult child/family?

I suspect that the admissions office would have no clue. This is all behind-the-scenes activity. You can liken it to other advantages that some applicants have, like personally knowing board members or staff at the schools.

Jean Baldwin. Knowledgeable and wise, and can provide amazing detail about how your child will fit and what individual schools are specifically looking for.

NP here -- no one thinks the school Admissions office sees a family working with a consultant as a 'red flag' for a difficult child/family?

NP here. Currently a parent of a child already in a private school in DC. Just curious- what do these consultants actually do for you? Do they help you fill out the application? Prepare for the interviews?
Does it truly give parents an advantage?

+1 -- good point 7:38 re "what is a top private."

Anonymous wrote:If you have used an advisor or consultant to help your child be placed into a top private school, in the DC area or anywhere else in the US, please post a recommendation. Need help immediately with some specific questions.

Thank you.

This is the problematic part. What is a top private? The most competitive? The best one for your child? But the thing that leapt out at me was "help your child get in." If you are looking in DC, the parents I know who hired expensive consultants thought it was a waste of money and the admissions folks I know hate those packaged applications (the kids sometimes get in anyway).

Now if you are looking for someone to advise you about schools because you are new to the area and unfamiliar, thats a different thing.

And one more for Clare!

Clare!

Another vote for Clare!

OP, I'm not 15:27 but I suspect the point of the author's question was that there are certain private schools admissions counselors in the metro DC area who have developed particular expertise/reputations for placing in children with some learning disabilities while others have a reputation for working only with the usual suspect privates. The two groups of schools overlap somewhat, for some children in the middle, but certainly not for everyone. OP, you answered the question clearly, so now others can continue chiming in with that added precision. Good luck.

Dear 15:27,

Why do you put it that way? Most parents are looking for a good fit and don't want to put their child in an environment beyond their capabilities. That's where we are - no special needs. Just moving to a place where the public schools have very mixed reviews, that's all.

Clare Anderson
Www.clareandersonconsulting.com
She is the best!

Jean Baldwin

I think it really depends on what your questions are. Are you looking for help getting your otherwise ordinary child into a top private or are you looking to find the right fit for your child with some special issue?

If you have used an advisor or consultant to help your child be placed into a top private school, in the DC area or anywhere else in the US, please post a recommendation. Need help immediately with some specific questions.

Thank you.