Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to hire a college counselor? Do you purchase a package, or is it a la carte?

Some college counselors work through packages while others work hourly. It is your choice which you prefer. Remember that hourly counselors will bill you for email exchanges, phone calls, etc. If you will be annoyed by being billed as questions come up, it might be better to work with a counselor through a package.

How much do the packages generally cost?

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to hire a college counselor? Do you purchase a package, or is it a la carte?

Some college counselors work through packages while others work hourly. It is your choice which you prefer. Remember that hourly counselors will bill you for email exchanges, phone calls, etc. If you will be annoyed by being billed as questions come up, it might be better to work with a counselor through a package.

Anonymous wrote:How much does it cost to hire a college counselor? Do you purchase a package, or is it a la carte?

I’d recommend hiring who virtually who operates in a low COL area.

How much does it cost to hire a college counselor? Do you purchase a package, or is it a la carte?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I reached out to Richard a year ago after seeing his name in one of those threads. We are quite happy with the results.

I’m the person who used him for Oxford some time ago. He has had some great successes this year notwithstanding the challenges of admissions 2026. Congrats to your kid.

Thank you. How do you know about his current successes? Are you Richard?

No I am not him. Ask Jeff. I believe he is in Conn or somewhere up the coast. I am not. He helped get my kid into Oxbridge. No I never saw the essay so can’t verify but while my kid had the stats, I suspect Mr Montauk made a difference. At least my kid thinks he did. As for how I know if his successes, I read Montauk’s page, just like someone else did here. And to the best of my know he handles applicants at all levels not just Ivy but happy to be wrong.

Can you please share a link to the page with his current successes? I wonder if he mentioned our child.

Anonymous wrote:Marks College Counselung

We found their advice to be completely useless to us. Not worth $10 let alone $800/hr they charge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I reached out to Richard a year ago after seeing his name in one of those threads. We are quite happy with the results.

I’m the person who used him for Oxford some time ago. He has had some great successes this year notwithstanding the challenges of admissions 2026. Congrats to your kid.

Thank you. How do you know about his current successes? Are you Richard?

No I am not him. Ask Jeff. I believe he is in Conn or somewhere up the coast. I am not. He helped get my kid into Oxbridge. No I never saw the essay so can’t verify but while my kid had the stats, I suspect Mr Montauk made a difference. At least my kid thinks he did. As for how I know if his successes, I read Montauk’s page, just like someone else did here. And to the best of my know he handles applicants at all levels not just Ivy but happy to be wrong.

Anonymous wrote:Mom of boy with ADHD here. I have a recommendation, but I will also say this is just too early. Maybe work on managing your own anxiety a bit before you engage a college counselor? I think there’s a risk in jumping straight to college counseling when your kid is a freshman.

OP you forgot to ask DCUM not to call you "unhinged" and recommend you immediately get therapy.

I would go with someone local b/c they would be familiar with admissions trends in your area. I can think of one top college that seems to not like to take a lot of kids from this area for example.

Also never recommend a specific person on this site because it won't be pretty. Their competitors plus the trolls = not good

I pulled up Richard’s website and in true DCUM fashion, he does primarily Ivy applicants. OP, save yourself some money and use your HS’ counselor or find someone who won’t break the bank. It’s one of those jobs where the more you pay, doesn’t translate to better results. While on vacation over the next couple years, tour some schools. Otherwise I wouldn’t worry above it yet. There’s plenty of time coming for that stress.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I reached out to Richard a year ago after seeing his name in one of those threads. We are quite happy with the results.

I’m the person who used him for Oxford some time ago. He has had some great successes this year notwithstanding the challenges of admissions 2026. Congrats to your kid.

Thank you. How do you know about his current successes? Are you Richard?

Sir Richard to you!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I reached out to Richard a year ago after seeing his name in one of those threads. We are quite happy with the results.

I’m the person who used him for Oxford some time ago. He has had some great successes this year notwithstanding the challenges of admissions 2026. Congrats to your kid.

Thank you. How do you know about his current successes? Are you Richard?

Anonymous wrote:Mom of boy with ADHD here. I have a recommendation, but I will also say this is just too early. Maybe work on managing your own anxiety a bit before you engage a college counselor? I think there’s a risk in jumping straight to college counseling when your kid is a freshman.

This is an interesting take on the situation and I respectfully do not agree. Any college counselor would advocate for starting the process early so it is not total chaos in the end. If students start looking at their interests in their Freshman year of high school and expand on that throughout their high school years, it enriches their college resume. The parent is absolutely correct in trying to start the process early. The process with a Freshman is not sitting them down and writing essays but just gearing your child towards the end result and helping them create a robust resume, along with other steps, needed in the end. Obviously, this is a great question to ask before signing a contract with someone. See what their take will be but again, it is not too early. You're a great mom for looking ahead and figuring out the best way to navigate this huge process, especially when you can foresee some challenges.

Agree with focusing on getting an EF coach first.

Mom of boy with ADHD here. I have a recommendation, but I will also say this is just too early. Maybe work on managing your own anxiety a bit before you engage a college counselor? I think there’s a risk in jumping straight to college counseling when your kid is a freshman.

Anonymous wrote:NP. I reached out to Richard a year ago after seeing his name in one of those threads. We are quite happy with the results.

I’m the person who used him for Oxford some time ago. He has had some great successes this year notwithstanding the challenges of admissions 2026. Congrats to your kid.