No advice, but it's lovely you're pursuing your dream, OP! Sending you lots of encouragement!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've thought the same OP. I got my two kids into different Ivies (unhooked) over the past 2 cycles. They had good but not perfect high school records.A lot of it was knowing the quirks of the industry which I picked up on Reddit, College Confidential, etc.

I do agree that the first step would be being an application reader.

What a pathetic post. “I got my two kids into different Ivies.”

No, dear, they got themselves in.

I know a mom who uses this verbiage all the time. She wrote the essays and more. It’s called helping your kids cheat. Just a less sophisticated Rick Singer situation.

Does anyone here have experience as an application reader?

OP here - Thank you all for the feedback.

I've been doing some of the "free" stuff already (on Reddit - helping some FGLI kids as well as scholar match). Will look into other suggestions now - thank you!!

For the PP, who doubted me - how weird?
I have two kids (my own) who I've helped get into multiple T20. Through a local org supporting low-income kids (similar to B&G club), I've read drafts and completed apps for several (yes, plural) kids.

And then, yes, if you are our age, you have a LOT of friends and family who come to you once they see the success your kid has had in the process (read this, help review draft app, revise EC list, suggest summer activities to support major, develop a "theme").

My own kids actually didn't have perfect stats or profiles AT ALL - and one actually had some "flaws". I'm not even advertising here - why the HATE or disbelief? My own kids didn't have the perfect stats for HYPSM, but other friends & relatives did (and were eventually successful). Why is that hard to believe?

Anyway, to the actual helpful responders, thank you. I'll explore opportunities for application reading this summer, along with perhaps trying to get some experience with a more legit private counseling firm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You:

- helped kids (plural) this last cycle (2024-2025) look into under the radar schools

- Have 2 kids admitted into T20s in last 2 years

- and this last cycle (‘24-‘25) helped 3 kids get T10/Ivies

Who are all these friends coming to you for help? (You mentioned your kids (example 2) and friends and family for example 3) — so example 1 (all friends) and 3 at least partially friends). All these friends and family members (at least 5) during the last cycle are coming to you for advice on narrative development, essays, EC development, Supp brainstorming- all the way to LOCIs.

So so so weird and seems unbelievable. And your kids get T20 but you got 3 others into ivies/T10s?

You will do well bc much of college app advising is unregulated and people can say whatever.

The OP seems 100% believable to me, and the weird antagonism in this comment is what reads as weird to me. Stop griefing on people.

OP, I'm the one who posted earlier about having to redirect parents away from Stanford, etc., and had two thoughts as to how you can scratch the itch a bit more as you mull over hanging out a shingle or whatever path makes sense. First is to get involved in College Confidential, where there's more of a community of like-minded parents-who-have-been-through-it and where you can continue to talk shop. The moderation there and the "anonymous but with an account name" setup prevents bad actors from taking over threads the way they do here. Second is to think about getting involved with https://www.scholarmatch.org/, where they help FGLI kids with the application process. It won't be the same high-fliers you've worked with so far, but could have a really positive impact.

Opinions can differ. Ours do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a longtime poster here. Have 2 kids in college - both T20. I learned a LOT here and didn’t hire a counselor for them and they had very successful cycles (in last 2 years).

I really enjoy reading about this field, listening to a ton of podcasts etc. And, this past cycle I helped 3 (friends & family) get into T10/Ivies. Helped with narrative development, essays, EC development, Supp brainstorming- all the way to LOCIs.

Have undergrad and professional degrees from T10; semi-retired from a professional career.

Does anyone know how I would get into real private counseling? Should I go back to school for this (which seems kind of pointless)? Should I just get IEC certified? Hang up a shingle? What is the best way -besides word of mouth?

I do this purely voluntarily so it not very applicable to you. After my child's admission, my child told me about a lower income kid who is a junior who cannot afford counseling and similar to my child's interests/activities. I told my child that I can help the kid if they are interested. I ended up helping that kid. Then that kid referred to me to three other juniors the next year. In the last 3 years I helped 7 kids that way and now I am helping 3 more kids this year.

All are lower income and really lacking in support. One of the kids is at a HYPSM and two others at T20 with full financial aid. If you can help even one lower income kid, I promise it is very satisfying.

Why not start a non-profit or connect with the Boys and Girls Club to continue the fulfilling work you are doing? If you start charging, you’re going to have to deal with unreasonable demands from rich people. They are paying you to “get their kids in” top schools and to tell them it’s possible after ignoring their private CCO. When they don’t get in, it will be your fault. Thats far from the fulfillment you are describing.

Anonymous wrote:I think you get gain credibility doing a couple of cycles as an application reader/essay reader. You can do that from home.

They do a lot of data entry and write summaries. They don't make decisions and aren't included in the later rounds of discussion or review. The readers are below those entry-level counselors who make $45k.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've thought the same OP. I got my two kids into different Ivies (unhooked) over the past 2 cycles. They had good but not perfect high school records.A lot of it was knowing the quirks of the industry which I picked up on Reddit, College Confidential, etc.

I do agree that the first step would be being an application reader.

What a pathetic post. “I got my two kids into different Ivies.”

No, dear, they got themselves in.

The real test should be if they are happy and fulfilled where they are, rather than where they got in. If they were levered into an ivy but suicidal then there is nothing to brag about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've thought the same, OP, but what dissuades me is realizing that I feel like 90% of the job is going to be trying to redirect overly optimistic parents from Stanford or MIT or Princeton to … any number of fantastic schools that they just don't want to hear about. And that's a very different kind of work from the exciting parts of learning more about schools, analyzing CDSs, going on tours, etc.

OP here.
Agree. I had to do that to a friend - I sent her links to multiple threads on Reddit so she could get an idea of the kinds of kids with amazing profiles that are generally rejected from top schools with oversubscribed majors. If you are new to the process, it can blow your mind.

I have been successful and convincing just these few this past cycle to apply to some under the radar schools where surprisingly their kids got amazing merit. It definitely opened their eyes to a larger world, but you are right. It is an uphill battle.

For all of you, how much does branding matter? All of the glitz & the glamour or more bare bones?

How many people that you know are looking for full service college counseling packages vs ad hoc hourly packages (that might give you a product or deliverable in the end)?

Maybe start a vlog or website sharing your insights and links to useful sources. Establish an online presence and build on it.

Be flexible with your business model. Most would prefer a reasonable hourly rate to see if it’s worth it. Maybe offer some fixed-fee ‘packages’ for common repetitive services. Also consider discounts for blocks of hours to be used similar to what many tutoring companies do.

Anonymous wrote:I’m a longtime poster here. Have 2 kids in college - both T20. I learned a LOT here and didn’t hire a counselor for them and they had very successful cycles (in last 2 years).

I really enjoy reading about this field, listening to a ton of podcasts etc. And, this past cycle I helped 3 (friends & family) get into T10/Ivies. Helped with narrative development, essays, EC development, Supp brainstorming- all the way to LOCIs.

Have undergrad and professional degrees from T10; semi-retired from a professional career.

Does anyone know how I would get into real private counseling? Should I go back to school for this (which seems kind of pointless)? Should I just get IEC certified? Hang up a shingle? What is the best way -besides word of mouth?

I do this purely voluntarily so it not very applicable to you. After my child's admission, my child told me about a lower income kid who is a junior who cannot afford counseling and similar to my child's interests/activities. I told my child that I can help the kid if they are interested. I ended up helping that kid. Then that kid referred to me to three other juniors the next year. In the last 3 years I helped 7 kids that way and now I am helping 3 more kids this year.

All are lower income and really lacking in support. One of the kids is at a HYPSM and two others at T20 with full financial aid. If you can help even one lower income kid, I promise it is very satisfying.

Anonymous wrote:You:

- helped kids (plural) this last cycle (2024-2025) look into under the radar schools

- Have 2 kids admitted into T20s in last 2 years

- and this last cycle (‘24-‘25) helped 3 kids get T10/Ivies

Who are all these friends coming to you for help? (You mentioned your kids (example 2) and friends and family for example 3) — so example 1 (all friends) and 3 at least partially friends). All these friends and family members (at least 5) during the last cycle are coming to you for advice on narrative development, essays, EC development, Supp brainstorming- all the way to LOCIs.

So so so weird and seems unbelievable. And your kids get T20 but you got 3 others into ivies/T10s?

You will do well bc much of college app advising is unregulated and people can say whatever.

The OP seems 100% believable to me, and the weird antagonism in this comment is what reads as weird to me. Stop griefing on people.

OP, I'm the one who posted earlier about having to redirect parents away from Stanford, etc., and had two thoughts as to how you can scratch the itch a bit more as you mull over hanging out a shingle or whatever path makes sense. First is to get involved in College Confidential, where there's more of a community of like-minded parents-who-have-been-through-it and where you can continue to talk shop. The moderation there and the "anonymous but with an account name" setup prevents bad actors from taking over threads the way they do here. Second is to think about getting involved with https://www.scholarmatch.org/, where they help FGLI kids with the application process. It won't be the same high-fliers you've worked with so far, but could have a really positive impact.

Anonymous wrote:I've thought the same OP. I got my two kids into different Ivies (unhooked) over the past 2 cycles. They had good but not perfect high school records.A lot of it was knowing the quirks of the industry which I picked up on Reddit, College Confidential, etc.

I do agree that the first step would be being an application reader.

What a pathetic post. “I got my two kids into different Ivies.”

No, dear, they got themselves in.

From a clientele perspective, I would welcome your free insights and advice. However, if I felt my child needed professional college admissions support, I would look for someone with a longer track record of success. Moreover, I would consider someone who’s worked in admissions offices of colleges of similar caliber as the ones my family is targeting.

I've thought the same OP. I got my two kids into different Ivies (unhooked) over the past 2 cycles. They had good but not perfect high school records.A lot of it was knowing the quirks of the industry which I picked up on Reddit, College Confidential, etc.

I do agree that the first step would be being an application reader.

Anonymous wrote:I think you get gain credibility doing a couple of cycles as an application reader/essay reader. You can do that from home.

Sorry for typos/missing words.