I don't really believe in paying admissions consultants. But Wendy is a former colleague of mine and I think she's terrific. If you have to pay someone to help you figure out which school to send your child to (and to navigate the system), hire her.

I have firsthand experience working with Wendy (I don't know Allyson). I can say Wendy was so great to work with -- she has a deep knowledge of the area schools and will take the time to get to know your child and their interests. She offers individualized suggestions, based on this understanding, for what might work best for your family overall and your child in particular.

I am someone who was fleeced by a consultant last year (NOT one of these two mentioned). After receiving our fee, she was horrible at responding to emails or texts, so it was impossible to get help or support from her. We were very explicit with her that we were happy with the school we were at (where we still had some remaining years left) but wanted to try our luck applying to a few Big 3s, knowing that our odds were slim given entry year sibling preference. In other words, we weren't looking for much, just someone to give feedback on our apps and some coaching in mock interviews. Our child didn't get in (NBD, it's what we expected given the grade level and the numbers), and about a month after decision day, we randomly started getting texts from the consultant about how she'd secured spots for our child at two schools, without any context or paying attention to our preferences and priorities (e.g.: location, religious affiliation, etc). This is a consultant who has had some very positive reviews on this board for really being able to listen to families and pair them with good fit schools, and our experience was drastically different -- she didn't listen to us, she wasn't responsive, and we just felt like we hadn't gotten the support we paid for. Again: this isn't about the result (which we were expecting, and we are thrilled to continue at our same school), it's about feeling supported and listened-to throughout the process.

POINT BEING: if someone I knew was considering using a consultant, here is what I would tell them-- and what I'm telling OP: ask the consultant for some references. Ask to speak to families that are similar to yours (e.g., in your case: other families who were applying out from DCPS, other families with an ADHD/neurodivergent child, other families who considered repeating 5th grade, other families applying to middle school, and so on. You could even ask to speak to a client that DIDN'T get in anywhere the previous admissions cycle and how the consultant supported them afterwards.). Talk to the parents and really listen to the process, ask questions about what schools their consultant suggested that they hadn't considered on their own. Ask how responsive and supportive the consultant was. Ask about what other consultants they considered and why they ended up with the one they chose. Ask about the best things the consultant added to the process. Ask what the other family wishes the consultant had done differently. Obviously, any reference the consultant gives you is likely to be satisfied with their work, but if you ask the right questions, you should get to a point where you can tell whether this is a person YOU want to work with and who is a good fit to help you support YOUR child.

That's probably a better way to evaluate consultants rather than asking for oblique comments on an anonymous board.

My child was interviewed by Allyson, had a great interview, got in, and went there. Allyson was lovely the few times I met her.

And I question anyone who rejects a school based on their interview experience. You literally never see those people again.

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Anonymous wrote:She did not have the best rep at Sidwell.

Who? Wendy or Allyson?

It is not a good look to our family for Allyson or Sidwell that it’s admission folks bail when they are fairly young to start their own consulting biz. We had a bizarre interview with her, had a VERY strange Sidwell admission experience (cannot say more without giving away identity), and I cannot imagine this happening at the school we are currently with. I get the vibe that community at Sidwell isn’t exactly what we are looking for — more of an every man for themselves.

This makes zero sense. What was your experience with Allyson and the Sidwell admissions process?

Well, Allyson, I would tell you but, as I said, this forum is anonymous so I don’t have to .

I’m not Allyson, but you should be ashamed of yourself for making baseless claims about someone while hiding behind anonymity. Clearly, your child was rejected by Sidwell and now you’re trying to blame Allyson. So bitter!

NP. I think that poster was trying to be diplomatic but she's not the only one who had a negative experience. I think bizarre is probably a good word to describe it and that word kind of spoke to me which is why I am posting. DC was admitted but decided to go elsewhere and is not the only one who did that year as we know of one other family whose child also turned down Sidwell.

Since several people allegedly shared this “bizarre” interview experience with Allyson, why don’t you tell us what happened. You won’t be outing yourself because you claim others have been through the same thing. Otherwise, it sounds like you’re trying to malign Allyson’s character based on sour grapes (why should anyone believe Sidwell didn’t reject your child after interviewing with Allyson)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She did not have the best rep at Sidwell.

Who? Wendy or Allyson?

It is not a good look to our family for Allyson or Sidwell that it’s admission folks bail when they are fairly young to start their own consulting biz. We had a bizarre interview with her, had a VERY strange Sidwell admission experience (cannot say more without giving away identity), and I cannot imagine this happening at the school we are currently with. I get the vibe that community at Sidwell isn’t exactly what we are looking for — more of an every man for themselves.

This makes zero sense. What was your experience with Allyson and the Sidwell admissions process?

Well, Allyson, I would tell you but, as I said, this forum is anonymous so I don’t have to .

I’m not Allyson, but you should be ashamed of yourself for making baseless claims about someone while hiding behind anonymity. Clearly, your child was rejected by Sidwell and now you’re trying to blame Allyson. So bitter!

NP. I think that poster was trying to be diplomatic but she's not the only one who had a negative experience. I think bizarre is probably a good word to describe it and that word kind of spoke to me which is why I am posting. DC was admitted but decided to go elsewhere and is not the only one who did that year as we know of one other family whose child also turned down Sidwell.

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Anonymous wrote:How much does this kind of service cost?

+1 Curious about this as well.

Her fee is between $12k to $15k per admissions cycle.

We used a competitor two admissions cycles ago and it was $5k. We ended up at Big3 HS. This is obscene, in my opinion, but to each his or her own.

Wendy's price is obscene because she has relations with all the top local schools and will literally vouch for your kid. Almost everyone that works with her gets their first pick.

I don’t believe you. You cannot guarantee admission at these top local privates by paying someone $15k to “vouch” for your kid. You must be her or her proponent trying to drum up business from really really desperate parents. All of the $5k local consultants also have “relations” and they don’t promise admission anywhere.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much does this kind of service cost?

+1 Curious about this as well.

Her fee is between $12k to $15k per admissions cycle.

We used a competitor two admissions cycles ago and it was $5k. We ended up at Big3 HS. This is obscene, in my opinion, but to each his or her own.

Wendy's price is obscene because she has relations with all the top local schools and will literally vouch for your kid. Almost everyone that works with her gets their first pick.