Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is a senior. Top 10% at competitive private, 1530 (800 verbal). Good leadership within school but not outside of school. She is looking at northwestern, Chicago, Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst.
It’s def likely that had she had “guidance” earlier to seek out ways to get national recognition, she could be looking at Yale and Brown.
I actually came here to say it’s too much pressure, but as I think about it, there are some National competitions she easily could have done - she didn’t want to so we didn’t push it, but I don’t think it would have been terrible if we had, actually. And that would have made her slightly more competitive for a tip top school.

LOL Yale and Brown are just as unlikely with and without a private consultant. And why would you need a consultant to seek national recognition? It's about the essays, narrative and how it is crafted, grades, test scores, letters of recommendation. You didn't get any guidance on these things, so now you can be sure that Northwestern and Chicago will also be crapshoots. Good luck.