I worked with a consultant who had strong opinions about St Patrick's which made me not send my daughter there for K. She pushed me to another school and it has worked out fine but I do wonder how much her input clouded my opinions and judgement.

Ask the consultant where they send their own children to school, how often they have switched schools, if they swapped private for public or visa versa, and why. Odds are they are more than unqualified to advise anyone when they can't even get their own act together.

Anonymous wrote:We liked working with Lindsay White.

Lindsay White was wonderful to work with.

Would just like to say we hired Mariana for a one hour consultation and I was not impressed at all. I’m surprised by all the positive reviews. She was very difficult to correspond with and not responsive at all. During the phone consultation which was scheduled, she had her kid in the background and had very little to add to my research. She was condescending and judgmental, even asking about my political stance. She told me she would send me additional recommendations after the consult which she never did. My follow up email went completely unanswered. I would not use her. You are better off talking to a local mom for free.

We have several children and used a consultant for our first child but won’t use one now that we’ve gone through the process. And we felt the money was completely worth it for our family. We had zero expectation that she would help get child admitted but rather we saw her as helping our family/child survive/maximize the process. In my view, the whole application process is a huge pain in the butt if you have no idea what you are doing and have busy jobs yourselves. 9th grade applicant. Coming from public. I sortof understand that process now and didnt think there was value the second go round. So if you’ve done the private school thing loads of times in different cities, I wouldn’t waste your money on that here. But if money is no object, it’ll make your life a little easier.

Peter wasn't great for us. Didn't know schools outside the narrow NW Bethesda Potomac corridor-didn't know selective publics at all. Many families apply to both and need to look broadly at pros and cons...

Its worth noting that Admissions Directors very often wear a "sales person" hat as well -- When they admit kids who then choose to go elsewhere ( "low yield")  its challenging for them. A talented AD can influence a consultant and send a message that a particular kid who has a choice between a few competing schools, is the best fit for their school. They can also help the consultant better understand their program, so the consultant steers more applications their way or sells it more effectively to prospective families.

So yes it is in their interest to talk to whomever might help them get a high number of applicants so the school seems competitive, and then get a large portion of those accepted, enrolled-so the yield is high. 

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Anonymous wrote:Exactly, and I'll echo that they absolutely speak with the consultants. There is an implicit "deal" where the consultants to not promote unqualified students and in exchange, seem to have a bit of sway when they actually recommend someone.

It’s pay to play and money talks. That’s how private works.

Yes, but applicant has to be qualified. The consultant will be able to assess which school is a better fit first.

No, the applicant has to be able to afford the consultant. Then the consultant does the assessment and recommends schools. Money first and if you don’t have it, your qualifications won’t matter.

Does it increase the chances of your child getting in? Having a consultant I mean?

As mentioned above, I think the best way to look at it is that a consultant will not help your unqualified kid get into a school that they would not have otherwise. However, a consultant with relationships in admissions can help your otherwise qualified applicant at least be seen versus other qualified kids. Take that for what it’s worth.

So you are saying that, between two equally qualified applicants, the one with money to hire a consultant will be favored by admissions offices. It follows an applicant who cannot hire a consultant has to be better qualified to get the same consideration. I can see why wealthy parents would be fine with this arrangement - rich kids don’t have to be as qualified - but one would think the admissions offices would be more sensitive to the inequity.

Yes it sounds like that is what she's saying. It also sounds accurate, alas.

There is a lot of outside looking in on this thread. For the upper grades, 6th and 9th, a consultant won’t improve your chances at a top DC school. Maybe with the 3 year olds vying for pk.

None of my kids’ friends who entered Sidwell and NCS at 9th had an advocate-for-hire. Neither did we. All the kids were, however, phenomenal candidates who went on to stand out among even their elite cohort. that’s what it takes in the older grades — not setting your money on fire with Peter and Theodora.

Is it a nepotism broker type model? That's a model that works.

Another vote for Lindsay White- kindergarten, ended up at a “Big 3.” We aren’t from DC and wanted a thought partner. She made us aware of some schools that weren’t on our list originally and helped us refine our essays. Well worth it.

Our family worked with Henry C Mulzac at Henry Charles Consulting ( https://henrycharlesconsulting.com)

Henry advised our family during the application process for private elementary school. Henry's profound admissions experience in the DC area gave us strong insight into what admissions professionals seek in a given application. It helped us determine which schools would best fit our goals and needs for our children’s educational journey. His application support services were where Henry proved to be the most invaluable – pushing us to craft the most compelling and persuasive answers to the parent questionnaires as well as pinpointing specific changes that drastically improved the quality of our applications. We also appreciated his suggestions, which gave our family small and easy ways to help our children’s applications stand out.

Overall, working with Henry was very reassuring, and we are grateful to have had him as a resource in this process.

Anonymous wrote:Seems like a racket praying on over-anxious parents.

Private schools charging $50k/ year?

Yes, they are a racket.

Seems like a racket praying on over-anxious parents.

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So what happens if you pay a consultant and your kid isn't such a great candidate? They take your money and run?

Anonymous wrote:Exactly, and I'll echo that they absolutely speak with the consultants. There is an implicit "deal" where the consultants to not promote unqualified students and in exchange, seem to have a bit of sway when they actually recommend someone.

Sway? Why would they have sway? It's more likely that these "brokers" push candidates in one direction or another so that they can have a high placement rate in order to justify whatever it is they claim to do.

So what happens if you pay a consultant and your kid isn't such a great candidate? They take your money and run?

Anonymous wrote:Exactly, and I'll echo that they absolutely speak with the consultants. There is an implicit "deal" where the consultants to not promote unqualified students and in exchange, seem to have a bit of sway when they actually recommend someone.

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Anonymous wrote:Mariana Parodi. Parodi Educational Consulting is beyond fantastic.

+1 Loved her and we are very pleased with our acceptances.

Quite seriously, you would not have been able to accomplish this on your own? What did you pay her for that was otherwise unattainable?