No. My kid selected a safe target they could have gotten into without help. They did get merit aid, but again, I think that was due to stats not essay support and this school was already on DD's radar and ours prior to hiring private support.

I hoped it would help her get into a reach. It did not.

I wish I'd saved the money.

My child is still in high school, but we spent a year with one of the big-name, high-priced counseling firms and decided to drop them. (Not going to name them, but it's one you'd know.)

I think a firm like this would be useful for an overseas student who doesn't know much about US admissions and is trying to get in based on stats and awards. You know the blueprint.

But, in our case, our child attends a small, rural, very high-poverty school. Almost no AP classes, no real high-flying extracurriculars, etc. My child was trying to start a debate club and the counselor added, "Try to make it to [top ranked debate competition]." I'm like, they don't even have a debate club right now and none of these kids have done a debate in their lives. We're not connecting.

I found that I learned much more about the admission process from listening to Your College Bound Kid than from the high-priced assembly line counselor. Again, it would work for some, but it was a cookie-cutter approach with not much nuance. ("Passion projects," anyone?)

Anonymous wrote:Glad you bumped this old thread up, OP. I'm also ooking for a great essay coach who can help with two Common App essays and 7-10 supplementals for a fixed cost.

Our son has an uncommon writing voice and sense of humor, but he covers it up trying to sound like what he thinks the reader wants. He has some interesting quirks and niche interests to what otherwise looks like a 4.0/1500/SGAleader/4yr varsity athlete profile. I'm hoping he'll lean into the quirks because the rest of it speaks for itself and doesn't distinguish him.

Who would be a good coach for not more than $2K?

Is your son a junior? I doubt anyone would take him on for early apps this cycle.

Anonymous wrote:Counselor helped extensively with course selection beginning in 10th grade (we hired her in 9th), ECs, summer program admissions, college suggestions, applications and essays. Could not have done it without her -- the insights she provided were invaluable. Hiring a highly-recommended professional is absolutely worth it if you can both afford it and find someone that relates well to your child.

Would you be able to share who was your counselor? So many out there...it's a bit overwhelming. Ty

The best college counselor I used was the paid version of Chat GPT. It truly is a lifesaver and the most efficient use of our time as it provides instant results. Of course I have to check and confirm some things on my own but it has been a huge help end to end- helping develop college lists- reaches, targets, and safeties; brainstorming essay topics, helping narrow down the activity list and awards, analyzing SAT results and coming up with a study schedule, etc.