How to Select a College Admissions Counselor

In light of the recent admissions scandal, there’s a pervasive belief that using a college admissions counselor is the purview of the rich and famous. However, the truth is that it’s not just actors and actresses who are soliciting the services of counselors. On the contrary, a large percentage of parents from all social strata are hiring private college consultants to assist their children on the college journey. It’s hard to say exactly how many students use the services of college counselors each year. According to a survey conducted by marketing firm Lipman Hearne, 26 percent of students who scored in the 70th percentile or higher on the SAT admitted to using a private college counselor. However, it’s possible that this number is significantly higher, and some students simply don’t feel comfortable admitting seeking help. While dishonest companies like Edge College & Career Network, the business at the center of the admissions scandal, are the exception rather than the rule, it pays to do your homework when selecting a college admissions counselor. Read on to discover what types of admissions counselors are out there, along with questions to ask potential consultants. It’s not just the wealthy who can benefit from college education counselors. On the contrary, these experts help a wide array of high school students gain admission to their dream colleges. In particular, the services are beneficial to those with specific or niche passions, such as athletics or musical theater. Additionally, college counselors can help students identify lesser-known schools that have strong programs in their chosen majors. College counselors also provide valuable services to families of students with learning disabilities and other educational challenges. Along with ensuring students have the appropriate amount of time for SAT and ACT testing, consultants can work with you to identify schools that offer the best and most supportive programs for your teen’s needs and goals. Parents seeking college admissions support for their teens can generally choose between two different options: IECs and consulting firms. Also known as independent educational consultants, IECs help students throughout the application process. Along with supporting students in identifying the best reach, target, and safety schools, they offer information on financial aid and scholarships and provide feedback on admissions essays. In most cases, parents drop their teens off at a local IEC’s office to discuss college admissions questions one on one. This in-person support can help both students and parents feel more confident in the process. However, it’s worth noting that most independent educational consultants work with a very limited group of students with similar profiles. As a result, they might not have the up-to-date information needed to support teens from different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and religions. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. Additionally, independent educational consultants tend to operate with little oversight. Without state or federal agencies looking over their shoulders, some IECs have resorted to less-than-honest practices. This was the case earlier in the month when the U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts brought federal charges against 50 individuals for taking part in a conspiracy to help high schoolers get into elite colleges around the nation. On the other hand, college consulting firms tend to work with a larger group of students, allowing them to utilize the latest data to support a wide range of students from diverse backgrounds. At , we’ve worked with over 10,000 students online, meaning location isn’t a factor in securing aid and we’ve seen a breadth of profiles and decisions. Along with solving college fit issues, firms support teens in selecting the best high school coursework, choosing extracurriculars, and revising their college essays. While IECs mostly work with students who are ready to send out applications, consulting firms, like , know the college journey begins as early as freshman year of high school. So where do you start when choosing an IEC or college consulting firm? The best admissions counselors have prior experience working with students of various backgrounds and profiles.   Because college counseling remains unregulated, students and parents have to do some of their own legwork when choosing a firm. Here are some important questions to ask before selecting a college admissions counselor: Make sure the answer is no to the following: If the answer to either of the last two questions is yes, this company is best avoided. Additionally, teens and their parents should stay away from any firm that offers an acceptance guarantee. The truth is that no reputable admissions counselor can promise to get a student into a particular school, and those who claim to do so may be using unfair, dishonest, or illegal tactics. At , we understand that not every student has access to private school admissions counselors who can walk them through the college application process. With that in mind, we created a program specifically to answer students’ questions about college admissions and help them build robust applicant portfolios. We’ve worked with over 10,000 students and are able to leverage data across all types of profiles and schools. You can meet with us from anywhere. We’re up to date on what is happening in admissions right now at hundreds of schools. We can help you understand your best fit colleges and how to maximize financial aid using data! Whether your goal is to determine which schools to target or boost financial aid, we can help you achieve your goals. To schedule an appointment with our team, call today or contact our College Applications Program online .