Choosing a Consultant

The following information is being made available to families who are looking for assistance with the planning and preparation portion of the college admissions process. This information will enable families to qualify each consultant as they go through the interview process and before a final decision is made.

Choosing a college could possibly be one of the most important decisions in your child's life. With that, we commend you for your commitment to helping your student and take the following points to heart.

EXPERIENCE:

First and foremost, there is no substitute for experience. Optimally, you would like your college admissions consultant to have worked at a top-tier college or university that embraces an admissions process that looks at all aspects of an applicant i.e. academics, activities, letters of recommendation, etc.

Note: For California residents and those who are applying to the CA state systems i.e. UC & Cal States, it should be noted that an extremely high percentage of all applicants are admitted based on their academics & test scores only.

How long has the company been in business?  Did the company start in an economic downturn?

EDUCATION:

Look at the educational background(s) of the consultant(s) that you will be working with. Do they have a Graduate degree? In what areas are their undergraduate and graduate degrees in? You will find that most consultants do not have advanced degrees or that their degrees in this are i.e. psychology, counseling, etc. Again, you should hope to find a consultant with an advanced degree and in an area of study that is directly related to this field.

ADD-ON:

It is at this time that I would like to point out the difference between a college planning & preparation consultant and a college financial planning consultant. Like many parents seeking information on "How to Pay for College", they sign-up for various workshops, information sessions, etc., only to find that someone wants to sell them an insurance plan or their companies financial service options. Financial planning consultants are abundant and most likely have no experience with the college admissions process.

Families that are seeking a college admissions consultant, should look for someone who specializes in the college admissions process only. Parents need to be wary of those that offer additional types of services i.e. SAT/ACT Prep, tutoring, FAFSA assistance, etc. as it is most likely that these companies originated as such and are now "Piggybacking" or "Adding-on" to gain your business.

IVY CLAIM:

There are many services that are started by Ivy League graduates or specifically hire Ivy League graduates to gain your business. These companies will claim that they "Got into the Ivy League" and that they can "Get your student in too". Again, do they REALLY have first-hand knowledge of the admissions system and do you really know WHEN they were admitted and under what circumstances they were admitted? Most likely, that answer would be, "No" to all three of those questions.

Note: There are also consultants/parents out there that claim that THEY got their son or daughter into an Ivy League school. When Harvard only admits 5% of their applicants, how much did the parent really do?

COMFORT & REPOIRE

The bottom line is that the student should be comfortable working with the college admissions consultant that you hire. This is a very exciting time for the entire family and this process should be FUN!