College Admissions Consultant – Should You Hire One?

The first time I attended a free college admissions seminar, the presenter mentioned a college called Harvey Mudd. Like many in the audience, my reaction was, “Harvey what?” And some of the parents in the audience didn’t know that UC San Francisco does not offer undergraduate degrees. We went away from the seminar even more dismayed at our lack of knowledge about colleges and admissions. Now, having gone through two undergrad college application cycles, I find myself providing guidance to parents of students in my coding classes. This article is a summary of many such phone calls and emails.

What is a college admissions consultant’s job?

College admissions consultants guide students and their families through the process of college admissions. There are many parts to this guidance and not all consultants provide all the parts. These are the most common areas of help they provide:

High school course selection
Choosing summer camps and extracurriculars
Exploring majors
Standardized test planning and preparation
Shortlisting colleges
Essay writing
Financial aid

Is a college admissions consultant necessary?

Let’s say college admissions consultants can be useful. How a family uses a college consultant depends on their needs, values, goals and the personalities of the student and parents. It also depends on how savvy the family already is about colleges and how much time the parents can devote to guiding their child.

Isn’t help necessary only for the essays?

It is a common perception that all information for college admissions is readily available on the internet and the student only needs customized help with essays. This works for some families, but will it work for yours? Break down the college admissions process into a comprehensive list of smaller tasks and evaluate your comfort level of handling each one without professional help.

College Admissions Here’s a starter list:

Extracurricular activities planning – how to demonstrate depth and passion in the chosen activities.
Taking courses outside of school – pros and cons of taking summer courses.
Exploring career options – when the student isn’t yet sure about it.
Standardized tests – preparation, planning, scheduling, and retaking decisions.
School courses selection – choosing courses and having backups.
Shortlisting colleges – how many, how to narrow down the list, to visit or not.
Early Action or Early Decision – the restrictions of each option.
An unexpected setback such as a failing grade in a course.

You can also look for a consultant who provides an a la carte service instead of a fixed admissions package.

How to find a college admissions consultant that is best for your family?

First, don’t google. You will only end up spending hours reading blogs and articles about the college admissions process. Instead, get a few names from friends, neighbors or colleagues. Ask in your local social media like Nextdoor. If you are lucky, you will get a recommendation from a family whose needs are similar to yours.

Then, meet with consultants who offer a free initial consultation. Consultants tend to fill up the free consultation with facts and figures that can further confuse the parents, so go prepared for the free consultation. This will allow you to turn back the conversation to your family’s needs, values and goals. Here are some suggestions for that first consultation:

Have a good idea of what you need help with and what you or your student can handle yourselves.
Check how often the parent is updated and are queries from parents encouraged. Some consultants prefer to deal only with the student after the first meeting.
Pay attention to how the consultant handles a difference of opinion. The ideal consultant is one who provides guidance but leaves the final decisions to the student and parents. If your student is the laid back kind, a consultant who pushes for the most challenging course selection is not a good match. Ask questions like, “Do you work with students with a GPA less than 3.4?”
Try to find a consultant who also helps with the essays. Going to a separate person for reviewing essays (even if the essay person is from the same company) can mean that the second person does not know about the rest of the application.
Make sure you are comfortable with the consultant. They are going to be almost like family for the next year or few years.

What if you and your family decide not to hire one?

Though your child might not think so, nobody knows your child like you do. You could very well be your child’s best guide in the college admissions process. Use free resources such as the parents, students and colleges forums of CollegeConfidential.com.

As for the essay, your child’s high school counselors and English teachers are often happy to provide feedback. Have your child contact them early in the admissions process. This is a great bonus opportunity for your child to learn how to seek help in a professional manner. Individualized help with essays is also available online through companies like LuxWritingCenter.com. Additionally, check out EssayHell.com which is a comprehensive online guide to writing college admissions essays.

Finally, it is common for freshly graduated high school students to offer inexpensive or free college admissions help before they themselves head off to college in fall.

So …
There will be some yelling matches and slammed doors. Take some deep breaths, practice some yoga and double your daily mindfulness practice. Many parents have done it before you, and you can do it too. For all you know, you might end up becoming a college admissions consultant yourself.