As it relates to the topic of this thread…
“Have you used a private admission consultant, if so what is your experience?”
If we’ve deviated off topic at all, it happened because there a relevant point arose, i.e., applying STEM at the advice of a private counselor who might have the background to realize that there are some schools (some, not all) where this could be an advantage (the “experience” part). No one has implied that a student should PRETEND to be interested in STEM to gain an advantage in the admissions process (although it does happen), but at 17 years old there are plenty of students that don’t know exactly what they want to study or be when they grow up, so if a student has an interest in a STEM subject area, it might behoove them to indicate this interest on their application.
Just like all colleges are not equal, neither are all private counselors. Some are helpful and “worth it”, and some are not. Depends on some combination of what they are able to offer their client offset by how much they charge.
@lookingforward I think everyone knows DIY is the least expensive. But, no pun intended with it being tax day, it’s also less expensive to do your own taxes, but many people pay someone to do that because they have more knowledge in the area. It’s cheaper to change your own oil in your car, clean your own house, mow your own lawn. Everyone has to decide for themselves what is worth it and the opportunity cost involved in making decisions on what to spend money on. Sometimes paying a small fee to someone who has more expertise in an area will more than pay for itself, i.e., knowing what schools give a lot of merit aid, or knowing about a new tax law that might entitle someone to more of a refund. It’s kind of like buying a vowel on the Wheel of Fortune.
As with anything else, it just comes down to everyone’s personal needs and wants.
Not sure what the purpose of the “…(hopefully soon removed) commercial break…” were @jym626 but there are more polite ways to get your point across. Most people on these threads have good intentions and try to help each other out…if you feel like a thread has deviated off topic or worse, that someone is trying to use these dialogs for personal financial gain, there is a more respectful way to handle it and not set a negative tone. And in defense of myself and the other private counselors that might use CC, we are typically on the boards because of our passion for the subject matter and to learn new things ourselves to help our clients…many of whom we don’t even charge for our services because we also do a lot of pro bono work.