I don’t think it makes sense to charge for ANY CC “product” because there is no real quality control.
No way to verify any stats that are input into a Naviance-type of graph are accurate, eg. Same with the essay review – no quality control. OK, I guess, if it’s free, but totally inappropriate if money is charged.
I agree. Naviance and collegevine are questionable at best. And these are the best calculators/data there are. What CC could do would not be better and I would classify charging for something like this as a scam.
I really think this is a big mistake.
I look at this site daily and try to help folks and i would never subscribe to it. The Bandcamp model of “pay what you can afford or think its worth” is much more palatable.
To be honest, I am happy to donate to non profits. But it feels funny for a site that is not a nonprofit asking for donations.
Except lots of for profits and individuals do. I just donated to a local farm’s go fund me, and they are for profit.
Message boards without other products are not sustainable. I get a lot of value from CC, so I am willing to pay a little something to ensure it survives.
I think some are.
I can see a local farm asking for help. I am guessing they don’t have a lot of advertising money. CC has been around for over 20 years, with several different owners. Why now are they asking for money?
I think CC is a great resource for students and families, and one I would personal support through annual contributions. Ideally, this site would be a non-profit because I don’t think its unique value-add is easy to commercialize.
This site best serves a customer base (high school kids looking for information on their own, parents who can’t afford private consultants, don’t have other resources, etc) who aren’t typically able/willing to pay, especially if the services aren’t provided by professionals.
I do think, however, that a freemium model might work as some of us have suggested above.
Many HS kids have migrated to Reddit . Seems the target here should be the parents.
Reddit is a very different platform. It’s almost entirely populated by other high schoolers who have no experience or special knowledge of the process. CC’s value add is the advice provided by experienced parents who have gone through the process.
I agree with @DadOfJerseyGirl . Some of us have very fine perspectives on our own professions, or admissions to things our kids went through, or the like. I appreciate posts from those who are informed.
Reddit really is a forum for students.
Understood. But many HS kids seem to prefer it
They do. Because everyone cheers each other on. People rarely provide a reality check, or tough love. Students definitely prefer this because who wants to hear they are unlikely to get accepted at any school on their current list? Such negativity! 
Many parents are looking for information about colleges, and appreciate the dialogue that happens here, and even the varying opinions.
Agreed. This forum seems to attract the parents more so than the applicants. Maybe here “realistic” feedback should be kinder. When some posters berate kids and are unduly harsh with feedback, it drives posters away in droves.
Agree. As one of the few hs students here, I would agree that some of the posters here are demeaning especially in the chance me posts. They probably don’t mean it, but that is how it comes across.
Good point. Some posters here seem to forget that they are talking to kids or young adults, and their attempt to be “helpful” or give their “opinion” comes across as dismissive, condescending or mean-spirited. And no student should be treated like that. Adults can take it, even though it’s unnecessary, but it should not be the tack used to provide feedback to kids. And word travels fast on the internet. A poster telling a student he is glad they didn’t get in somewhere, or that they made a terrible choice is just uncalled for.
I’m an old mom and I look at Reddit. The different school subreddits have active forums with many alums, recent and not recent, who can give some perspective. I sometimes chime in on my school’s subreddit because I still live close by.
Yep. And if you look at the post history of people who get comments like this, they will generally never come back here again.
That IMO is a big part of the problem. A few cruel responses and the poster is gone.