We used a private admission counselor who was a retired GC from our high school, so her fee was very reasonable compared to the amounts I’ve seen mentioned on CC. She did not advise about the essays but had another consultant (retired English teacher) you could use for that if you wanted. She was very helpful at formulating D’s list over time and making sure D put together the info in her Common App (e.g., listing honors and awards and describing EC’s, and using the additional info section) in the best way possible for D’s situation. She gave useful tips about things like timing when D would take the SAT (right after the PSAT worked very well for D), demonstrating interest and contacting the local admission reps. Plus having regular meetings with her especially in the Fall of senior year kept D on track to get everything done in an orderly fashion. D ended up getting into her ED1 choice, but by the time she found out on Dec. 12, she already had all of her other apps finished and ready to go. She has had a good track record of getting kids into highly selective schools. She helped one of D’s classmates get into that kid’s ED1 school despite a less than stellar GPA.
I have a younger D (HS Class of 2019). I feel like I know the system much better now, but I would still consider hiring the private counselor if D19 wants to go out of state, just to avoid all the parent/child drama that would be very likely with D19.