We did not use one for either my D or S. I felt we were able to learn a lot from the many free resources out there. The one thing I might have considered was someone to help with the essay. I do see the usefulness in having someone to bounce ideas with and read the essay. But then again it has to be someone who can help without taking over the student’s “voice”. In the end my kids had plenty of offers and made it into their top choice schools (Scripps and Harvey Mudd), so we did fine with the process on our own. I guess it all depends on how comfortable you are, what support system you have and if you can afford the extra expense.