I know I probably won’t get hiring a college counselor as it’s not very affordable, but is it worth it? I recently discovered “Mentorverse”, an academic mentor program that charges $5,000+ for a college admissions package (you can apply to up to 10 schools). I think this is insane!! However, I know someone will end up paying for it…
I guess what I’m really asking is, would it be more impressive getting into a “top” school on your own or with the help of someone else?
Obviously it’s more impressive to get in a top school by yourself.
The use of a college counselor is to help package yourself in the application, help with polishing the essays, help with finding good fits I think. You can certainly get in a top school by yourself, but a counselor certainly doesn’t hurt.
If you can get into Harvard for example, generally the financial aid alone will be worth it as you’re probably saving more than 5000$ by going to Harvard (or other “top” schools) rather than a state flagship. And if you don’t get financial aid, your family is probably pretty wealthy and can afford the tuition (your
Family is wealthy enough to pay 5k for a counselor)
However, college admissions are so random nowawdays and even a top counselor can’t guarantee you admission into a top university, so you’re essentially gambling 5000$ which is a ton of money.
It’s more impressive to do it yourself. That said, I liken it to cutting your own hair. it’s much more impressive if you do a good job handling it yourself but your results are less certain and ultimately the result of the job matters quite a bit more than who did it.
If you can afford the counselling, have someone good and really feel it’s important to get into a select set of schools then it’s worth the investment. Those are three fairly large "if"s.
Great consultants can be a huge help, but there are a lot of charlatans out there.
It’s worth it for some people, and not for others. I always lean on the side of “don’t pay for that stuff,” because I’m cheap, but also because I’m a Ravenclaw and I’m a firm believer in being resourceful and ferreting out the same valuable information but for free. Specifically, I looked at Mentorverse too, and it looks like it’s for international applicants. It was started in China & specifically mentions internationals on the main page.
Here’s the thing: it can absolutely give you an edge to talk to an “insider” and get their perspective/advice/eye on your essay/supplements for a specific elite school. But that’s the magic of a place like CC–you can find those people & that advice for free, if you seek it out and get lucky. A lot of people on here know the same tips & tricks that admissions counselors know, but they help for free. Some consultancy groups have an edge if the person doing it actually worked in admissions for the school you want to get into, but I just don’t think it’s worth it unless you’re wealthy. Most services I’ve seen kicked around online don’t seem worth the money, and the ones that are are astronomically expensive. If an applicant has the money + a genuinely weaker application that could benefit from intense, one-on-one counseling? Worth it. But if you’re a good applicant & resourceful, you can figure it out on your own.
Yeah, I don’t see the need, personally, for a college counselor. CC is actually really helpful and then there are always people who don’t know about this website. Plus, some ads for college counseling just seem really sketchy. If I’m going to invest anything into the application process, it will honestly be test prep!!
We went through the admissions cycle last year. If you are targeting state flagships, don’t waste your money. If you are targeting top liberal arts or Ivy League colleges it can be money well spent. $5000 is not even the high end, try $15,000. Obviously, if your family doesn’t have this kind of money, it’s academic. However, the full cost of a four private college can be $280k (NYU just broke the $70k threshold). If a consultant can help you make sure you pick the right college or maximize merit aid, an investment like this can have a very good ROI. The number of consultants has increased fourfold over the past decade, so there are tons on unqualified or inexperienced consultants