<p>^ Harsh …</p>
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<p>Blindsided by mythical stories of connections? Since private schools are supposed to be communities. how hard is it for any parent of a HS freshman to make contact with the graduating class and find out the “real scoop.” Armed with that information, how hard is it to march into the office of the “well-connected” counselor and ask about how hard the last “season” was and how much tilting was needed. </p>
<p>IMHO, those stories are fueled by parents who WANT to believe that the big bucks paid to the school come with comparable benefits, and by GCs who believe their own stories.</p>
<p>I agree completely, xiggi, maybe I didn’t express myself well enough. I have to keep myself from laughing when I hear the comments these parents make about how the school is now going to “work the system” to get the kids in off the waitlist, or how if it was last year, their kid would have been admitted to x, y or z university - but competition was much more fierce this year.</p>
<p>I think its more embarrassing than anything to these parents who paid exorbitant amounts of tuition at private high schools, then have to settle for second choice. Though I am all for forking out big bucks for education if its feasible (I have a D at a private university and we are full pay), I also see the reality of college admissions - so much of it is numbers, ethnicity, geographic diversity, and, at the Ivies and top tier schools, legacy.</p>
<p>elizabethh,</p>
<p>With regards to private consultants, I agree with part of what you said, but disagree with your final conclusion:</p>
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<p>Admissions consultants wouldn’t have word of mouth and repeat business from younger siblings or friends if the results weren’t good.</p>
<p>Most consultants want their clients to be happy. The good fit is the most primary consideration. Giving students a reality check about their chances and developing the college list so there are excellent fit schools, as well as those that are not only financial/academic safeties are critical.</p>
<p>If a student wanted to apply to 10 prestigious schools and didn’t have the basic grades/scores to match what the admitted student profile was, my kid’s college counselor wouldn’t have recommended that. She would have steered the student to making sure there were 2-3 on that reach list and then encourage them to apply to schools where they would be accepted and happy and in the upper 25% of admitted students. These schools would also likely give the student a chance at merit money (most of the clients for this counselor we worked with are middle class families.) That’s not to say those schools aren’t excellent, but in this academic climate, it would be foolish to apply to 10 HPYS type schools with a 3.5 and 1700 SATs. </p>
<p>Likely the results wouldn’t be good. Would that student excel at those schools? Maybe. But the point of hiring a counselor is to give students the chance to learn about the schools that match them and help with the process. </p>
<p>If all the counselor gives the student is a list of schools that are easy to get into and aren’t a match for that student, the parents and the student won’t be happy with the outcome and word would get out that she wasn’t helping students adequately.</p>
<p>Also likely, she would be unemployed by the next admissions cycle.</p>
<p>I will give 2 examples, and both of those applicants are very close to me, so this is first hand information.</p>
<p>Both applicants had close to A GPA, 2200+ SAT, but didn’t take hardest courses at their schools. Student A didn’t take the hardest because due to change of schools he was not on track to take some of those harder courses. Student B didn’t because she wasn’t interested, and she took courses which interested her.</p>
<p>Student A worked with a consultant starting Junior year. Based on his interest and where he wanted to go to school, the consultant advised him about what ECs to do, leadership positions to hold in school, volunteer work to do, and more importantly what junior summer program to participate in. When it came to ED/EA, they analyzed which school he had the best odds of getting in - legacy status, school within each university that fit the applicant’s profile. Once that was decided, the consultant helped the applicant with essay topics. They didn’t write the essays, but they helped the applicant to use essays to bring out certain quality of the applicant that adcom wouldn’t otherwise see. They also advised on certain topics to stay away from. At the end, this applicant’s application was a complete package of why he was a great fit for the school he is applying to.</p>
<p>Student B did everything on her own, with her highly educated parents. They let her do what she wanted in high school, which meant she dabbled in few ECs, but quit when she lost interest. She didn’t have many notable awards. But over all she was a happy, well adjust person, who was a joy to have around. The parents helped with selection of schools, and even though the parents were alums of some Ivies, she didn’t play the legacy card in applying ED.</p>
<p>Outcome: Student A got into the ED school (a top 15). Student B was rejected by every school (they weren’t top 20s either), except for their excellent state flagship and a WL at her parents alma mater. Was student A more qualified? No. Would Student B have done well at any of those schools she was rejected from? Yes. </p>
<p>We don’t know if Student B would have done better if she had a little bit of help, but it’s water under the bridge now. Student A was the only one who got into his college during the ED round, and he wasn’t the tippy top student at his high school, but he was seen as a great fit for the college. In speaking with Student B’s parents, they thought the process would be more based on an applicant’s merit. They are now thinking about ways of getting their kid off the WL at their alma mater, and it may cost them more than price of private consultant.</p>
<p>In looking at those two examples, it does sadden me that college process has gotten to this point. At the sametime, as much as I don’t like it, I feel I have no choice but to provide some of those opportunities to my kids, may it be test tutoring or private counseling, in order to be competitive.</p>
<p>And then there is Student C (me haha) who used CC and her mediocre school guidance counselors and got into some excellent colleges with great free advice she found on the internet. Being resourceful can save everyone a lot of money and get great results.</p>
<p>Yes. You could go to Home Depot to learn how to put in a new kitchen, or you could pay for someone to do it. The end result maybe the same, but nevertheless it still takes time and effort.</p>
<p>I agree that hiring professions for home projects can be well worth the extra cost and time savings. However, some of us, out of necessity and location, have to learn to use Home Depot and fix stuff ourselves. Like Raiderade, my S was Student C. I don’t begrudge people who have the means and choose to use consultants though. We just didn’t have that choice, and not just b/c of $$ either. There are no college consultants here–just not the parental mindset.</p>
<p>This thread seems to be moving towad a position of “if can afford it you should do it.” Is this simply an economic issue?</p>
<p>Ha! I didn’t even know that UCSD has an 8 year combined BS/MD program and I’ve lived in San Diego for 20 years and have been actively interested in college admissions for 11. Boy, the things you learn on CC…</p>
<p>If your kid was an aspiring soccer star, would you hire a private soccer coach and a trainer? Why wouldn’t you, if you could afford it? Certainly, other kids who couldn’t afford to do that might grouse about it.</p>
<p>It seems to me that a private consultant can be useful, especially for families that are not that familiar with the process. I think the discussion above shows that even if you have a really good high school guidance counselor, they just may not have the time to give you as much personalized advice as you could use. And sadly, some don’t give very good advice (30 years ago, my counselor allowed me to apply to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and U.Va., and no others. It worked out, but yeesh). As for self-reliance, there a lot of kids (and parents) who don’t know that they don’t know what they need to know, and may simply trust the advice of the authority figure–the guidance counselor–to tell them what to do.</p>