I have no problem with good private counselors who “package” an applicant. They work with your ECs, guide you through the process, help with test prep and review and give edit suggestions for your essays. For many colleges, it’s not enough to have a good GPA and high SAT/ACT scores and your high school “resume” needs to tell a story about why you are a good fit for their college over equally qualified applicants. For example, some state schools have over 100k applicants, what makes you stand out from this crowd?
Many counselors will charge hourly so I would make the investment in an initial 1 hour consultation, come prepared and ask lots of questions. They should review you HS transcript in the meeting especially you as a rising senior. See if the advice is helpful and makes sense to you, if not, move on. It can be money well spent.
Lastly, the students that I know who have used private counselors have not been disappointed in their application results.