<p>It is not clear to me what is the best time/grade level to start seeking advice from a counselor. I’ve read that High School (9th grade) is a good time to start. However, I wonder if 8th or even 7th grade is too early to at least identify the right counselor. </p>
<p>Also, if anyone of you has gone through this exercise or have experience, please let me know what exactly to look for in a college counselor. They seem to be very expensive, so I’d think due diligence is mandatory. Regards,</p>
<p>If you have the time to help out yourself, I don’t think a paid counselor is necessary. CC is an incredibly helpful tool. My favorite book resources were the Fiske Guide and Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean. It was very enjoyable for me to help my son with this process. Some may not have the time or the inclination.</p>
<p>I am not sure if you are the student or a parent.</p>
<p>If you are the student, you are probably starting to focus on this too early. Concentrate of learning, doing activites that are meaningful to you, avoid bad decisions and HAVE some FUN.</p>
<p>If you are a parent, ask yourself WHY you think you need a personal counselor for the process of assisting you child find a fit. Having found CC this early in the game, you can see that literally 1000’s of students and parents do this process without professional assistance.</p>
<p>In my S’s case, a great HS GC and my S’s own initiative was really all it took (other than getting the grades, etc.).</p>
<p>Middle school is too early. Too much pressure on the kid in hs, and he’ll change his mind a dozen times about what he wants from a college anyway (close, far, large, small, etc).</p>
<p>This depends a lot on how much help you get locally from school officials and the like in finding the best classes, the most fitting extracurricular activities, and so on. I have been a regular reader of this site since my son was in seventh grade (wow! I forgot he was that young when I started) and I look regularly to local parents whose children are older than mine for tips about college planning. (I am a homeschooling parent, so I don’t get a lot of guidance from school officials, although they are all friendly to homeschoolers in my town.) If you are trying to do an unusual educational program for your child and don’t have school system support for that, the ages you mention are not too young for seeking an educational consultant with experience in preparing for college studies.</p>