Invest in Some College Advice

At last week's BHS presentation by Stanford's Denise Clark Pope, she stressed getting students into the college that was the "right fit" for each student. Pope was critical of college consultants who she claimed "packaged" candidtes, but that advice seems to conflict with some investment advice from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.

An admissions consultant can offer personalized tips to get your child into college.
By Thomas M. Anderson - August 2007

Worried about getting junior into college or graduate school? For $1,000, an admissions consultant can help your child narrow down thousands of options to a dozen or more schools that could be the right fit. That's why Janet Stein of Maple Grove, Minn., hired a consultant to help her son, Michael, in his college search. "When a 17-year-old listens to his mother, he hears the Charlie Brown music," Stein says. "I knew I had to get someone who was not emotionally involved to help him focus."
Valerie Broughton, an admissions consultant in Minneapolis, identified schools that complemented Michael's academic and social interests, set deadlines for applications, and coached him on essays and interviews. Michael was admitted to four of the five schools he applied to, including the one he plans to attend in September, Drake University, a private college in Des Moines. It was a school that Stein would not have considered if Broughton hadn't mentioned it. Plus, Broughton helped Michael find enough scholarship money to make Drake as affordable as an in-state school, Stein says. Broughton charges $2,750 for the total package but will work for an hourly rate of $200.

You'll typically pay more than $1,000 to get the full range of services from an admissions consultant. But the most valuable service is narrowing the list of schools to those likely to admit your student, give financial aid and offer the best educational programs for your child's interests. A grand will buy such a list from a qualified consultant, says Mark Sklarow, executive director of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

The association requires its members to visit at least 50 college campuses before they can be certified. For a member directory, visit www.educationalconsulting.org.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2007/08/1000advice.html

- Written by JC

Comments

We did not use a college consultant but my children received some very good advice from their school's college counselors, counselors who were always available and helped them find out which colleges would be their safety, reach, etc. ones.

Plus my children did their own research from the excellent college books and internet sites to help them narrow down their choices - large or small, which ones had the best courses for their interests, rural or urban and talking to their friends siblings about colleges. We also visited colleges which quickly ruled out some of the choices.

Even with the best advice, the colleges which were considered "safety" schools did not always pan out and vice versa. We were given an interesting tip at a college seminar:

"you might have a 4.5 and not get into your first college of choice, but it may be that the college needed an oboe player!"Advice from a college consultant about making college affordable would probably have been money well spent!

Some of these counselors are very expensive--we didn't use a consultant/counselor, either and I'm happy to have saved the money.

There are so many books readily available now. ALso, the counselors at BHS, despite obvious trauma they went through last year, were able to council my son very well and keep me and other parents up to date on what to do next. It's a good idea to keep a calendar of things to do.

There is (or used to be) a great calendar available through the San Mateo High School website that has a "what to do, when" list. The trick is to stay proactive, because there is a lot going on. But I don't think a paid counselor is really necessary, unless nobody is willing to do the homework/footwork.