WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS YOU APPLY TO COLLEGE

Today, our mailbox was filled with many inquiries, not to mention some real shockers. The list of these shockers included people who specialize in preparing college tours for families and now are selling "do it yourself" college admissions kits, and private SAT/ACT prep class companies now offering "essay assistance" at cheap prices to make a student feel they know they have the magical answers to the admissions process.

These companies who are good at what their companies were originally created to do. The people who head these companies however are not college consultants nor do they have the training required to sincerely assess a student. Without any consideration as to the effect on the student, these companies are all of a sudden are jumping onto the bandwagon of promoting themselves as such and being able to get your child into top notch schools and making the process sound simple. Nothing can be farther from the truth. No counselor or consultant can guarantee admissions into any school.

School counselors in "back to school" nights, tell students and their parents in a sincere way that there is no need for outside consultants as they can provide all the information for "free". The question that comes to my mind is "how does anyone know what to believe and what not to?" School Counselors are amazing individuals who work very hard and do have all the information, however, they don't have the necessary time to give to each student. In the crunch that they face to help students, they use resources in hopes of reaching every student and their families. The presure is transferred to the family, and then it becomes real easy as a parent to begin to rip the hair out of your head when you look and see the amount of research you will have to do with your student to complete the admissions process.

Unfortunately, as high school counselors will tell you, not all college consultants are equal. Therefore, as a parent, you have to do your homework when you are considering hiring a consultant. Due to of this unequal balance, school counselors try to manage all of their students, losing some through the cracks along the way. While it is true that most the information you will need for free, you need not only the time, but ability to sort through it all and be very pro active in your approach, careful not to miss deadlines, and know how to break down the material you given, not to mention to know where links break down.

Some school counselors use their "honor students" to mentor students in the admissions process. The problem in using honor students is this: these are high school students who may or may not have truly experienced colleges or the campuses they are on, nor do these students know if the schools they are recommending are in fact a match for your student.

Other counselors use an email system to families. The send out emails starting in the summer months, and then give each student 5 minute intervals to discuss their college plans, SAT scores, transcripts, etc. and hope they can reach all of the students. If the parent does not get an email, or it is missed "OH WELL, we tried" is often a counselor's response. That error could cause a "NO" answer in the admissions process costing your student admissions into that school.

Then there are the services which promise you that if you buy their program, such as the service such as the FREE trial offer to try their kit today (which I did not find any better than what a school counselor could offer)who have one objective, get your money. This program is being marketed today as the "do it yourself" KIT that will get your child into their choice college or perhaps it is the SAT prep company who has hired an English Teacher tutor to "polish up" an Essay for you for $199.00 to broaden their spectrum. English teachers are great resources, but they are not trained counselors.

These services might appear to be helpful, but when they are not able to provide the true value of what a trained consultant can do for your student, and so for that reason alone, families along with the stressed out counselors at the high school are in a bind to know what to do to help the students and their families get into the "right fit" school.

An educational consultant is a skilled and well trained professional who provides counseling to help students and families choose a school, college, or other program that is a good personal match: one that will foster the consultant with student student's academic and social growth. The consultant is able to provide a student and family with individual attention, firsthand knowledge of hundreds of educational opportunities, and the time to explore all of the options. These consultants belong to professional groups to keep up to date with the latest trends in what the colleges are doing.

Because of a College/Educational Consultant's extensive knowledge of schools and colleges, they can provide the vital help in weighing factors such as cost, location and curriculum. Therefore, a student has the opportunity to explore a wider variety of options and discuss possibilities in a meaningful way, and will not be tied to any specific school or college.

When you hire an Independent College Consultants, their services begin with an evaluation of where a student is. They then help the student identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as educational objectives, choices, and plans.

Some of the things that a College Consultant will do will include the following:

Testing: When appropriate, the consultant will recommend testing for purposes of psychological or academic assessment.

Options: The College Consultant will work with your family to consider the full range of educational possibilities, and provide a broad selection of pertinent information for consideration.

Advice: College Consultants give students and families unbiased advice and recommendations based on their professional judgement of a student’s needs and abilities.

Before you go out and purchase a "Do it yourself" guide, or hire someone just to polish up an essay, think about what you are getting.

If you are looking at top tier schools, have learning differences, are transfering schools, or are an athlete looking to be recruited or international student, make your dollars count. HIre someone who will make a difference!