Private College Admissions Consulting is a booming industry that offers to help families navigate the often-confusing and stressful process of college admissions. There are approximately 800 College/Educational Consultants across America who regularly tour colleges, keep up with all the newest trends, continue their own education on a constant basis, and are members of at least one of the several national organization.
Demand for applications advice often exceeds the capacities of most public institutions. Indeed, public high schools in the United States employ an average of one staff member per 500 students. In 2013, 26 percent of all college applicants -- three times as many as in 2003, hired a "private admissions consultant" or an "independent educational consultant (IEC)" to assist with their college applications.
Fee-based college advice has long been available, but where such services once catered to students with difficult cases, an uneven transcript or learning differences, now they are becoming mainstream.
Unfortunately, because this has been such a closed industry for so long, many are just learning about "college admissions consultants". Many believe there are is one on every street corner. If that is true, you should double check their qualifications. Many believe they understand the process and how to make it work without any proper training.
Responding to public demands for greater insight and access to college, private admissions consultants offer a range of services from test preparation and college selection, to essay and interview coaching and application packaging. Some consultant businesses provide a bevy of courses and coaches. Others merely focus on the application and are small businesses owned by individuals, who may have worked in counseling, admissions or for a university in the past. Still others are new to the profession and have an interest in working with teenagers and families. Their backgrounds and experiences vary greatly from education to marketing to athletics and the arts, as do their services.
No matter who you hire, ask a lot of questions!
