There was an article published yesterday in “The Daily Pennsylvanian” about Ivy League college counseling in which Ivy Coach is quoted discussing how more and more high school students and their parents are turning to private college counselors to assist them in the admissions process. As we’ve reported before, according to “The Daily Pennsylvanian,” “In a 2009 survey conducted by marketing and communications firm Lipman Hearne, 26 percent of high-achieving students reported that they hired an independent college consultant to guide them through the application process. The survey was based on nationwide responses from 1,264 high-school students who scored in the 70th percentile or higher on the SAT.”

Our own Bev Taylor is quoted as saying that if you need to draw up a will, you hire a lawyer. If you need to do your taxes, you hire an accountant. Why should Ivy League college counseling be any different? There are professionals out there who have the expertise who can help students gain admission to the highly selective college or colleges of their dreams. You end up paying through the roof for a college education. You might as well pay a little bit more money to ensure that you (or your child) get to attend the right college for them!

Does that mean that all private college counselors are good? Absolutely not. Just as there are bad lawyers and bad mechanics, there are bad private college counselors. There are private college counselors who have no college admissions experience whatsoever. There are private college counselors who don’t know what an Interest Quotient is. So it’s important that you choose one wisely.

 

Check out this newsletter on Ivy League College Counselors.