Independent College Counselors: A Discussion

There was an interesting article in last week's New York Times (find it here, and find the blog post plus comments here) that has piqued a lot of interest online. It's about the independent college counseling industry and its impact on the college admissions process. The article seems to skew a little toward the extreme: it describes independent counselors who charge upwards of $20,000 and "guarantee" a student admission to his or her first-choice college. If this sounds too good to be true, you're right, and if it sounds over the top, you're right again.

In general, this high price--and the high demand for the service that price buys--speaks to the fact that college admissions is an extremely challenging and stressful process. However, it doesn't have to be that way. This process really can be about a fit-centered search that's all about you and your particular academic needs and career goals. It doesn't have to be a hyper-competitive, panic-inducing process.

Perhaps my favorite reply to that article came in the "Letters" section on NYTimes.com the following week. It came from a current undergraduate at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Re “Before College, Costly Advice Just on Getting In” (front page, July 19):

Reading this article made me extremely angry. I cannot believe that people have no shame in charging so much for college counseling. It’s too bad that we live in a society whose culture dictates such crazed behavior to get kids into certain schools.

The only necessary ingredients to get into a good school are passion, dedication and good old hard work. There is nothing magical about these counselors other than the spell they cast on bank accounts.

Students should find something, or several things, that they love and care about and work hard to become the best they can be. Kids have gotten into top colleges writing about buying milk, Barbies and, for me, my perseverance with piano. Study hard, maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay positive. That’s it.

S. Susan Zhu

Paris, July 19, 2009

The writer is a student at Harvard.

I don't want to diminish how difficult applying to college is; however, I do want to offer some advice about how to be a savvy consumer as you and your family journey toward college. And I want to do that in a way that doesn't break the bank.

As you know, I'm a big fan of free services and getting the most out of the things you're already paying for, so here's Mrs Kievlan's Guide to Savvy College Admissions Consumerism. Over the next few days, I'll be offering some posts on my "favorite things" out there in college admission advising and preparation. Please feel free to comment and discuss these options and add your own contributions. I'm glad to moderate and answer questions.