Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a College Admissions Consultant

The pressure to get into a good college is strong, but the process doesn’t have to be more expensive than it already is. You’re already paying registration fees, fees for requesting old transcripts, fees for tutoring services for standardized tests, or fees for who knows what else. Before shelling out for a psychologist or college counselor, consider that you could do just fine without them.

Ask yourself the following questions

Admission and scholarships are largely about introspection . You must define your goals, reflect on your past struggles, and put it all into words that are somehow both clear, concise, evocative, and in tune with your voice. If you hire a college counselor to help you through the application process, they will ask you to do the same and charge you. Before you do this, ask yourself the following questions to narrow down your search for a school:

• What am I looking for in school? Is it large, diverse, does it have a solid post-graduate employment rate, is it prestigious or inexpensive? Make a list of your ideal characteristics to narrow down your choices.
• What can I offer the school? If you have excellent test scores or an impeccable track record, write them down and keep your best qualities in mind when reviewing school requirements.
• What are my weak points? If you haven’t taken many extracurricular activities or your GPA isn’t perfect, you don’t drop out of every school entirely, but being aware of possible disqualifications will help you be more realistic when making your list. schools to which you can apply.
• Who has the right to write me a letter of recommendation? College coaches often walk you through the process of identifying the best candidates in your life for a letter of recommendation, but you can list them too. A teacher who has seen you overcome adversity, a boss who can comment on your work ethic, or a coach who knows how well you manage your time are great options.

In addition to the standard budget you have probably already set for what you want to spend on the school itself, you must also enter the budget you want to spend on your application . Paying here or there may not seem like much of an issue, but they add up and the admissions consultant increases that total price.

What can a consultant do

Counselors can guide you through the interview process, help you narrow down the colleges you want to apply to, and give you advice on your application essay, which can be valuable if you really feel like you’re over your head or you’re just too busy. being a star student and member of the community to explore this on my own. On the other hand, other duties, such as determining if you need an ACT or SAT score for a particular application, or looking for scholarships, are just as easily done on your own.

According to BeMo Academic Counseling , the average college counselor rate is $150 to $200 per hour, but application review packages can cost $1,000 to $10,000. Keep this in mind, as well as other application costs and the overall admissions process, such as fees and campus visits, before leaving the brainstorming to a professional.