How to Find Trustworthy College Admissions Advice

In the wake of the college admissions scandal, how can students and parents figure out what’s credible? By Julie Halpert

March 18, 2019

The uneven playing field for college admissions was exposed last week when the Justice Department charged that wealthy parents had paid astronomical sums in the college bribery case to assure their children’s spots at top colleges.

As news reports in the wake of the case made clear, there are also many legal ways to influence the admissions process, with some paying up to $1.5 million for college consulting. “It’s insane how much fear has been created where families feel that they need to hire others,” said Sonja Montiel, an independent college counselor who worked in admissions at the University of California and led the counseling department for a private high school.

The college admissions landscape suddenly seems more fraught than ever. Here’s some expert advice on how to navigate it with your integrity intact.

Start With Your School Counselor

Parents craving a soup-to-nuts guide to the road to college — encompassing everything from college fit to affordability — have many choices in credible resources. Experts in college admissions resoundingly endorse starting with your child’s high school counselor to get advice. Joyce Slayton Mitchell, a former school counselor and author of “8 First Choices, An Expert’s Strategies for Getting Into College,” recommends that the student meet that counselor in her or his junior year instead of waiting until November of senior year, just before applications are due.

But the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics found the average ratio of counselors to high school students is one to 253. That ratio can be significantly higher in many schools, overwhelming counselors and prompting families to seek outside help.

Look Online

Many government sites offer free resources. The Department of Education’s College Score Card provides information on every two- and four-year college in the country, while its FAFSA4Caster allows families to get an early estimate of eligibility for federal student aid without having to complete the entire financial aid application.

But Cristiana M. Quinn, an independent college admissions adviser in Providence, R.I., said that government-run sites are often difficult to navigate. She said that sites that publish common data sets like collegedata.com can be helpful.

Laurie Kopp Weingarten, an independent college admissions counselor, said that College Factual has a robust tool for students to create a list of colleges. She also suggested Reputable sites should have clear and transparent policies in place that make it easy to distinguish advertisements from true content. Ms. Montiel said to be wary of sites that promise to get you money for college, especially if there’s a charge for it.

Jed Applerouth, founder of Applerouth Tutoring Services, recommends taking advantage of the resources provided by testing companies like College Board and ACT. “Big test entities release a lot of good information,” he said.

People Don’t Bribe College Officials to Help Their Kids. They Do It to Help Themselves.

Find Your Price

“In 20 years of experience, I have learned it is best to go directly to the source: the prospective college,” said Kathleen Glynn-Sparrow, co-director of college counseling at McLean School, a private K through 12 school in Potomac, Md. “Why? Because it is both accurate and free.” She said if you have a complex financial situation, reaching out to the college’s financial aid office is a safe, smart approach.

Each college site has a calculator you can find by searching the words “net price calculator” and the college’s name. The Department of Education requires this to make costs transparent. It calculates both need-based and merit-based aid.

Consider Paying for Help

Karyn Weiffenbach, a mother in Littleton, Colo., felt she wasn’t getting enough information from her son’s high school and hired a private counselor.

A 2018 report by the Independent Educational Consultants Association found that the average hourly fee for hiring a private counselor is $200, with packages ranging from $850 to $10,000 for counselors with five years or less of experience. Aviva Legatt, a college admissions strategist and executive coach, has found that students spend anywhere between five and 30 hours with a counselor, depending on their needs.

Do Your Homework

If you decide to hire a private college counselor, be cautious. No license is required to become an educational consultant. And, according to the Independent Educational Consultants Association, only 20 percent of people who call themselves college counselors are affiliated with a professional organization, so it’s crucial to check the credentials of anyone you’re considering hiring.

A day after the college scandal broke, Susan Dabbar, the editor of the paid G&F site, wrote that its experts must belong to at least one of the professional associations: I.E.C.A., the Higher Education Consultants Association or the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and urged those considering hiring private counselors to look for those credentials as well. Members of these organizations visit colleges regularly, meet with admissions officers and attend conferences where they review best practices.

Janet Rosier, an independent admissions consultant based in Connecticut who holds the designation of a Certified Educational Planner, the highest independent certification, said it’s also important to check references, get to know the counselor, find out how long they have been in the business and ensure that they’re visiting many colleges regularly.

“Using a consultant doesn’t mean you’ll get in somewhere you won’t get into anyway. That is mostly based on your academic record,” she said.

Indeed, even the best private counselor can’t guarantee admission to a particular school. Alan Katzman, the founder of Social Assurity, which helps students use social media in a positive way, said that the scandal might help parents “come to understand there is no panacea for elite college admissions. It’s complicated and the decision-making process goes well beyond grades, AP courses, extracurriculars and test scores,” he said.

“Like Bernie Madoff, anyone who guarantees results in this nonformulaic business cannot possibly be playing by the rules.”