Need Admissions and Financial Aid Help? Here’s How To Hire a Private College Counselor
Need Admissions and Financial Aid Help? Here’s How To Hire a Private College Counselor
In a recent college admission industry journal a brave admissions Vice President commented that “Sadly, in the last 20 years we have lost our way in admissions. Colleges are no longer centered on counseling students; we are focused more on recruiting and competing for them. The students are just a way of keeping score. Furthermore, we charge different prices to students whom we value more or less because of our internal institutional priorities…Private counselors who strike a balance between helping students find the right match for their abilities, interests, and personality and assisting families in locating affordable choices are valuable.”
We couldn’t agree more. So who is looking out for your student in the admissions and financial aid process? Not the colleges anymore. Independent counselors, however, have no agenda other than what is best for their students. College is big business, first and foremost. You may not need a CPA to do your basic taxes and you may not need legal help for routine matters. But if you’re facing an IRS audit or having to go to court you want a professional in your corner. The same can be said of college admission and financial aid. The stakes are high, to say the least. Given that a bachelors degree from a public institution will cost ,000 to ,000 and a degree from a private institution can cost upwards of 5,000 or more the dollars alone beg for a professional’s expertise. Consider also that the difference in average lifetime earnings between a high school graduate and a college graduate is .2 million and climbing.
So where can you find help? And how do you know that you’ve found a professional?
In an ideal world, the first place to seek assistance would be from your high school