It’s hard to know if a student is heading in the right direction when it comes to taking steps towards a successful college admissions experience. Taking the right courses, playing sports, getting involved in activities, writing effective application essays and preparing for standardized tests can be overwhelming for students and their parents. This is when anxiety sets in.
Fear not. Help is out there. According to an article released by CNBC in 2014, there are more than 8,000 independent college consultants (IEC). Their job is to find the BEST FIT college for your child rather than trying to get him/her admitted to a particular college. But is hiring an IEC right for you?
Reasons Why You Might Want to Hire Help
We surveyed our Parent Advisors and other parents who have recently completed the college admissions process and there were three instances in which they felt hiring an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC) or other college admissions professional was warranted:
- Reducing friction with their children. Talking about the future can be a challenging subject for some families. Hiring an IEC may help to bridge the gap in communication and to preserve harmony at home. The challenge is the cost, as IEC’s charge thousands of dollars.
- Seeking help with college essays. The essays are a very important part of the application because this is where the student shows colleges who they are, outside of the grades and test scores. Clearly, these essays should be free of typos and grammatical errors and thoughtfully written with content that engages the reader. This is not an easy feat, so unless you know someone who is a strong writer who can help, it makes sense to hire an essay consultant.
- Lacking knowledge and wanting professional advice. According to an article released on February 8, 2018 by the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, the average ratio of students to public school counselors is 482:1. That’s almost twice the recommended maximum caseload which is 250! It’s no wonder many parents feel the lack of support. The easiest course is to hire an IEC to run the whole project, soup to nuts. But as mentioned above, an IEC is not cheap.
But Do You Really Need to Hire Help?
With the exception of avoiding conflict at home and seeking help with essays, most parents admitted that it was possible to find the information they needed without an IEC. If they were willing to put in the time and effort to conduct copious research and networking, parents are fully capable of designing and executing a DIY college admissions process. Start with a planning meeting and lay out a course of action with your child’s college counselor. From there, you can help execute the plan by finding the resources your child needs. Take advantage of the many online resources that are dedicated to helping students get into college, such as CollegeBoard.org and KhanAcademy.org.
Look to your immediate circle for advice from parents who have older children and are further down the same path. If you’re not connected to anyone who can help, check out the blog posts on Versed that are inspired by the experiences of parents who have been through the process. Also, to get focused attention catered to your child’s individual needs, consider booking a consultation with one of the knowledgeable Parent Advisors at the fraction of the price of hiring an IEC. This network is the first of its kind and is dedicated to Parent Advisors sharing valuable insights with other parents on a wealth of academic pathways, extracurricular activities, and enrichment programs that enhance college applications. Consulting a Parent Advisor can save you time, because they share inside track information to help you avoid pitfalls. With some ingenuity and resourcefulness, you’ll be able to gather all of the information you need to successfully guide your child towards college without breaking the bank.
The pre-college process is complicated. But the good news is that there are plenty of resources available to accommodate all budgets and levels of parent involvement. Just jump in and you’ll soon see what is right for you and your child.
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For additional information and insights, check out our blog:
Crafting a cohesive college application
How to choose colleges to apply to
When is a good time to start planning for college? Part 1
When is a good time to start planning for college? Part 2
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