Why You Should Hire a Private Consultant For College
As admissions consultants specializing in elite colleges, we work hard to provide services of measurable value that are of substantial benefit to our clients. Yet we are aware that our profession has its critics. Some observers maintain that private college counselors have become merely a status symbol… just another mark of privilege. A closer look at IvySelect proves that we are not a luxury; that, in fact, we produce a sound return on your investment in us.
College represents a substantial investment for families. You commit scarce resources toward an experience that will give form to the student’s entire professional and personal life. Yet many families fail to obtain the guidance of a private college admissions expert even though high school guidance counselors are unable to devote sufficient time to college planning. The typical public school counselor is responsible for about 500 students. A student receives about 38 minutes of college-related advice during high school. The metrics for private schools are better but still far from adequate to assure an optimal outcome.
The case for professional guidance is especially strong for students who wish to attend an Ivy League or other elite college. As part of our comprehensive planning process, we advise students to seek colleges that are the best fits for them rather than to simply target those schools that are most prestigious. Nevertheless, for many of our students, their best-fit colleges are the most prestigious ones. IvySelect provides invaluable assistance in helping these students succeed in their quest. We understand that admission is extraordinarily difficult due to the complexity and uniqueness of the admissions process at each elite college and the intensity of the competition.
Excellent grades and test scores, while necessary, are no longer enough. Students are also evaluated on less tangible factors such as their interpersonal authenticity, intellectual motivation, and potential to contribute to the campus and its community. In this milieu, avocations and activities, which in years past were ancillary elements of a student’s profile, are now often what differentiate a successful applicant from the rest of the pack.
Your IvySelect consultant identifies and cultivates the best of what you have to offer as a student. We guide you in assessing your interests and proclivities, course selection and extracurricular activity planning, establishing your list of target colleges, interview and essay coaching, and in many other ways that secure your prospects for admission to elite colleges.
Your IvySelect consultant can reduce your college costs in a manner consistent with your educational goals and personal preferences. We may, for example, recommend that you apply to some colleges that are less expensive or that offer strong financial aid packages. We help reduce your expenses without lowering your expectations. You realize savings that far exceed your investment in us.
Our services benefit all types of students, including those who don’t fit the typical profile of an applicant to elite colleges. This includes students with extraordinary abilities in an athletic or academic specialty. It also includes home- and virtual-schooled students who face additional obstacles in the admissions process. International students hire us for our knowledge of elite American colleges and the nuances of their admission processes. Students with disabilities use an IvySelect consultant to identify those elite colleges with support services that will facilitate their collegiate success. IvySelect consultants have the kind of experience and expertise that foster the success of students in each of these special groups.
As professional college admissions consultants, our clients are, for the most part, people who can afford our services. This is true of other types of professionals who seek to do well by providing high-quality services to individuals, such as attorneys, doctors, and accountants. Like many of these other professionals, we devote time and effort to pro-bono work. In addition, as contributors to the college admissions community at-large, we publish articles, make presentations, and offer advice through a range of media. We are also certified by and active in several professional associations that serve the college admissions community.
IvySelect is fully engaged in college admissions consulting because we like to help people. We understand the value of early planning because we have seen that comprehensive college planning enables students to avoid the educational mistakes and career dissatisfaction that many people suffer.
By helping you find your best self, IvySelect provides value that lasts a lifetime.
