Senior Naomi Negussie opens her laptop and hops onto a call with her college counselor, Jodi Glou, from Custom College Consulting. They discuss in detail her college list, resume and essays. Negussie and Glou work hard together for about an hour, but afterward, Negussie is left to complete her assignments on her own. Negussie feels that Glou was helpful, but completing the rest of her work alone leaves her wondering: Are college counselors really worth their climbing prices?
What are college counselors? College admissions counselors, consultants or specialists are people who help with any aspect of the college application process, and hiring a college counselor is a growing trend in the United States. College counselors have become viewed as a way for families who can afford it, to improve their children’s chances of getting into their top colleges, especially with more competitive schools. They can help applicants with a wide range of topics. Negussie said, “Jodi Glou helps me build my academic profile and resume, helps me brainstorm and write my essays and assists me with the Common Application.”
Are college counselors effective? College counselors, although they often only have a few hours a week to devote to their clients (but this really depends on the counselor), are often viewed as helpful. Many admissions counselors have statistics on their websites stating schools that their clients got accepted into to display their success and drive up business. Senior Max Greenberg, who uses Kate Proger College Consulting, said, “She helps me find a lot of programs that I wouldn’t find without her and edits my essay to give me a different perspective and professional opinion.”
How much do college counselors cost? College counselor prices can range widely. Negussie has paid around $6,000 for Glou while Greenberg said he pays Proger around $200 per hour. College counselors have become much more expensive in recent years as they cement themselves as a staple of a successful college admissions process. College and Career Information Coordinator Jennifer Macdonald said, “I think that if it’s not going to bankrupt a family and if they think it’s something of real value to them, I think hiring a college counselor is obviously a good choice for them. I’ve seen the cost of college counselors rise exponentially in the past few years and I worry it’s going to be out of reach for students in a few years and especially the students who could really benefit from it.”
How do private counselors differ from school counselors? School counselors are free, while private counselors can cost thousands of dollars. However, there are some trade-offs. According to counselor Jennifer Steffan, each school counselor has an average of 70 seniors, and their jobs require doing more than just helping with applications; they have much less time to devote to students individually. A private counselor, on the other hand, can devote much more time to each student. “I feel like for a private college counselor, you’re paying for essentially 24-hour access to a certain extent, and depending on the agreement you make with the counselor, it can last from when setting up the timeline as you start high school all the way to getting your acceptance letter to a school. It can be very very one-on-one and in depth, depending on what type of agreement you have. And I think that’s a great option for people if they can afford it,” Macdonald said.
