Private counselors fill growing gap | College Connection
For $1,500 per hour, parents can hire Command Education in New York City to guide their child’s college application process, according to a New York Post article just weeks ago.
Fortunately, most parents seeking a private advisor for their college-bound children are not paying anything close to that figure.
Why is there such a great demand for private college consultants? It’s mostly a numbers game. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) calculates student-to-counselor ratios at public schools throughout the country using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Its recent report showed an average student to counselor ratio in New Jersey of 337 to 1. That’s more impressive than the national average of 470 to 1, but still quite alarming. The ASCA recommends a ratio of 250 to 1.
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High school counselors are an ideal resource for college-bound students who need guidance in a multitude of areas. For all students, details of the application process have changed greatly since the days when their parents were high school students. For some students, who are either first generation college applicants or have parents who attended college abroad, the process can be even more confusing.
The problem is that high school counselors have a multitude of responsibilities for issues impacting all students in grades 9-12. College applications are not their sole concern. In fact, public high school counselors reportedly devote an average of 38 minutes of personalized college counseling to each student over the course of their four years. The vast majority of counselors’ time – 77% – is spent on numerous other issues.
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Private college advisors can fill the gap by guiding students and parents on all aspects of the college application process: selecting the ideal high school courses, choosing extracurricular activities that complement their academic interests, participating in volunteer work, planning when to take the SAT, developing a list of “best fit” colleges, writing impressive essays, and competently filling out college applications.
The prices for these services vary greatly. Collegebound Review in Hillsborough offers a complimentary consultation.
While legitimate advisors can never guarantee an acceptance to a particular college, they can certainly present students in the best possible light by personalizing their applications and emphasizing the talents and skills they will contribute to their college community.
Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Private college counselors fill growing gap
