As many people already know, applying to college is not easy. Not only are there a multitude of deadlines and forms that need to be completed in order to apply to undergraduate programs, but it is oftentimes difficult to determine which school you should attend. Since people are normally 16 or 17 years old when they apply to college, applicants often turn to parents for advice. However, it may make sense to hire a college counselor in certain situations.
An independent college counselor is not like a professional who works at a high school and advises students on college decisions. Rather, independent college counselors assist students in drafting personal statements and meeting application deadlines. In addition, college counselors can help students approach schools for need-based financial aid and merit scholarships. For instance, independent college counselors may know the types of letters that should be sent to financial aid officials, and understand how to leverage scholarship offers from other schools to ensure that applicants get the most financial assistance possible.
In my own life, I wish my parents decided to hire a college counselor for my brothers and me. When I was applying to colleges, my mother was sick, so my dad was the one who was assisting my brothers and me through the college admissions process. My father never completed college, and although he assisted my older brothers in applying to schools, my older brothers applied to different colleges than my triplet brothers and me.
As a result, my father did not know much about the process of applying to schools and how to negotiate for more financial aid. For instance, he held the misguided view that state schools are cheaper than private universities, and this belief compelled one of my brothers to attend a state school to his possible financial detriment. In addition, my father could not suggest more than a handful of schools to which my brothers and myself should apply.
For instance, my father only did one solid college trip for my brothers and myself to the Boston area and other more local schools. However, the trip was scheduled around meeting the children of people in town, and not around visiting schools that might be most appropriate to each of us. The only reason I visited the college I eventually attended was because one of my brothers (the one who has written guest articles for this website!) suggested I visit Brandeis University.
In addition, my father did not know the first thing about applying for financial aid or negotiating for merit scholarships. He suggested that my brother and me apply to schools early decision in order to give us the best shot of being admitted to these colleges. This is one reasonable point of view, but applying early decision is not always a good choice if you want to shop around for different financial aid packages. Things eventually worked out for my brother and myself after we applied to our colleges early decision, but this could have ended up poorly for us.
I do not want to be too harsh to my father! He did the best he could based on the information that was available to him. However, if your parents never went to college, or if your parents are not familiar with the college application process, it can be difficult for them to provide sound decisions about colleges and financial aid.
If a parent does not feel comfortable about giving college advice, they should hire an independent college counselor. Of course, college counselors are not cheap, and some charge substantial hourly rates while others charge flat fees for their services. It might be difficult for some families to pay to hire a college counselor, especially since families need to pay for application fees and other educational expenses.
However, when you hire a college counselor, you are making an investment. Indeed, an independent college counselor can help someone get admitted to a better school, which can have a profound impact on their future. Individuals who are accepted to better colleges typically earn more money throughout their careers, and this can influence a student’s ability to pay off student loans.
Furthermore, when you hire a college counselor, you are also more likely to earn need-based or merit financial aid to earn a degree. College counselors can help ensure that students frame their financial background in the best way possible, which can help applicants obtain need-based financial aid. In addition, college counselors know how to communicate with schools about merit scholarships, and leverage offers that an applicant has at other colleges. It is hard to measure the financial impact that a college counselor can have on an applicant, but the additional merit and need-based financial aid they can help a student obtain can easily be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
There are a number of professionals to choose from when you hire a college counselor. However, Student Debt Diaries suggest that applicants interested in hiring an independent college counselor contact The College Whisperer. Full disclosure: The College Whisperer is my brother’s father-in-law! However, he is extremely competent when it comes to guiding applicants through the college admissions and financial aid process.
All told, the college admissions and financial aid process is very complicated, and not every parent will know everything necessary to advise their kids on college decisions. As a result, it often pays to hire an independent college counselor. Although hiring a college counselor is an additional expense, the potential benefits are well worth the costs.