Because of the increasing competition to get into top colleges, many families feel overwhelmed and stressed by the college admissions process. Moreover, the process can seem so complex that families may want the assistance, resources and knowledge of an expert who focuses solely on the college admissions process and who spends more time and individualized attention than guidance counselors can provide. Many parents and students discover too late (their children receive rejection letters) in the college admissions process that they should have hired a college admissions expert.
If your child is applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges as well as combined BS/MD programs, you may want to consider the below:
(1) In a February 2015, in an op-ed piece in USA Today, former First Lady Michelle Obama, wrote eloquently: “There’s the world of the schools most of our kids attend where school counselors are too often under-valued and overstretched, and they simply don’t have what they need to do their jobs. While the American School Counselor Association recommends no more than 250 students per counselor, the national average is one counselor for every 471 students. And often, school counselors are burdened with all kinds of unrelated responsibilities such as proctoring exams, substitute teaching, even monitoring the lunchroom. Many school counselors find themselves doing triage, juggling those duties while trying to help kids in crisis and also keep up with the latest college admissions deadlines and requirements.”
(2) The National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) 2014 State of College Admissions reported that on average, high school guidance counselors spend only 24 percent of their time on college admissions counseling. High school guidance counselors spend the majority of their time on school activities unrelated to college admissions.
(3) The National Association for College Admission Counseling survey indicated that high school guidance counselors have an average caseload of 125 to as high as 500 students making them unable to provide adequate college guidance.
(4) The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) stated: “An educational consultant brings to the family the knowledge and skills of an experienced professional coupled with a commitment to assuring the [student’s] best interests are met. Educational consultants counsel students and their families in the selection of educational programs based on the student’s individual needs and talents.”
(5) The Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) stated: “A professional educational consultant works one-on-one with each student, helping to identify colleges and universities that offer the best matches for the student’s unique needs, and keeping the student on track through every phase of the college application process.”
“Top qualified applicants, after all their hard work (and parents’ work) and preparation deserve the best and should not settle for less” – Dr. Paul Lowe
(Pictured: Dr. Lowe at his alma mater – Brown University with Bruno, Brown University’s mascot)
Dr. Paul Lowe - Admissions Expert 