Every day a few more colorful college brochures arrive in the mail, with pictures of happy students crossing a wooded campus. Representatives from universities around the country visit your high school to tell you why that school is the best place for you to spend the next four years.
But all the information is putting you on overload rather than helping you. You may be having trouble deciding what type of school really would be the right choice for you..
Thats where an educational consultant can help. These professionals work with you and your family on identifying your strengths and interests, and help you find schools that would be a good matchsocially, as well as academically.
A consultant begins by talking with you and your family to find out about your learning style, interests, personality and goals. He or she will make recommendations on the type of school environment that would best suit you.
The consultant will then work with you to identify specific schools you may consider. Competent educational consultants spend about 20% of their time on the road visiting colleges and universities to get a feel for the campus and to meet with admissions officials. With that storehouse of firsthand knowledge, the consultant can recommend colleges that would be a great match, including colleges you might never have thought about!
Educational consultants can also help you sort through the admissions requirements and documents. Of course, youll still have to write your own essays, but the consultant can help you focus your ideas so the essay truly reflects who you are.
Not only do consultants know about a wide range of colleges, but they are also experts on the strengths of departments within the colleges. They can tell you what school has a strong business department, which has a first-class architecture program or where you can combine music and computer science into a degree program.
Consultants also know how to separate the hype from the fact in what you read about various colleges. For example, schools may say they provide special programs or services in certain areas, but an experienced consultant knows which school programs are the most comprehensive.
While outside resources can be helpful, consultants advise against basing your college choice just on a schools ranking in a magazine. Magazine surveys base their rankings on a wide variety of factors, some of which may not be important to you. For example, a survey may rank a school with a good art program lower if it did not have certain health and recreation facilities. In addition, the information for the surveys is provided by the colleges, which may put their own spin on the data.
Consultants also emphasize that you shouldnt go to a college just because it is well known. Sometimes a school that is not well-known will provide more of what youre looking for. They, in turn, may be looking for students just like you.
What a consultant can help you do is find a college that is a good match for you, so you dont have to rely on the advice of a neighbor or friend or a description in a magazine.
Many families view an educational consultant as a valuable specialist, a wise investment with the rising cost of tuition and the fierce competition at many colleges. Consultants offer different fee arrangements, from a one-time consultation to a multi-year involvement, helping guide a student through high school course choices and the college admissions process. Keep in mind that independent educational consultants never accept finders fees from colleges; they are to work only for you and your family.
As the need has increased, the number of people calling themselves educational consultants has risen dramatically. One way to ensure you are working with a competent consultant is to look for one who works full-time in private practice, and is properly trained. He/she should have recommendations from other professionals, and must pledge to act ethically in all their dealings with clients and colleges.
