With college acceptances getting more competitive every single year, is college consulting a service you should consider?
The answer isn’t a resounding “Yes” or “No.” The answer is nuanced but we hope to guide you through why and who should use college advisors. Our answer covers four broad permutations of the following factors: students with time, resources, or no time, and no resources.
I think this context can be useful in framing our answer: Zach and I (Sam) did not use a college consultant, nor did Sasha Cara. All three of us attend Harvard. Our other founder, Ethan Rhee, used two college consulting services and is now at Columbia University. Given that we have some different experiences, here’s our answer based on different circumstances and people. Additionally, this will mainly focus on reasons to use college consultants for top colleges. We'll write a more general answer on college consulting later.
Category 1: Right Time, Wrong Place.
This category encapsulates everyone who may not attend a super competitive public school or prestigious private school but is hoping to attend selective colleges. Most of these schools are in rural or suburban areas, and the students generally matriculate to state colleges. Maybe, there is one Ivy-League admit a year. By “wrong place,” we simply mean the environment isn’t conducive to entering the Ivy-League. It is atypical in other words.
The great thing is that this student has one big advantage: they have time. And they’ve begun searching, either themselves or with their parents, for a way to become competitive for selective colleges. This is the number one demographic that will benefit from college consulting. As we like to put it, half the battle is knowing what to do.
Here’s our experience: many of our best accolades such as the Coca Cola Scholarship or the Bryan Cameron Scholarship were only possible because we knew that they existed, or we knew someone that had received the honor. Similarly, Zach is one of our best researchers on the team. Many of his awards such as going to the International Science and Engineering Fair are only possible because he had a community of science wizards supporting him.
So people and families in the wrong place at the right time should absolutely use college consultants as a guide. Our team are students who know what to do and how to do it. These students will explosively grow, and exponentially succeed.
Category 2: Wrong Time, Wrong Place.
This category encapsulates students that go to schools that don’t typically send students to top 20 colleges, and are either juniors or up in high school or below eighth grade. For students below eighth grade, there’s plenty of time. College consulting, however, is most effective when the student is a little more mature. Eighth grade and above is a golden zone. On the other hand, when you are a junior or senior in high school a lot of the most impactful parts of college consulting aren’t as easy to materialize. For instance, a passion project or developing super in-depth impact. However, there is a silver lining. There are a few things that are highly impactful and materialize only in junior and senior years of high school: Letter of recommendations and college supplementals. These are areas where college consultants will have super in-depth experience, and give stellar long term and short term feedback.
It really depends on the family and student here. If the goal isn’t to get into a top college, college consulting isn’t really necessary. But if that’s still the goal, we highly recommend getting a college consultant. This is especially true if your student is too young but can benefit from a college consultant. This will put them in the Right Time, Wrong Place category where college consulting can make by far the largest impact on results and achievement.
Category 3: Right Place, Wrong Time.
This student is in an environment that is pretty competitive. Maybe, they attend a top public school, they’re affluent, have parents that are professors, or are constantly surrounded by high-achieving students. But this student has found that there is just so much to do in so little time. They know what to do but want more guidance on execution.
This is the type of student who should try college consulting, not necessarily fully commit to it. They may find that they already know everything they need. They may also find they’re missing one or two things in an essay, with an extracurricular, etc. They should explore college consulting, sign up for the free consultations IvyLine offers, and learn.
Category 4: Right Place, Right Time
This category encapsulates students who have started early, and have the right resources. Their schools have sent dozens to the top colleges; they have strong debate teams, and researchers, and students are constantly pushing each other. These students also have time. They have two to four years of time to plan, execute, and get into college.
It’s also this type of student which has an extremely high opportunity cost. They’re expected by their parents, friends, and school to accomplish a lot. And with all the resources that are provided, they have huge potential to accomplish national titles and championships.
For this reason, we suggest using college consulting similar to the previous student: Use it to learn and try things out. Our college consultants may have lived out similar experiences but, importantly, they will have depth of what other top students have done and accomplished, ensuring that this student correctly navigates the high-opportunity cost environment.
So who shouldn’t use college consulting?
If your goal is aligned differently. Our goal is to get you into top colleges and achieve excellence. If that’s not your goal, you shouldn’t choose our services
Students who can reasonably predict acceptance i.e. top athletes who have recruiting prospects, top students in feeder schools
Students that are too young. They should explore not be in college consulting calls
Regardless of where you are at, our first consultation with you is always free: so take that opportunity! Book your call on our website: https://www.ivylineconsulting.com/
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