Demands on high school students preparing for college are rigorous. The demands on high school students in order to compete in the 21st Century have increased exponentially in the past decade. Educators have scrambled to meet the evolving career demands with advanced placement and college and career readiness curriculum in high school. They’ve dramatically increased their emphasis and standards on critical thinking skills, technical writing, the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math as well as trying to keep up with guidance and counseling demands of schedules. This has deemphasize the time and role of a guidance counselor to a scheduler of high school credits, etc. In truth, their jobs are often filled with competing demands that, practically speaking, leave them less time to individualize their guidance counseling to meet the needs of all the high school students they serve. 

Guidance counseling and the college admissions process require more individualized time than most schools provide your child. As high school students face the added demands of the academic curriculum and higher expectations of universities, students often need much more time and guidance than is typically offered at most high schools.  Concretely, they need hands on guidance about how to navigate the complex decision-making process of choosing a college, how to apply for college, how to obtain financial aid, and meeting the rigors of ACT or SAT testing requirements. Emotionally, they’re embarking on the exciting but often confusing journey of discovering their specific academic interests, preferences, and aptitudes for selecting a major. Both tasks take time. 

According to a study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the average high school student receives only 38 minutes of college advising from their guidance counselor per year. This means that when students meet with their guidance counselor in school, it’s critically important they make that precious meeting time count! Whether they attend public or private high schools, they simply do not receive enough personalized attention from guidance counselors and/or teachers regarding the college admissions process during the school year. 

Parents are confused about the college application process and the emotional transition, too. Even parents are finding it difficult to provide the extra and individualized guidance their children need–with the paperwork, alone. Some don’t have the significant time it takes to help given their own demanding schedules. Some parents report feeling like they need a lawyer to complete the applications, financial aid, scholarship, and various paperwork involved.  

Let’s face it. It’s a HUGE and often anxiety inducing transition for the whole family. Emotions can run high during this wonderful but intimidating milestone. It involves life’s eternal questions like, “Who am I?” and “What’s my mission in life?” This can put generations at odds with one another, elevate worries about financing the grand journey, and choosing a safe college that will meet a young start-up adult’s needs. Fortunately, a professional like a college admissions consultant can help with this daunting process, detached from the immediate emotions–unlike emotionally invested Mom and Dad.  

College Admissions Consultants Can Make the College Application Process “More Hope and Joy and Less Fear and Anxiety”

Helping the family navigate this new and exciting journey using their specific expertise. College admissions consultants are more important than ever in navigating the college application process with the annually evolving procedures–and opportunities. They help insure that students successfully traverse the challenging and confusing experience with the expertise that comes with “applying for college” for their living. For example, they have access to the latest test preparation programs, understand tips for applying for scholarships and tips for making an application letter stand out, compiling high school volunteer experiences and extracurricular activities in a way that shines, understanding federal and state grants and financial aid fund available, knowing how to apply for it, and having practice evaluating a students’ interests and aptitudes while helping him or her formulate a plan. 

It’s their full time job. 

Parents, after all, may only help with this monumental task once or twice, with none of the background required to help with ease. Just when you have it figured out, you’ll never have to do it again.

A college admissions consultant puts the student’s interests first. Because college admissions consultants aren’t paid by a college or university, they put their customer first. In this case, the customer is you and your child, not a university admissions quota many college admissions counselors must meet. Universities can have conflicting interests in pushing a pet program that’s not actually resulting in positive outcomes for college students. They may push students into programs that are struggling financially or have a caseload too large to provide much individual time, either. How would a parent know all this?

Finding a qualified college admissions consultant.  Seek a college admissions consultant who is highly trained and adheres to the ethical guidelines for private counseling.  They should belong to a professional counseling association, and you should ask about their credentials or investigate them in the firm’s promotional literature. 

Professional college admissions consultants don’t generally guarantee admission to a specific college. If they promise the ivy league college of your child’s dreams, BEWARE. They shouldn’t accept financial compensation from any entity that admits students to colleges, and they should provide you with a clear and written description of what their services they provide and what they will cost.  Most importantly, they are not allowed by law to physically complete the applications for the students. They DO provide guidance through the process with helpful literature, knowing the ropes and shortcuts, having the contacts, and most of all–calm and steady experience. 

WHO NEEDS A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT MOST?

Students Who are Seeking Admission to a Top-Tier University. Top tier universities also have the most competitive admissions standards. A consultant can help add the finishing touches that make a college application stand out among the rest. 

Students Who Attended or Plan to Attend International Schools. Students who speak English as their second language and are applying for American universities benefit significantly from the assistance of a college admissions specialist because of the VISA application and other international paperwork required. They can also assist with language barriers that can lead to confusion and miscommunication. Studying abroad is a fantastic and growing opportunity today, but it comes with specific and specialized requirements. 

Students with Specific Disabilities Who Require Special Accommodations

Students with disabilities such as ADD, dyslexia, anxiety disorders, and physical disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations from universities that receive any sort of public funds (almost all of them). However, not all universities are created equal in guaranteeing the accommodations to which students with disabilities are entitled. A well qualified college admissions consultant knows which universities are most supportive for students with disabilities, and they also know the paperwork the student must complete to be eligible for them prior to admittance. By 2020, more than 95% of Top Rated Private Schools and Ivy League Universities will adopt Strategic Enrollment Management [SEM] as the basis for student admission, academic programs, and other initiatives. NobleMe focuses on what is best for students’ success while increasing enrollment numbers and conversion of students’ academic capital into successful careers. They will ease the transition and help launch your child into a successful future!