Seven Reasons Hiring an Independent College Counselor Can Save You Time, Stress, and Money
As more colleges shift from “highly selective” to “highly rejective” and the cost of college continues to rise, it is more important than ever that students and families fully understand how to approach the complex college admissions process. Working with an Independent College Admissions Counselor, commonly referred to as an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC), has many advantages.
ONE: College is a Significant Investment
A bachelor’s degree can cost between $100,000 to $320,000 or more. Relying on emotion, chance, Google, and the plethora of misinformation about college admissions is unwise.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC knows which colleges are most generous with merit scholarships and understands the return on investment of a college degree by major.
TWO: Time to Graduation and Persistence Rates
- 39.8% of students graduate within four years, 60.9% within six years
- One extra semester at college can cost $12,000 to $40,000
- 18.4% of freshmen dropped out between 2019 and 2020
- College dropouts make an average of 32.6% less income than bachelor’s degree holders
Source: Education Data Initiative, 2022
Working with a qualified IEC maximizes the chances that students attend colleges that are the right fit. Students who attend colleges where they can be successful and happy are more likely to persist and complete a degree in four years.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC ensures students apply to colleges for the right reasons (i.e., academic, social, emotional, and financial fit).
THREE: Expertise
With little transparency and uniformity, college applications and admissions are complex. From the Common Application, which, on the surface, seems like an easy one-stop shop to exactly what test-optional means, qualified IEC replace confusion with understanding, creating calm in the storm.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC has the necessary theoretical, practical, and existential experience to guide students and families through a strategic and successful college application process.
FOUR: High School Guidance Counselors are Overwhelmed
With little transparency and uniformity, college applications and admissions are complex. From the Common Application, which, on the surface, seems like an easy one-stop shop to exactly what test-optional means, qualified IEC replace confusion with understanding, creating calm in the storm.
With high school counselors being responsible for an average of 482 students—DOUBLE the number recommended by the American School Counselor Association—it is unrealistic to expect high school counselors to know their students well or have the time to focus on each college applicant's needs.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC creates a strategy to maximize efficiency while ensuring deadlines are met, and nothing falls through the cracks.
FIVE: Independent College Counselors are Bound by a Code of Ethics
Notwithstanding the recent Varsity Blues scandal, most IECs are honest and adhere to the guidelines outlined by the organizations to which they belong.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC tells you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear. They do not guarantee admission to prestigious colleges nor offer to write essays.
SIX: Anxiety
Given the misinformation regarding what makes a “good” college and the hysteria surrounding college applications and admissions, it is more important than ever to help level-set teens.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC can mitigate anxiety by maintaining objectivity, challenging negative self-talk, and empowering students to see themselves as the remarkable individuals they are and the people they can become.
Seven: Self-Help Books Rarely Work
It is difficult enough for adults to summon the discipline to follow the steps to success in self-help books, let alone teens. Furthermore, information published in print is quickly outdated, while information on the internet is not necessarily accurate. Finally, relying on a self-help book for direction on how to deploy at least $100,000 can be risky.
💡Expert Tip: A qualified IEC filters erroneous information, challenges inaccurate assumptions, helps set goals, bolsters internal motivation, monitors progress, provides accountability, and ensures a quality college admissions process.
Want to know what questions to ask before hiring an IEC? Be on the lookout for next week’s blog, “Questions to Ask Before Engaging an Independent College Admissions Counselor.” For more information on how and why to invest in an IEC, what makes us highly qualified, and why our clients choose us, reach out at kathy@fineeducationalsolutions.com
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