Frequently Asked Questions
I am speaking with some local admissions consultants who are available to provide consulting to my child in-person at my home. Since you are based in New York City and don’t provide in-person consulting, will this be a disadvantage to my child’s chances for admission?
Not at all. The best admissions consultants are based in New York City. The reason for this is that New York City is the most competitive Ivy League admissions market in the country - there are a dozen private high schools in New York City that each cost over $40,000 a year and that each send one-third of their graduating class to Ivy League institutions. Because of this, New York City draws the best admissions consultants, and the admissions consultants in New York City work remotely with students from all over the country. By working with a local consultant who doesn’t have this caliber of training and experience, you are simply handicapping your child.
Also, admissions consulting is nothing like SAT tutoring – the consultant does not need to come over to your home to make the sessions effective. The majority of students we work with are not in New York City – they are in San Francisco, New Jersey, Chicago, Texas and in the DC Beltway. Our consultants communicate effortlessly with students via skype, phone and email. Whether a consultant tells you in-person which professors to contact for research opportunities or by email or phone, the result is the same and there is no difference. We also service locations such as:
Your consultants are recent Ivy League graduates, as opposed to former high school counselors or former admissions officers or current college students. Why should my child work with a recent Ivy League graduate?
The most important qualities of a good admissions consultant are being smart and strategic, being good writers, and having recent familiarity with elite institutions and their admissions process through personal experience. On all three of these criteria, our consultants, who are Ivy League graduates, have former high school counselors, admissions officers and current college students beat. It’s important to work with the best and the brightest since admissions consulting requires strategic decision-making and sharp editing. In addition, admissions consulting is about advocacy, not about evaluation – it requires a completely different skillset from being an admissions officer. Admissions officers may be good with evaluating applicants, but from our experience, most are poor advocates for their students. In addition, you want to work with a recent graduate as opposed to a current college student as the difference in maturity, professionalism and writing ability will be night and day.
Can you provide me with a few references from past clients that I can speak to?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide the names or contact information of our past clients. We sign a strict confidentiality agreement with all our clients agreeing not to disclose their name or information to anyone for any reason. The reason is that people don't want other people knowing that their kid needed a consultant to get into Yale. We only get referrals from relatives, never from friends for this reason. Also, this is an exclusive service. Our clients are executives, managing directors at investment banks, doctors and law firm partners - these people are busy at work and don't want to be bothered by calls of this nature that are a nuisance and that do not benefit them.
My child has a great high school counselor. Why do I need a private consultant in addition to my high school counselor?
High school counselors work with hundreds of students; our consultants work one-on-one with your student on every aspect of the application. The generic feedback your child receives from his or her high school counselor will pale in comparison to the level of detailed, individual, one-on-one attention your child will receive from our consultants.
Do you guarantee admission to an Ivy League school?
Of course not. It’s impossible to guarantee admission to institutions that reject over half of valedictorians who apply with perfect SAT scores. We can, however, triple your child’s chances for admission. Be wary of any company that guarantees admission. It is both unethical and flat out impossible.
How do you match students to a consultant? Can I meet my consultant before signing up?
After signing up, we thoroughly evaluate your child’s transcript, resume and questionnaire, then assign your child to the consultant who would be the best fit for your child’s background. We don’t allow you to audition our consultants before signing up. If you are for any reason unhappy with the consultant you are assigned to, we can reassign you an unlimited number of times. Because we have so many consultants, you will never be stuck in a situation, like with a local consultant who comes over to your home, where you find out halfway into the process that your child doesn’t mesh well with the consultant and you are stuck.
When is a good time to start admissions consulting?
Because of how hyper-competitive elite college admissions has become, many students start working with us in 8th or 9th grade to maximize their academic and extra-curricular profiles. We provide these students with coaching on the right activities, summer programs and coursework and testing to pursue. We also work with students who come to us late during 11th and 12th grade.
Do you work only with students applying to Ivy League schools?
No. We work with a wide range of students, from the straight-B student who is trying to get into a state school to students shooting for the Ivies. Our consultants work with students from varying background and abilities. It’s the “B” student who needs our help more than anyone.