Parents whose eldest child is in 10th or 11th grade often wonder why so many other parents hire a college consultant, aka an independent educational consultant (IEC). Some of the top reasons are as follows:
1. To reduce stress for parents and students.
Junior and senior years of high school are challenging for students who are contending with schoolwork, extracurricular activities and social lives. Parents are busy and want the best for their children. Hiring an IEC reduces stress by allowing the expert to guide parents and students through the process so they can relax and enjoy knowing that they will find multiple schools that are a good fit, and will compose a quality application.
2. To identify a variety of colleges that are a match for your student.
IECs know more about schools than their rankings and other statistics. Is your student shy or outgoing? Into sports or couldn't care less? Cares about diversity? Party atmosphere? Preppy? Athletic? Needs merit money? You get the idea. An IEC also looks beyond schools that are popular in your town or just the ones with household names to find a great fit for your student.
3. To help compose the best possible application.
How a students presents his/her accomplishments, honors, extracurricular activities, essays and supplemental questions can set them apart from another student with similar grades. An IEC has experience filling out applications in a way that helps admissions officers learn the most about the student in the short time that they will spend on the application.
4. To keep current of any changes in the process
In 2016 the FAFSA is available in October instead of January and uses prior-prior info. What does that mean for me? The University of Michigan is changing the way they admit undergrads to the Ross School of business. What does that mean for my student? The "new SAT" is different from the "old SAT". Should you care? These are the details that an IEC knows that parents need not worry about and a key reason to hire an expert.
5. To keep students on schedule during application season.
Students don't (usually) listen to their parents. But, they do listen to teachers and professionals. The IEC will keep students on time for all deliverable items so parents and students don't have to fight over tasks and deadlines
There you have it. Five great reasons to hire an IEC. It's a small investment in order to reduce stress and help ensure your students finds, and is accepted to, a school that will make him/her happy for four years and make great memories for a lifetime.