Why Should I Hire a Private College Counselor?

Are you considering a private college counselor? When my son was five, I signed him up for soccer at the local recreation center. As he got older, it was clear volunteer coaches and playing for fun didn't fit him. So at 11, he started training and playing for a competitive team. He is now a much better soccer player because of the higher expectations, quality coaching, and more competitive play.

Now, a high school sophomore, he wants to get into college—”so it makes sense to enroll in a college prep program to give him an expert advantage.

There are plenty of reasons that a private college counselor can offer more support than simply relying on over-worked in-school guidance counselors to remember everything.

Why did we look into college prep services?

A private college counselor helps to plan early. My son needs to prepare in three areas:

• Improve his study skills to be able to do well in college level courses
• Select great summer activities that develop his interests
• Plan the best high school course schedule to get into his preferred colleges

Our counselor explained how difficult college admissions is for the most selective colleges. Schools he is interested in such as Stanford, Brown, and Duke have acceptance rates of under 12%, and that number seems to only be dropping. Having experienced guidance will help him to build a solid resume of difficult high school classes, extracurricular activities, and solid college applications.

For example, he has added AP History into his schedule and volunteers to help learning disabled students at his school. Our counselor can guide him in filling out the Common App and preparing his college essays.

Most teens in our area go to the local state university. But given my son's skills in soccer and interest in pre-med, looking at more colleges helps him to feel he has choices and can find a good fit.

Since our counselor has contact with colleges, she can give us insight into which colleges would be a better choice. We already made a list of possible schools and we would not have even considered several that offer great programs.

When it comes to application time, we don't want to feel rushed. A good friend of mine helped her daughter with college applications and she said they felt very overwhelmed. College prep services helps you plan and prepare so you won't be overwhelmed.

Of course we will probably have some last-minute stress. But, we can put together the transcript information, resume, and teacher recommendation letters early. Then he can focus on preparing his essays as well as for his college interviews.

Seeing how knowledgeable the college prep counselor is really put us at ease. My son said he feels much less worried.  A timeline and list of college preparation steps makes it clear what he and I need to do. Empowerly's specialized help gives us the individual attention we were looking for.

Think that working with a college counselor would be a good fit for your family? Talk to us and learn more about what we can do for YOUR student!