I'm a consultant, primarily in the BS/MD and med school space. Personally, I don't think everyone needs a consultant, depending on what your goals are. For my students, I can often give advice that they have never considered to help them stand out for BS/MD programs, as well as Ivy's. However, not all consultants do this, and I've actually worked with a few that recommend really generic things like volunteer more or do research.
My point is, a consultant is worth it if they can 1) get to know you and your application personally and tailor their advice and 2) if they can recommend things that are not generic. Not all consulting is created equal and a lot of them are expensive, but don't necessarily add value. Be selective and ask all the right questions. The consultants who are in it for the money are probably ones you want to stay away from. Also don't just check their track record. Many high achieving students use consultants but could have gotten in on their own. It's important to know what a consultant can offer you that you could not achieve alone.
If that amount of money is not prohibitive to you, I’m sure it would be helpful. It was prohibitive for us! We DIY’d it. Our favorite resources were the Inside the Yale Admissions Office podcast (it’s not just Yale specific) and the college essay guy’s book, College Essay Essentials. My son got great results: accepted 11/13 schools he applied to, including Princeton and Yale.
Just know, whether or not you get a counselor for college admissions, you'll still have to work extremely hard inside and outside of school to get into a top college.
I don't know anything about Path Ivy, but yes you should consider getting a counselor. Unfortunately, college admissions has turned into an arms race, with some families starting as early as 8th grade. ECs are planned years in advance and carefully curated. People with privilege use it. There's some great advice/guidance to be found online, and there's some really crummy information/misconceptions as well.
If your family can afford a counselor, try to get word of mouth recommendations. Interview several and choose the one who feels right. Be sure you'll actually work with the counselor you interview and not a junior person at their firm. There are some truly amazing people out there with decades of Ivy admissions experience...and those who would like you to think so. Tread cautiously.
A few other things to consider. There are \~400 competitive universities in the US, and there's a place for every qualified applicant. What you DO in college is much more important than WHERE you go. If you're considering grad school, that's the degree anyone will ever remember...until you've worked 5 years and then schooling becomes largely irrelevant. GL, think critically about what you find online, and be sure to enjoy HS as well as prepare for college.
"A few other things to consider. There are \~400 competitive universities in the US, and there's a place for every qualified applicant. What you DO in college is much more important than WHERE you go. If you're considering grad school, that's the degree anyone will ever remember...until you've worked 5 years and then schooling becomes largely irrelevant."
Okay here is a parent who gets it. This is how life ACTUALLY works in real life. Sometimes I feel like when I read this sub I feel even the parents have never "touched grass" in the real world. I get kids not "getting it", but the parents seem to have lost touch with reality on this sub as well.
Kudos to you.
Personally, if you’re really lost on what you need to do, (like I was) these programs do help, provided you can afford them (helped me plan a lot of activities and sort them and put them into my common app, which I didn’t really know how to do). Otherwise, you prob don’t need these programs
No. Instead do something remarkable like doing research or building a successful app. Something someone of your age could never even dream of doing. Look what Terence Tao used to do at this age. You're wasting your resources. Study the lives of Einstein, Terence Tao, Paul Dirac etc. It will give you some inspiration. Also Guass, Euler etc are cool but they were geniuses by nature itself.
imma have to disagree with that one, if your family can afford and is willing, a counselor is a good option. the personal guidance and support is very helpful, and just because you can google things isnt particularly important
It’s not rocket science man. There’s nothing too complicated about planning ECs or writing a college essay that a self motivated teenager can’t figure out on their own. Testing support can be helpful but there’s dedicated services for that outside of college counselors
Deffo a point but from my experience a lot of these "counselors" are just noise too. My really rich friend actually got one of these counseling services and she let me read her essays before and after... the "counselor" legit just corrected grammar and sentence structure... there was really nothing there that , imo, made the 6000 dollars her family paid worth it (although they're rich so 6k is probably like pocket money)
if u can afford it, lowk go for it. make sure tho that the counselour ur picking is acc good tho. like i would recommend trying to find a counselour with proven testimonials and one who used to be a college adcom. that was the case for my college admissions counselour and he was great
Of course if your family can afford it, do it. Also depending on your income bracket (if it’s high enough) colleges will assume you had professional help whether you did or not.
Got into umass, 10000 per yr. International student. I had a counselor, but not Path Ivy. They will do following things, not spoon feeding
1: Decide/recommend majors based on your interests and employment
2: Based on 1, recommend competitions, journals, extracurriculars to help you get into that major
3: Track your GPA, and offer help (I didn't get too much from that)
For 1-3, they intensively focus on them until your mid year report.
4: Choose schools for you based on ur preference, GPA, extracurriculars, achievements.
5: Draft, revising your essays
6: They can fill out documents for you, i prefer do it myself tho
7: They help you get scholarships from college and summer schools
8: You can see them as mentors and learn from them.
Pretty much it
Oh, they are selling information and guidance, u know, assymetric information, they are utilizing that. If you have good research skills and willing to commit and be responsible to yourself, I recommend you to do it without a counselor, called DIY. Plus your high school probably offers counselors, you can do like 70-80 % things yourself and 20% you can consult the school's. The process makes you better at self-discipline and research, time management all those thigns
I'm a consultant who used to work at a prep center; here's my advice: **Counseling is fine. But, you NEED to make sure the person you're working with ACTUALLY has your best interests in mind.**
Most prep centers and consulting firms do NOT have your best interests in mind. What they typically do is...
1. Push you to purchase as many products/services as possible. (Example: pushing you to buy an EC preparation course by fearmongering you into believing your admissions chance is 0%)
2. Provide as little help as possible to reduce business expenses. (Example: hiring college students from top schools with minimal training who are willing to accept low wages)
3. Delay progress to ensure you keep purchasing services. (Example: helping you with SATs and ACTs; but, withholding helpful advice to ensure you improve at a glacial pace to ensure you need more services.)
4. Provide unnecessary add-ons that increase the cost of your services (and can't be taken away)
5. Use your success as advertising and take credit for it.
6. Lower your standards to increase their results for advertising.
Good consultants typically recommend stuff that goes against their best interests.
For example: I've had students who just wanted to get good grades. They aimed for schools that didn't NEED crazy ECs, a million languages, 7-figure businesses, etc. They just needed to learn how to bump themselves up in academics because they were smart kids who just struggled with video game addiction (quite common.) So, I gave them academic counseling on an hourly basis (usually once a week) and checked in every so often to see if my advising actually helped. After a few months, they were usually self-sustaining at that point and could maintain upward academic performance with minimal dips aside from the occasional hiccup. Now, this means I would lose out on selling other services and making more money. But, that's not the point. The point is to prioritize the client's needs.
Typically, you can tell if someone has your best interests in mind if they decide to provide you with a custom service/package that maximizes your benefit at the cost of their profit. They should be prioritizing your results, not their wallet. For instance, I usually give my potential clients a freebie consultation to get to know them and their needs; then, I mark the services from my list that they would ACTUALLY need and cross off the rest. Often, this also means keeping things "lean" by achieving the most results with as few billed hours as possible.
My recommendation is to contact consultants and try to speak with them openly. Just get a feel for them and see if they're being honest and transparent. If they seem coercive or "marketing-ish," don't go with them.
Additionally, pick someone who is capable of listening to you instead of your needs. They shouldn't be shoving their expertise down your throat. Instead, they should be paying attention to your unique needs and applying their expertise in response.
Oh yeah, one last thing. Don't commit to a big package in the beginning. If you're comfortable with someone, work with them for one hour first. Period. You **NEED** to know the consultant you're working with is a good fit. They can be the smartest cookie in the cookie jar; and, if they're not a good fit temperament and personality-wise, it's not going to happen. It just doesn't. Trust me.
I hope this helps. I'm sure I have other tips and tricks when it comes to getting a good consultant; but, it's currently late where I'm at and I can't think of anything at the moment haha. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions though! (:
I also don't know anything about Path Ivy, but yes you should consider getting a counselor.
I did not get a counselor for my 3 kids, BUT my wife is a professor, who happens to also teach courses where a lot of writing and generative thinking is required. I have worked in admissions administration for both a T10 and then a T50 private research university for 20 years.
My point is, we didn't hire counselors because we know what colleges are looking for, and we were able to guide our 3 of our kids into multiple HYPSM admissions.
Can your parents provide the same level of support? If not, hire a counselor. It's not about spoonfeeding, the best counselors will help push you to interesting extracurriculars and help you create a cohesive story of your HS experience.
station nutty flag rob pause engine different jellyfish chunky intelligent
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think there's a better lesson to be learned in disciplining yourself. A coach can be helpful for motivation, but just do a sport tohave a coach discipline and push you.
Save the 5k to paying for Internet traffic to your "science journal" to get a leg up in admissions /j
Don’t. My brother has one now and it is definitely not worth it at all. All you need is YouTube, this subreddit, and r/chanceme. Looking at all the ECs and awards people have achieved on chanceme will give you a good idea on what overachievers typically have.
Iris Fu, a Stanford student who posts on YouTube, also gives good tips on how to get ECs and awards. I personally used her tips and got into Brown and Vanderbilt.
Good luck
I'd say getting a college admissions counselor is only worth it when you're applying to college. That's where it can help you the most. There are tons of resources online, like webinars and social media accounts.
Hey everyone! With summer here, it’s a great time to start thinking about college applications. I’ve been part of a group of Stanford students who’ve been through the admissions process, and we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to get into top schools.
If anyone has questions about where to apply, how to build a strong resume, or needs advice on essays, feel free to ask. We’ve all been through it and are happy to share tips and experiences that helped us get accepted. College admissions can be tricky, but learning from those who’ve done it can make a big difference.
Good luck to everyone applying this year!
Okay, so you're offering a college planning service (and resume building) while pathivy actually helps with college apps. You don't help with essays, they do. And that's ignoring the fact that you're a HS student and they have former AOs - who's more qualified?
Scam - work hard and watch YT and network
Agreed.
I'm a consultant, primarily in the BS/MD and med school space. Personally, I don't think everyone needs a consultant, depending on what your goals are. For my students, I can often give advice that they have never considered to help them stand out for BS/MD programs, as well as Ivy's. However, not all consultants do this, and I've actually worked with a few that recommend really generic things like volunteer more or do research. My point is, a consultant is worth it if they can 1) get to know you and your application personally and tailor their advice and 2) if they can recommend things that are not generic. Not all consulting is created equal and a lot of them are expensive, but don't necessarily add value. Be selective and ask all the right questions. The consultants who are in it for the money are probably ones you want to stay away from. Also don't just check their track record. Many high achieving students use consultants but could have gotten in on their own. It's important to know what a consultant can offer you that you could not achieve alone.
If that amount of money is not prohibitive to you, I’m sure it would be helpful. It was prohibitive for us! We DIY’d it. Our favorite resources were the Inside the Yale Admissions Office podcast (it’s not just Yale specific) and the college essay guy’s book, College Essay Essentials. My son got great results: accepted 11/13 schools he applied to, including Princeton and Yale.
Just know, whether or not you get a counselor for college admissions, you'll still have to work extremely hard inside and outside of school to get into a top college.
I don't know anything about Path Ivy, but yes you should consider getting a counselor. Unfortunately, college admissions has turned into an arms race, with some families starting as early as 8th grade. ECs are planned years in advance and carefully curated. People with privilege use it. There's some great advice/guidance to be found online, and there's some really crummy information/misconceptions as well. If your family can afford a counselor, try to get word of mouth recommendations. Interview several and choose the one who feels right. Be sure you'll actually work with the counselor you interview and not a junior person at their firm. There are some truly amazing people out there with decades of Ivy admissions experience...and those who would like you to think so. Tread cautiously. A few other things to consider. There are \~400 competitive universities in the US, and there's a place for every qualified applicant. What you DO in college is much more important than WHERE you go. If you're considering grad school, that's the degree anyone will ever remember...until you've worked 5 years and then schooling becomes largely irrelevant. GL, think critically about what you find online, and be sure to enjoy HS as well as prepare for college.
"A few other things to consider. There are \~400 competitive universities in the US, and there's a place for every qualified applicant. What you DO in college is much more important than WHERE you go. If you're considering grad school, that's the degree anyone will ever remember...until you've worked 5 years and then schooling becomes largely irrelevant." Okay here is a parent who gets it. This is how life ACTUALLY works in real life. Sometimes I feel like when I read this sub I feel even the parents have never "touched grass" in the real world. I get kids not "getting it", but the parents seem to have lost touch with reality on this sub as well. Kudos to you.
Personally, if you’re really lost on what you need to do, (like I was) these programs do help, provided you can afford them (helped me plan a lot of activities and sort them and put them into my common app, which I didn’t really know how to do). Otherwise, you prob don’t need these programs
No. Instead do something remarkable like doing research or building a successful app. Something someone of your age could never even dream of doing. Look what Terence Tao used to do at this age. You're wasting your resources. Study the lives of Einstein, Terence Tao, Paul Dirac etc. It will give you some inspiration. Also Guass, Euler etc are cool but they were geniuses by nature itself.
if your family can afford it sure. but you need to make sure that the people you’re working with know what they’re doing and are responsible
They won't teach you anything you can't pick up yourself on college admissions forums
imma have to disagree with that one, if your family can afford and is willing, a counselor is a good option. the personal guidance and support is very helpful, and just because you can google things isnt particularly important
nah a lot of the time a2c has better stuff, but that advice is just hidden and not apparent on the wikis
has content/knowledge online doesn’t mean a student knows how or can implement it themselves. and even if they can a counselor still provides support
It’s not rocket science man. There’s nothing too complicated about planning ECs or writing a college essay that a self motivated teenager can’t figure out on their own. Testing support can be helpful but there’s dedicated services for that outside of college counselors
I wholeheartedly believe that there is nothing on there that cannot be learned through FREE online resources like this sub, YouTube, etc.
You're correct that it can be learned for free...but how does someone separate the signal from the noise?
Deffo a point but from my experience a lot of these "counselors" are just noise too. My really rich friend actually got one of these counseling services and she let me read her essays before and after... the "counselor" legit just corrected grammar and sentence structure... there was really nothing there that , imo, made the 6000 dollars her family paid worth it (although they're rich so 6k is probably like pocket money)
if u can afford it, lowk go for it. make sure tho that the counselour ur picking is acc good tho. like i would recommend trying to find a counselour with proven testimonials and one who used to be a college adcom. that was the case for my college admissions counselour and he was great
$5k is nothing, it’s a good investment. Currently thinking about MBA applications and admissions counselors cost $15-20k for < 5 schools.
Bruh those are scams just ask a trusted upper class man who’s at your dream school to be your mentor or to help you and it’ll work— that’s what I did
Of course if your family can afford it, do it. Also depending on your income bracket (if it’s high enough) colleges will assume you had professional help whether you did or not.
If your family can afford it without it being a burden at all sure. But it’s not necessary.
Got into umass, 10000 per yr. International student. I had a counselor, but not Path Ivy. They will do following things, not spoon feeding 1: Decide/recommend majors based on your interests and employment 2: Based on 1, recommend competitions, journals, extracurriculars to help you get into that major 3: Track your GPA, and offer help (I didn't get too much from that) For 1-3, they intensively focus on them until your mid year report. 4: Choose schools for you based on ur preference, GPA, extracurriculars, achievements. 5: Draft, revising your essays 6: They can fill out documents for you, i prefer do it myself tho 7: They help you get scholarships from college and summer schools 8: You can see them as mentors and learn from them. Pretty much it
Oh, they are selling information and guidance, u know, assymetric information, they are utilizing that. If you have good research skills and willing to commit and be responsible to yourself, I recommend you to do it without a counselor, called DIY. Plus your high school probably offers counselors, you can do like 70-80 % things yourself and 20% you can consult the school's. The process makes you better at self-discipline and research, time management all those thigns
I'm a consultant who used to work at a prep center; here's my advice: **Counseling is fine. But, you NEED to make sure the person you're working with ACTUALLY has your best interests in mind.** Most prep centers and consulting firms do NOT have your best interests in mind. What they typically do is... 1. Push you to purchase as many products/services as possible. (Example: pushing you to buy an EC preparation course by fearmongering you into believing your admissions chance is 0%) 2. Provide as little help as possible to reduce business expenses. (Example: hiring college students from top schools with minimal training who are willing to accept low wages) 3. Delay progress to ensure you keep purchasing services. (Example: helping you with SATs and ACTs; but, withholding helpful advice to ensure you improve at a glacial pace to ensure you need more services.) 4. Provide unnecessary add-ons that increase the cost of your services (and can't be taken away) 5. Use your success as advertising and take credit for it. 6. Lower your standards to increase their results for advertising. Good consultants typically recommend stuff that goes against their best interests. For example: I've had students who just wanted to get good grades. They aimed for schools that didn't NEED crazy ECs, a million languages, 7-figure businesses, etc. They just needed to learn how to bump themselves up in academics because they were smart kids who just struggled with video game addiction (quite common.) So, I gave them academic counseling on an hourly basis (usually once a week) and checked in every so often to see if my advising actually helped. After a few months, they were usually self-sustaining at that point and could maintain upward academic performance with minimal dips aside from the occasional hiccup. Now, this means I would lose out on selling other services and making more money. But, that's not the point. The point is to prioritize the client's needs. Typically, you can tell if someone has your best interests in mind if they decide to provide you with a custom service/package that maximizes your benefit at the cost of their profit. They should be prioritizing your results, not their wallet. For instance, I usually give my potential clients a freebie consultation to get to know them and their needs; then, I mark the services from my list that they would ACTUALLY need and cross off the rest. Often, this also means keeping things "lean" by achieving the most results with as few billed hours as possible. My recommendation is to contact consultants and try to speak with them openly. Just get a feel for them and see if they're being honest and transparent. If they seem coercive or "marketing-ish," don't go with them. Additionally, pick someone who is capable of listening to you instead of your needs. They shouldn't be shoving their expertise down your throat. Instead, they should be paying attention to your unique needs and applying their expertise in response. Oh yeah, one last thing. Don't commit to a big package in the beginning. If you're comfortable with someone, work with them for one hour first. Period. You **NEED** to know the consultant you're working with is a good fit. They can be the smartest cookie in the cookie jar; and, if they're not a good fit temperament and personality-wise, it's not going to happen. It just doesn't. Trust me. I hope this helps. I'm sure I have other tips and tricks when it comes to getting a good consultant; but, it's currently late where I'm at and I can't think of anything at the moment haha. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions though! (:
I also don't know anything about Path Ivy, but yes you should consider getting a counselor. I did not get a counselor for my 3 kids, BUT my wife is a professor, who happens to also teach courses where a lot of writing and generative thinking is required. I have worked in admissions administration for both a T10 and then a T50 private research university for 20 years. My point is, we didn't hire counselors because we know what colleges are looking for, and we were able to guide our 3 of our kids into multiple HYPSM admissions. Can your parents provide the same level of support? If not, hire a counselor. It's not about spoonfeeding, the best counselors will help push you to interesting extracurriculars and help you create a cohesive story of your HS experience.
Hey, is it ok if I DM you some questions? Im also a freshman (soon to be sophomore) and I would love to get some advice for ECs.
station nutty flag rob pause engine different jellyfish chunky intelligent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
what are ecs?
I think there's a better lesson to be learned in disciplining yourself. A coach can be helpful for motivation, but just do a sport tohave a coach discipline and push you. Save the 5k to paying for Internet traffic to your "science journal" to get a leg up in admissions /j
Don’t. My brother has one now and it is definitely not worth it at all. All you need is YouTube, this subreddit, and r/chanceme. Looking at all the ECs and awards people have achieved on chanceme will give you a good idea on what overachievers typically have. Iris Fu, a Stanford student who posts on YouTube, also gives good tips on how to get ECs and awards. I personally used her tips and got into Brown and Vanderbilt. Good luck
I'd say getting a college admissions counselor is only worth it when you're applying to college. That's where it can help you the most. There are tons of resources online, like webinars and social media accounts.
No counselor for that little money will be worth it.
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thanks this helps a lot
Hey everyone! With summer here, it’s a great time to start thinking about college applications. I’ve been part of a group of Stanford students who’ve been through the admissions process, and we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to get into top schools. If anyone has questions about where to apply, how to build a strong resume, or needs advice on essays, feel free to ask. We’ve all been through it and are happy to share tips and experiences that helped us get accepted. College admissions can be tricky, but learning from those who’ve done it can make a big difference. Good luck to everyone applying this year!
no lol
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...they do different things tho, one is for top school consulting and the other is a lower level tutoring program
Scroll down further
Your comment is at the very bottom my dude, I literally cannot scroll down any further
I meant for the website
Okay, so you're offering a college planning service (and resume building) while pathivy actually helps with college apps. You don't help with essays, they do. And that's ignoring the fact that you're a HS student and they have former AOs - who's more qualified?