Media, Public Tuning in to Consulting as a Result of Recent Study
October 22nd, 2009
by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA
Late last week we noted new independent research stating that 26% of high-achieving high school seniors hired independent educational consultants for their college search and application process. The research did not examine students whose scores were below the 70th percentile, and we don’t know whether the percentage there grows, or, as we suspect, is a bit lower. In either case, the study has affirmed what IECA has been stating: there is significant growth nationwide of a nature that can fundamentally alter the view of this profession.
In sending out our media release yesterday, more than 100 press contacts have opened and read the press release, as well as admission representatives from over 100 colleges and universities, and hundreds among the public that viewed the release on the IECA Web site and Facebook page. The release was among the top three viewed pages on the IECA Web site both yesterday and today. And, a number of IECA members have posted the press release to their Web site or blog.
In addition to this blog, the Washington Post’s Admission 101 blog has reported the story and invited readers to offer opinions as to whether educational consultants are “worth it.” A few responses to that blog are reprinted below:
“Sharone2” noted, “We used a college planning service for my daughter, and it was very helpful, particularly in guiding her to make a list of activities she needed to do, month-by-month and providing that external prod to get it done.”
When someone wondered why anyone would pay for a consultant with so much free information available on the Internet, “qrcxx3” responded with an analogy that some can relate to: “To me, it’s like hiring a personal trainer. Yup, I can read manuals and search the internet for information on exercises, technique, etc. But there is nothing like that real-life person standing there correcting my form, suggesting specific exercises, and pushing me…”
“nonook44” spoke from a fresh experience, “I just went to a high school yesterday with a senior class of 1,000, with one college counselor. One parent thought her son was procrastinating, but the truth was he didn’t know where to begin. A couple hundred dollars for peace of mind? To know that you went the extra mile at the end? Totally worth it.”
When some made the assertion that consulting must be just for the wealthy (something the 26% use figure alone would dispute), IECA member Emily Snyder responded “If those using my services are any indication…some can afford the fees private consultants charge, but I, like a significant number of my peers across the country, have worked with those who struggle to do so. There will always be those who step up to the plate to offer [these] service to those who would go without.”
If nothing else, the Independent Educational Consultants Association is at the forefront of helping the public understand the breadth, value, and service of educational consultants, and how the profession is expanding to better serve the needs of students—across both the economic and achievement spectrums.
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Tagged:admissions, admissions 101 blog, admissions representatives, college consulting, educational consulting, IECA members, Jay Mathews
