Austin, Tex. — Independent college consultants have become more popular among parents who want to give their high-school students extra help in the college-admissions process. Although it’s commonly assumed that wealthy families are the main clients of admissions consultants, middle-class families actually hire such consultants much more frequently, according to research conducted by Mark Sklarow, executive of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. During a presentation Mr. Sklarow gave here at the National Association for College Admission Counseling conference, or Nacac, he explained why families with annual incomes from $75,000 to $100,000 were flocking to independent counselors.
“It’s not the superrich who are seeking us out, it’s the professional class in the suburbs whose children attend large public high schools,” Mr. Sklarow said. “Those families are concerned because the counselors at their children’s high schools don’t have the resources or time to provide them individual advice and attention.”
Mr. Sklarow also described how the independent consulting field has gained more respect among college-admission professionals — he cited his organization’s recent cobranding partnership with Nacac, and the more welcoming attitude admissions deans take now when communicating with independent counselors.
Despite those positive developments, Mr. Sklarow said consultants still face a major challenge because they are often sought out by helicopter parents, who are often delusional about their children’s prospects for admission at competitive colleges. The educational and child-rearing philosophy that every child is special and should be celebrated has also had some damaging consequences, he said.
“This is all coming back to haunt us as these students look at colleges,” said Mr. Sklarow. “We’ve raised a generation of kids who are afraid to take risks and fear rejection more than ever before. That makes it hard for us to do our job in college advising because there is no guarantee that they will be admitted by every school.” —Elizabeth F. Farrell
More Chronicle coverage of the Nacac meeting:
At Admissions Conference, Marketing Mixes With Mission Frustrations With Standardized Testing Boil at Annual Admissions Conference Report Notes Trends in College Admissions Common Application Group’s Leader Hears Complaints About Online Version of Form
