In a guest post today, Joan K. Rynearson, president of Higher Education Consultants Association, takes on some popular perceptions of her profession:
Independent educational consultants have long been criticized by journalists, authors, and even some within the college community. This fast-growing profession attracts people from a variety of backgrounds, from high school counselors and teachers, to attorneys, to business executives to college admission officials. However, we all share a common commitment to young people. As president of the 530-member Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), I am reminded daily of that commitment as I read postings on our listserv. We all work hard to find the right-fit college at the right price for each of our students. We act as intermediaries between parents and children who find it hard to communicate. We cheer for our students who need encouragement and counsel those who have fallen off track. Despite our dedication, the criticisms continue, as evidenced in yet another book about college admissions.
Taking a humorous approach to a process that is often filled with anxiety, Andrew Ferguson has enjoyed unsolicited publicity for his new book, Crazy U. Jenna Johnson, who blogs for The Washington Post, wrote on March 10th that she found the book “absolutely fascinating.” She summarizes a few of Ferguson’s assertions, including the one below:
“One out of four students enrolled in a private college or university hired a private counselor to help through admissions, Ferguson reports. Often these are former admissions office staffers (Ferguson compares it to Capitol Hill’s ‘revolving door’) who swear they know what it takes to get into a fancy school and scare parents with low admit rates, high tuition prices and tales of ‘SuperKids’ with perfect test scores, high GPAs and amazing resumes filled with service work.”
The myth that independent educational consultants opportunistically prey on the fears of families is simply untrue. While a few outliers may employ such tactics, the vast majority work hard to alleviate stress by providing accurate information and guidance. Several organizations such as the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) and the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP) all promote standards and ethics that specifically prohibit using such practices.
When evaluating applicants for membership in HECA, we review websites and promotional materials. If scare tactics or inappropriate promises are being made, the applicant is denied. If we hear of current members who employ these tactics, they are contacted by our standards and ethics chair who may ask for their resignation if they are unwilling to change.
The families we help, many of whom are pro bono clients, deeply appreciate our work. With student-counselor ratios averaging 500:1, public school counselors do not have time for personalized college counseling. Educational consultants often share stories with each other about school counselors and admission officials pulling us aside at meetings to quietly ask how to start their own consulting practice. In some cases, these are the same people who have been our most vocal critics.
In the recent past, a few well-known deans of admission have railed against educational consultants, suggesting that our services give students an unfair advantage in the admissions process. They fail to acknowledge that students at private high schools have always enjoyed individualized college counseling.
I would argue that educational consultants, who work with public school students for the most part, help to level the playing field. Private school college counselors write letters for their students and often call admission deans to advocate on their behalf. Although an increasing number of colleges have announced that they would welcome letters from educational consultants, very few write or make phone calls. It’s still very hard to predict the reactions of admission officials.
Colleges’ marketing plans now include outreach to educational consultants. Local groups get multiple requests from admission representatives for presentations, many of which include a breakfast or lunch. Colleges frequently invite consultants for overnight fly-ins, providing hotel accommodations, meals and transportation. Much of the negative rhetoric has cooled since colleges began to realize that educational consultants can not only deliver students, but deliver students who are a good fit for their institutions.
While it may be more interesting to feature the outliers, I sincerely wish that authors and journalists would reconsider before perpetuating the outdated myth that educational consultants are hucksters who provide a disservice, rather than a service, for students. If still in doubt, read some of the testimonials from students and families on consultants’ Web pages. The comments reflect their heart-felt appreciation.
