If you are a high school parent, you’ve probably heard of independent educational consultants (IECs), or college admissions consultants. These consultants have a great deal of knowledge about colleges, and can offer vital help to college bound high school students, from choosing a major to finding colleges that fit them best to working on college applications, and much more.
Here are the top 5 reasons you might choose to work with an IEC:
1. Thing have changed (a lot) in college admissions since you went to college.
IECs know the college admissions landscape. We regularly visit colleges and have conversations with college admissions folks. It’s our job to know schools and what types of students would be well suited at which colleges. IECs with formal training have taken courses on everything they need to know to guide students and families: financial aid, college admissions resources, working with different student populations, and how colleges make enrollment decisions. IECs attend conferences and webinars frequently to stay up to date on the most current data and admissions cycle information. Be sure to ask your consultant about their training, and what organizations they belong to for continuing education purposes.
2. College is a very big investment.
You have been helping your child prepare for college her entire life. Hiring an IEC is also an investment, usually a small fraction of the cost of 4-5 years of tuition. The return on investment of working with an IEC is the expert guidance, the lower stress levels within the family, the merit scholarships and other financial aid your child may receive, and the outcome of having your student go to a college that’s just right for her.
3. You want someone outside of your family to guide your child through this process.
Let’s face it. Teenagers and their parents don’t always see eye to eye. Sometimes they think they are the expert in everything. Sometimes they don’t appreciate their parents’ knowledge or wisdom. You might struggle having hard conversations about your child’s future. You want to keep your child on track with all of the deadlines, but he doesn’t want to be nagged.
Parents and students greatly appreciate letting someone else guide them through this important time. Your child might respond differently to a third party expert than how they respond to you. Working with someone outside of the family lowers everyone’s stress level.
4. Doing it yourself is possible, but it feels overwhelming.
There are over 3,800 degree-granting colleges in the United States. Endless websites have scores of data for you to wade through. How do you get started? How do you narrow down the possibilities? IECs have a curriculum we use to work with your child. We discuss what criteria is important to them, and we develop a personalized plan to establish a list of colleges that would fit your child academically, socially and financially. We know where to look to get the most accurate information to make the process smooth and efficient.
5. You don’t know what you don’t know.
You may be asking yourself things like: should my child take an SAT or ACT? What’s more important: AP tests or taking college courses during high school? What should my child be doing in the summer to best prepare her for college? How does my child make the best use of his time outside of school – get a job, play sports, or look for internships? Or you may hear other parents talking about things like test optional, faculty mentored research, and restrictive early action, and you are unsure of what those things are. Your IEC will be able to answer your questions specifically as they pertain to your child’s circumstances.
If you have a high schooler and one or more of these reasons resonate with you, feel free to reach out with a free consultation. See how Matrix can help you!
