The scam: private college counselors

Carolina Cuadros

Over the past decade, college counselors have become increasingly popular, marketing themselves as the gateway into top college acceptances.

However they are causing more harm than good when considering the ticket price.

At the whopping average cost of $400 an hour, as found by The Atlantic, private Bay Area college counseling has emerged as a moneygrabbing business.

One complaint about college counselors concerns that they are getting paid to interfere with the student’s writing voice. As one would expect, each counselor has their individual take on the best writing structure and style.

In my friend’s experience, their private college counselors’ writing tone does not align with their organic approach. Consequently, many of their essays exclude the original language and flair, often blurring the applicant’s personality from their final piece.

Universities stress the importance of original writing because they want a clear understanding of applicants’ personalities to gauge how well they would fit in the new environment.

College admission counselors, such as Tulane University admissions representative Jonathan Gutmann, have voiced frustration on this issue. “Parents, this is your child’s process, not yours, not a counselor’s, your child’s,” Gutmann said.

This lucrative industry also poses mental health consequences, as Sam Stabinsky, a senior at Carlmont High School, voices complaints regarding the additional and unnecessary stress imposed by college counselors.

“Writing with her was difficult. I wasn’t writing for myself anymore, I was writing for what I thought would satisfy her – although I always seemed to fall short,” Stabinsky said.

While removing all outside assistance during the admissions process may not be best, there are better options.

There are a series of free online resources available to all Carlmont students that provide extra support in areas such as grammar, writing, and overall admissions aid.

Carlmont set up Paper accounts for all its students to serve as a tutoring resource with a complementary writing assistant. The site includes a college admission feature equipped with grammar, spelling, word choice, flow, and structure assistance. Since the feedback is delivered electronically rather than directly to a student’s face, there is less pressure to accept changes that do not align with the writer’s tone.

For those in need of assistance with the overall application process, including navigating sites, understanding majors, and learning how to market yourself, resources such as UStrive are free and accessible nationwide. The program connects each user with an experienced adult who has studied the college application process and thus can serve as a mentor and advisor for those who take advantage.

With the abundance of free resources to relieve high school seniors through this demanding process, it is unnecessary to allocate funds to individuals who remove authenticity from students’ profiles.

Carlmont senior Lauren McCarthy anxiously works on her college applications while science teacher, Tyler Kochel, serves as support.