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Post by flanz on Aug 8, 2014 16:48:40 GMT
I have no experience to relay on the parental side. But, from the school side.... if your student is incapable of getting through the admissions process on his/her own and you hire someone to get them in, you end up with a massive mis-match where the student isn't going to be able to complete their education at that level of university. If someone extensively "tutors" him on his entrance essay and he is accepted based on that sample but can't reproduce that same level of writing later in his course work (because that is the level they expect from their students) he is sunk as soon as he starts. Just an observation that the more help a student needs getting through the process the more likely they are to end up either failing out or having to withdraw because they aren't really academically ready. Their reading skills or writing skills are lacking. Both of which will end a university run. I have to disagree on a certain level - I think there is a time/place to hire a pro to help sort out college decisions. NOT to help write the essays, etc, I completely agree with Volt there. Our son knew exactly which big college he wanted to attend and there was no need to hire anyone. DD knew she wanted to attend a small liberal arts college, but there are sooo many of them that she found it overwhelming to try to narrow down her list. The woman we hired to advise her was able to give her a lot of info on the cultures at different schools, etc., which really helped. dd ended up visiting 6 schools while they were in session and knew immediately which one she wanted to attend when she got there. both of our kids were National Merit Finalists, if that matters. good luck!
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,750
Jun 25, 2014 19:55:12 GMT
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Aug 8, 2014 16:50:37 GMT
I'm going to sound like such a crotchety old lady, but when I was applying for colleges, it was up to the student (and his/her parents, if they were capable) to do the legwork you're talking about. (I graduated in 1993, by the way.) It seems like an awful lot of coddling to pay for someone to help your student apply to colleges and figure out the best fit for them, especially with all of the information that can be found via the internet. If your kid can't figure out how to apply to a school or even which school they want to go to without professional assistance, then maybe college is not a good fit at this time. Move over on the crotchety old lady bench, I'm joining you. I also graduated in 1993.
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Post by workingclassdog on Aug 8, 2014 16:59:07 GMT
Wow you learn something new everyday.. never heard of this before... First 'in my head' I am like a grouchy old lady.. why would anyone do this?? I read some of the responses and it doesn't sound like a bad idea, even though we probably wouldn't do this at all. So if you want to go ahead.. I am thinking if your child wants something very particular and excels in it, that might be a good way to go. If your kid is just going in and not sure what they are doing, then no, I wouldn't.
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back to *pea*ality
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys ~refugee pea #59
Posts: 3,149
Jun 25, 2014 19:51:11 GMT
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Post by back to *pea*ality on Aug 8, 2014 17:00:07 GMT
No. My son's high school had an excellent and proactive guidance department which started guiding parents through the process as well as the students starting in sophomore year.
When we did the college visits, I always went to the financial aid office presentations and tried to make a contact while there.
When he narrowed down *his* decision, I called to find out if there was anything else that could be applied for in terms of scholarship or financial aid. DS also applied for a few outside scholarships that companies offer. I don't remember the website's as this was five years ago. Maybe someone else can post.
This was the first big decision my son made. I was there to help him navigate the process but it was his decision to make.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 6:46:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2014 17:01:51 GMT
It would seem that the real-world skills of researching colleges and universities and navigating the application process would be a WONDERFUL way for a young adult to learn a lot, read a lot, and work hard. But maybe that's just me... It's not just you.
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Post by mellyw on Aug 8, 2014 17:11:31 GMT
No, it wasn't a consideration for our family. My DD is a complete control freak & would have lost her mind if she had someone "guiding" her.
I will say, she did mention 2 people she helped during her Freshman year. She's in an extremely competitive career field (BioMedical Engineering), & they truly had some problems. There is a set curriculum for Freshman year, but BioMedical Engineering branches off in so many different directions after that. The 2 students had Admission Counselors, & really had no clue on how to go about researching what branch they wanted to follow.
So that's another aspect to it. Depending on what your child wants to study, will they did to do research on their own to figure out the rest of their college career? What if your child decides the original major isn't what they want (and that happens a lot), & needs to research a new avenue?
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Post by anxiousmom on Aug 8, 2014 19:18:58 GMT
Perhaps because my background involves employment with several different colleges/universities, it never occurred to me to hire someone. My son did this on his own, with input from me when he had questions. From time to time I would ask a question to see where he was, but like some others before me, I thought it important for him to go through the process alone. The child will be living on his own and navigating the waters 8 hours away from me and he needs to learn how to do it on his own.
And to be perfectly honest, and I know that there will be a lot who disagree, this is the best time for him to fail if he does. I don't mean party too much, flunk out of school fail, but rather fail in having made a decision that that doesn't work for him. This is an easy one to fix.
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back to *pea*ality
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys ~refugee pea #59
Posts: 3,149
Jun 25, 2014 19:51:11 GMT
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Post by back to *pea*ality on Aug 8, 2014 19:23:34 GMT
This was a concern my son expressed to me - what if I make the wrong decision. Like you, I said, then you reset your course and find your way. In the whole scheme of life it is no big deal.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Aug 8, 2014 23:33:11 GMT
OMG! I have never heard of such a thing!! Cripes!! That's half the fun! and half the life experience, is like..figuring it out! Yes, it's work, it's frustrating sometimes, but I could never imagine giving that up and paying someone??!!
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