Is this legit? (college admissions assistance)

Think of the old saying "that if it sounds too good to be true then it isn't" or "when in doubt, don't".

There are scammers everywhere so why not at high schools wanting to rip off parents trying to do their best for their kids?

Tread carefully is my advice. 

I don’t believe it should be necessary.

There are lots of college admissions counselors. If you were to decide to use one, I'd advise checking several out throughly.

It's not at all necessary to use one, but some kids who want to go to very competitive schools do work with a counselor who knows the ins and outs of what specific schools are looking for. Some of these counselors formerly worked at colleges in admittance departments and are familiar with what makes a candidate stand out to a particular school. But be wary -- some of these counselors are great, while others are money pits. For what it's worth, I've never heard of CAA.

It's not inexpensive. Costs typically range from $5,000-$15,000/year in my area.

IIRC, we had a group like this present at a school workshop when DS was a senior. Their services were basically to take your student through the whole application process via once a week meetings. The counselor would work with a group of 10 or do students, so there was limited one-on-one. They'd help edit essays and short answer questions and even help with the FAFSA applications. It was pricey, but I only remember it being around $1000. You could sign up before you were a senior and make monthly payments but they didn't offer any services until you were a senior.

DS did know a couple of kids that used the service. We had enough family & friends that had been through the college application process to rely on for help.

We did hire a college advisor for yds. He was applying to some competitive schools and on that fence w/his GPA.    It's the best investment we've ever made. There are a lot of toads and you need to be very careful. However, it was more than worth it and I won't lie, it's pricey. DS got into his first choice and it was a big longshot. Our advisor was honest w/us from day one about his chances of getting into each school. Also, she'll be working w/him to help him get into med school should he make the choice to commit to that path after freshman year. She has her PHd in education as well as her MD. She wanted to work w/students and she wasn't happy as a doctor. So, she knows her stuff. The whole process was very legitimate. I never once had the feeling that we were being sold a bill of goods. My BS meter is strong.

The college admissions process is a pain in the rear and for ds it was a lot of work, because our advisor had him take extra tests that required a lot of his time, but not our money. She referred us to a tutor for one of the subject tests and it proved very useful. Ds said it really helped him a lot. Again, this isn't for everyone, but for some students it is really helpful and worthwhile. I can imagine that there are a lot of scam artists in this industry.

If you choose to go this way, really check the credentials of your advisor. Get reviews and ask questions. Our advisor was very straightforward about cost, her duties, etc. She was even upfront that she didn't have anything to offer ods, because he was pursuing a teaching credential and based upon his GPA he would be able to get into a state school w/o any fuss. In otherwards, she didn't take our money for a service that we didn't need. Now you have some perspective from someone who has experience w/a college advisor.

Go to www. collegeconfidential.com and those message boards will educate you on EVERYTHING. the #1 thing is to have the money talk upfront. It doesn't hurt to look at a couple school websites to get an idea of information.