Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

'Snake Oil' College Advisers Can Run $40K

Counselors often embellish record, don't need licenses

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 19, 2009 11:01 AM CDT

(Newser) – Independent college counselors promise to use their admissions know-how to get students into the best schools. But there’s no way to evaluate their sometimes extravagant claims, and some charge more than a year’s tuition at many colleges, the New York Times reports. Still, business is booming in the largely unregulated field—despite concerns from college officials. “I guess there are snake oil salesman in every field,” says the president of the University of Pennsylvania.

Independent counselors, who are unaffiliated with schools, usually charge about $185 an hour, but some charge upwards of $40,000. “It’s annoying when people complain about the money,” one counselor complains. “I’m at the top of my field. Do people economize when they have a brain tumor and are looking for a neurosurgeon?” Admissions officers advise students to seek the advice of their high school counselors, but the applicants who could benefit the most from such counseling often can’t afford it.

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

No test or licensing is required to offer independent college counseling services. (Shutter Stock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Some of the independents leave me looking for the nearest emergency shower. - Bruce Poch, dean of admissions at Pomona College

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

New College Rankings: An Ivy Deadheat

Harvard, Princeton top universities list

(NEWSER) - US News and World Report has released its latest college rankings, and it’s full of the usual suspects, with Harvard, Princeton, and Yale topping the list; not much has changed since last year . Among liberal arts colleges , Williams, Amherst, and Swarthmore lead the pack. The magazine also presents its best universities in the world : The UK is on top, with Cambridge at No. 1, followed by Harvard and Yale (don’t ask us why Yale beats Princeton worldwide but not nationally). More»

Most Common Grade in US Colleges: A

'Consumer-based' education to blame for loosening standards, says report

(NEWSER) - A is for "average," especially at American colleges and universities today—a stunning 43% of all grades in the United States are now A's, according to a new report on grade inflation . That's up from just 15% in 1960 and 31% as recently as 1988, notes the Economix blog at the New York Times . At the same time, the number of bad grades have plummeted, with C's going from 35% in 1960 to just 15% today; D's have dropped from about 11% to 5%. More»

Ivy League Offers False Hope to Kids It Won't Accept

Elite universities profit from acting interested in unqualified students

(NEWSER) - Ivy League schools cram high school students' mailboxes full with glossy recruitment packages, only to greet them weeks later with far less appealing rejection letters. Critics say elite universities like Harvard and Columbia set up potential applicants for disappointment by wooing them with pamphlets, posters, and promise, pocketing hefty application fees of up to $90 from students who have little chance of actually getting accepted, Bloomberg reports. More»

Next Bubble to Burst? Higher Education

We invest vast sums in a future that may not exist, says Peter Thiel

(NEWSER) - We’re in the midst of another bubble, and it's not an Internet one, according to PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. It's a higher education bubble, and "like the housing bubble, the education bubble is about security and insurance against the future,” writes Sarah Lacy, who sat down to interview Thiel for TechCrunch . Students pay universities big bucks not to teach them, but to guarantee their security, argues Thiel. Questioning the value of education has long been "the absolute taboo," he says—but now more and more kids are graduating ... then moving home, leading many to ask, "Is it worth it?" More»

Freshmen More Stressed Than Ever

First-year college students report low emotional health

(NEWSER) - College freshmen might not be learning much —but that doesn’t mean they’re not stressed. The levels of emotional health in incoming freshmen hit a record low last year, probably thanks in part to the recession. According to an annual survey, students who rated themselves as having “below average” emotional health rose, while those who said they had “above average” emotional health fell to 52%. In 1985, 64% of students claimed “above average” emotional health, the New York Times reports. Parental unemployment was also at a record high. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'Snake Oil' College Advisers Can Run $40K