Here are some thoughts straight from the founders of College Confidant, a new company at Harvard aiming to provide more affordable college admissions advice:
"The Problem: Currently there is not a lot of transparency in the college process and as a result, students often make suboptimal decisions due to a lack of information. There just aren’t many good college advising sources out there. Guidance counselors are often overworked and detached from the admissions process at top schools. Private counselors are prohibitively expensive (generally $150/hour) and also know little about the unique identity of each school. This lack of information is particularly problematic since college is such an important and expensive part of a student’s life.
Our goal is to make high-quality, affordable college counseling available for all college bound students. At only around $10-20 an hour, our service is considerably more affordable than other private college admissions consulting options. Through partnerships with non-profits, donations, and College Confidants willing to provide pro bono services, we hope to reach out to groups underrepresented in the college admissions process. For quality insider tips that one won't get from a college counselor or an admissions tour, College Confidant is your source, from the source."
