Do College Admissions Counseling Services Really Make a Difference?

June 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM

College admissions counseling services offer high school students career guidance, help them clarify their goals, and learn how to strengthen their college applications. Here’s how.

What Does a College Admission Counselor Do?

A college admission counselor helps students prepare college applications and get accepted into right-fit universities. With a myriad of services like interview preparation, essay counseling, and more, a reputable admission counselor helps a student make their application process a success at each stage.

Additionally, admission counselors, like Mark Lewis with Educational Attainment Services, can offer career advice, as well as financial aid and scholarship guidance. At Educational Attainment Services, we help students through a holistic approach that emphasizes illustrating their potential to prospective universities. A successful college admission relies on more than just GPA and test scores — so we focus on capturing a broader view of a student’s career, interests, and life.

How College Admissions Counseling Services Are Worthwhile

Parents and students turn to college admission consultants for guidance and insight into the application process, and to increase their chances of getting into a school that’s aligned with their interests and potential. The services admission counselors provide do so in several ways.

Standing Out from the Competition

College admission rates into top universities have been decreasing over the past couple of years. During the pandemic, many schools opted to make SAT or ACT scores optional for applications, which in turn, led to an increase of applications those schools received. And, it’s not just Ivy League schools that have been lowering their acceptance rates. Schools across the country have been reporting lower acceptance rates. This means students need to understand how to find and communicate their strengths, and identify unique experiences they bring to the table.

Since there’s more competition than ever to get into a student’s preferred schools, the experienced insight of a college admission counselor is invaluable. For example, at Educational Attainment Services, Mark Lewis has experience working in admissions at both UC Berkeley and Harvard. With EAS, Mark has been helping students of all backgrounds refine their applications, and get accepted into schools where they can thrive.

Guidance Counselors Are Stretched Thin

While guidance counselors are essential staff members of a high school, they’re often overwhelmed with a need for their services. Unfortunately, high school guidance counselors, in both private and public schools, are stretched thin to the point where they’re unable to offer the personalized attention students need when applying for college. They also don’t have as much expertise in the admission process as an admission counselor does.

Even if a high school guidance counselor assists with college applications, they may only be able to help rising seniors, which means every other student has less of a chance to succeed. With college admission counseling services, you can expect to receive a personalized approach that’s backed by real results.

College Admission Involves A Lot of Moving Parts

The college application process has numerous details that can easily be overlooked. For starters, different colleges have different deadlines for their general admission applications and their scholarship applications. Additionally, a student needs to consider their extracurriculars carefully, as well as the classes they take throughout their high school career.

With so many moving parts, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or unsure about what options to take. A college admission counselor helps students understand what to prioritize to improve their applications, and offers guidance throughout the entire process.

Educational Attainment Services: College Admissions Counseling Services Backed By Results

The right college can transform a young person’s future. Therefore, connecting with an expert college admission counselor is crucial. At Educational Attainment Services, our approaches are backed by both experience, and results. Contact us today to learn how we can help make your college application a success.

And, if you’d like even more insight into college tuition and admission, check out this book by Mark, our founder.