College Admissions Counselors in California

Q: Are college admissions consultants worth it?

Yes! If you have access, this extra level of support can genuinely provide you with insight into the admissions process and enhance your odds of admission. More importantly: you won’t be alone during the arduous process of applying to colleges.

College Admissions Counselors in California

By Dr. James Barham

Updated: Jul 28, 2023

Find college admissions counselors in California. Getting into a top ranked college requires more than straight A’s. You need expert help; we help you find quality college consultants near your city and state.

Key Takeaways

Aspiring college students benefit from professional college admissions consulting services in many ways, from getting a good college fit to decreasing their college-related costs. But it’s important to get the right timing in hiring a professional college admissions consultant—the junior year in high school is a common starting point.
College admissions consultants cost money, but this is for good reasons, from the amount of time spent guiding students and parents to the high demand for their services.
Aspiring college students with a non-traditional education and those who want to enter selective schools will likely benefit the most from college admissions consulting services. These services are worth the money, too, considering the valuable information gleaned from discussions between students and their parents and the college admissions consultants.

All About California’s College Admissions Counselors

The best college admissions counselors in California work hard and well to promote their profession and, thus, overcome its negative perceptions among the general public. Indeed, college admissions consulting services have inherent values directly related to a college education’s value!

A college diploma is a significant investment in itself, so the importance of getting into the right college and university cannot be overemphasized. This isn’t just about getting into a selective school, such as Carnegie Mellon or the University of Southern California, either!

In many large public and private high schools, school counselors cannot spend sufficient time with students in college admissions counseling. High school counselors devote less than a third of their time to college admissions and related services.

Furthermore, in a National Association for College Admission Counseling survey, only 33% of public high schools have part-time or full-time counselors who focus on college counseling and advising. In contrast, 68% of private high schools offer dedicated college counseling and advising services.

This is where the best independent college admissions consultants come into the picture. However, you must be aware of the costs and benefits of hiring college admissions counselors, particularly who will likely reap the most benefits from their services.

Why do the best college admissions counselors cost money?

Admittedly, the cost of professional college admissions services can be expensive. But there are justifiable reasons for the cost including:

College admissions consultants put several hours of work into providing high school students and incoming college students with effective guidance on a wide range of matters. These include the college admissions process, from writing college essays (e.g., personal statements) and highlighting extracurricular activities to ACT tutoring, test prep, and interview prep.
College admissions consultants can spend 40-50 hours with each student to increase their chances of admission into the school of their dreams. Whether it’s an undergraduate program at UC Berkeley or Stanford Law School. Think of it this way: you’re paying for their expertise in the college admissions process, which was honed by years of education, experience, and exposure.
College admissions counselors are in high demand and, as a result, limit their number of clients to maintain the quality, effectiveness, and responsiveness of their services. The best counselors accept 30 or less clients per cycle even if they receive hundreds of requests!
The price points for their college admissions consulting services are then fair—there’s a fair balance between their effectiveness in getting you into your dream school and the high demand for their services. Most, if not all, college admissions counseling companies also offer multiple plans that allow students and their parents to choose the best plan for their financial needs.

But don’t be fooled by the promises of success of admission into selective schools in exchange for large sums of money! You will find plenty of college admissions counseling companies with reasonable prices and high success rates. You should start as early as possible in scouting the best college admissions consultants, asking the right questions, and evaluating their answers.

Who will benefit the most from hiring college admissions counselors?

While the usefulness of college admissions counseling is clear, we must also emphasize that not every student and their parents will need their professional services. Students in public and private high schools with competent and accessible school counselors, usually in schools with low counselor-student ratio (1:100 or less), may not need external assistance.

But if you belong to one of these categories, you will likely benefit from services of the best college admissions counselors.

You want to enroll in a selective college or university in California.

Emphasis must be made that college fit has greater value than prestige when choosing a college or university—the big picture mindset, which includes considering your personal values, academic goals, and professional aspirations, is a must here. But it just so happens that for many students, their “best fit colleges” are among the best in California!

The fact is that the best colleges in California are also among the most selective in their admissions process. Aspiring students must meet both measurable and intangible criteria, from academic excellence (e.g., GPAs and standardized test scores) to character traits (e.g., intellectual vitality and integrity).

Professional college admissions consultants can provide effective guidance for students and parents to boost their admissions success by meeting these criteria.

You are a non-traditional student.

If you completed your high school education in a non-traditional manner, then you may want to consider professional college admissions consultants! Non-traditional schooling includes homeschooling, special education programs, and international students, all of whom likely didn’t have ready access to school counseling services.

You want significantly reduced college costs.

While it may seem counterintuitive, hiring the services of an effective college admissions consultant can decrease your total cost of attendance! You will find a good college fit in terms of affordable tuition rates, learn about maximizing financial aid eligibility, and shorten your time-to-completion through efficient college planning.

In the end, the value of college admissions consultants lies in the early, effective, and efficient planning for college—after all, with an academic plan in place, you’re more likely to succeed!

According to our college consulting expert, David H. Nguyen, PhD, founder of Next Level Prep, Location is pertinent to finding the best educational consultant agencies because companies based in a region will understand the characteristics that admissions officers look for in students from high schools in that region. There is an edge that consultants gain from having worked with many students in the same region. That’s why our college consulting agencies are broken down state-by-state.

Most high school students have extremely limited access to direct guidance during the college admissions process. According to The New York Times, during the 2012–2016 school year, every public school counselor in the U.S. was assigned an average of 470 students! That doesn’t leave much time for one-on-one support as you figure out how to complete your FAFSA, decide which extracurriculars improve your chances of college admission, and what application strategies can help you stand out in a sea of other excellent students.

College admissions consultants, or college coaches, can help fill that gap, and give you a major advantage in finding the school of your choice.

Find College Admissions Counselors Close to You in California

Agencies are listed alphabetically within their cities.

Location: Agoura Hills, CA

Services include:

Thorough review of high school or community college academic record, course selection, and standardized test scores
Explore student's goals for both college and possible careers
Review extracurricular and volunteer activities and interests
Discuss the college admissions process and provide a timeline of activities for each year of high school
Discuss the college admissions process and provide a timeline of activities for each year of high school
Discuss standardized testing strategies and options available to students including the ACT, SAT, AP, IB, SAT Subject Tests
Evaluate the strength of the student's academic program and make recommendations for future course work
Evaluate extracurricular activities, volunteer commitments, summer programs and employment
Discuss educational goals, career interests, values, and passions that may influence college selection
Develop a preliminary list of colleges that meet the student's interests, academic profile, possible majors, and the family's financial situation
Assist families in utilizing tools for college research, planning college visits, and understanding what is important in the college selection process
Brainstorm essay ideas and provide feedback for students as they compose their personal statements
Assist students in developing resumes, preparing for interviews, and researching scholarship options