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"My husband and I were so out of the loop," she said.
The consultant met with Porter's family. She reviewed her daughter's transcript and test scores, and listened to what she wanted in a school.
The consultant suggested a visit to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Porters went, and their daughter fell in love.
So did Porter.
She enjoyed college planning so much that she later left her job at the Janus School in Mount Joy to build her own business, Porter Education Consulting.
Now, she advises high-schoolers through her firm and part-time as the college counselor at York Country Day School.
"I
College admissions consulting is a service that more parents are willing to pay for as competition tightens at selective colleges, and tuition and living costs soar.
It costs $1,500 to $2,000 to hire an independent consultant in southcentral Pennsylvania, according to a survey of consultants in Hanover, York, Hershey and Lancaster.
Few parents and high school guidance counselors have the time or budget to research and visit campuses at hundreds of colleges and universities.
But that research and those personal visits take up a large chunk of consultants' time. Porter visits at least 20 schools a year.
"If you were given $200,000 and you wanted to make an investment, you would probably want to go to a financial adviser to decide how to make that investment," said Joan R. Koven, a consultant and founder of Academic Access in Haverford, near Philadelphia.
"Going to college is not finding the name of a school. It's finding who you are and matching that to the name of the school."
The cost of a consulting package varies depending on what's included.
Some advisers help edit essays, complete financial aid forms and prep students for SATs, but others don't. Ask what's included in the consulting fee and what's not.
Consultants in the region generally prefer to begin working with students during their junior year of high school.
They meet with families to initially review a student's transcript, test scores and discuss interests - from academics to campus environment to extracurricular activities. Some consultants administer personality and career assessment tests.
Often, students hire consultants because they have specific interest or combination of interests, such as acoustic engineering, fencing and a location near the beach.
"I had a student call and say, 'The only thing I'm passionate about is paintball. I'd like to study engineering. Can I go some place to study where I can play paintball?' Or maybe a student wants to be able to board her horse," said Sheila Jones, a consultant in Lancaster.
After the first meeting, the consultant returns with a list of schools based on the student's abilities, interests and geography.
The adviser should be working to find the best fit for the student educationally, socially and financially, Porter said. Generally, the school list will include a range - from schools where admission is a reach to where it's likely, and a few safe bets.
As students whittle down the list, consultants can help put applications together, brainstorm essay ideas, prep students for campus interviews, and target schools likely to award merit scholarships.
"I'm finding there's a general need for overall hand-holding - just overall guidance in the process," said Vicki Keriazes, a consultant in Hanover who once worked in admissions at Georgetown University.
The biggest misconception is the expectation that consultants can get a student in anywhere.
"Which is not the case," Porter said. "I help them evaluate which colleges make the most sense and guide them through the process. But no consultant can guarantee they'll get in anywhere."
Before hiring a consultant, families should ask for client references, years of experience and professional affiliations.
Many consultants are affiliated with the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the Independent Educational Consultants Association, which requires professional members to have a master's degree, log more than 50 campus visits, advise a minimum 50 clients, and have three years of experience in counseling or admissions.
"Do your due diligence," Koven said. "It's very easy for people to say, 'I had two kids go to college, and I feel I'm an expert on that.'"
Steven Roy Goodman has a national consulting practice with offices in Towson, Md., and Washington, D.C. He wrote "College Admissions Together: It Takes a Family."
"Look for someone who isn't just going to say yes to everything. Someone who can really challenge you to think about some of the schools and programs you hadn't thought of before," Goodman said.
"Everybody would like a school that's prestigious, near home and makes them happy. The question is, what happens if you have to make some tradeoffs. That's where it gets difficult. My job is to help families decide which tradeoffs make sense and which are reasonable to make."
771-2024; mburke@ydr.com
WHAT'S IT COST?
$1,500 to $2,000 to hire an independent college admissions consultant in central Pennsylvania.
WHAT THEY DO
· Offer unbiased help: Independent consultants aren't tied to any institution and can serve as a neutral party between student and parent.
· Spend about 20 percent of their time on the road touring campuses, meeting with admission officers
· Brainstorm essay topics with you
· Prep you for the college admissions interview
· Give you a personalized list of schools likely to meet your desired profile
ON THE WEB
· Independent Educational Consultants Association, www.educationalconsulting.org
· National Association for College Admission Counseling, www.nacacnet.org
· Center for College Affordability and Productivity, www.collegeaffordability.net
· College Board, www.princetonreview.com
· Get Accepted, www.accepted.com
TIMELINE
What should college applicants be doing and when?
Freshmen:
· Consider your course selections, making sure you're taking classes that are the most stimulating and challenging for you.
· In high school, take advanced placement and international baccalaureate classes if you have the chance and are interested in the course but consider how much schoolwork you can handle or want to handle.
Sophomores:
· Think about taking the PSAT before your junior year for practice. Your score won't be reported to colleges.
· The summer before junior year is a good time to visit schools, although without classes in swing you won't get the fullest sense of school-year campus life.
Juniors:
· Think spring! Springtime is ideal for taking the SAT or ACT because your scores will give you an idea of how competitive you'll be at schools that interest you. You can also retake the test in the fall if you aren't pleased with your score.
· Spring may be a good time to take SAT Subject Tests. Two or three scores are required by many selective colleges.
· Springtime weather is great complement for campus visits because students will often be out and about (avoid visits during exam periods and holidays).
· Think about the type of college or university where you would be happiest and aim to compile a list of eight to 12 schools.
· Consider scheduling an interview at a school that you're particularly interested in.
· Think about which teachers, coaches or supervisors you'll ask for recommendations in the fall.
Seniors:
· Don't wait until the final deadlines to apply.
Keep in mind that application Web sites are often swamped by last-minute filers on deadline day. Who knows if they'll crash the day your application is due?
· By senior year, you should be waiting for admissions decisions. Most school admissions committees meet in March, make their final decisions and send notifications starting April 1.
Sources: AdmissionsConsultants.com, TopColleges.com and interviews with college admission consultants
FAQ
What's the most important part of my application?
The essay. Students often overlook its importance, but this is (hopefully) the truly unique portion of your application.
Not all schools require them (admissions officers at large schools don't have time to read 48,000 essays.)
Brainstorm ideas. Bounce them off a teacher, guidance counselor or the most creative person you know.
Revise, reread, revise. Don't wait until the last minute.
How do I increase my chances of getting admitted off a waiting list?
Communicate. Ask where you are ranked on the waiting list and ask for an estimate of how many they expect to admit from the list.
Send your last semester's grades. If there's something in your portfolio that you didn't tell your admissions reader, submit it.
Demonstrate sustained interest in the school: Explain to the admissions office that if you were admitted you would definitely go. Remind them that you visited the school (if you did) and what you liked.
Do colleges rescind admissions offers?
Yes. For example, schools reserve the right to revoke admissions offers to applicants who fail to maintain their academic performance. With today's hyper-competitive applicant pool, admissions officers have more incentive to execute such threats.
At some schools, where more freshmen accept admissions offers than expected, an easy way to trim an incoming class is to axe those who let their grades slide.
Sources: AdmissionsCon
sultants.com and consultant
interviews
For more information on college admissions, visit the Lifestyle section of inyork.com/ydr.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
"What's It Cost?" is an occasional series that looks closely at the price of things such as learning to fly a plane, putting your house on the market, publishing a book or becoming a Civil War re-enactor.
So far we've learned what it costs to:
