CCO Urges Against Independent Consulting
The Exeter College Counseling Office (CCO) took an official stance on independent college consulting in an email to all senior parents on Sept. 21, urging transparency from students and generally discouraging their use.
According to Director of College Counseling Elizabeth Dolan, the CCO decided to clarify its official philosophy in light of Operation Varsity Blues, a college admissions scandal in March which shed light on dozens of affluent applicants using fraudulently gained admission to selective universities with the aid of coaches, admissions officers and private consultants.
While the CCO is not enforcing a ban, Dolan stated that college consultants are an unnecessary expense for Exeter students and families, emphasizing the qualifications of Exeter’s counselors as former selective admission officers and experienced secondary school counselors who are “respected leaders in the college admission field.”
The CCO further noted that a private consultant’s lack of insight on the Academy’s particular context may even detract from an Exonian’s candidacy. “College counselors and other community members witness a student’s growth and engagement routinely, which often informs a student’s candidacy. An independent consultant cannot offer the same perspective, nor can they provide Exeter’s context within the national admissions landscape to admission readers,” their statement read.
In an “ever-changing and complex college admissions landscape,” Dolan voiced concern that outside-of-Exeter resources were more prone to communicate inaccurate information to clients. “As a result, students are often confused about whose advice to believe and how to move forward. This only adds to the stress level; it does not reduce it,” she wrote.
Ashley Stevens, company representative for the consulting group Ivy Coach, questioned the efficacy of CCO’s statement. “Phillips Exeter can discourage students from using outside private college consultants all they’d like. It won’t discourage families in the least from seeking outside help,” she said. “If these families didn’t need private college counseling, they wouldn’t be seeking it.”
However, the Academy’s official stance has already caused a few students to dismiss their private consultants, some interpreting the discouraging stance as a ban. “I had to stop working with the independent college counselor because my college counselor [at Exeter] found out that I had an external one,” senior Michelle* said. “My family didn’t know this, but apparently you’re not allowed to have both, so you have to pick. So, obviously, I picked my Exeter counselor because you need the support of the school.”
According to Dolan, three percent of the Class of 2019 reported that they were utilizing a private consultant; however, this figure was likely an underestimate as not all students responded to the survey. In their email statement, the CCO urged “honest communication and transparency” going forward from all students using consultants.
For Exonians who use these external services, a significant motive is their concern that Exeter counselors are less available for one-on-one support. “Every counselor here is very overworked and has too many students to pay close attention to all of them. My [independent] counselor takes only 11 students per year to be able to focus on all of them … Also, she helps by giving me a more solid timeframe and is free to meet much more often—basically whenever I need,” senior Alexander Norton said.
Norton has already informed his Exeter counselor about the private consultant. “My experience has been very positive with her so far, and one big difference is that [the private consultant] is focused on me getting into the college that I want to get into as opposed to just making sure that I get into a college,” Norton continued.
Other students, however, expressed that the accessibility of their private counselors did not necessarily meet their expectations. “I thought [individual consulting] would mean more individualized attention, which turned out to not be the case as my private counselor had more clients than he could reasonably assist,” alumnus Devin* said. “If anything he decreased it by advising, against the wishes of my Exeter counselor, that I apply early to a certain school, which turned out to be an unwise decision, as well as not being a tactical one. Luckily, however, I did end up at Yale.”
Regarding concerns about each counselor’s workload, Dolan stated that the CCO is more than sufficiently staffed, particularly after its two additional hires this year. “Given that the college counselor/student ratio is now less than the classroom instructor/student ratio … we believe that the CCO is able to support Exeter students even more effectively than in previous years,” she said. This year, nine Exeter counselors are supporting a total of 318 seniors in the Class of 2020.
Other Exonians noted parental pressure as a factor that led to their hiring of a private consultant. “I think between my parents, they have six degrees from different universities. My parents have always wanted the best for my brother and me in all forms of education,” upper Reed* said. “They want me to have the best foundation that I can have for whatever field I want to go into. Of course, the university that I will attend is heavily factored into that. They want some degree of prestige.”
Reed’s* mother felt that additional, outside-of-Exeter counseling would significantly boost her son’s chances at admission to a prestigious institution. “I wanted a professional person who could serve two purposes: first, to serve as an informed intermediary, and second, someone who would focus their informed efforts solely on my child’s college’s needs,” she said. “Consultants have a lot of behind-the-scenes power.”
Independent consultants who work with Exonians vary in their cost and offerings. Beyond a school college counseling office’s typical services, commercial independent consultants such as IvyCoach, Top Tier Admissions and College Transitions offer a variety of other resources, including standardized test tutoring, essay revision and extracurricular management that can be purchased in packages.
Andrew Belasco, CEO of College Transitions, stated that prep school students may seek external services due to a perceived conflict of interest for school counselors when advocating for a student. “[Students] feel their counseling department is prioritizing the needs/desires of the school over their own needs/desires,” he said. “This … reason is cited more often by students (or parents of students) who attend very prestigious private schools, which strive to ensure that an adequate number of graduates attend a diverse array of elite institutions and which may ‘push’ students toward certain schools while discouraging them from applying to others.”
Belasco advised students who receive contradictory information from their consultants and school counselors to analyze the supporting data behind each group’s recommendations. “When it comes to advice regarding college list development and/or application strategy, students should demand that advice is driven by data and/or facts,” he said. “For example, why is a counselor recommending a particular school? Is their recommendation based on anecdote or also on more quantifiable measures that ensure an adequate return on investment, such as employment outcomes, graduate school placement rates, [percent] of students pursuing research and/or internship?”
Regardless of whether they use independent consultants themselves, many students associate privilege with the use of such services. “It is a sign of privilege. Having access to those resources is definitely a sign of privilege. Definitely, I think if you really want or need those resources, go for it,” upper Isa Matsubayashi said. “But you do need to come from a place of privilege to use these resources ... I don’t need those extra resources as long as I can find some for free online.”
Reed* is conscious of the potential advantages of having a counselor and the perception that others would have of independent counselors. “Knowing the diversity of wealth here, I know not everyone has that same access, and can sort of come down to entitlement and what wealth can do for my family,” he said. “Telling people that, ‘Oh, I have a counselor,’ might reflect poorly on my character to some. There’s almost a bit of stigma.”
Stevens felt that CCO’s new stance is hypocritical. “Of course the use of an independent college counselor is a sign of privilege,” she said. “Do you know what else is a sign of privilege? Attending Phillips Exeter Academy.”
Devin* stated that whether or not an advantage is conferred is immaterial. “In regards to class issues, the college admissions process is always unequal, so I would not recommend against [not hiring a counselor] for that [reason],” he said. “If a family decides to sacrifice for a college counselor, they should by all means do so.”
Some Exonians are provided counselors by scholarship organizations and organizations that promote academic achievement for underprivileged students. Prep 9, for example, “helps the brightest and most hardworking African American and Latino students in New York City and the metropolitan areas of Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut prepare for success” at prestigious secondary and collegiate institutions.
Dolan emphasized that the CCO philosophy does not concern relationships with counselors affiliated with programs for underprivileged students. “[These] counselors are different from independent consultants, in that they often have started working with the student in middle school. Their responsibilities are not always the same as Exeter’s college counselors’,” she said. “The CCO continues to work to support the Academy’s long-standing partnerships with these programs.”
No matter what decision students make, Dolan urges them to be honest about whether they have hired consultants, as not doing so may lead to greater detriment. “When a student/family chooses to use an independent counselor, the student and family often do not keep their college counselor informed. As a result, the information shared with colleges can be limited,” she said.
CCO concluded by reiterating their commitment to serving students. “We do not want students feeling confused by not knowing who to believe or who to follow, as they navigate their college admissions process,” the CCO wrote in their statement. “Regardless of whether a student is working with an independent consultant, Exeter’s college counselors will continue to advocate for all students and submit all official credentials on a student’s behalf.”
*Asterisks denote name change to preserve anonymity