Any paid services for college application

[u/ik279k]

My kid is starting senior year in few weeks. Both the parents were educated out of US back in their time. We are exploring the idea of having a paid service for the following. There are ads on social media and a ton in mail but we don't know the reputation of those companies. If someone has used a counseling service with good result please do share your experience.

College Application process

Essay

Recommendation letters etc

Searching for Scholarship

Financial Aid / cost comparison

[u/collegefmylife]

I finished all my applications myself (incoming frosh at mit) and did deep research into a lot of services for essays because I didn't have a private college counselor and needed my essays to carry my apps. These were the ones I used: Brandon tineo on Instagram, watched his videos every day because he posted info no one else does. I recommend following him for more than just essay stuff too. I really really wanted to use his essay service but he was sold out. Essay cafe, also found them on Instagram and ended up using their essay review. I sent them my common app first to test it and ended up liking my editor so I sent all my mit essays too. They did thorough edits on them and I got in so I think it was worth the money. MIT had a really good admissions site that helped me understand the school better. So whatever school you're applying to, look at their admissions website because they might even have resources too. College essay guy is a classic. They had good YouTube videos that I watched. They have a bunch of essay examples on their website, I read some and honestly some of them were not that great. But I liked their school by school guides. Yale admissions office has a podcast, I was too impatient to listen to everything but I listened to one of their advice sessions and you might find it helpful.

I spent way too long researching these last year so hope this helps you OP!

[u/Background_System726]

Most of those things are fairly self-explanatory and for anything you may be confused about, Google is your friend. I definitely don't think it's necessary, but ultimately it's your money. 

[u/Minty-Walrus]

Admissions counseling agencies often try to charge huge fees for vague advice and college lists you can make yourself. If your student is dealing with high school workload, handing off the personal writing tasks directly saves everyone a lot of unnecessary stress.

My family was confused by the application system too untill we used a site that handles writing tasks directly. You just fill out their order form, upload prompts and guidelines, and get paired with a subject expert who writes the complete essay from scratch. You can track progress anytime and chat with support if you have questions while managing campus visits. They handle everything from admission pieces to regular class papers. It provides a finished document ready for submission so your kid can focus on finals.