Using an independent college counselor to get into a college or university is key. In fact, studies show that there is a tremendous benefit to gaining acceptance into great schools in the US and around the world. 

Independent college counselors, like Mr. Will, are only focused on the task at hand, meaning getting each student into their dream colleges in the US and around the world. The independent counselors are not immersed in other employment responsibilities and therefore are very engaged in a very personalized manner with the students.

But! There are educational agents, not consultants, that focus only on receiving commissions from universities. Why is this an issue sometimes? Well, because if the agent knows of a great fit university for the student, they will often steer the student away from a great fit school into a lesser fit school because of the commission. Independent counselors do not do this but focus ONLY on great fits for the student as no commissions are involved.

Why not your high school counselor? It is free. However, sometimes what is free, can cost one more in the long run. Here is the issue with high school counselors, whether in the US or international: their focus is first on maintaining their employment at their high schools. And what that means, is they normally stay “safe” and will recommend “sure bets” like community colleges which tend to undervalue the student. Moreover, high school counselors tend to change positions every year for example, and it is very difficult for students to engage in important relationships with the counselor. High school counselors are often bombarded by high school administrations and parents with other added responsibilities at the high school, which take away the needed energy and time to help the students get into colleges. This added work for the high school counselor is largely due to the fact they often do not have a fixed class schedule, so whenever a class or event needs someone in that spot, the high school counselor falls prey to the school shortages in personnel.

So, back to our original claim: why is an independent counselor more effective of getting students into top schools? There is a plethora of areas of the college entry to top schools and first, comes with the college selection. This selection process is largely determined by how well and realistic (without compromising quality) the students choose their colleges. Independent counselors take the time to LISTEN to the needs of each student. For example: does the student have relatives in the area of the intended college? Affordability? Scholarship opportunities? Percentage rates of applications to the same colleges from their own high schools? Location? Size of the university? Rank? Prestige? In state or out of state student demographics?

What a college counselor does well is really focus on the application and every detail and every line and every word is revised and scrutinized for the student’s success. Now, what many people say is that it is just an application, and any student can simply fill it out. But what people don’t always realize is that there are certain criteria asked on the college applications that can cause a student to be rejected by colleges. For example, on applications it asks one simple question: do you seek “need based” international financial aid? Most universities do not offer this for international students and therefore, if an international student clicks that box, then acceptance is virtually impossible.

Another factor that independent counselors help with is the coveted college admission essays. Since most high school counselors are very transient and are not experienced with admission essays, then it becomes

very difficult for them to help students with that difficult process. In addition, educational agents often do not speak English well, and therefore difficult. Independent consultants have the time, expertise, English skills and dedication to ensure fantastic admission essays.

The potential of scholarships is often the hook, line, and sinker to cause students to apply to universities, but what many colleges do not clearly state is that there are few fully funded scholarships. Independent counselors do a great job in pointing out the scholarship limitations when pertaining to 100% funded education. This is an important point because why would a student spend a significant amount of time and money applying to universities that the student could not afford.

Is rank important? Well, it all depends on what the student believes is important for them personally. If one is applying to an entry level position for large corporations, then the rank and prestige of the university could be an important factor. If the student will be integrating into a very successfully family enterprise, then class rank or prestige less important. If “bragging rights” are important to the student, then prestige and rank in the college selection is crucial in the process for that student. But, keep in mind, the point made is that the student’s goals are center and not the consultant’s goal.

Another important consideration is whether the student would like to study, live, and interact with largely “in-state” students who are normally Americans in the area of the university or does the student desire to study in a university with a large percentage of “out of state” students which means international students or those who come from another state.

Finally, an independent counselor who is fully American, Canadian, and British, meaning that they were born and raised in those countries, give an edge to the counseling process. Did the counselor graduate from a university in the US, UK, or Canada and more importantly do they have a master’s degree is equally important as it shows the student that the counselor understands the process from a personal perspective. Mr. Will has long been working with students around the world and is highly regarded as one of the top counselors in the world. If you want a largely personalized and expert assistance in college counseling for universities in the US, Canada, or the UK, Mr. Will is the “go to counselor” to get the job done.