Are they necessary and fair?

Harvard or Harbor? With each passing year, colleges are getting harder and harder to get accepted into.

Many parents and students do not realize how prestigious some of the students in other districts, states, or even countries really are.

Many more are in distress from all the pressure to get into the best school, while others are not even aware of the increasing difficulty.

One way students (and parents) have dealt with the problem is by going to counselors outside of school.

While school counselors are friendly and want the best for you, they are each responsible for nearly 300 students and just do not have the time to sit down with each individual student to talk about their near future at great length.

That is where the private college counselors come in to play.

Private counselors meet with their clients (the students) one-on-one to plan out a course of action, lead them through the plan, and hopefully get into the school most fitted for that student.

Private counselors generally meet with a student once a week or biweekly, depending on when the student is due to apply.

Counselors generally range from prices of around $75 to prices up to $350 per hour.

Every counselor has a different background and some even specialize in certain fields of study (so it would be a smart idea to do some research if you do decide to see one).

With so many options to choose from, practically everyone is bound to find a counselor that is both in their price range and their preferred field of study.

That is, if the student knows what he or she wants to be when he or she is older.

But the big question that we have yet to ask is, are these private college counselors really worth it?

Junior Riley Yang seems to think so.

Yang became aware of the ever growing academic competitiveness and has taken measures into his own hands.

He recently started seeing a counselor a couple months ago to “improve his resume for colleges and get into a good school.”

He explained that the most diligent students are taking advantage of this unique opportunity, so why shouldn’t he?

There is absolutely nothing illegal with hiring the extra help and it definitely comes with a good payoff when considering the possibilities of scholarships and getting into the school of your dreams.

So far, he and his college counselor have gone over his high school classes and planned out what’s next on the list to build him an exemplary resume to present to schools.

Another student, sophomore Noah Bernstein, has stated his interest in a college counselor but hasn’t seen one yet.

Bernstein felt that the beginning of sophomore year was too early for him to start looking at schools and said that he would start to see his counselor, “near the middle of the school year.”

Bernstein’s counselor lives on the other side of the country and he will be Facetiming his counselor instead of meeting in person.

Not all students feel the same about college counselors.

A student who wished to remain anonymous said, “ I think it is unfair for people to be getting college counselors. Some people don’t even know about them while most others cannot pay for it.”

The student then clarified that most students in the PV district are able to deal with the extra costs, but is thinking more about the whole country in general.

While it is true that college counselors do give you an advnatage against your opponents, students such as the one interviewed seem to think of it as un-American as not everyone has the same opportunities for them and the playing field is not fair.

Regardess of whether you think college counselors are morally right or wrong, there is no question that they are beneficial.

From the tips, extra guidance, and skills these counselors provide you, it’s easy to see that everyone should go out and get one (that is if you can afford it).

It seems that most students start meeting with counselors around the end of sophomore year to the start of junior year.

Also, keep in mind that counselors that specialize in a field or fields of studies that you’re thinking of going into might cost more, but they can be a whole lot more help than just a general counselor.