ACT. SAT. AP tests. Letters of recommendation. Extracurriculars. Class rigor. Leadership opportunities.  

College admissions is nothing short of a beast.  Preparation starts in middle school to curate a perfect application. As many parents attempt to guide their teenagers through the application process, some face the reality that college admissions shares only a waning likeness to the process they themselves completed at 18. Luckily, there are experts right around the corner ready to help – for a not so small fee. 

The college admissions process is stressful, and often feels full of land mines waiting to be stepped on. In order to avoid any blunders, it’s no wonder parents and students are seeking professional and personalized help. 

In recent years, there has been an explosion in private college admissions counseling. In 2023, the industry grossed an estimated 3 billion dollars. A decade ago, this would have been unfathomable. Now, however, there exists the perfect storm.

Rapidly falling admissions rates, an increase in applicants and a culture that often views college as the sole determinant of success, combined with a confusing system and stress-ridden consumer base has made college admissions the perfect industry.

Now, admissions counselors are able to make a living off of helping students get into their dream school. Often, they charge rampant prices, and therefore, service only the wealthiest of families able to afford the cost. 

According to the Harvard Crimson, of the students who worked with admissions counselors in 2022, two-thirds came from families making over $250,000 per year. As for the entire student body, 20% self-reported working with an admissions counselor. 

The aid of a private college admission counselor can be invaluable. Naturally, the price tags are often steep. Back in 2018, one study found that the average cost of working with one such counselor was between $4,000 and $6,000.

For these prices, college counselors often market themselves as being able to get students into elite, private colleges such as the Ivy League or similar schools.  

This divide further exacerbates a wealth divide in the students admitted to college and those not. For students with resources, there is expert guidance available. Students without the same means, however, are left to navigate an infuriating system without the same personalized aid.  

While some counselors are undeniably well-intended experts with the goal of helping students achieve their dreams, the industry as a whole is largely unregulated. This means the market is flooded with inexperienced people who are not particularly invested in the students’ success beyond their business.

Perhaps one key example of this is the wave of social media influencers offering advice. Some of these people are experts, but some are also fairly inexperienced. One popular way for these influencers to build their brand is by playing off the fears and anxieties of students, titling videos with headings such as “this one mistake will get you rejected.” 

For many of these influencers, their key qualification in having themselves recently earned admission to a competitive school. This, however, does not make one an expert on the process, nor the only blueprint to follow. Influencers like Elise Pham use their own recent success at elite or Ivy League schools to claim near omnipotent knowledge of the system, all for self-gain by preying on students’ confusion and fear. 

One clear flaw with this is that admitted students are not told why they were admitted when others were rejected. Nowhere in an admissions letter is each student given a bullet-pointed list of why they are offered a place in the incoming class. So, when influencers post videos saying something along the lines of “here is how I earned admission to four Ivy League schools,” it should always be taken with a grain of salt, because they themselves do not know exactly why they were admitted. 

The college admissions industry is quickly growing. Many reasons have compounded into this business boom, but chief among them seems to be the anxieties and confusion of families when navigating a complicated process. This fearful population is more than willing to shell out big bucks for some guidance and peace of mind, offering the perfect opportunity.