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"Do You Need a Private College Counselor?" Akil Bello asks a big question.
- Mark Moody
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
https://akilbello.com/2025/08/14/do-you-need-a-private-college-counselor-i-asked-the-pros/#more-6972
Akil Bello is Director of College Advising and FAFSA Completion Implementation for the SUNY system, Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement for FairTest, a testing and prep expert, creator of the best and funniest slide decks in the admission universe, occasional Netflix documentary talking head, and a friend. He recently reached out to ask about the reasons families might (or might not) choose to work with an independent college counselor. I was honored to be asked, along with a handful of other counselors I have a lot of respect for. Among all our responses, there is a goldmine of valuable perspectives.
Akil writes,
Several times in the past month, I’ve gotten the same question, “Should I hire an independent college counselor?” I’ve been asked about it by super wealthy families and middle-income families (poor families tend not to ask about purchasing luxury goods). Since this has come up so much I figured it was time to stop replying in private spaces accessible to only a few.
Before I answer, let me define what we’re talking about. IECs. Independent college counselors. Private college counselors. Sometimes called college consultants, college coaches, even educational consultants sometimes. Basically, it’s folks you pay to help you figure out your kid's educational pathway. You might remember the Operation Varsity Blues scammer Rick Singer.
And while Rick is not typical of IECs, he is an example of what happens when counselors decide to build a business based on family anxiety, fear, and the desire to give our children every opportunity we can afford. Social media is full of independent counselors claiming to have the secret sauce to college admissions that—for a few measly tens of thousands of dollars—they will share with you to help your child avoid the horrible fate of going to a “bad college.” Here are a few IG ads:
So the first message is caveat emptor to the 9000th degree. There are lots of scams and scammers in 2025. But the good news is there are lots of smart, well-intentioned, calming people who have a great deal of knowledge about colleges and college admissions. And I’ll get to them in a second, first. . .
Your School Counselor
In the college admissions process, your first and most frequent stop and resource is your school counselor. Whether you’re in a public school or private school, the school counselor (if you have one – not every school does) is likely going to be the best resource for your child. So make sure you have a good relationship with them.
My friend and independent college counselor Mark Moody says “Nobody is better positioned to help students than the counselors working in their school alongside their teachers, coaches and other trusted adults, and nobody has better understanding of how students fare at specific colleges.” He further adds “School counselors often have direct lines to regional reps, they host admission officers on campus regularly, they have historical data on their school’s applicants to every college, and the admission offices trust their recommendations and assessments of students because of the institutional relationship.”
I couldn’t say it better. In fact, rather than try to tell you about whether you should hire an independent counselor, I emailed a few and gave them a bunch of vague questions to answer and a short turnaround time. They were gracious enough to reply. Here are parts of their replies. I’ve lightly edited them and removed some of the more redundant responses.
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