For those who choose to do it, hiring a college consultant is a really important step in the college admissions process. For nearly every high schooler who embarks on it, the application process is completely new. A college consultant is your guide to unlocking all of the unknowns and helping you map out a realistic and strong plan to achieve your goal of getting into your top choice schools. So, when is the right time to hire someone?

Finding a college admission consultant to work with is a very personal decision. While it might seem like just another item on your college to-do list, it’s basically the decision to partner with someone who’s going to shepherd you through the entire application process, oftentimes, from beginning to end. This is someone who is going to be in your life for a year or more and who will likely need to really get to know you (your interests, your personality and your potential) in order to help you match with your perfect, top-choice college. Needless to say, this is also someone who should be very knowledgeable about what the college landscape looks like. There are different types of consultants. Some offer an in-depth experience, others are more hands-off and can just provide some light editing to existing essays. Whatever you decide, you should first know what it is you need in a consultant.