There is a moment in the educational trajectory of our children where we must decide which is the best path for them once they have completed the compulsory school stage. That is, whether to continue via a university degree or a different educational or career path. When the decision is to follow the university route, the most common option is to follow the standard of our country or province, that is to say, to follow the university educational route offered by our local educational system. In the case of considering an international or non-standard route, the process can be complicated due in part to the lack of knowledge about the different educational models in other countries.. And this is where we can assess the need for help from a college admissions consultant.
Whether we choose one or the other, the question we may ask ourselves is whether or not we need the help of a college admissions consultant to help us throughout the process with our children and guide us in everything we don’t know or don’t have the time to dedicate to it. First of all, a distinction must be made between university agents and independent consultants.
University agents are entities that represent a certain number of universities in certain countries in order to recruit students for them and charge a commission for it. For that reason, a college agent will help you with the application process only at the colleges he or she represents, regardless of whether or not they are the best fit for you.
On the other hand, independent university consultants, as their name suggests, are independent and do not receive any commission from the host university. This means that the decision
The decision to choose one institution over another is not based on who pays the most commission, but on whether it is the best option for the student. An important difference between the two figures is that the agent does not usually charge the families or if he does it is a very low amount, while the independent consultant collects his fees only from the family and they are usually higher.
Since we at Five Lands International Education are totally independent, below is a list of the benefits of hiring an independent college admissions consultant so that you can evaluate whether or not their help is worthwhile:
Thorough knowledge of the college admissions process: A college consultant knows the application process you should follow as well as the shortcuts or mistakes you should not make in order to have a better chance of success. They will save you time and effort.
Direct contact with university admissions representatives: A university consultant is in continuous contact with admissions representatives from various universities. They usually meet them during visits to universities or at university fairs organized around the world. You will benefit from these connections by being able to solve possible problems with the documentation to be delivered more quickly.
Using real statistics to determine your chances of success: A college consultant with several years of experience has a student database that allows him to obtain a number of statistics on the admissions outcomes of many students. This means that it can predict your chances of success based on the similarity of your profile compared to that of other students. You will save time and disappointment if you are trying to be admitted to a university and your profile does not allow you to be admitted, the consultant will warn you in advance and propose alternatives or an action plan to increase your chances.
Knowledge of the universities that offer scholarships: A university consultant knows which universities offer scholarships and which do not, depending on the different academic profiles. If there is a limit to the available budget, it is convenient to know in advance which institutions can give you a scholarship, but above all, which ones will not give you any financial aid in order to save you the effort of applying for admission.
Professional help with the documentation required in the different admission applications: During the admission application process you have to prepare a lot of documentation such as transcripts, essays or personal statements, letters of recommendation, resumes or other documents that may be requested by the different universities. A university consultant knows exactly how to prepare this documentation so that it is delivered exactly as expected by the university. Reviewing essays is a fundamental part of a consultant’s tasks. Essays must be written in a certain way and depending on the country or university the content and structure is different. This part of the application is crucial and the help of a consultant can be decisive in writing a good essay.
As you can see, the help of a college consultant makes the process much faster and easier, but in no case does it guarantee admission to any university. Be wary of any consultant that assures you admission or a scholarship to a particular university.
At Five Lands International Education we have the best consultants that will help you with the entire preparation and application process. Visit our programs or contact us through this contact form.
