Crimson Education featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal
Crimson Education helps students 6.75x their chances of getting into Ivy League and Top 10 schools. But do college advisors really make a difference, and are they worth the cost? We decided to dig into the numbers and student outcomes to find out what role advisors play in the process and whether it truly pays off.
Why More Families Are Seeking Help
The college admissions process isn’t what it used to be. Today, it’s more competitive and far more high-stakes.
For many families, it feels like trying to win a game where the rules keep changing. Parents are expected to guide their children through: + Picking the right classes starting in 9th grade + Building an extracurricular profile that stands out + Choosing a balanced college list across different selectivity tiers + Navigating early decision, financial aid, essays, testing, and interviews + All while keeping up with the daily pressures of high school. So it’s no surprise that more families are seeking expert help.
“At Harvard, 23% of freshmen in 2023 reported using a private admissions advisor. For students from families earning over $500,000, that number jumps to 48%.”
The Wall Street Journal
The Daily Princetonian reported that between 30-55% of all incoming freshmen in their Class of 2028, with family incomes between 250-500K, used a private college counseling firm.
This is the new baseline for families competing for top-tier universities. The trend is clear: admissions advising has become the norm, not the exception, especially in high-achieving households.
What a College Advisor Actually Does
A college advisor is more than just someone who edits essays or reviews a school list. The right advisor provides structure, strategy, and clarity throughout a process that often feels overwhelming and high-pressure for both students and parents.
Here’s how an advisor supports students through every stage of the journey:
Personalized Planning A strong advisor helps students map out their high school years with purpose. This includes choosing the right courses, building a coherent extracurricular profile, choosing relevant research projects and competitions, and setting long-term academic goals early on.
Building the Right College List Rather than relying on rankings or hearsay, a college advisor works with students to identify schools that are a strong fit academically, socially, and financially. This often includes a balanced list of reach, target, and safety schools. It should also include boost
Application Strategy and Execution Advisors help students understand the many components of an application. From personal essays to teacher recommendations, testing strategies to interviews, every piece is guided and refined with intention.
Extracurricular Development Students are encouraged to pursue meaningful, high-impact activities that align with their interests and goals. Advisors help students connect their passions with tangible achievements.
Summer program identification and application Good advisors also help students identify and apply for competitive summer programs (many with winter deadlines) that will resonate on their applications.
Accountability and Support Advisors keep students on track with regular check-ins, clear timelines, and structured goals. This often reduces stress, avoids last-minute work, and gives parents peace of mind that the process is being managed effectively.
What a College Advisor Actually Does
A college advisor is more than just someone who edits essays or reviews a school list. The right advisor provides structure, strategy, and clarity throughout a process that often feels overwhelming and high-pressure for both students and parents.
Here’s how an advisor supports students through every stage of the journey:
Personalized Planning A strong advisor helps students map out their high school years with purpose. This includes choosing the right courses, building a coherent extracurricular profile, choosing relevant research projects and competitions, and setting long-term academic goals early on.
Building the Right College List Rather than relying on rankings or hearsay, a college advisor works with students to identify schools that are a strong fit academically, socially, and financially. This often includes a balanced list of reach, target, and safety schools. It should also include boost
Application Strategy and Execution Advisors help students understand the many components of an application. From personal essays to teacher recommendations, testing strategies to interviews, every piece is guided and refined with intention.
Extracurricular Development Students are encouraged to pursue meaningful, high-impact activities that align with their interests and goals. Advisors help students connect their passions with tangible achievements.
Summer program identification and application Good advisors also help students identify and apply for competitive summer programs (many with winter deadlines) that will resonate on their applications.
Accountability and Support Advisors keep students on track with regular check-ins, clear timelines, and structured goals. This often reduces stress, avoids last-minute work, and gives parents peace of mind that the process is being managed effectively.
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Benefits of Hiring a College Consultant
A great college consultant provides more than just information. They offer strategy, structure, and expert insight at every step of the process. For students aiming high and families navigating uncertainty, the right advisor can make a lasting impact.
01
College consultants help students understand what top schools are looking for and how to align their efforts. Instead of guessing, families follow a clear roadmap that improves outcomes and reduces second-guessing.
02
One of the most overlooked benefits is the relief it brings to parents. College planning can create pressure, miscommunication, and tension at home. A consultant provides an outside voice who can guide the process and reduce friction between parents and teens.
03
From developing standout extracurricular projects to crafting compelling essays, consultants help students present their best selves. This leads to more confident applications that stand out in competitive applicant pools.
04
Choosing a college is not just about rankings. A consultant helps students find schools where they will thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. This often leads to better retention, stronger academic performance, and a more rewarding college experience.
05
Achieved by leaving no stone unturned in the competitive application process.
Why Crimson Education?
No other consulting company has an average Ivy League and Stanford acceptance rate that is 675% higher than the general applicant rate. + 98% of our students are admitted to at least one of their top 5 college choices. + Over 1,300+ Ivy League offers + Admissions results independently verified by a Big 4 accounting firm + A Team of Specialists at Your Service At Crimson, you don’t get just ONE college admissions counselor managing every detail of your application. Instead, you get access to a dedicated team of specialists, each an expert in their field.
Meet Our College Counselors
Crimson’s admissions counselors include an impressive lineup of Former Admissions Officers from the Ivy League and several other Top 10 and 20 universities, including Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and more. Our students benefit from the first-hand knowledge of admissions decision makers who have reviewed thousands of applications and understand exactly what sets a student apart from the highly qualified competition.
Devery D.
Former Harvard Admissions Officer
Devery studied higher education management at Harvard's Graduate School of Education in addition to serving as a Harvard admissions officer, UC Berkeley application reader, and an application reader for a top liberal arts college. Applying a strategic, data-driven approach, Devery helps students make informed choices as they tailor applications to Ivy League institutions.
Kimberley L.
Former Stanford Admissions Officer
Kimberley brings over a decade of expertise in undergraduate admissions from her roles at Stanford University and Northwestern University. At Northwestern, she spent seven years leading the evaluation of all undergraduate applications, crafting the reader handbook, training staff and application readers, and even managing the music admissions process!
Dana C.
Former Princeton Admissions Officer
Dana C. is a Princeton graduate, former application reader in Princeton University's Office of Undergraduate Admission, and a seasoned admissions consultant with a decade of success guiding domestic and international students into top US, UK and Canadian universities. His holistic method grew out of classroom experience at New York City's Horace Mann School, where he taught English, advised students in Years 9-12, wrote advocacy-rich recommendation letters, and workshopped hundreds of college e...
Devery D.
Former Harvard Admissions Officer
Devery studied higher education management at Harvard's Graduate School of Education in addition to serving as a Harvard admissions officer, UC Berkeley application reader, and an application reader for a top liberal arts college. Applying a strategic, data-driven approach, Devery helps students make informed choices as they tailor applications to Ivy League institutions.
Kimberley L.
Former Stanford Admissions Officer
Kimberley brings over a decade of expertise in undergraduate admissions from her roles at Stanford University and Northwestern University. At Northwestern, she spent seven years leading the evaluation of all undergraduate applications, crafting the reader handbook, training staff and application readers, and even managing the music admissions process!
Dana C.
Former Princeton Admissions Officer
Dana C. is a Princeton graduate, former application reader in Princeton University's Office of Undergraduate Admission, and a seasoned admissions consultant with a decade of success guiding domestic and international students into top US, UK and Canadian universities. His holistic method grew out of classroom experience at New York City's Horace Mann School, where he taught English, advised students in Years 9-12, wrote advocacy-rich recommendation letters, and workshopped hundreds of college e...
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