Some college-admission consultants are shady, but not all

Dear Harry: Sorry I delayed so long in writing. Your advice to a parent to stay away from a guy who "guaranteed" a college admission is right on target. However, many of the more reputable consultants belong to an organization called Independent Educational Consultants Association (iecaonline.com). The advisers who make these guarantees imply that they have special connections with certain institutions. Very, very unlikely. Members of IECA have to meet competence and conduct requirements. None of our members would dare engage in such practices. The legitimate professionals in the field try to get the best possible from each student to have the best possible chance at admission. We also try to match the student with the college.What Harry says: Thanks for your input. Many years ago, there was a fellow in Pennsylvania who used the guarantee approach. He did virtually nothing to prepare the student to put his best face forward. Some of his students were admitted (largely on their own). He got his fees for no work. For the fees he had to return, he did no work so the lack of a fee was of no consequence. I have known instances where consultants have helped students get higher SAT scores and write better essays. I also know of some students who have not been admitted to their first choice because they failed to follow the application requirements to the letter.