The college admissions process can be daunting for many students. To help you in this process, you can receive assistance from financial aid or admissions officers at the colleges you want to attend, your high school guidance counselor, private coaching services, or current students and alumni. In this article, we will provide advice on each type of college admissions assistance.

Financial aid or admissions officers
The college or university you’re applying to should employ financial aid and admissions specialists that are willing to answer your questions. However, these employees have the task of helping hundreds or maybe even thousands of students, and therefore, may not be able to spend as much time with each student as they would like.

Here are a few tips to make interactions with financial aid or admissions specialists easier:

1. Avoid calling or visiting the financial aid or admissions offices during peak times, if possible.
If you wait until a week or two before the fall semester begins, you’re going to be waiting for a long time, if you even manage to see anyone. The best time to contact financial aid or admissions specialists is during the summer, one to two months before fall semester starts. If you must visit during peak times, try to be there as soon as the office opens, before the student hordes arrive.

2. Bring a list of questions, a notebook, and pen.
Financial aid and college admissions information can be complicated. Make sure you get the answers you need by writing down your questions in advance. When you talk to an employee, write down all the important information they give you. Then, briefly repeat it to the specialist to make sure you understood everything. Finally, ask the employee if you can write down their name. Jot it down next to the day’s date. It helps to know who you talked to, especially if you encounter difficulties later.

3. Speak to different employees on different days.
Financial aid and admissions counselors sometimes make mistakes, just like the rest of us. After you’ve received the information you need, wait a couple of days, then visit or call again and speak to a different employee. It helps if you’ve followed the advice in step #2, especially writing down the information the last employee gave you, along with their name.

Your High School Guidance Counselor
Your high school guidance counselor can help you through the college application process. Much of our advice on speaking with financial aid and admissions specialists also applies to high school guidance counselors. However, the best time to speak to a high school guidance counselor is probably mid-semester. Also, your school may not have enough guidance counselors for you to get a second opinion, so verify any advice your counselor gives you with a source from the college you wish to attend.

Private Coaching Services
Private coaching services are a hot topic today. Some students say college admissions coaches are worth the money, while others say they are little more than scammers. Examples of private coaching services include Texas-based College Admissions Assistance, Bradshaw College Consulting, IvySelect College Consulting, and The Ivy Coach.

Texas-based College Admissions Assistance is one of the most controversial coaching services, primarily because of its marketing practices. The company offers college planning help at the price of $2,000 per student. Their coaching program is known as the “7 Critical College Decisions,” which is aimed at gaining admittance to the student’s school of choice, getting the right financial aid package, graduating in 4 years, and starting a profitable career. Students who buy the service receive unlimited coaching through e-mail and phone from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time. Coaches can answer questions about college admission tests, potential college majors, academic planning, and college selection, as well as give feedback on college application letters, college admission essays, and financial aid application forms. According to College Admissions Assistance, all of their coaches are college planning experts. They say each of their coaches has earned at least a Bachelor’s degree and passed a background check.

College Admissions Assistance advertizes by sending letters to the families of high school students. The letters invite them to attend a free workshop. The workshop presents the difficulties of the college admissions process, then a College Admissions Assistance employee encourages the families to sign up for the coaching service.

According to the Better Business Bureau of Fort Worth, Texas, consumers “allege the company uses questionable and high pressure sales tactics to sell its product and appears to target low income and minority families.” In the last 3 years, the BBB has received 63 complaints against College Admissions Assistance, one of which has never been resolved. Of the 36 closed complaints, 28 regarded advertising/sales issues, one dealt with billing/collection issues, and 34 addressed problems with the product/service. The company is not accredited by the BBB. College Admissions Assistance has a BBB rating of D+.

So, is College Admissions Assistance legit? Actually, yes. They are providing a legitimate service to those who are willing to pay for it. Basically, if you’re willing to spend $2,000 on advice, and don’t have the free time to do all of the research yourself, then the College Admissions Assistance program could be a good choice for you. The same goes for other college admissions coaching services.

But, if you have the time to do the research yourself, you can find much of this information online.

Current Students and Alumni
You probably already have a network of current college students and alumni available to you locally, as well as on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter. Ask around and see what advice your older friends and siblings have to offer, especially those who have done well in college. Like with financial aid or admissions specialists, it helps if you ask specific, focused questions. Your social network can be a source of important—and free—college admissions assistance.

Although financial aid or admissions officers, high school guidance counselors, private coaches, and current students or alumni can provide valuable advice, your success will depend largely on your ability to plan ahead.

Of course, you may also decide that you would rather circumvent the college admissions process and begin taking classes at the school of your choice first. If you’re willing to take a less traditional path, we can help you skip the college admissions process and start your education now.

No matter what type of college admissions assistance you decide to get, the onus is on you to collect all of the information you need to make sure you get into the university or college that best fits your needs. Advice from others can help a lot, but you must always count on your own best judgment.