Harris asks:
I'm a parent and I've read that admissions officers don't like it when students use private college counselors. I'm not sure how comfortable you'd be answering the question given what you do for a living, but is this true?"
It's a question of the type of assistance being provided. I've never met an admissions officer who was against kids having help with their college application process; but they're certainly against a kid having too much help, not just from a private counselor, but from anyone. They want to hear from authentic, 17 year-old applicants, not from packaged kids who are the product of too much help.
Guiding, advising, and doing a little cheerleading to keep a kid's college spirits up are all within the acceptable boundaries. Most admissions officers would be happy with a knowledgeable person recommending colleges for the student to investigate, or helping him get organized, or telling him that you think the fact that he taught himself how to make sushi (and that he now makes it for his family) might be an interesting thing to write about in an essay–those are all within the rules. But if you pick the colleges for him, fill out the applications and overrule his choice of topic for his essay, then you're going too far. Good counselors know where the boundaries are.
If you've got ten minutes, here's a good 2008 NPR interview about this very issue. Just make sure you listen to it all the way through so you hear the admissions officer's take what the right kind of help really is.
Thanks for your question, Harris. If you've got a question of your own, email us at blog [at] collegewise [dot] com.