Predatory Practices In College Admissions

Your desire to see your kid off to a decent college makes you a target for predators.

It really upsets me when students tell me that they've been "selected" for impressive-sounding programs or awards that are actually just glorified summer camps designed to fleece their parents. 

An "Award of Selection for Excellence" from "The Congress of Future Medical Leaders" may seem like an honor, but  pay-to-play programs like this one have little to do with  a students' qualifications and make no impact on college admissions. These are just money-making operations, and there are lots of them.

The same goes for summer programs hosted on the campuses of prestigious universities. Third-party companies do little more than rent space at well-known schools like Stanford and Columbia and charge a premium for their summer camps, capitalizing on the illusion that these programs offer a gateway to the institutions whose names they borrow. These three-week programs cost upwards of $7k and do nothing to help students get into college.

(Don't even get me started on the institutions that quietly earn millions by lending their names to these businesses.)

Be an informed consumer. Save your money and your energy. Encourage your kids to focus on their own initiatives. 

If they need the help, I offer a Passion Project Development Workshop and an Internship Intensive to get them going. Paid programs may sound great, but they don't reflect on a student's curiosity or abilities--and admissions officers absolutely know that.  

Let me know in the comments below if your family has been targeted by these high-cost, low-worth programs!