What is an Independent Educational Consultant, aka Private College Counselor?
What is an IEC?:
An IEC is an Independent Educational Consultant. IECs have different specializations, including boarding school admissions, college counseling, graduate school admissions, therapeutic programs, sports recruiting, navigating discipline issues, financial aid, and international school admissions.
Are there professional organizations and established criteria for professional development among IECs?
Yes. As a parent, I would be wary of hiring an IEC who is not part of a vetted, reputable professional organization and who does not engage in regular professional development. I am a current member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and Rocky Mountain Association for College Admissions Counseling (RMACAC). These organizations require members to abide by a code of ethics and for members to participate in professional conferences, visit schools, and stay current in the field. They also connect IECs with incredible resources, mentors, experts, college admissions officers, and more.
What does an Independent Educational Consultant do?
In the case of college counseling, an IEC uses research, data, experience, and professional networks to work individually with families to support and advise them in the college selection and application process. JMAC works to do the following:
To reduce the stress and eliminate the mystery of the college search and application process and make it transparent, organized, inspiring, and achievable.
To facilitate and support students in finding best-match colleges and universities.
To facilitate and support students in planning and creating the strongest college application possible. To help them tell their story.
What are Jesse’s credentials and experience:
Jesse has an M.S.Ed. in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, where she also captained the women’s ski team and competed in four NCAA Championships. She worked for over 15 years in independent schools in VT, CA, and CO, teaching every class of English and history from seventh to twelfth grade, including IB classes. She has worked as a college counselor and director of curriculum and instruction in a school setting. She understands high school, she understands students, and she understands college admissions. She started JMAC Academic and College Counseling in 2022. She has published articles in SkiRacingMedia about the path from high school to college skiing and stays current on NCAA, USCSA, and FreeRide skiing trends. For more info about JMAC, visit https://www.jmac-consult.com/ and follow: jmac_college_counseling on Insta.
Who uses Independent Educational Consultants?
According to data collected by IECA, the typical student who hires an IEC attends a large suburban school, but clients are diverse: suburban, urban, and rural. It is common for private school students to hire an IEC to support them in the college selection and application process. IECs are encouraged and supported through professional organizations to offer discounted services to students with socioeconomic circumstances that make private counseling prohibitive.
Why is there a need for Independent Educational Consultants and Private College Counselors?
According to data collected by IECA, the current student-to-counselor ratio at US public high schools is 385:1. The average public school student receives 38 minutes of personal college counseling over four years of high school.
Aren’t most IECs exorbitantly expensive and frowned on by college admissions?
No, only 9% of IECS charge more than $10,000 for a multi-year college advising package. Although the 2019 Varsity Blues Hollywood college counseling scandal made headlines, that type of practice and pricing is certainly not the standard. IECs who are members of professional organizations abide by a code of ethics that states they will not fabricate any part of a student’s application or write essays for students, along with standards on referrals, confidentiality, and communication. Everything a professional IEC does is ethical and transparent. College admission officers work with professional IECs by giving webinars through professional organizations and offering school tours to keep them informed about their campuses and programs. They realize the value of IECs in helping student extend their search and find a best-match college, and they see a diverse demographic benefiting from working with an IEC.