Students who want to go to the U.S. for college face a daunting challenge understanding how the U.S. university system and admissions process works. There are thousands of U.S. colleges, how do you pick? And then, how do you apply?
It’s no wonder parents and students seek professional help to figure it out. What you may not know is that not all professional advisers are alike, and that student recruitment agents, who are paid by universities and are common in Asia, don’t always have your child’s best interests at heart.
“Some agents are more concerned about chasing lucrative commission payments from their partner schools than they are finding a good fit for the student,” says Eddie West, director of international initiatives at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, or NACAC.
If you don’t have access to qualified counselors at your high school, an independent educational consultant may be worth seeking out. In a guide published last month (that eventually will be translated into several languages including Chinese), NACAC notes independent consultants offer advice specific to you that is freed from commitments to any specific college or university.
You can also contact university admissions officers for advice about the process at a specific school, as well as country advisors, like EducationUSA, a worldwide network of more than 400 student advising centers sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
“The U.S. holistic review process is very different than the educational system in many countries, so there is an understandable amount of confusion,” says Ffiona Rees, senior associate director, international admission at University of California, Los Angeles. A holistic review takes into account factors like a student’s performance in high school, outside activities, writing samples and standardized test results.
“However,” she adds in an email, “it is the responsibility of every university to ensure their applicants are aware of their policies and potential implications of violating those requirements.”
Do I have to pay a fee since you are already paid by your university partners?
·High-quality response: You get a list of services and fees and you don’t have to pay for application advice if you enroll in one of their universities
·Low-quality response: You are offered a bundled package of services and you are charged even if you enroll in one of their universities.
Will you help me prepare for admission tests?
·High-quality: Helps you find a reputable class.
·Low-quality: Offers to take the test for you.
Do you guarantee admission to a university you work with?
·High-quality: No.
·Low-quality: Yes.
How will you interact with my high school?
·High-quality: Supports your relationship with your school counselor and ensures your academic records are sent to universities.
·Low-quality: Doesn’t want you to tell your school that you are working with an agent and falsifies your academic records.
The professionals who require the most scrutiny are agents. West says estimates are as many as 20,000 to 30,000 agents exist globally, although he says few operate in the U.S. because U.S. federal law prohibits commissions-based student recruitment. UCLA will not knowingly work with agents or accept information that is not the work of the applicant, and Rees says UCLA has actively encouraged other universities to follow their lead.
It’s understandable if agents see a lucrative business in giving advice to students who want to study abroad. In 2012, 4.5 million students studied outside of their home countries, up from 4.2 million in 2010 and 3 million in 2005, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) annual Education at a Glance reports. About 53% were from Asia, up from 47% in 2005, the OECD says.
While many agents are reputable, and will provide you with a varied list of recognized partner schools who have hired them, others are not. To help you recognize a bad actor, the guide NACAC just wrote includes several questions to ask before hiring an agent and it tells you which answers signal “high quality” practices and which signal “low quality.”
Here’s a critical question NACAC poses to agents: How do you support students in completing university applications?
A reputable agent will help you understand what is expected of you, will assist you in pulling application materials together and will provide editing guidance on a personal essay. A less-than-reputable one will offer to fill out some or all of the application and may even offer to write the essay.
“Unfortunately many agents see no problem with writing student essays, doctoring transcripts or forging bogus recommendation letters,” West says. “Not only is this activity fraudulent, but it also sends the worst possible message to students right at the outset of their fledgling college careers - that it’s OK to cheat.”
Writing an application for a student is among the worst behaviors of agents, but it’s not uncommon. Andi O’Hearn, who works as a university counselor at an international school in Beijing, met with a family whose daughter who did not get into any universities she applied to despite high fees paid to a ‘consulting group’ that claimed to be able to get students into highly competitive schools.
“I knew the second I read her personal essay she hadn’t written it,” O’Hearn says. “There was such a discrepancy between her SAT writing and verbal scores and the essay she turned in as her work. Any admissions officer would know instantly that she did not write the essay.”
If you are unsure of the admissions process, it understandable you will be susceptible to pitches from agents who appear to know what they are doing. But universities are prepared to catch those who want to game the system.
“With over 16,000 international applications received for fall 2015, our readers are well-versed in understanding essay ‘themes,’ the tone of essays and extra-curricular activities from 18 year-olds, non-native speakers, and regional variations,” Rees says.
Comments? E-mail us at abby.schultz@barrons.com
Comments? E-mail us at asia.editors@barrons.com
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