北京新东方甄震

在本文发出之前，来自北京和安徽的2名学神同学已经获得了哈佛大学的早录取通知书，圆满结束了申请的旅程。我们在羡慕大牛的同时，也都希望自己能成为下一个幸运儿。最近在美媒上有一篇报道十分引人注目，叫做为了你家的孩子能上哈佛，你愿意花多少钱。

报道的开篇引用了一个很普遍的案例。美国17岁的女高中生Alexa，即便拿了全美奖学金，女童子军金奖，外加杰出足球运动员的荣誉，在递交大学申请的前两个月却感到无比的焦虑。虽然她已经满足了申请顶级名校的所有苛刻条件，但是她仍然希望一位IEC(教育咨询专家)来给她的申请进行指点。在这之前，她的父母，导师，教练和老师们已经投入了超过100小时的时间为她的大学申请进行准备。

她的父母最终联系了一家在纽约的价值不菲的大学申请咨询公司，在经过了一连串的审核后，那家公司决定为Alexa提供服务。这家教育咨询公司对Alexa进行了一个90分钟的咨询辅导，然后有一位咨询专家会花6个小时的时间来为Alexa的申请论文和材料(Common App系统)进行润色。

这些服务价值几何？答案是：一万美元。 Alexa的家长最终签署了合同协议书。

一家美国知名的教学咨询机构，IvyWise的创始人， Katherine Cohen对CNBC的记者谈到，“在美国，通常一名有志申请顶级名校的学生，会在他们10年级的时候就寻求大学申请咨询辅导。但是，最近几年，越来越多的家长会在他们读中学的时候就为他们制定这种辅导计划，并且根据咨询计划的不同，会愿意花费高达10万甚至20万的美金。”

接下来又是一个案例分析。来自纽约，正在哈佛大学读书的Cara,在她8年级的时候她的父母就为她找了IvyWise申请咨询服务。从此，这家机构开始为Cara规划了4年的高中学习与生活，引导她在申请大学时候展示自己对与科学与技术方面的热爱。IvyWise的服务还包括：帮助Cara在高中4年里进行选课，暑期的时候指引她做独立的科学研究，为她的大学申请论文润色，辅导她的SAT考试。

在美国高收入群体中，雇佣大学申请咨询服务呈现明显的上升趋势。美国著名的传播公司Lipman Hearne对于全美国的高分学员进行了调查，发现有26%的学员承认他们都已经雇佣了大学申请咨询服务。

大学申请辅导与咨询服务为何能在美国火起来呢？答案很简单，学生和家长们的担心与害怕。高中生和家长们对于神秘莫测的大学申请与录取流程感到恐慌，所以他们要在寻求一臂之力，以帮助他们能在残酷的申请大战中获得成功。

与此同时，美国大部分高中缺乏高质量的未来学业规划和辅导也为这些申请咨询服务公司的扩展提供了有利条件。这些大学申请咨询服务公司已经开始向世界范围内扩展。根据IECA的一份调查报告显示，美国大学申请咨询服务圈的市场大概有4亿美元。圈内的全职咨询专家的数量由2008年的1500名上升到8000名。另外，圈内还有大概一万到一万五千名兼职的咨询顾问。根据报告显示，一套标准的申请咨询服务套餐由2009年的3590美元涨到了4035美元；如果学员还有特殊需求，那么费用还会上升到4750美元。为学生提供基础咨询服务，比如为申请论文润色，普遍的要价大概是1小时150美元。

波莫纳学院录取委员会副主任Bruce Poch先生接受采访时候说道，“申请咨询与服务业的存在和发展是因为背后有潜在的庞大市场。记住，这一代的父母想要成为自己孩子的朋友，而不仅仅是父母。他们愿意为自己的孩子付出很多。对于很多家长来说，一分钱一分货。高收费意味着好的服务。像IvyWise这种机构就是在这种环境下迅速扩张的。

但是在网络化和信息化的今天，也许你要问，在网上可以信手拈来大量的有价值的申请留学信息，有必要还未申请咨询公司支付高昂的费用么？关于这个话题，各方各执一词。

一位家长谈到，“当你要为孩子交纳接近20万美元的学费时，1万美元的咨询辅导费用就显得很有价值。我的女儿成绩并不是特别突出，但是我们的咨询专家很擅长分析数据，所以他帮我们做了很多有价值的决策。比如他看到了Bucknell学院有很高的早申请录取概率，他就建议我们申请这里，然后我的女儿成功获得了该学院的录取。

另一个案例，一位犹太裔的学生在SAT各科考试中都能取得720-740的高分。在他的早申请耶鲁大学不顺时，他及时联系了一家叫做Ivy Coach的咨询机构。那家机构告诉他耶鲁大学已经有大约30%的学生是犹太裔，所以他的申请并不占有种族多样性的优势。这家机构建议他转申请普林斯顿大学，因为普林斯顿大学只有大约7.5%的犹太裔学生。这名学生在改变策略后，成功获得了普林斯顿大学的录取。

尽管Ivy-Coach机构宣传他们所有的客户都可以进入到他们理想的院校，而IvyWise也说他们有90%的客户能进入到至少1所他们理想的大学，IEC协会的CEO Mark Sklarow在接受CNBC采访时候说道，“并不是因为这些大学咨询机构帮助学生们进如到了顶级名校里，只是他们会指引学生找到最适合学生自己的大学。

其他咨询机构的CEO也纷纷表示他们的存在是在学生申请过程中提供建议，或者仅仅是因为客户的同学雇佣了类似机构所以客户也就来了，或者是客户的家长没有时间去管他们自己的孩子。我们咨询专家帮助客户（学生们）拓展视野，所以学生们会更加清楚如何去申请大学。不管怎么说，并不是咨询专家将学生们带到了大学里，是学生自己帮助自己进入到了理想的大学。家长花的多也不见得就一定会有好结果。

有趣的一点是对于申请咨询行业来说，这个圈子并没有美国国家法定的执照要求。几乎任何人都可以成为申请咨询专家，他们可以是前任招生官，高中里的教师，作家，甚至培养过名校孩子的家长。只有不到20%的咨询师加入了IECA协会（保障申请咨询服务质量的独立协会）。波莫纳学院录取委员会副主任Bruce Poch在接受采访时候又提到，“一张教师资格证并不能证明你就是一个伟大的教师，一张医学院的文凭也不能保证你就有高超的医术。所以还是让消费者自行决定吧。” IECA协会禁止咨询师们根据学院录取情况进行提成收费的制度，同时也警告咨询机构不要以他们了解某大学的入取流程或者许诺申请到某大学的奖学金进行销售。

与此同时，IECA协会还倡议咨询师门不要替学生们去写论文或者是填写申请表格。在IECA的网站上清楚的写到，“让一名学生自己负责申请流程和确保所有的申请材料都出自他们自己之手是十分必要的。”

一家非盈利性的教育组织的负责人Lloyd Thacker在接受采访时候说到，“现在的申请咨询圈子非常复杂，我们都相信我们花费的越多，我们就得到的结果就会越好，但是这样会伤害到我们的孩子们。会成功的孩子们始终都会成功。孩子们最终去了什么大学并不是最重要的，最关键的是你的孩子们会在大学里做什么。

Ivy Coach创始人Bev Taylor说她的咨询网站每天都会有海量点击咨询，但是

她的一番话引人深思，“我们是不会有朋友的，因为很多人根本就不想让他们的朋友知道他们的孩子是怎样进入哈佛大学的。”

本文所有内容是针对CNBC 11月12日的教育板块的编译，内容有删减。

How much would you pay to get your kid in Harvard?

Two months before 17-year-old Alexa of northern New Jersey-a national merit scholar, Girl Scout Gold Award recipient and standout soccer player-planned to submit her application to Amherst, anxiety set in. Even though she met all the requirements to land her on the college's competitive playing field, she wanted an independent education counselor (IEC) to give the final nod on her application. It didn't matter that her parents, guidance counselor, coach and teachers invested more than 100 hours steering her through the college process. Her parents contacted a pricey New York City college-planning service and, after relating Alexa's long list of achievements, they agreed to "fit her in," starting off with a 90-minute consultation and then a six-hour boot camp so a counselor could review her essays and Common App. Price: $10,000.

They signed on the dotted line. While the tab seems exorbitant, Alexa's parents may have gotten off easy. Typically, students begin working with an IEC at the end of their sophomore year in high school, just prior to visiting colleges. But increasingly, parents are signing on as early as middle school and "can spend upwards of $100,000 to $200,000, depending on their chosen program and services," said Dr. Katherine Cohen, the founder of IvyWise, an educational consulting company in New York City that provides admissions counseling and tutoring services to students and their families worldwide.Cara, a Harvard University student from New York, was in eighth grade when her parents contacted IvyWise. The company worked with Cara throughout all four years of high school, guiding her on the best way to demonstrate her STEM interest to colleges. IvyWise chose her high school courses, advised her to spend her summers in science programs conducting independent research, provided feedback on her essays and helped her increase her SAT scores.Read More Can your college major guarantee a job? Hiring an IEC to help navigate the college admission process is a growing trend, especially among high achievers, according to Lipman Hearne. The marketing and communications firm recently conducted a nationwide survey of 1,264 students who scored in the 70th percentile or higher on the SAT (at least 1150 out of 1600) or ACT (a composite of at least 25). Of these students, 26 percent admit to hiring an IEC to help them in their college search. This equates to about 160,000 college applicants.

The reason? Fear. High school students and their parents have become so panicked with the mystique surrounding today's college admissions process that they are clamoring to find help to better their odds in the college admissions game.

That, along with the lack of quality admission counseling in the high schools, has been a boon for independent education consultants. The profession is exploding nationwide, to the tune of $400 million a year, according to the IECA in its latest report. It has grown from about 1,500 in 2008 to more than 8,000 professionals, IECA said. This figure does not include the extra 10,000 to 15,000 who "dabble" in it to earn extra income. According to the IECA, on average, a complete package from initial consultation in junior year to submitting the application in senior year will run $4,035, up from $3,590 in 2009; for students with special needs, the cost goes up to $4,750. Most consultants also offer hourly rates of about $150 an hour for students who simply want some general direction on, say, their essay or their choice of schools.

Read More Ivy Leaguers outpace self-starters on CNBC's NEXT List "[IECs] exist and seem to multiply in numbers because the market is clearly willing to pay for it," said Bruce Poch, former vice president and dean of admission at Pomona College. "Remember, this is the generation of parents who want to be their child's friends, and Facebook friends, not just parents. ... They are willing to pay, sometimes a lot, to have someone nag for them." He added: "For some, the expense suggests quality. Katherine Cohen at IvyWise and Michele Hernandez consulting built their empires on that notion." But with the plethora of free resources available online today-such as College Board's BigFuture, Edvisors.com and BestCollegeFit-offering valuable information on planning, saving, FASFA and scholarship opportunities for college, is it necessary to invest in an independent education counselor? There is an open debate on this issue. "Investing $10,000 is worth it when you're talking about a $200,000 education," said Christine Lagana of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, who claims that had her IEC not pushed her daughter to apply early decision, she may not have made it into Bucknell. "My daughter's grades were on the cusp, but our planner was very good at analyzing stats, so she was able to make some strategic decisions. She saw that Bucknell has a higher-than-average ED rate." Read More Containing the cost of applying to college Sam, an orthodox Jewish student with an A average and between a 720 and 740 on each section of his SATs clearly understands the importance of understanding the stats. After being deferred from the early decision pool at Yale, he contacted The Ivy Coach, a private college counseling practice in New York City, who advised him that Yale has a student body that is almost 30 percent Jewish and that his application brought no diversity to the school. The Ivy Coach encouraged him instead to apply to Princeton, where the undergraduate Jewish population is only about 7.5 percent. He was accepted. While these high-priced college planning services claim that they get results-the Ivy Coach says 100 percent of its clients get into one of their top three college choices; IvyWise says 90 percent of its students get into one or more of their three top choice schools-Mark Sklarow, CEO of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, said in an email to CNBC that "the role of college planners is NOT to get students into their top choice college. The role of planners is to help students ... explore which colleges ... are best suited to help them thrive, succeed, and graduate." Others, such as Peter van Buskirk, former dean of admission at Franklin and Marshall College, believe that while IECs help navigate students in the college admission process, most people hire professionals simply because their neighbors do, or because the parents just don't have the time to commit to the process themselves.

"Consultants help students gain perspective in the process so they can make better decisions as to how and when to apply. But ultimately," he said, "consultants don't get the kids in; the kids get the kids in. And parents are spending ungodly amounts of money that frankly aren't making much of a difference at all in the outcome." Read More Top credit cards for college students Because there is no licensing requirement to become an IEC, experience ranges from former admissions officers and high school guidance counselors to college interviewers, writers, and even parents who once successfully navigated their own child through the college admissions process. Although it is strongly recommended that IECs become affiliated with an independent consultants association, only about 1 in 5 belong to one. As a result, the IECA cautions that you need to thoroughly review a consultant's credentials before signing a contract. "Membership in some of the Independent Educational Consultants Association or the National Association for College Admission Counseling may point to some experience," said Poch. "But as we all know, a teaching certificate doesn't guarantee a great or even good teacher, and a medical degree isn't a certain guarantee of the finest medical care. So let the buyer beware." The IECA warns against any consultant who receives a commission for referrals or who guarantees admission to a student's top choice. The organization also warns against counselors who claim they know an institution's admission "formula" or claim they can ensure a certain amount of scholarship money.

Additionally, the IECA says that consultants should never rewrite an essay or fill out the application and FAFSA for you. "It is essential that the student be in charge of the process and all materials should be a product of the student's own, best work," says the IECA on its website. Read More Survey: New college hires don't last more than a year Lloyd Thacker, executive director of the Educational Conservancy, is so disturbed by the current college admission process and the pressure it's placed on today's youth that he left his job as an admissions counselor in 2008 to start the EC, a nonprofit organization devoted to working with leaders in higher education to overhaul college admissions policies and practices.

"It's not easy to be in this culture," he said. "We believe that the more we spend, the better we get, and it's hurting the way we love our kids. " Thacker added: "Kids will do well wherever they go. It doesn't matter. It's not where you went to college but what you did in college." Meanwhile, The Ivy Coach founder Bev Taylor said her site gets 1,500 hits a day.

"We get a lot of siblings, and then when they are done, we get the cousins," she said. "But we never get the friends. People don't want their friends to know how their kid got into Harvard."