Finding the right college and the means to afford it can be a challenge for students and their families. You’ll have to do a lot of researching, essay writing, studying for tests and a ton of other important tasks just to get in the front door. And since there’s such a supply of frustrated students and parents dealing with the heavy stresses of pursuing postsecondary education, there are companies who aim to meet the demand. College Admissions Assistance (CAA) is one of those companies who provide services for students and their families so they can attend the university they want, receive the financial aid they need and graduate in the ideal four-year time-frame expected. You may have heard of this company in forums or have received a letter in the mail inviting you to a conference. They have a unique business model with coaches, teams, custom proprietary programs and selling tactics that, based on forum posts across the net, tend drive some customers away.
The College Admissions Assistance Way
But the question remains, do the services rendered by College Admissions Assistance produce results? You can just visit their website and read their simple yet clearly stated philosophy about why they exist and how their services can lead to a successful, cost-effective, timely pursuit of a degree at a four-year college. They go on about how every student is unique and use very encouraging terms like “destiny”, “believe” and “dreams” to uplift and persuade you into delving in a bit deeper into business. They also produce written and video testimonials of people esteeming the help of CAA; that they might not have gotten to where they are without CAA; that thanks to their experienced coaches editing their essays, they were able to accomplish their goals, and that their test prep services gave them the scores they needed to either be accepted to a college or receieve a scholarship. It all sounds very appealing to a student or parent working the graveyard shift trying to make the best out of the college process, but is it a scam or is it legit?
Warning Signs
If you’ve done any research on the company, you might have discovered a few of the negative PR associated with some of the questionable selling tactics they perform. For example, they’ll send you a letter inviting you to a conference. At the conference, they’ll explain to you how they can help iron out the wrinkles in your college search process making your “dreams” a reality. The thing that is probably most surprising is that they require you to pay $2,000 in order to receive their help. How likely is it for a student and their parents searching for financial aid to shell out two grand on a service that might or might not give them what they’ve expected. It’s sort of an up hill battle for CAA to provide reasons why they are worth it and some have left their workshops feeling a bit pressured. Still though, quality education and a bright future for your child is important, so is the program really worth two grand?
Earning Their Value
According to the College Board website, for the 2011-12 school year, on average, the tuition costs for an undergraduate was $8,224 a year for in-state students and 12,526 for out-of-state students. Now that’s on average, if you had your eye set on an Ivy League school, you’d have to dish out somewhere between thirty and forty grand a year not including room and board. When planning financially for school, these figures become more and more important as studies show it’s taking more than four years to earn a degree (CAA claims it takes six). One of College Admissions Assistance biggest selling points is that they can help your student finish college and receive their degree in four years, in effect earning their value in the long-run. With all investments, it’s wisdom to weigh the pros and cons so that you won’t regret your decision down the road.
The Old Fashioned Way
If you still don’t feel comfortable about College Admissions Assistance, there’s always the old fashioned way of getting through the college process. Just do it. There are plenty of resources out there available to hel. And of course there are always Easy Scholarships out there for the taking. If you aren’t an English major, No Essay Scholarships that replace writing with something else are available, identifying the importance of rewarding diverse skill sets. The College Board website, the organization in charge of the SAT, offers tons help for those preparing to take the SAT. And visiting sites like College Confidential, Zinch, CollegeProwler and FastWeb are other ways you can find useful (Free!) information concerning your postsecondary educational needs. Again, the purpose of this article isn’t to dissuade or encourage you concerning College Admissions Assistance, just to provide a perspective that’ll further help you in your research.
