Should you pay for a consultant?

It depends, and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably selling something.

San Francisco's admissions process isn't fair, and it isn't especially age-appropriate. We ask thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds to interview, write essays, and perform on tours, and we ask their parenting adults to project-manage all of it on top of their actual lives. So if hiring help makes that more bearable and it fits your budget, there is nothing wrong with it. And if you'd rather do it yourselves, plenty of families do, ours included.

It helps to know there isn't one single thing called "a consultant." There are a few.

A writing or essay consultant works with your student on their applications. This can be a real gift, especially if you have a teenager who would rather do almost anything than take feedback from you (which is to say, a teenager), or a student who needs a little extra support around a learning difference. Sometimes a calm outside voice gets more done in an hour than you can in a whole weekend.

A full admissions consultant is broader. They help you build a list, manage the calendar, prep for interviews, and hold your hand through the process. Some families find that worth every dollar. Whether it's worth it to you comes down to how much of the load you want to carry yourself.

A consultant is an option, not a requirement. You are not behind, and you are not failing your student, if you skip it. It's also expensive, and for many families simply out of reach.