FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My hourly rate on Thumbtack is $275 as of this writing. While that isn't cheap, it's actually quite a bit lower than what I charge outside of Thumbtack. I'm new to the website and eager to build good karma. Counselors with my level of experience (who are rare) routinely charge three to four times as much per hour, not unlike doctors, lawyers, and the like. Keep in mind that for families who need a lot of help, require many hours of work. Even my discounted rate can add up quickly. Given this, and since most students inevitably do require a lot of help, flat fee packages are often the better way to pay. It usually saves money in the long term, and it guarantees that your counselor will be available to see through the entire process. Flat fee packages are typically a year long at minimum (e.g., senior year), though I also offer multi-year packages. While flat fees are common in the industry, hourly billing has its virtues, particularly for students who need help with one or two specific things, like a single essay or interview prep. To determine which route is best for you, and for more information on my available packages, schedule a free initial consult by following the link up top
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Step one in working with me is following the link up top and answering a few background questions. This information helps me help you. Once you submit your answers, I'll review them straight away and reply to you via Thumbtack to schedule a free initial consult. Step two is the phone consult. Consults are 30 minutes to start, and they're completely free. The consult is really an opportunity for me to explain my services and pricing and get to know you. I'll try to answer some of your burning questions, but remember that this isn't an advice call—if it were, everybody would schedule one, and I'd never earn a penny. If you know for sure that you want strategic advice on one or more important issues, let me know, and I'll just bill you for the hour. Most of my consults are with one or two parents. Sometimes the student is also present, which can be great, as the students typically know more about their school situations. But some families like the student to be absent when we talk pricing. Occasionally, I'll do a consult with just the student, which I'm fine with doing, so long as they have permission. If the consult goes well and I haven't met the student yet, we can always schedule a follow-up, so I have an opportunity to meet them and be sure I'm a good fit. Step three is deciding between hourly or a flat fee package. Step four is signing an agreement. Step five is scheduling a first session with the student! Prior to this session, I'll send over a questionnaire to the student (required) and parents (optional) to help me develop an initial strategy.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I got my start like most counselors: after my own applications were successful. I started giving advice to friends and family, giving feedback on their essays, explaining what I knew about certain colleges, and recommending certain strategies. Soon, I was helping people prepare for interviews, organizing campus visits, and doing a bunch of other things just to be nice. Eventually, I recognized that this could be a job, but still, I held back because, believe it or not, I was almost exclusively occupied raising a family. That may seem an odd decision for an ambitious woman to make, but it was less odd back then. Little by little, I began taking on clients. I liked the independence and I loved the kids. I saw that I was good at it—better than most of the competition—and suddenly, that ambitious spirit simply could not be contained. I wanted to be the best. Whether I've achieved this is a subjective question. While I'm full-time, I take on a tiny number of packaged students per year, in part because I love my freedom and in part because I see no other way to offer the caliber of counseling I believe in. As such, volume metrics become less than useful yardsticks. The best yardstick, I think, is the fact that I'm doing this at all. What I do, I do to the utmost. I suppose it's telling that I couldn't stop advising friends and I had to see it through. I had to make an impact. Today, I work with some of the most ambitious families on the planet, and they're my people