School counselor, independent counselor, or a tool: what each one is for

You are buying time and outside experience. $140–$300 an hour, or a comprehensive package commonly around $6,500 and higher in major metros. At their best they bring processes your family has not been through and a deadline structure that does not come from a parent.

There is no licensing requirement for the title in the United States, so ask about association membership, how many students they take a cycle, and speak to two families who have used them.

This is what Orblite is, and it is worth being precise about the category, because it is not a person. It holds a four-year plan, keeps it current as things change, says what this quarter is for, and works through a task with a student when they open one. $25 a month or $200 a year, with a free tier that includes the full four-year structure and a weekly assessment.

It does not write recommendation letters, does not have relationships with admissions offices, and does not read a room. What it covers is the stretch between the two or three counselor meetings a year — which is where most families actually lose the thread.

If the gap is a document or a school process, that is the school counselor, and it is not a question of money.

If the gap is expertise you cannot get locally — an unusual application, a recruitment process, a family disagreement that needs a third party — that is an independent counselor, and hourly is a reasonable way to start.

If the gap is that nobody in the house knows what should be happening this month, that is structure, and it is the cheapest of the three to fix. Being honest about which one you have is what stops a family spending five figures on a problem that was organisational.