A higher education consultant can refer to one of two occupations. The first is a person who assists teens and their families with college and university applications; this person will help with the admissions process and provide advice on applying to colleges, preparing for interviews, and being as competitive as possible, increasing the likelihood that the student will be accepted to the university. The second type of higher education consultant works directly with colleges and universities, attempting to reform certain aspects of the institution, such as the admissions process or the types of programs offered, in order to make them more appealing to students and professors.
The most common type of higher education consultant is hired by families who want their children to get into highly competitive schools, such as Ivy League schools. This consultant will then work with the family and student throughout the admissions process, first strategizing about which schools should be applied to as first choices and backup schools, and then assisting with the application process itself. This person will be able to provide specific information about what the school is looking for, as well as what types of extracurricular activities, grades, or SAT scores are required to be accepted.
In addition, the higher education consultant may work with students to help them prepare for interviews. Anyone interested in working in this field should enjoy working with people and have prior experience interacting with various colleges and universities, as well as be familiar with the application and interview process. Although some have master’s degrees or higher in education or other fields such as financial planning, there is no specific training available for this career path. For those who are good at it, this is typically a self-made career that can be very lucrative. Other job titles include educational planners and college planning consultants, among others.
The second type of higher education consultant works for a firm that specializes in educational consulting. This is a much more time-consuming process, but it is ultimately intended to improve the university’s competitiveness in comparison to other educational institutions. This is due to the fact that these institutions tend to attract both more students and higher-quality professors. Typically, a university will hire a consulting firm to address specific areas of concern, such as application, admission, or graduation rates; the higher education consultants will then research and analyze the university, offering suggestions for areas of improvement and change implementation methods.