Ended Up Searching for Budget-Friendly Colleges Independently

My daughter connected well with her counselor, finding them both supportive and easy to talk to. However, as her parent, I occasionally felt my concerns weren’t fully addressed. I pointed out that some colleges on the list were beyond our financial limits and asked for more affordable alternatives, but nothing changed. A Collegewise representative had assured me that our counselor would identify schools that fit our budget, which turned out not to be the case. Instead, I was advised to engage their financial counselors for an additional fee. It seems the ‘Admissions’ and ‘Finances’ services at Collegewise aren’t as coordinated as they should be, requiring customers to do much of the legwork themselves. The essay assistance was the standout feature of the service, but most of the college listings were generated by us.