Like all people who provide services for the wealthy, people like Dunbar do a lot of hand-holding, not only acting as a liaison between the family and the schools but also acting as a buffer between the child's desires and the parent's expectations-all for the price of about $7,500 to $10,000.

The families "don't want the stress of this process in the household. They don't want the friction between themselves and the children," says Cynthia Kunkel, an education consultant in New Canaan, Conn.  

Education consultants help children determine what it is they want to do, where they want to go and what school would best fit those needs. People like Dunbar also know what works best in the eyes of admissions officials, so they can help the children write their essays, tell them what school activities to join early on, let them know how much community service to do, and even tell them what to say in the interviews.

"Many times, the child does not know what they want, and they need someone to get it out of them," Kunkel says. "Sometimes they can express themselves better to an independent person."

Kunkel notes that consultants don't write the essay for the students. But they will brainstorm topics with them and help draw out their ideas.

There's also a lot of strategy that goes into the application process. For instance, schools like to show that the students they accept end up attending. Students can try to increase their chances of getting into a school by applying for an "early decision," in which they apply by November 15 and commit to attend if the school accepts them. But it can backfire if too many students apply this way, making the pool even more competitive. It can also limit the student's options.

"By going early-decision, you're signaling to the school that you're committing yourself 100%," Kunkel says. "I only recommend doing it if the child is absolutely sure they want to go there."

But perhaps the most important thing an education consultant can do is navigate the subtle relationship that exists between a school's admissions department and its development team, which raises money.

"It can be helpful in the admissions process," acknowledges Steven Roy Goodman, an educational consultant.
Universities need money and spend a lot of time fund raising. And their massive teams of development officials do research into the financial backgrounds of not only their students but their prospective students, Goodman says.

Sometimes it can be helpful for consultants like him to communicate the extent of a family's wealth to the universities, setting up breakfasts or conference calls between the student's family members and a member of the university's board. Normally, the contact begins with a development officer, though it could also involve a faculty member or senior member of the school's administration, Goodman says.