How To Avoid College Counselor Imposters

(MoneyWatch)  Are some independent college counselors frauds?

Could be.

An article in The New York Times generated a lot of controversy when it suggested that some college counselors are fudging their admissions background to attract privileged parents who are desperate to strike Ivy League gold.

It's not hard to understand what's motivating the resume frauds. Some wealthy families are spending more than the equivalent of a year's tuition at Harvard to, well, to get their kids into Harvard.

In a delicious gotcha moment, the newspaper discovered that one advisor's claim to be a former Cornell admission officer for several years sure looked bogus. Cornell's director of admission said the staff had no record or memory of the woman, who was a Cornell graduate. Another counselor bragged about her valuable admission experience from being a "reader" of applications at Yale, but these readers make no admission decisions.

While I have no doubt that the majority of independent college counselors aren't exaggerating their backgrounds, I believe the article in The Times sadly missed a major point. Considering the exorbitant price of college, independent college counselors should be doing more than simply playing matchmakers between teens and schools. These counselors need to understand the financial dynamics of every school they recommend and help their clients find colleges that will discount their prices. Not many counselors do that and that's the real travesty.

Before looking for college counselors who can help you with financial strategies, as well as the fun stuff (picking colleges), check out my post that shares four questions to ask a college counselor.