Paying To 'Package' College Applicants

1 In 5 Freshmen At Private Colleges Had Professionals Help Them Improve Their Chances

(CBS)  It was an Ivy League fairy tale with a sad ending. Kaavya Viswanathan stood out. Beautiful and bright, and at the age of 19, author of a New York Times bestseller. It was easy to see why she got into Harvard. But when allegations of plagiarism torpedoed her literary success, they also raised questions about how she got into college. Viswanathan's aggressive strategy included hiring a college "packager" — a high-priced counselor who helps even top students get into the best schools. And, as CBS News correspondent Joie Chen discovered, it's the kind of special assistance a growing number of young people are getting.

If you want your file to stand out among the 17,000 applications to Georgetown University.

Here's a tip: More isn't always better — note to the kid who sent recommendation letters from every official in his hometown. There were letters from office of the mayor, the office of the vice mayor — 23 in all — and the admissions office was not impressed.

But anxious students — and desperate parents — are reaching new extremes in their bids to get into top schools. They're even paying top dollar to so-called "packagers" for help.

"These are people who know the game, and know all the tricks of the trade so to speak, and they're trying to put together the best scenario for the student to look good," said Charlie Deacon, Georgetown's dean of admissions.

And parents are willing to pay the price for the expertise.

"we think this is an investment in our kids, in their future," says Susan Linksy, who spent thousands on consultants for her daughter Arielle and son Zach. They're good kids with solid grades and well-rounded interests. But Linsky wanted a pro to make sure their applications stood out:

"It's a sales package. I mean, it's marketing," said Linsky.

This year, more than 20 percent of freshmen at private colleges hired an independent counselor.

"Parents are worried about the process, they should be. It's getting more competitive to get into college these days, says Katherine Cohen, an independent college counselor.

Cohen says the struggle has gotten tougher — thanks in part to the "common application" — a standardized, on-line form used by 277 schools — including Harvard and Yale.

Cohen claims 100 percent success at getting kids into their top choices for a price — anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to $30,000 dollars.

Starting as early as freshman year, counselors push kids toward the right after-school activities, help sharpen essays and teach them how to sell themselves. But Cohen emphasizes that the students do the work themselves.

"We're not writing essays for the students. We're not playing the violin for them at the music recital and making the audience cry," she said.

Admissions offices are on the look-out for "packaged" students — but admit it's hard to tell which applicants are too good to be true.

"It's not a perfect process. And people can fool you," said Georgetown's Deacon.

In nine out of ten cases, deacon doubts counselors make much difference. But arielle linsky got into her dream school: Michigan. Zach's happy he'll be going to Indiana this fall.

And to their mom, that's money well spent.