College Insights Review: Full-Service Advising

The college admissions process can be a bit overwhelming. Without any extra support, you might feel like you are flying blind through one of the most important decisions of your life.

The good news is that there are plenty of places you can go for help. One of them is College Insights, a Seattle-based college admissions consulting company. In this College Insights review, we explore the company’s offerings so you can decide whether or not it’s the right fit for you.

What Is College Insights?

What Does It Offer?

College Insights offers four main service categories: academic advising, college admissions support, paying for college guidance, and student loan coaching. Here's a closer look at each option. 

College Admissions Support

College Insights offers services to help students navigate both the undergraduate and graduate school admissions process. 

Through its comprehensive admissions support package, students can receive career counseling, academic advising, academic record review, high school course selection advising, extracurricular recommendations, prep for college visits, help building a college list, support for writing essays, financial aid support, and more.

In general, the following packages are targeted to high school juniors and seniors. 

• Comprehensive package: The comprehensive package includes up to 40 hours of consulting for up to 15 different schools. It costs $5,800. 
• 5-hour package: This package gives you access to five hours of support and costs $1,200. 
• 10-hour package: The 10-hour package gives you ten hours of support and costs $2,300. 
• Ivy League package: The Ivy League package comes with 50 hours of consulting time and assistance as you navigate the admissions process for Ivy League schools.

With one of these packages, you’ll have the support of someone with the experience you need to seamlessly navigate the college admissions process.

Financial Services

Getting into college isn’t the only hurdle of higher education. For most, paying for college is the most challenging obstacle. While you can figure out the finances of paying for college on your own, getting support from someone who knows the system can be incredibly helpful. 

College Insights offers help navigating the financial side of college. Through a financial aid review package, you can get support navigating the complex financial aid system. The goal is to help you minimize the college costs you incur, which can have a big impact on your financial future. 

Within a financial aid review package, you can expect help completing the FAFSA and CSS profile, a review of your award letters, financial strategy guidance, and support drafting any necessary letters to the Financial Aid office. 

Scholarship Packages

Landing the right scholarships can make college more affordable. College Insights offers scholarship planning packages. Included in the package is a list of between 50 and 200 scholarships. But in my opinion, the real value is the assistance you’ll receive to create stand-out scholarship applications. 

Scholarship packages cost between $699 and $1,899.

Group Classes 

Paying for one-on-one help isn’t always feasible. If you are looking for guidance but can’t afford the one-on-one, College Insights also offers group classes.  

First up is the College Admissions Online Course at $299. Through this self-directed, online course, students can navigate the material at their own pace. You'll have an opportunity to prepare your college list, focus on college majors, have a standardized test plan, build multiple essays, learn admissions tips for selective colleges, and more. 

The other option is the Application Workshop at $999. An Application Workshop guides a small group of students through the application process. If you have questions along the way, you can ask the instructor.

Are There Any Fees?

Depending on how many services you purchase, the cost of working with College Insights can add up quickly. Admissions packages range from $1,200 to $6,200. If you are interested in other services, you can expect other charges. For example, FAFSA application support is $99, CSS Profile application support is $299, and a financial aid review package is $699 to $899. 

How Does College Insights Compare?

College Insights isn’t the only company offering admissions support. Here are two similar services worth considering. 

Solomon Admissions Consulting offers college application packages that help high school seniors navigate the college admissions process. In contrast to College Insights, Solomon offers an opportunity to conduct a 10-week research program with a Ph.D. research advisor to conduct college-level research. Students who qualify for the program might find a significant boost to their resume when applying for top schools. Unlike many college admissions companies, Solomon provides links to independently-verified success rates, right on its website. 

Prep Expert offers admissions consulting, academic tutoring, and standardized test prep. While you can pay for one-off services, admisions packages range from $6,999 to $13,999 for unlimited support (custom pricing is also available). If you opt for a package, there is a money-back guarantee if you don’t see results, such as a 200-point improvement in your SAT score, a 4-point improvement on the ACT, or an additional $10,000 in scholarship funds, depending on the service you're purchasing. 

How Do I Open An Account?

If you want to work with College Insights but aren’t sure what service is best for your situation, you can start the process with a free consultation. In the consult, you can find out more about the offerings and decide on the right fit. From there, you can pay for the package and start tapping into the resources. 

How Do I Contact College Insights?

You can get in touch with College Insights by emailing elisia@collegeinsights.com. Or you can call 425-507-9069. The company offers a free consultation to help you determine which services are the right fit for your situation. 

Who Is This For And Is It Worth It?

College Insights offers a useful service for students looking for a helping hand during the college admissions process. It’s especially helpful if you know you’ll need to execute the application perfectly to get into your top choice school. The company is also a good resource for students and parents seeking to minimize the cost of college. With the financial aid review resources, you might get a lot of value out of the package.

We've scored College Insights lower on Success Rate, because we were unable to locate any published results, independently or on the company website. The same goes for Experience of Counselors, though the company gets marks for providing access to tutors and counselors (not all admissions companies do). 

College Insights does come at a considerable cost. If you aren’t able or willing to pay for the additional assistance, consider leaning on the resources available at school and building your own knowledge base about the world of college financial aid.

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