One of the biggest responsibilities you as a parent will have is selecting an Educational Consultancy for your child’s future. As a parent, you may be considering MBBS programs abroad, engineering programs, or the undergraduate admission process at overseas universities. The educational consultancy you choose will have a significant impact on your child’s education, financial investment, and eventual outcome.
Unfortunately, many well-intentioned parents fall victim to one or more of the many common traps that result in disappointment, wasted resources, and unfulfilled aspirations. By knowing some of the common mistakes made when choosing consultancy services, you can also steer clear of these pitfalls and save yourself thousands of dollars and long periods of stress, and protect your child’s educational future. This guide provides parents with the most common mistakes and the most important factors to consider when selecting the right educational consultancy for their child.
Mistake 1: Unrealistic Promises and Guarantees
The selection of a consultancy is most dangerous if you believe one that makes promises of guaranteed admission to a top university or 100% visa success. There is a very good chance that you will run into a fishy rep, as it is impossible to guarantee admission to a competitive institution or a visa, according to both the school and the immigration authorities.
Some examples of red flags relating to promises include:
- Guaranteed admission to Harvard, Oxford, and other prestigious universities,
- 100% visa approval, regardless of your child’s profile,
- Instant access to admission committees at universities,
- Never being refused visa approval.
A legitimate consultancy will provide an honest view of your student’s profile, discuss realistic expectations with regard to his/her academic credentials, and assist you in submitting an application that will be successful…
Smart parents ask for success rates but are also just as likely to ask a consultancy to review any of the cases that did not result in a successful outcome. A consultancy that is willing to discuss failures and what they learned from those experiences will give you confidence and add an element of professionalism and transparency.
Mistake 2: Prioritizing Cost Over Quality
When selecting a consultant, cost plays an important role; however, picking the lowest bidder usually results in extra costs down the road. One of the biggest mistakes people make when selecting a consulting service is to choose them based only on their low price without considering the quality, breadth, and history of their services.
- While low-cost consulting services may:
- Have cookie-cutter applications with no modifications
- Provide limited assistance with respect to post-admission
- Employ inexperienced advisers who provide outdated information
- Charge extra fees for items included in standard packages offered by all reputable firms
- Rush through the applicant’s file so they can take on more clientele.
Conversely, quality consulting services are staffed by highly qualified advisers with extensive experience in working with foreign students, and they keep up-to-date with the latest information on universities and visa regulations. They are comprehensive in their consulting methodology and assist the student from the time they apply for a program until the student leaves for the university. Additionally, they provide additional services for their clients after they arrive at the university. The costs of providing these additional services are considered by all reputable consulting firms; therefore, a consulting firm promoting “unbelievably low prices” usually skimps on service and jeopardizes the future of your child.
Instead of solely concentrating on cost, review the value proposition. Ask questions about the specific services offered, what continued support a company will provide after admission, how a consultant handles problems with clients, and whether an applicant has access to seasoned advisers or only a consultant’s junior staff member.
Mistake 3: Not Verifying
One of the most critical errors that parents make when choosing a consultancy is not checking to see if the consultancy has been registered, certified, and approved to provide educational counseling to students. The overseas education market consists of legitimate and dishonest actors, as there are many individuals attempting to take advantage of the desperation of parents who wish to send their children to school outside of the country.
There are several important steps you can take to confirm if the consultancy you are considering is a legitimate business and if it has the proper certifications, accreditations, and memberships with recognized organizations, such as the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC), British Council, and other educational associations within the countries you will be utilizing as your destination. You should also verify the partner relationships of the consultancy by checking with the institutions that the consultancy claims to have partnerships with. Most universities have a page on their websites where they list all authorized representatives.
When selecting a consultancy, you should visit the actual business location. Legitimate consulting firms will have a professional business location, not a home address or virtual office. Be sure to check the consultancy’s online presence. A reputable consultancy will have a professional online presence, a history of the company, and a contact page with valid contact information. Any online presence of a consultancy that includes only social media or temporary contact information should raise suspicion. If parents do not conduct these verification steps, they may unknowingly be working with an immoral individual who will collect their fees and leave without providing the services or make the application process for their child more difficult through substandard services.
Mistake 4: Ignoring Reviews
In the current digital environment, ignoring available reviews and testimonials can be a major mistake when choosing consulting services. The experience of past clients is often the best indicator of how a consulting service will perform, as well as how reliable and high-quality its services will be.
A good evaluation of consultancies includes reading online reviews but goes beyond this:
- Choose Balanced Views
There may be fabricated, completely positive reviews, yet many negative reviews may come from unrealistic expectations of services. Therefore, try to find a set of detailed reviews providing both the best and worst aspects of the services performed.
- Request Current Client References
Request all consulting firms to provide you with contact information for other families who have used their service, particularly those who have children going to universities that you are considering for your child. If a consulting service is legitimate, it will have no problems providing you with references. If the firm hesitates or provides you with anything less than excellent references, it is an indication of issues.
- Verify Review Authenticity
To verify the authenticity of reviews, you should check reviews from as many different sources as possible, including Google, Facebook, other online education forums, and other independent review sites. If there are patterns of reviews across multiple platforms, this gives you an indication of the authenticity of those reviews.
- Check for Recent Reviews
The education industry is constantly evolving, and as such, reviews from the past year or two will be the most relevant; reviews that are older will be outdated and likely not be reflective of current service standards and updated knowledge regarding the industry.
- Join a Parent Forum
Parent forums represent online collections of parents of students studying abroad. Members of these parent communities provide raw, unfiltered reviews and opinions about many different consulting services. These parent forums frequently reveal the issues that do not appear in formal reviews.
Mistake 5: Not Understanding the Full Service Scope
Parents often believe that all consultancies will provide the same services; however, there is a large disparity in what these consultancies may (or may not) actually provide. One of the largest errors a parent can make when selecting a consultancy is not confirming the services that are included. These errors may lead to disappointment and the unexpected cost associated with those services.
A good comprehensive consultancy should provide some or all of the following services:
- Pre-Application Services
Career counselling, university selection guidance, program matching based on student profile, country selection based on budget and preference, and realistic assessment of admission likelihood.
- Application Support Services
Document preparation, application form completion, statement of purpose drafting and editing, recommendation letter guidance, scholarship application support, and tracking of applications.
- Test Preparation Services
Guidance for language testing (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE), standardized testing (SAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT), and sometimes direct coaching/partnerships with test prep companies.
- Financial Guidance Services
Facilitation of education loan application, identification and application of scholarships, preparation of financial documentation for visa purposes, and advice on foreign exchange.
- Visa Assistance Services
Preparation of visa documents, completion of visa application forms, preparation for interviews (mock), and guidance regarding visa regulations and requirements.
- Pre-Departure Support Services
Accommodation assistance, flight booking guidance, establishment of banking and forex accounts, packing guidelines, and information regarding what to expect, along with connecting to seniors at the student’s university of choice.
EOCL India
Apart from all this, there are many other mistakes too. If you want to know about them in depth with details and a better understanding, then you can talk to our expert counselors. Connect with EOCL India to clear all your doubts and provide complete guidance related to MBBS in India and MBBS abroad.
