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Magazines
Luxury Tutors of the rich & famous Parents are paying specialized tutors tens of thousand to get their little darlings into America’s elite universities By Precious William We all lead such busy lives now that the only way to make sure our children get into the right universities is to hire a private tutor,” says Adam Toomey a Manhattan doctor. “Everyone in our circle has had to hire one.” Despite costing more than $400 an hour, hiring private “college-prep” tutors is becoming as common, among New York’s elite parents, as using personal trainers and psychiatrists. “It’s really becoming the only way to guarantee your child gets into university,” says Toomey, who is investing $20,000 a year in school fees and a further $25,000 in private tutoring for his son, Luke. “The only way to ensure your child makes the right connections and enjoys financial security throughout life is by getting him or her into a superior university.” Katherine Cohen, 34, and a graduate of Yale, has one of the most impressive success rates in the $2.5 billion private tutoring industry, offering a “platinum” package that includes 24 face-to-face brainstorming sessions and weekly hour-long telephone coaching sessions – all for $28,995. “But if you can’t afford the platinum package, I can offer a la carte packages,” says Cohen. “Or you can buy the college application reviewing program which takes about two or three hours and costs about $1,000.” The idea for IvyWise, as she calls her company, was born when Cohen worked at the Yale admissions office as an application reader, while studying for her Ph.D. in Latin American literature. It was the ideal background. “I learned which applications to accept and which to reject. What I know is that you can’t just send in an application and get in,” she says. “ you have to have good grades, of course. But I also teach youngsters to manage their time and prioritize. It’s not a joke. I instill a sense of responsibility in them.” Cohen’s youth and good looks endear her to her predominantly teenaged students, at least on of whom considers her “very cool and really inspiring.” But clients admit she is tough. “Katherine will never say ‘Oh, that’s fine’,” recalls Alejandro Landes a student at Brown University and a former IvyWise client. “During the first meeting I will evaluate their academic history, their out-of-school activities and their goals,” says Cohen. “Then we will create a strategy. Kids need to know how to represent themselves and how to make the most out of hobbies, activities and their goals.” Says Cohen. “Then we will create a strategy. Kids need to know how to represent themselves and how to make the most out of hobbies, activities, summer trips, awards and honors, internships. The application needs to be very detailed, organized and easy to read.” A moneyed mix of bankers, entertainers, politicians and lawyers, Cohen’s clients are all vying for places for their offspring at the same small handful of elite universities, including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and Columbia. Not everyone agrees such high-priced tutoring is a good idea. What can Cohen offer that school-based tutors cannot provide themselves? Nothing at all, according to one top university admissions tutor, who requested anonymity “Using a private college counselor is a joke, because the good private schools already have perfectly competent college counselors of their own,” he says. “And this entire ‘Dartmouth or die’ desperation is getting out of hand. The private tutors are feeding off parents’ insecurities and neuroses. We laugh at these things in our profession.” Harvard admissions tutor William Fitzsimmons is equally dismissive. “Just the idea that there are only 10 or 20 or 30 colleges in the country one can go to is really ludicrous,” he says. “Rather than celebrate a student’s being admitted to five colleges, they obsess about one college they are not admitted to.” Cohen, however, insists that 70 per cent of her clients gain acceptance by their first-choice universities each year. In addition to brushing up academic skills and essay-writing techniques, the tutors also agonize over the choice of teacher to write a letter of recommendation to a particular university admissions tutor, and which outside sources such as coaches or employers should provide references. They also host brainstorming sessions over pizza and tape mock interviews later analyzed with students and parents. “Avoid being too subtle,” advises private tutor Michelle Hernandez, author of The Insider’s Guide to Getting Into the Ivy League and Other Top Colleges. “Don’t try to hide your ace behind a wall of modesty.” Catherine Testa, who lives in Manhattan and whose 15-year-old daughter Dawn is a Harvard hopeful, says the preparation deemed necessary for college entrance almost caused her to have a nervous breakdown earlier this year. “I made the mistake of not securing a private college counselor early enough and now it is too late to get one at all,” she laments. “Dawn is at one of the best day schools but getting your child into a great private school is not even half the battle any more. It seems doubtful Dawn will get into college at all now.” Testa’s fears are not unfounded. Children of wealthy and well-connected parents might have once enjoyed an advantage in gaining admission to America’s elite universities, but much as changed. According to Cohen, wealthy children could even be at a disadvantage because admissions tutors are increasingly more interested in diversity than privilege. Tutors such as Cohen capitalize on their ability to tip the balance back in their clients’ favor – once their hefty fees have been settled. In Cohen’s case that might mean calling admissions offices to pitch for individual students, or boosting a student’s CV by fixing up internships through Cohen’s network of well-connected friends. Testa agrees and intends to hire a private college-preparation tutor for her daughter early next year. “Having family connections and being at the top of your class in all subjects no longer seems to mean a thing; it’s really necessary to groom our children to market themselves successfully,” she says. “We just can’t afford to be careless any more. We all know the (non-Ivy League) colleges are so appalling these days that anyone can get into them. So, more than ever, and Ivy League education really is the only option.” But Cohen insists that while most of her clients are admitted to the top 19 U.S. universities, “It’s not all about getting kids into the universities of their parents’ choice. It is a very time-consuming, holistic process. The student has to show that he or she is a responsible, well-rounded citizen. Donating $10 million to a college simply will not necessarily secure your admission.” Says Dr. Toomey of his decision to go for the ivy on behalf of his son, “ We will pay whatever is necessary.”
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