Use this after consultation calls. In 5 to 15 minutes, you can compare the firms' actual answers, see the totals, and record the family's next call.
Ivy Ready is a college admissions consulting firm, and you should score Ivy Ready on this same card alongside every other firm you are considering.
This card cannot predict an admission result. It helps your family compare clarity, fit, and working arrangements based on what each firm told you.
Score each answer on a simple scale
- 0: Concern. The firm refused, did not answer clearly, or gave an answer your family cannot accept.
- 1: Mixed. The answer was partial, uncertain, or acceptable only with follow-up.
- 2: Clear. The answer was substantiated and acceptable for your family's needs.
A higher total is not an admission forecast. It only summarizes how the firms answered this card.
1. Name the firms
Compare two firms or add a third. Leave no placeholder name in the final card.
2. Score the same criteria
Score the answers you received, not the brand name or the quality of the sales call. On a small screen, swipe horizontally to keep the firms side by side.
| Criterion | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Person doing the work and prior experienceYou know who will personally work with the student, and the firm substantiated what that person did before consulting. | ||
| 2. Meet the assigned consultant firstThe family can meet the person expected to do the work before signing the agreement. | ||
| 3. Caseload and access expectationsThe firm gives the assigned consultant's current caseload and explains how that workload affects meeting access and response expectations. | ||
| 4. Plan if the consultant leavesThe firm explains in writing who takes over if the assigned consultant leaves and what choices the family has to continue or end. | ||
| 5. Scope inclusions and exclusionsThe written agreement clearly identifies the work that is included and the work that is not. | ||
| 6. How scope changes are handledThe firm explains who can change the agreed work, how changes are documented, and what happens when the family needs more or less support. | ||
| 7. How the engagement endsThe firm explains when the engagement ends, how an early ending works, and what access the family keeps to drafts and records. | ||
| 8. Work with the school counselorThe consultant explains how, with the family's consent, they coordinate with the student's school counselor and avoid duplicate or conflicting guidance. | ||
| 9. No promised admission outcomeThe firm states plainly that no consultant, including its own team, can promise an admission outcome. | ||
| 10. Paid consulting may not be necessaryThe firm is willing to say when a strong school counselor and family support may be enough without hiring a private consultant. | ||
| Running total | 0 of 200 of 10 criteria scored | 0 of 200 of 10 criteria scored |
3. Record the family's call
The total is evidence, not an automatic verdict. Record the choice your family can defend after reviewing the answers.
Copy the completed comparison
Add every firm name and record an outcome to enable copying. Blank criterion scores remain clearly marked in the copied text.
Use the right page for the next conversation
This scorecard is for comparing consulting firms after your calls. For a separate institutional conversation, use Questions to Ask a College Admissions Counselor.
If Ivy League support is part of the comparison, apply this same card while reviewing Ivy Ready's Ivy League admissions consulting.