For students such as Zoe Greenblatt ’12, preparations for college are not made at home or in the Staples guidance department. Instead, they are formed by private organizations such as Pinnacle Study Inc.

“My counselor, Eric, does everything related to college. He tells me what classes to take and when to take standardized tests,” Greenblatt said.

Gregory Merle of Andover College Prep, added more about the nature and specific services offered through private counseling.

“Andover assists students in all aspects of the college process. We can give advice in regards to when and how to take standardized tests, what courses to take in high school in order to appeal to colleges, which extracurriculars a student should pursue or focus on, how to approach the college essay and methods towards assembling the final application,” Merle said.

However, Principal John Dodig believes that there is no advantage to private college counseling and that college services have sprung up from Westport’s competitive atmosphere and affluence.

“In a district like Westport where kids have advantages that other kids don’t have, they think they can outperform others and gain a greater rate of college acceptance by utilizing private college services. It’s an urban legend; they don’t do anything that our guidance counselors don’t do,” Dodig said.

However, Merle countered Dodig’s arguments in suggesting that a private counseling service such as Andover is more beneficial to students than a public school’s guidance department because greater attention is paid to the individual and the overall missions of public and private counselors are distinctly different.

“A guidance counselor may be working with up to several hundred students through the college process of their junior year. At Andover, we focus on one. This allows for a more strategic, individualized approach towards college planning. In addition, a guidance counselor at Staples has the responsibility of helping his or her students into a college. The colleges that they suggest a student apply to may be put forth in order to “play it safe,” and ensure that the student gets in somewhere. However, it may not be the school that the student wants to go to,” Merle said.

Dodig also emphasized the monetary cost of private college counseling, and put forth the idea that it’s representative of a combination of Westport’s affluence and a willingness to spend exorbitant amounts of money for organizations that claim to provide an “edge” in admissions.

“Some people will throw thousands of dollars at programs in an attempt to get their child into a particular college. Personally, I think it’s a waste of funds because I’ve known several students who have gotten in to top-notch colleges without these services,” Dodig said.

According to Merle, Andover charges $250 an hour for its “one on one” college counseling programs. However, it offers group prep (capped at seven students) at a lower rate, and has launched a program to offer its planning services to disadvantaged students who don’t have the ability to pay. In addition, Merle believes that private counseling offers an “admissions edge,” but that it is difficult to objectively measure.

“The difference in college acceptance rates between students who attended private counseling services and those that just used their school’s guidance department is a difficult statistic to come up with,” Merle said.

Guidance Counselor PJ Washenko generally agrees with Dodig about the function of private college counselors versus Staples’ guidance counselors, but concedes that a private counselor may be beneficial depending on the individual student.

“It could be worthwhile for students that don’t have time to meet with their guidance counselors, such as tri-sport athletes. We [guidance] have our opinions about what students should do to prepare for college, and private counselors have theirs. Whether guidance or private counseling is more effective is essentially the student’s opinion,” Washenko said.

Merle also reiterated that there might be some instances in which school guidance counselors and a private counselor disagree over course selection.

“A guidance counselor might advise an easier class for a student based on claims that there is no room in an AP class, or that taking the class would be too difficult. But if a student is up to the challenge, by all means should he or she go for the AP,” Merle said.

Still, Washenko defends Staples’ guidance program as being superior to private college counseling on the grounds that the guidance department has a greater view of a student’s abilities and achievements.

“We know the student better, we’re looking at the toll a particular course load takes on a student, and the undue stress it may cause them,” Washenko said.

Though Washenko advocates that students utilize the guidance department over private counseling, he does suggest that about 50% of upperclassmen use some kind of outside counseling service. And in Westport, the most recognized college counseling service is Freudigman & Billings.

Though F&B co-owner Dr. Kim Freudigman declined to comment about its college counseling programs due to the large number of Inklings editors enrolled in them, students such as Christina Peterson ’12, appreciate the personal attention this service gives.

“F&B takes a student’s GPA, interests, and preferences into account when suggesting colleges to apply to. They recommend classes to take based on what you’ve done well in through the past, and tell you when to take standardized tests. I’ve found the program to be reassuring because its leaders are experts, and they know what they’re doing,” Peterson said.

Nonetheless, Washenko believes that if a student expresses enough initiative in terms of scheduling appointments with a school counselor, the Staples guidance department can provide essentially the same services as a private college counselor.

“We can recommend colleges a student should apply to, what courses to take in order to better prepare him or her for college, and make test dates available. We just need to be sought out; the responsibility rests on the individual,” Washenko said.