Versed Editors's blog

Did you know that in recent years, approximately 160,000 families with children in high school on average spent over $4,000 on private college counseling? *

Did you also know that a typical school in America has one school counselor for every 482 students? Arizona has one for every 924 students, California 760 and New York 635. *

If your child attends a school where the school counselors provide enough time and attention to each student, or if you have an extra $4,000 to hire a private college counselor to help your family make sense of the complicated college admissions process, you can count yourself very lucky. Unfortunately, most families do not have this luxury. Most families have to figure things out on their own and spend an inordinate amount of time researching online and talking to people they know. More often than not, families are overwhelmed by the amount of information online, and their immediate network of contacts can't provide answers to their specific questions.

Versed was created to help families gain access to valuable information and advice from trusted sources for a fraction of what it costs to hire professional help. We do this by enlisting the help of parents all across the country that have recently been through the college admissions process with their own children and have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that they are ready to share. Our community of Advisors is unique because of its incredible diversity of experience and knowledge, and our Advisors provide the specific guidance and support that is right for your family. In addition, our platform features extraordinary search capabilities that enable you to quickly find the right Advisor.

Today, we are launching www.askversed.com with our first group of Parent Advisors who are ready to help. But in order to assist every family out there (there are 17 million high school students in the U.S.), we are calling on a legion of experienced, thoughtful and caring parents to join our cause to democratize the college admissions process, so that every family has access to good information to help guide their students. If you know of parents that fit this description, please send them our way!

*Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/education/more-adults-hire-consultants-in-quest-for-higher-education.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2014/11/10/is-a-college-planner-really-worth-it.html

https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/state-by-state-ratio-report.pdf

Growing up, I had parents that worked really hard to provide me with the best educational opportunities possible. Even though she didn't speak English, my mom was able to help me prepare for exams to get into one of the most selective high schools in the U.S., win awards in national science competitions, and study music at the highest levels. Now, as a mother of three children, I am experiencing first hand the parental instinct and desire to help children attain the best education possible.  My definition of what’s best is a bit different and broader than that of my parents’, which emphasized external markers of achievement, but like any parent, I try hard to give my children the best educational opportunities available. 

Today, we as parents have access to an unprecedented amount of information, thanks to the Internet, social networks, and an incredible array of educational services. As a result, we spend an inordinate amount of time researching and talking to other people about educational opportunities for our children, yet we are not necessarily better off than our parents whose problem was primarily a lack of information. Versed was born out of a vision to make this process a whole lot easier, by connecting parents with other parents that have been down a similar path and can share their experiences, so we are not recreating the wheel each time. 

Versed brings the wisdom of many to one place. This is the first network of parents dedicated to advising other parents on every academic interest, extracurricular activity, and enrichment program that their children might be pursuing. Our powerful search engine will help parents hone in on the most relevant information to suit their unique situation. Through one-on-one consultations, panel discussions, and webinars (coming soon), Versed can assist each parent to find the best resources to help their children attain their goals.