In the world of New York’s elite private high schools, the pathway to an Ivy League education is paved with much more than just good grades and strong extracurriculars. It’s an arena where strategic counseling has become a significant leverage for those who can afford it. A high-profile Ivy League college admission consulting firm has become the ace up the sleeve for parents seeking to secure their child’s place among the academic elite.

The firm’s services don’t come cheap, with 190 clients collectively contributing $23 million in annual revenue at a rate of $120,000 per child. This hefty investment grants their children near round-the-clock access to a consultant or “peer”—often an Ivy League graduate themselves—who offers guidance on everything from crafting the perfect essay to devising personal projects and honing study techniques.

Though the firm boasts a high success rate in getting its clients into their preferred Ivy League schools, there’s an opaque quality to these claims, as the high-profile nature of their client base means few are willing to publicly acknowledge the extent of the advantage their money buys.

The most startling revelation comes with the emergency service provided in December: students who face rejection from early admission rounds have the option to pay an exorbitant $250,000 for an intensive two-week session designed to refine their regular-decision applications to perfection, all before the early January deadline.

This consulting is not merely an academic service; it’s a calculated decision for parents who view the Ivy League not just as an educational institution, but as a gateway to a lifetime of elite connections and opportunities. The decision to employ such a consultant is a testament to the high stakes of educational competition in an environment where standing out requires more than just hard work and talent—it requires a strategy that money, for some, can readily buy.