Can parents sit in on meetings with consultants?
On certain meetings, absolutely. On others, we’d recommend against it — not to be secretive, but because the work changes when a parent is in the room.
The kickoff strategy call, school list discussions, and conversations about logistics or timelines? Parents are welcome and often essential. These are strategic conversations where family context, financial parameters, and shared decision-making matter. Your presence adds value.
Essay brainstorming sessions, draft reviews, and interview prep are different. Here, we encourage parents to step back. Not because you’d say the wrong thing, but because the student behaves differently when a parent is listening. They self-censor. They default to the “safe” answer. They perform instead of excavating. A seventeen-year-old who might otherwise share a real failure or uncomfortable truth will often swallow that story whole if Mom or Dad is on the call — and that story might have been the essay.
We’re always transparent about what happens in any session. If you want a debrief, your consultant will provide one. But the protected space between consultant and student is one of the most valuable things we offer — not because we’re hiding anything, but because honesty requires room to breathe.
