So far, newcomer Achieva College Prep Centers has made the biggest splash, but the two mainstays in the test preparation field, Princeton Review and Kaplan Educational Centers, are entering the market this fall. Achieva has opened eight offices in California that offer a variety of services to help students make a smooth transition from high school to college. Achieva will work with six public high schools in San Jose, Calif., this year and is talking with several other school districts in Western states. All three companies plan to use aggressive marketing to broaden their appeal. Achieva attracts most of its clients by word of mouth, says Watson, a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School, who says he gave up a six-figure salary with a management consulting firm to start the company in 1996 with his sister and a Harvard classmate.
Some educators welcome the trend.
They believe the companies might have the resources to bring sophisticated knowledge about colleges and the admissions process to students, especially those in schools without strong counseling programs. But others express concerns that these companies might be so eager to hook students into signing on, they will create unrealistic expectations. Some high school advisers have complained that Achieva tries to gain access to students while they are in school, circumventing the school's counseling staff. William Hiss, vice president of administrative services at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, agrees. It preys on the anxiety of families, that they somehow need professional spin management to get their kids into college.