Not at all. The best admissions consultants are based in New York City. The reason for this is that New York City is the most competitive Ivy League admissions market in the country - there are a dozen private high schools in New York City that each cost over $40,000 a year and that each send one third of their graduating class to Ivy League institutions. Because of this, New York City draws the best admissions consultants, and the admissions consultants in New York City work remotely with students from all over the country. By working with a local consultant who doesn’t have this caliber of training and experience, you are simply handicapping your child.
Also, admissions consulting is nothing like SAT tutoring – the consultant does not need to come over to your home to make the sessions effective. The majority of students we work with are not in New York City – they are in California, Chicago, Texas and in the DC Beltway. Our consultants communicate effortlessly with students via skype, phone and email. Whether a consultant tells you in-person which professors to contact for research opportunities or by email or phone, the result is the same and there is no difference.