Anna Ivey Consulting Review

Anna Ivey Consulting was founded in 2006 by Anna Ivey, the former Dean of Admissions at the University of Chicago Law School. The company offers one-on-one admissions coaching for those seeking to enter undergrad, graduate, or law school. In this comprehensive Anna Ivey Consulting review, we’ll score them along five key metrics so that you have a full picture of whether Anna Ivey Consulting is a good fit for you.

Anna Ivey Consulting displays four staff members dedicated to college coaching and another five focused solely on law school and graduate school. The college coaches are all former admissions officers who worked at institutions like Tufts, Wesleyan, University of Chicago, and St. Louis University.

Anna Ivey Consulting offers a traditional college admissions consulting model based on their staff’s experience as admissions officers. Students work one-on-one with a coach virtually throughout the process. For freshmen and sophomores, students and families may pick their coach (dependent upon availability). Juniors and seniors are matched with a coach, taking into consideration a student’s personality, interests, and personal circumstances. They may also request a different coach. 

Once matched with a coach, they develop an application timeline and interact with the student using a password-protected website that acts as “project headquarters,” where students and families can access and share messages, drafts, questions, session notes, and documents.

Launching Right – $1,500

A one-on-one guidance program for 9th graders providing expert advice on specific topics. 

• 4 one-on-one sessions with a coach
• Credential assessment and action plan
• Passion development
• Course selection guidance

On the Path – $2,500

A one-on-one guidance program for 10th graders providing expert advice on specific topics.

• 6 one-on-one sessions with a coach
• Credential assessment and action plan
• Passion development
• Course selection guidance 

Junior Year Service for 11th Grade – $3,900

A program offering one-on-one support in preparation for credential building and college list support.

• 6 one-on-one sessions with a coach
• Credential assessment and action plan
• Passion development
• Course selection guidance
• Right Fit college list
• Building academic and activities resume
• Identifying recommenders

StandOut Application Service – Cost Varies 

Guided support through the application process.

1 Application – $7,500

• 5 one-on-one sessions with a coach
• Building academic and activities resume
• Identifying recommenders
• Cover-to-cover application support
• Step-by-step plan for further applications

3 Applications – $11,250

• 9 one-on-one sessions with a coach
• Building academic and activities resume
• Identifying recommenders
• Cover-to-cover application support
• Step-by-step plan for further applications
• A final session to discuss regular decisions

They also offer hourly consultations with coaches to discuss any of these services, set expectations, ask questions, and prepare for the admissions process. The cost per hour is $375.

Finding a truly qualified consultant is half the battle. Some consultants have not gone to top-tier schools themselves, and repeat advice they hear from others. Also, some firms have a qualified “face” of the company, but then bait and switch you with a less experienced consultant after you’ve paid. That’s why we always start each review by doing full due diligence on the company’s consultants.

Anna Ivey Consulting has only four coaches (displayed on the site) dedicated to undergraduate admissions. While some of them attended prestigious universities, like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, others did not. We appreciate that they all have admissions office experience, but we worry that with seemingly few coaches on staff, they may be overloaded depending on how many students they’re advising. While Anna Ivey was instrumental in the founding of the company, she does not appear as a consultant for the company on the website.

The biggest risk when applying to college is following bad advice. You only have one shot, so you need to make it count, and choosing the right admissions service can make a big difference. We use a 50-point evaluation system to determine the likelihood a service will help a student get into their desired college.

We appreciate that Anna Ivey Consulting is transparent about what they offer. The company’s website clearly states that its services are most appropriate for students applying to selective, holistic universities. While they provide essay reviews, their coaching staff focuses on ideation and drafting, and not necessarily experts in proofreading. 

As mentioned, the coaches have variability in their pedigree. More concerning, some of them have full time jobs in different industries outside of Anna Ivey. This raises concerns about how dedicated each of the coaches are, especially in the more involved packages.

College is already expensive. College consultants shouldn’t be more expensive than they need to be. We want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, and that your investment is translating into real improvements in your outcomes.

College admissions consulting prices and offerings vary. For this Anna Ivey Consulting review we’ll consider their pricing for the most common needs.

• 12th graders who need help with essays for 1 school: $7,500
• 12th graders who need help with essays for 3 schools: $11,250
• Non-12 graders who want advice on the college admissions process: $375 per hour (minimum purchase of 2 hours)

While Anna Ivey Consulting is more reasonably priced than some of its competitors for those in 9th and 10th grade, the cost per application is substantial for juniors and seniors and above market average.

College applications are already stressful enough. So any admissions service should be thoughtfully designed and easy to use. We consider factors such as customer support responsiveness, accountability, time commitment, and scheduling constraints.

We found Anna Ivey Consulting to be quite responsive. They offer a 10-minute meet-and-greet phone chat with their coaches to help students and families assess fit. They will also allow students to request a new coach if they feel their needs are not being met when enrolled in a program. They guarantee that all messages and inquiries will receive a response within two business days.

College admissions is a complex process, with many moving parts. And with the stakes so high, mediocre consultants simply won’t cut it. You really want to find the “best,” but it can be hard to differentiate one firm from another. In this section, we take a look at what makes this service stand out, for better or worse.

For students considering law school, Anna Ivey Consulting has an entire branch of admissions coaching dedicated to assisting those completing their LSAT and applying for law school. While it may not be appropriate for undergrad, it could be informative for those who know they wish to pursue law school. The company also offers a pro bono consulting service, Service to School, for veterans and service members. While reviewing their services, we did feel that they are stronger in law application review than undergraduate application help, especially given the backgrounds of the employees.