Consultants charge hundreds and even thousands of dollars to guide children through writing admissions essays, prepping for interviews, preparing for tests, and, in some cases, picking extracurricular activities. Guidance counselors in high schools provide similar services for free, but many parents are willing to pay the high rates in order to give their students an edge. According to CNN, the average fee for private counseling is $120 an hour with a two year consultation running $2,900 or up. One exclusive firm charges $40,000 for a two-year program.

"Certainly it skews things for people who can afford it, but the whole system is skewed that way, unfortunately," said Andrea DuBrow, a parent who chose to hire a consultant for her daughter.

The reason parents are willing to pay such rates is the promise of individual attention and connections to colleges. "We give parents an insider's view," said Jane Shropshire, a private consultant based in Louisville, Ky., who has admissions experience at three different colleges.

The cost of private counseling often leaves students who need the attention out in the cold. Some private counselors are trying to level the field, however, through offering their services for free to low-income families.

Parents are spending money on consultants because they promise more individualized attention than high school counselors and often tout their connections with colleges. Many students who aren't getting all the attention they need from a high school counselor can't afford a private consultant. Some independent consultants, in an attempt to level the playing field, offer their expertise for free to some low-income students.

There are also groups now dedicated to providing free consulting to low-income students. One such group is College Match, which operates in the Los Angeles area. The group provides two years of college preparation and guidance counseling including all-expenses paid trips to East Coast colleges.

"We try to give these really great kids from public schools in Watts and East Los Angeles everything they would have received had they been born to wealthy parents in Beverly Hills," College Match founder Harley Frankel said.

One important difference between school counselors and private consultants is that high school counselors must be licensed by the state. The number of private consultants is growing, but some college officials don’t see the benefit. Edward Gillis, director of admissions at the University of Miami said, "In general, I don't think working with a private counselor changes where a student is going to be admitted to college.” Bruce Poch, vice president and dean of admissions at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., said "Most of what a private consultant provides can be found in a few books or on the college's own Web site.”

Lorne Robinson, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, sees it differently. "I think the independent consultants often do fill a niche for students who don't get the kind of help that they need from their public high school counselor,” he said.