Business is booming for independent college admissions counselors, driven by plummeting acceptance rates, rising tuition, and a seemingly universal obsession with a short list of top schools everyone wants to attend. Application NationApplication NationSara Harberson worked both as a high school admissions counselor and in college admissions departments (including as an associate dean of admissions at University of Pennsylvania) before she created Application Nation in 2018. Fees: An entry-level college admissions package—working personally with Matt Butler from junior through senior year—starts at $75,000. Along with college admissions counseling (starting as early as seventh grade and going through 12th), it offers subject matter tutoring, test preparation, and more. The Boot Camp is still going strong, though most clients today start college admissions much earlier than senior year.