Attention all entrepreneurs! There is a whole new opportunity on the horizon. All you need is dubious credentials, the ability to make outrageous promises and the nerve to demand an outrageous fee. Join the expanding ranks of independent college admissions advisers. According to a recent article in the New York Times, these “advisers” can command fees that range from a few hundred bucks to as much as $40,000, more than a year’s tuition at many colleges.

So what kind of advice do you get for all that dough? One of these self-styled gurus offered her clients a “dress for admissions success” fashion show, causing one well-respected college admissions officer to burst out laughing. Or as another commented, “I guess there are snake oil salesman in every field.”

There are legitimate, professional independent college counselors who can give valuable help students and parents with the college application process. However, because this is a field with no regulations, it is also rife with practitioners who substitute exaggeration for genuine expertise. A professional organization, the Independent Educations Consultants Association, is working to establish both standards and ethics in the field, and the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners is calling for even tougher standards and requiring a rigorous test.

However, there are many excellent sources of information that are readily available and free to college-bound students. The internet it s goldmine of information – colleges, universities and training schools all have websites. Web-based services like Top-Colleges offer career counseling, information of traditional bricks and mortar campuses as well as accredited internet colleges and universities.

These internet-based sources may not give wardrobe tips, but the information in their data bases about careers with a solid future, education options and financial aid are first rate. Using one of these internet sources can help refine and direct a prospective student’s thinking and even expand potential horizons. Interested in medicine? You can get a full sweep of this growing field and explore options in nursing, hospital administration, medical technology and holistic health and sports medicine. If you think education is your passion, explore various programs for prospective teachers and school administrators. Cruise the latest information of projected ‘growth’ careers, like engineering and new technologies, to make the most of your educational choices.

A good education is the soundest investment you can make in your future. To insure you make an informed and smart decision about the next phase of your education, get informed. Use the free resources of the internet, and take virtual campus tours, research career possibilities and get valuable information about financial aid. With the right research tools, you can become your own college adviser – and leave the fashion shows to the snake oil salesmen…and women.