Face it: You'll start spending money on college long before your child sets foot on campus. Precollege costs aren't limited to application fees, which run about $75 a pop. You may also be tempted to pay for private admissions and financial-aid counseling, tutoring, scholarship searches, campus tours, and summer enrichment programs designed to make Junior look good to admissions officers. Do it all, and you can easily spend thousands of dollars.

Before you write any checks, however, read on to learn what these services can and can't do for your child. Even if you decide that some or all of the programs are worth the cost, you might be able to choose free or less expensive alternatives. (For a guide to the best do-it-yourself resources, go to Resources for do-it-yourselfers.) Here's a look at what's available.


Independent counselors

These folks help your child figure out where to apply and give advice on completing applications. Since the counselors typically spend about 20 percent of their time visiting campuses, they can talk knowledgeably about a school's academic strengths, professors, and social scene.

Private counselors don't come cheap. Most charge $2,000 to $3,500 to meet with you and your child numerous times, but some charge more than 10 times that. Fees for IvyWise, in New York, start at $1,000 and can climb as high as $30,000. Founder and CEO Katherine Cohen says she does more than help students choose colleges. Depending on a student's strengths and interests, for example, she might encourage (and help) him to start an investment club at school. Some firms, like Road to College, in Maynard, Mass., let you pay for specific services or by the hour. For instance, $99 buys "deluxe editing" of your child's application essay. "Comprehensive essay consulting," at $379, includes editing.

Paying top dollar for counseling won't get a C student into Harvard. But consultants claim that they can improve your child's chances of getting into her first-choice school. Consultants will also suggest the colleges most likely to accept students with your child's grades and test scores. IvyWise claims on its Web site that 100 percent of its clients get into one of their top three picks. A partial list of schools where its students have gained admission in the previous two years ranges from selective colleges like Harvard, which admits about 1 in 10 applicants, to the University of Arizona, which takes around 8 of 10.

Consultants are particular about what they will and won't do. They won't fill out applications or write essays. Nor will they pester kids to meet deadlines. Says Steven Antonoff, an independent consultant in Denver: "I'm not a paid nag."

Use 'em or lose 'em? If your child's high school guidance counselor can help generate a list of colleges based on your child's grades, test scores, and preferences, you probably don't need to hire a private consultant. Your child can also tap other resources: admissions officers who visit school and college fairs, for example. For help on an essay, your child can get advice from his English teacher.

If you decide that your child needs a private counselor, you can search for one in your area by using the Web sites of three trade groups: the Independent Educational Consultants Association www.educationalconsulting.org, the Higher Education Consultants Association www.hecaonline.org, and the National Association for College Admission Counseling www.nacacnet.org. When you interview consultants, ask for references and a list of colleges that have admitted recent clients. Find out how many colleges the counselor visits each year and which ones recently. Lastly, get a written list of services and prices; the final bill shouldn't be a surprise.


Tutoring services

Kaplan Test Prep and Princeton Review are the big names in the college entrance-test preparation business. They compete with independent tutors whom you can find through friends or ads in local newspapers. The more personal attention your child gets, the more you'll pay. In northern New Jersey, for example, Kaplan's classroom course costs $999, Princeton Review's, $1,099. Twenty to 32 hours of one-on-one tutoring runs $2,799 to $4,199.

Both Kaplan and Princeton Review offer money-back guarantees, although they don't claim that your child will improve by a specific number of points. Published studies have shown that coaching can increase a student's score by 100 points or more (when the top SAT score was 1600).

Companies administering the SAT and the ACT say they don't encourage tutoring. The College Board (www.collegeboard.com), which sponsors the SAT, advises students to "be skeptical about the claims made by high-priced coaches." On its Web site (www.act.org), the ACT claims students would do better by taking demanding courses in high school than by hiring a tutor. Both testing companies sell their own test-prep materials.

Use 'em or lose 'em? Preparation should help your child score higher on the SAT or ACT. A highly motivated student might be able to bone up by using books like "The Official SAT Study Guide" (College Board, $19.95) or by taking the College Board's online course, which costs $69.95. Some teens might do better in a conventional course, but check with the high school before laying out a hefty fee; it might offer free test-preparation. If your child flat-out refuses to study for the tests, don't bother signing up for private tutoring or classes. They probably won't take.


Summer enrichment programs

In theory, at least, taking college courses, traveling abroad, doing volunteer work, or interning in a business could make your child look worthier to a prospective college. Julian Krinsky Camps and Programs offers three-, four-, and seven-week internships at Philadelphia-area businesses like the Four Seasons Hotel. Teens live at the University of Pennsylvania, so they also get to try out campus life. But putting your child to work will cost you $1,300 per week plus the costs of weekend trips-though interns receive a weekly stipend of $125. "It's a way of making them feel they've earned something," says Tina Krinsky, the company spokeswoman.

Use 'em or lose 'em? If you can afford to do so, there's no harm in sending your child away to volunteer to build low-income housing in Mexico. But kids whose year-round extracurricular activities show dedication and stick-to-it-iveness score just as well with college admissions officers. If your child wants to help the needy, consider your local Habitat for Humanity chapter or Meals on Wheels.


Campus tours

College visits cost plenty when you pack up the whole family and hit the road. An alternative: Send Junior on a tour with other teens. College Campus Tours of Los Alamitos, Calif., offers a seven-day tour of East Coast colleges that hits about half a dozen schools each day, with accommodations at Hilton and Sheraton hotels. Cost: $2,150, not including airfare or meals.

Use 'em or lose 'em? There's no need to tour dozens of schools. With careful research, you can narrow the list of selections. For help, consult some of the livelier college guides, such as those listed in Resources for Do-It-Yourselfers.


Financial-aid advisers

As you'd expect, these counselors say they'll help you get as much aid as possible. They also explain where and how to apply for grants and loans, and some also help you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and other forms. Manhattan-based Campus Consultants, for example, charges $1,250 for personalized advice that includes a 90-minute meeting with parents. If the company determines you have no chance of receiving need-based aid in any year that your child will attend college, you can cancel the service and get back half of your $600 deposit. Kalman A. Chany, the firm's founder, notes that parents can figure out for themselves whether they have a chance of getting aid using the worksheet in his book, "Paying for College Without Going Broke" (The Princeton Review, $20).

Use 'em or lose 'em? If you can do your own taxes, you can probably apply for financial aid without paying for help. If you do want an adviser, you have to be careful. Ask aid counselors for references, and avoid those who imply that they'll let you in on aid secrets or that they have selected specially qualified students.

For instance, the New Jersey parents of a high school freshman received a letter from Edifi, an Albany, N.Y., company, that stated, "Emily has been selected as one of the students in your area eligible to apply for grants, scholarships, tuition discounts, and low-interest and subsidized loans through our college assistance program." But the Upstate New York Better Business Bureau reports that Edifi has an unsatisfactory rating because of complaints from consumers about misleading sales practices and other problems. Edifi's chief operating officer, John Braat, calls the rating "horribly unfair," adding, "We have 60,000 clients in our database, and the total number of complaints is very, very small." To check on consultants, go to www.bbb.org.


Scholarship search services

These companies sell lists of corporate and foundation grants for which your child might be eligible based on grades, intended major, ethnic background, and other criteria. They charge from $50 to as much as $1,000.

Just lose 'em. You can easily find such information in reference books or online.

RESOURCES FOR DO-IT-YOURSELFERS For help in choosing colleges, check out "Best 361 Colleges" (Princeton Review, $21.95), "Fiske Guide to Colleges" (Sourcebooks, $22.95), and "The Insider's Guide to the Colleges" (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.99), available in high school guidance offices or public libraries. On the Web, try www.petersons.com or www.princetonreview.com. To prepare for the SAT at home, use "The Official SAT Study Guide" (College Board, $19.95) or the official SAT online course, which costs $69.95. For the ACT, check out "The Real ACT Prep Guide" (ACT, $25). For guidance on summer enrichment programs, see "Summer Opportunities for Kids & Teenagers" (Peterson's Guides, $29.95). Tour campuses without leaving home by linking to virtual tours through www.campustours.com. Collegiate Choice (www.collegiatechoice.com) sells DVDs of student-guided tours at more than 350 colleges in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. For advice on financial aid, go to www.finaid.com and the Web site of the Department of Education, at www.studentaid.ed.gov. For help filling out the FAFSA, go to www.studentaid.ed.gov/completefafsa. To search for scholarships on the Web, go to Sallie Mae (www.collegeanswer.com), FastWeb (www.fastweb.com), and Scholarship Resource Network Express (www.srnexpress.com). Another useful reference is the "Scholarship Handbook" (College Board, $27.95).