Competitive college admissions affecting privileged too. (Wealthiest Angelenos: Rich Kids).

THE competition to get into college has always tilted in favor of the rich, and it's as true now as eve,: Karen Curreri knows all about the playing field. She is director of the L.A. office of Ivy Wise, a private tutoring and college preparation company that often handles students with wealthy backgrounds. Most recently an academic dean at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, Curreri has made a career out of counseling both privileged and under-privileged students. "I've found that there really isn't that big of a difference," she said. "They all have issues and pressures to deal with."

Audrey Davidow

Question: What are some of the pressures on privileged kids?

Answer: One of the biggest pressures is time. The parents have money so that they can take all of these extra-curriculars. The kids are really feeling stressed. They go from maybe 6 a.m. or 7 a.m., so they don't necessarily have time to be kids anymore. Everything is so jampacked.

Q: Are admissions getting tougher for these kids?

A: Absolutely. This year there were kids who didn't get into any of their choices. Kids with 1400s (in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores), kids who came from great homes, with lots of extra-curriculars. Part of the problem is students aren't always targeting the right schools. Schools that used to be considered safety schools aren't anymore. For example, USC this year had 30,000 applicants and 2,750 were admitted.

Q: Does legacy still play a big role in getting into college?

A: Kids who were legacies, or whose parents were major donors, or kids who had connections with famous people all those things used to help, and they still help to some degree. But with college admission being so competitive, that does not necessarily open the door for them.

Q: What are some of pressures of privilege?

A: Kids might go to Cuba for spring break. They might go to Nepal. They might go to Vietnam with their families. They're exposed to so many things, which is wonderful. But in L.A. there are so many kids who have done so many wonderful things that we have to really be able to help those kids stand out.

Q: A trip to Nepal doesn't stand out?

A: You don't want the college to perceive that this is just a rich kid who's had all these privileges. We don't want to just say, "Daddy's a rich and famous producer, so guess what? In the summer I worked for another rich and famous producer." One thing I encourage privileged kids to do is to get a paying job. Forty hours a week in the summer, and show what they did with their earnings.

Q: Do you find a sense of entitlement among these kids?

A: Sometimes there's a sense of entitlement, because they're used to people waiting on them, and sometimes they feel like you should too. We make kids accountable. We make them do their own work.

Q: And they seem surprised by that?

A: They do. One thing we are seeing, something I saw as a school counselor, is the issue of cheating coming up more and more, and I think that's because kids feel so pressured.

Q: Do you find that these kids feel more entitled to go to Ivy League schools?

A: I don't know that I'd call it entitlement; I'd call it expectation. They feel like they're expected to go there. And it's important to differentiate between the kids and the parents. The parents may feel, "My kid has worked so hard, they've done all these things, they deserve to go to the best." We have to educate the parents that the competition is really stiff.

Q: How do you respond to critics that say you're simply helping rich kids buy their way in?

A: We do not apologize for our fees. We also offer our services free with talks at local high schools, school clubs and by writing articles without pay to help the community. Also, if you look at college admissions, minorities, athletes, talented singers, dancers -- a lot of people get a leg up. What's important is knowing how to get the leg up. The founder of Ivy Wise in her book describes how to do that. So kids can purchase her book for $21.95 and if they take the time and interest they can get what we would give them without the help of a counselor.

Q: If they can buy the book for $21.95, why are you charging $23,995?

A: Because we go into much more detail. We take everything that the book does and we sit down and make sure the kids do the exercises.

Q: What advice do you give to parents of privileged kids?

A: The same advice I would give to any parents whose kids are getting ready to go to college. Learn how to let go and let your child stand on its own two feet. Don't be afraid to let them make mistakes or take risks.