Pros
wfh, coworkers who also understand the pain
Cons
Parents considering Crimson should be aware of what strategists experience behind the scenes. The role is extremely emotionally demanding than the job description suggests. Strategists are regularly placed in situations requiring therapeutic-level support for anxious families, yet receive training focused just on admissions policy. There is a clear and problematic gap there.
Caseloads of around 50 students per strategist are standard, and the nature of students' schedules means the vast majority of meetings need to occur after 6pm. Fitting 75+ monthly meetings all into evenings and weekends is the norm. Burnout is common and well-documented internally.
Compensation in the 50–70k range does not reflect the emotional labour or hours involved. I've heard stories of multiple colleagues crying from yelling parents and entitled teenagers. Families having paid substantial fees, expect all the work to be done for them. They will treat you like some personal assistant. This is a structural issue — academic advisors routinely set wildly unrealistic expectations during the enrollment process, and then throw the cases at you.
For prospective employees: the admissions industry is inherently high-pressure, but Crimson's model amplifies that considerably. Meaningful change would require significantly reducing student loads, improving compensation, and aligning what is promised at the point of sale with what is actually deliverable.