Wow !!!!! Shelly your professionalism and hard work ethic…read moreare a rarity today . You are a true Gem! Such a wonderful helpful lady and always working to help others succeed with their goals and education needs. Thank you for all you do! BonnieAnn Lowell

We hired Shelly (EDFIN) last year to resubmit our son's FAFSA application…read more We paid EDFIN $3250 in fees and saw no increase in benefits after Shelly ensured us that she would be able to get more aid for our son. The conversation that we had with Shelly is the main reason we moved forward with her service, along with many positive reviews and a referral. After not receiving any benefit from Shellys re-submittal, I asked for a refund of $1625, half of her fees, as we were more than willing to pay for the time she put into this. (Note, it took about 30min to fill out the FAFSA when we did it) Shelly told us she does not offer refunds, but did offer to resubmit the FAFSA for us this year for free, which we declined as we have no changes to our financials, and wanted others to benefit from our (negative) experience. Now that I know a little more about this process, have spoken with financial aid offices at two different schools, and have read the information on the Federal Student Aid webpage.... I feel like a sucker. With Shelly's education, experience and expertise, she certainly should have been able to tell us by looking at our information and the amount of aid that our son was already receiving, that no other financial help would be available. We provided all information to Shelly prior to her re-submittal. So what gives with all the positive reviews? Keep in mind mine is not the only negative one...LOL. It seems to me that most of the positive reviews come from people who have not filed the FAFSA and did not realize with a little effort and contacting a schools financial aid office, they could of saved the thousands of dollars that Shelly charges and very likely receive the same benefit. I surmise this after speaking with the person who referred us to Shelly and after reading most of the reviews. I would suspect, like us, most families are rushed, unsure, and a bit confused with the student aid process. Shelly certainly uses this to her advantage. Another family that we are friends with also hired Shelly, paid $6000 for their two students, and also saw no benefit. I assume if you have two applications, Shelly waives the $250 consultation fee. How nice. Expect their review soon. If Shelly responds to my review, she will likely say how she lowered our son's SAI number from approximately 110,000 to below 60,000 and this indicates more financial benefit available. While it is true that our number decreased, the two financial aid offices we spoke with told us that our son's number would need to be -1500 to 0 in order to receive any other aid. A SAI number can sometimes be reduced by correcting simple errors on the FAFSA form or reporting financials in a different arrangement, although no further benefit is available. Do a little homework folks, you do not need EDFIN. If you feel you absolutely need help with the FAFSA, there are much cheaper places than EDFIN, or contact your schools financial aid office. They will help you. Acronyms: FSA - Federal Student Aid (website - (https://studentaid.gov/) FAFSA - FREE Application for Federal Student Aid (Yes free) SAI - Student Aid Index (ranges from -1500 to 999,999) Agencies that review student financial aid services: ....and that I will be contacting. FTC - Federal Trade Commission Department of Education - Office of Inspector General CFPB - Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Federal Student Aid feedback center

Great parking and accessibility to all entries! Very welcoming staff! Love the school grounds and…read morevery clean facilities!

Amazing staff and teachers, would recommend. Great extracurricular activities. Lots of fun games…read more Ranked #1 student section puma pit. So so so fun. one critique is the attendance staff otherwise, amazing!!

Greg was recommended by a friend of mine and at first I wasn't sure we would need him. My son had a…read moregreat GPA and very good SAT score, so we thought we could do all the college applications essays himself. Well, a month before he was supposed to submit his essays he decided that he did not like what he wrote and that it wasn't representing who he was. In a panic mode we contacted Greg to help. In just a month they were able to do an incredible common app essay and over 10 supplemental essays for all the EAs my son was sending out. In short 2 months my son was able to submit around 40 supplemental essays to various top 20 Engineering schools. Greg provided an amazing structure, accountability and results. It made the process so much easier and stress free, not only for my son, but also for us, the parents. And the best part of this process is, that it gave my son a much clearer picture of who he was, what he strengths are, he was able to grasp all his accomplishments from someone that has never met him before and it's not his relative. PARENTS this is HUGE for a teenager!!! We are early in the game but so far from the 2 universities that my son applied early to, with decisions by the end of the year, he was accepted to both. We can't wait to see where he ends up going! Thanks Greg, for all your help!

My daughter is currently in 10th grade, so we have a long journey ahead of us. We decided to hire…read moreGreg during the summer between 9th and 10th grade as the college app landscape has changed so drastically. He has helped us with some critical course selection choices. We will use him for ACT prep this summer as well as math tutoring. We know this is an area of strength for Greg, as tutoring was his prior career. Greg has a great demeanor. He is very approachable and he listens attentively. Greg provides balanced, fair, and honest feedback that leaves us realistic yet hopeful about college prospects. We feel so fortunate to have found an "all in one" tutor and college counselor who will guide us through these next few years.

Love it here!!! The staff was great…read more The teachers were incredibly supportive We had a wonderful time learning our new skill

HSTI has been such a wonderful experience from the open house to orientation to every in-person…read moreclass. From the moment you decide to walk through the Temecula location doors, everyone is kind, patient, and helpful. Marisol was crucial when signing up for the program. She was very responsive and answered all my questions. Denise Kirkendall was instrumental in receiving a WIOA grant. Signing up for the program was easy. HSTI even provided all the textbooks, uniforms and even a brand new laptop. But I have to say the star of the show is Mr. Mike the Pharmacy Tech instructor. He has made learning fun, relatable and manageable. It's great for me who is someone that has been away from the classroom setting for almost 20 years. I look forward to our once a week class. I'm excited to be in the Pharmacy / Medical field. The future is once again bright.

You should not do business with this company. They will charge you a $1595.00 "Advisory Fee"…read morewithout doing the work or giving you the results they promised you. We tried for over a year to get a refund on the money they didn't earn and have reported them to several consumer agencies. They are a dishonest and unethical scam giving fast talking so called college planning advice together with social security seminars under Save Inc. Financial. You will not get what you paid for. Be very leary of these two companies, do not give them your hard earned money, you will not be satisfied in any way shape or form.

As college preparation begins to unfold, there is a lot of information to take in. I want to give…read morebe thanks to CPCA for their guidance in this area. They have been wonderful in easing the stress that comes with decisions to be made and information to allow us the best possible direction for our daughter. I could not have done this without them.

Reality Changers is an amazing organization that helps lower income/at risk youth become first…read moregeneration college students. Students attend weekly meetings that include Hot Words (usually SAT prep), a family style dinner, a take home lesson, and tutoring by college students or other volunteers. RC also sends eligible students to UCSD over the summer to take courses for college credit, to a week-long summer camp to bond with other students, and helps seniors complete their college & scholarship applications... did I mention this is all for free? The students who I've met here are some of the most intelligent, friendly, and resilient high schoolers I know, and everyone on staff is wonderful. If you live in San Diego and you have a couple of free hours every week, definitely DEFINITELY check out this organization! Because education is a right, not a privilege - and you can help make one student's dream a reality!

Reality Changers is a non-profit that helps 8th-12th grade students from all over San Diego be the…read morefirst in their families to go to college. Over the years, Reality Changers has proven that it is much more than a non-profit program. I have volunteered as a tutor and mentor since Spring of 2008 (back when I was still a student at UCSD) and it has been extremely rewarding seeing the students grow and mature into responsible citizens and adults. The weekly program consists of S.A.T. test preparation, an insightful lesson, a delicious homemade dinner (which is five stars for sure! not every volunteer gig you do feeds you!), and then 1.5 hours of study time. During this time, you are paired up with a small group of students which makes it easier to connect with the students. Reality Changers has even had inspiring guest speakers such as politicians, leaders in the San Diego community, and university officials. With the help of the supportive and encouraging staff and volunteers, these inner-city youth from San Diego become the first in their families to attend a four-year university.. and not only do they defy all statistics against them to get ACCEPTED, these students earn scholarships to go to schools such as Duke, Harvard, Dartmouth, USC, UCLA, and more. This truly shows how Reality Changers is more than just a program that helps high school students. It gives teens who never might have had the chance an opportunity of a lifetime and I am happy and blessed to be a part of it. It is amazing what a few hours a week can do to transform a student's life. This organization is unlike place I've ever volunteered at because they really make everyone who is a part of the program - whether you're a tutor, a parent, a volunteer, or a student feel like part of the RC Family. Also, tutors come from very diverse backgrounds - there are many college students (from UCSD, SDSU, PLNU, etc), professionals from the community, retired adults, and more who are all invested in helping inner city students from San Diego be the first in their families to go to college.

So far so good! Love the support through the onboarding process and availability of the teachers.read more

Our family has been part of Method Schools since 2018. So much has changed, mostly positive, some…read morenegative. Method excels in offering extracurriculars, sports, events, AP, honors and advanced courses. They have Dehesa Method Sports Academy which is tailored towards athletes in San Diego county and they recently started The Academy at Method which is a dual enrollment program designed to offer students an early start in advancing their education by taking college courses while in high school. Method has a lot of potential to be a Blue Ribbon school or even a California Distinguished School. It is a K-12 charter school registered in the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified with the California Department of Education. The school primarily offers virtual instruction. Overall my daughter has mixed feelings about her education at Method. As a parent, I appreciate the school's variety of course offerings. I went to a very good high school in OC and I wanted the same for my daughter. If you're considering Method for your child, Method has a yearbook, offers prom, has several yearly events for K-8 and the 9-12 events are mainly led by the high school ASB. As of this review, to my knowledge, Method offers National Honor Society, Hope Squad, Yearbook, and several others high school led clubs. There are some problems that I hope Method improves on. Firstly, lack of transparency. Since Method is primarily online, there should be no question for students or parents on who is leading the school. At an in-person school, most students and parents know who the principal or vice principal is. Most of our time at Method, we didn't know who the principal was. They sometimes call that person the Head of Schools, but you don't know if it's for K-12 or 9-12. Either way, it adds to confusion and distracts from learning. Unfortunately, Method is extremely biased and has double standards. I've experienced this many times, so it's not an isolated issue. Method's administration and teachers don't always respond to an email. Conflict is a part of life and not a fun part; however, when issues need to be addressed, communication is important. Method gets an F in this area. They do not know how to deal with conflict, whether it is with students or parents. Regarding the double standards, the teachers and staff send out emails stating that their meetings are 'mandatory', but it is not fairly applied to all students. Whenever we're told a meeting is mandatory, it's pretty harsh language, 'required' would be more appropriate but nonetheless we attend the meeting. Other students that don't attend are still allowed to participate in the event even if they didn't attend the 'mandatory' meeting which isn't fair. That means the meeting wasn't mandatory after all. My daughter took a college class her junior year but was not given a weighted grade for that class.College classes are more challenging than highschool classes. Regarding AP testing. As of this review, Method does not offer in-person proctoring for their offered AP tests. We are so glad they offer AP tests. It really benefits students so I strongly advocate for it. Unfortunately, Method doesn't really understand how the AP process works. We were told the school would pay the AP testing fee, and we were ecstatic. However, that excitement was short-lived as we realized Method was only supposed to provide us with the College Board AP code, if they would be administering the test. This created a lot of confusion. Since they don't administer the test we had to find a local school with a seat available, and pay $90+ out of pocket for the test, removing the AP code Method gave us. I wish Method had an honor roll system. My daughter worked very hard in high school and achieved 4.0 a couple of semesters and over 3.5 in several other semesters, but didn't receive acknowledgment. She also achieved high scores on the CAASPP test in Science, Math, and English but received no acknowledgment. I've noticed the staff seems intent on doing everything alone without incorporating parents or students. I'm sure they're overwhelmed by doing that. They often speak to parents as if we don't know or understand anything, and they treat us all like we're children. We have valuable contributions. It's frustrating not being heard. I wish I could add more, but this unabridged version is already quite long. I will say the staff and administration is nice and well meaning but they way they do things is extremely frustrating and sometimes backwards. Even the transcript request method is frustrating. They used to include the entire K-12 transcript, and it was like pulling teeth just requesting high school years for the transcript. It shouldn't be like this, especially when it should be expected that colleges only want to see 9-12 grades, not elementary or middle school grades. There's no perfect school. I'm just sharing some of what we've experienced. The flexibility is what kept us there for so long.

DO NOT GO TO THIS LOCATION!!!…read more I paid over $1000 for a GRE prep course and they completely messed everything up. They told me that 9 people were in the class, turned out to be 15. Also, a few of them were ridiculously...ungifted...and made the class unbearably slow for the rest of us. First problem: They did not give me online access to the practice tests which was a guaranteed part of the course. I set aside 4 hours to complete them and then couldn't get to the site! I contacted THREE phone numbers to try and get this resolved, and no one answered. I finally got a call back the next day and was granted access. However, I had no time and had to rush through the test, therefore getting a pretty low scores that was not reflective of my ability. THEN it told me that I would have to pay an additional fee to get my essay graded. No thank you, I said, and skipped that part of the test. Turned out, essay grading was supposed to be included in the price of the course. All the other students got theirs graded and I just missed out and didn't get that feedback. Called back again and they "fixed" the problem. Then my instructor mysteriously didn't get my score report on the 1st test so she couldn't go over my strengths and weaknesses with me. She told me that she would figure out what was going on and would go over it with me the next week. However, we were supposed to take the second test by the next class. How was I supposed to take the second test without getting feedback on the first? When the instructor finally went over my test with me, she decided to go over everyone's SECOND scores before she went over my first score - I therefore had to wait until long after the class had ended to get my first score back...when everyone else already had their second. I fell so far behind that I didn't take the next 3 progress tests. When I complained about this, I was offered no sort of compensation. They did not fulfill their contractual obligations and the only thing I was told was that I could take the course again if I was disatisfied. Well, yes...because I totally have that much free time on my hands between college, work, and applying to internships. I ended up buying a Kaplan book and scoring above the 90th percentile on both the quantitative and verbal parts of the GRE. I'm not sure if every location is as bad as this one - but it was bad. And their customer service was horrible. The instruction was ok - but overall I felt it was a waste of time. We would spend 5 minutes on 1 question to make sure that everyone understood - really you can only spend about a minute on each question when you take the test.

First, let me express my sincere gratitude to Clarissa Constantine for her individualized attention…read moreto my son's needs. He is a gifted student, which she recognized, and therefore focused her efforts with him on polishing his test taking skills. With just 3 hours of personal tutoring, which is a very reasonable investment of time and money, his practice ACT scores rose to his goal level. He ended up in the 99+%, with three of the four sections a perfect 36. Because he was enrolled (even in private tutoring), he had access to workbooks, practice tests and scoring summaries. Now, the downside. My son was initially signed up for a group class which was canceled. The website (run by the national PR), is very buggy and difficult. Even my hubby, with a CS degree from Cal, couldn't figure it out. I had to call for help A LOT. Zach took my calls, helped me out, organized the tutoring, and ended up saving me a lot of money. But, it was not without some pain and frustration. In the end, my son made his goal score, I saved money over the group class fee, and my son had access to all the tools he needed for self study. However, the benefits of those 3 private tutoring hours were tremendous. I highly recommend this individualized approach, which both allowed him to have free time to be a kid and reach his lofty ACT goals.