I had an amazing experience working with Gourdy. He helped raise my ACT score a ton and was super…read morehelpful with all my college essays, from private schools to UCs. He really knows what he's doing and made the whole process way less stressful. He was also a big reason I got into UC Berkeley, which I'm super grateful for. On top of that, he's really knowledgeable but also funny, so sessions never felt boring. Definitely recommend if you want someone who actually makes a difference.

Gordy is an exceptional college counselor! He kept my son on tack and met all the deadlines even…read morewhen we had limited time. He was encouraging and used virtual services effectively. I also liked how he created google folders and made the whole process of essays and tasks easy and even fun! I would highly recommend Gordy!

I am very grateful for the role that Nicole Freeling played in our son's college selection process,…read moreand would like to explain it in some detail. My wife and I approached Nicole during our son's sophomore year. He had suffered a brain injury the prior summer and was struggling in school because of visual deficits and persistent head pain resulting from the trauma. At that moment, we were more concerned about how to get the right treatment for our son -- and the right accommodations in place -- so he could finish high school. But engaged Nicole because the decisions we made would ultimately affect our son's ability to attend a great university, and we wanted him to believe that this was still within his reach. He's a deeply intellectually serious young man, so we wanted to keep his horizons broad. Nicole did the research and returned to us with the conclusion that we should extend our son's high school career so he could focus on his recovery, and that a fifth year of high school would be a better solution for his circumstances than graduating on time with a less rigorous curriculum. We plotted his high school trajectory to maximize time spent in recovery during this junior year, ramping up the rigor and density of his coursework through a "gap year" that allowed him to finish his A to G requirements most at UC Berkeley and BCC, to great success. Nicole believed in our son and supported his application to a range of selective colleges. She had on-point advice on making the list, ensuring that it included schools he would likely get into as well as reach schools. Most importantly in this process, she encouraged our son to tell the story of his recovery, which he was not otherwise inclined to do. In the end, he was admitted early decision to a highly competitive college, where we believe he will thrive. We are all very grateful for Nicole and On My Way for their role not just in the college process, but in our son's overall recovery. These are good people.

I chose Olivia becauseshe brought the insight, expertise and best practices that I needed to help…read moremy kids. Olivia brought structure to how my kids should think about the types of school and the majors they should explore. She was tremendously helpful in deciphering the financial aid black hole for my and my husband. I love her collaborative approach with my kids and us parents. Working with Olivia helped open up opportunities, lessen the stress and even made the application process a little bit fun. I've already recommended Olivia to all my friends with college bound kids. You and your kids will be glad you decided to work with Olivia!!

Terrible experience with Nisha and Blaine who practically sabotaged my child preparation for SAT…read more Super unreliable operation - promise a lot and don't even show up to scheduled meetings - terrible!!

Matt Pickup is an amazing tutor for any social science and history/government related courses. He…read moreconstantly went above and beyond, even emailing me constantly with last minute personalized tips the night before my APUSH exam. He helped me go from getting my first bad semester grade in AP World first semester to getting an A the 2nd semester and a 5 on the exam. He was so good that i went back to him for APUSH, helping me score straight As and a 5 on that exam as well. He personally asked me what I needed specifically to improve and gave me tons of practice resources that we went through together and i got so used to the exam question types that It helped me with every other AP I've taken since then. He truly cares about his students!

My son worked with Alex on his post-graduate schools and doctoral program applications, and working…read morewith Alex made huge difference. He was extremely knowledgeable about the process and easy to access at any time. My son accepted to a fully funded program.I highly recommend Alex if anyone looking for a coach to help with their writing . Thank you Alex!! I m grateful for your dedication and availability

Dr. Blum worked with my son on his college personal statement. Coached him over 5 sessions on how…read moreto organize, edit, transition and finish his statement. What we really appreciated was Dr. Blum did not write or direct the paper. He helped my son through the writing process. Strategies my son will use long past college. Highly recommend his services.

Elaine is a world-class advisor--thoughtful, capable, compassionate, and responsive…read more She worked with our twins for several years as we navigated the stress and uncertainty of the college process--where to apply, how to think about value, and how to strike the right balance between reach, target, and safety schools. The process today is daunting. With Ivies accepting just 3-5% of applicants and UC schools also extremely competitive, it's too risky to go it alone and hope for the best. Elaine dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and care guiding our kids through every step. No matter the situation, her advice was always thoughtful and transparent. She responded quickly to every question, usually the same day or within 24 hours. Of course, no advisor can work miracles if a student isn't already committed and putting in the effort--but for motivated students, even the strongest ones, her guidance is invaluable. She also helps set realistic expectations for both kids and parents, which is just as important as anything else. Now the results are in. Both of our kids are strong IB students who were active in music and leadership programs. While the Ivies ultimately proved too far a stretch (despite their qualifications), they were accepted to several top UC and state schools, as well as USC, LMU, and others. Our daughter has chosen UC Berkeley, where she also received a significant merit scholarship--something we were especially grateful for given the cost of college today. Our son was also offered spots at UC Berkeley and UCSD, but has USC Thornton in his sights. If you have a child entering or already in high school, I highly recommend starting with Elaine for an initial consultation. Our whole family--especially our kids--is grateful for her guidance, which led to outstanding options at some of the top public and private universities in the country. We couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome and look forward to the next chapter with twins in college.

Elaine Chan helped my daughter apply for college for the fall of 2023 and I can't say enough…read morepositive things about Elaine! Let me try though... First of all, Elaine is extremely knowledgeable and professional- she does her research on colleges and keeps very up-to-date on the changes in universities and in the application process, even going on regular in-person visits to check out college campuses herself. She offers very personalized counseling services because she gets to know the student in conversation as well as through assessment tools. She counsels the student and family to apply for best-match colleges based on all relevant interests including academic, social, environmental/"vibe", geographic, financial, etc. Secondly, Elaine is super accessible and an awesome communicator (dare I say, to a fault, with the speed in which she answered emails and texts??) and she is very organized. Elaine makes herself available to answer questions and to be helpful in any and all ways she can. Elaine is resourceful and provides important resources and support without overwhelming the student with TOO much information. Elaine is very easy to talk with and helped make the college application process practically painless! Thirdly, Elaine knows how to bring out the best in the student by helping the student understand and capitalize on their strengths and coaches the student in the essay writing and in all the other application requirements. Because of Elaine's deep familiarity with the college application process, she is able to counsel the student on approaching college application in a strategic manner. Lastly, Elaine is a genuinely wonderful person- she is warm and caring and we felt that she had my daughter's best interests in mind in all of her meetings with Elaine. Additionally, Elaine has a special place in her heart for first-generation college students and has extended herself above and beyond for students who would otherwise not have the knowledge, resources or support to apply for and attend college. We are grateful for Elaine's help and would give her 6 stars if we could!!

Chris is an outstanding counselor. He helped me write my essays for UCs and the Common App and…read moresupplementals for schools such as NYU and Columbia. His organization and the information he provides about all of the schools are amazing and reduced the stress of having to research all of the small things for each school I was interested in. The way he guided me to write the essay was efficient and saved me a lot of time as I didn't have to write the same essay for another question that was similar to the last. I was able to finish my essays by August. It was a big relief and the whole process seemed very manageable with his help. His ability to provide fluidity in my writing and his knowledge of college admissions helped me especially because my writing was "impenetrable" or difficult for someone who didn't know me to understand. Besides the support he gave me with essays, he was also very easily accessible and understanding. I had his number and if there was anything that came up in the way of a meeting, I could just text him and I got a response in less than an hour. Any rescheduling of a meeting was simple and caused no trouble. Chris is a very straightforward person and gave me the support and advice I needed to write my essays. He is also pretty funny and a down-to-earth person which helped as meetings didn't come as something I didn't want to do. Chris was a great college counselor and I recommend him as his understanding of the application process and his ability to tutor and write were a great help.

I come from a non-traditional educational background, having gone directly to the US Air Force out…read moreof high school, only to stare down my UC undergraduate applications at the age of 29. Chris helped calm my nerves during the entire process. Chris is patient and has a unique talent of channeling your talents with the best possible outcome. He reassured me that my uniqueness had value. He got me talking about my achievements, made me feel proud, and helped me coalesce my thoughts into an essay that won me acceptance to Cal. In fact, after my acceptance into Cal, the admissions team asked if they could publish my personal statement to help other prospective students. Out of thousands of applications, they remembered mine! I highly recommend Chris for anyone who struggles to put their thoughts to paper for a personal statement. Thanks to Chris, my life trajectory changed in ways I never imagined. Chris has also tutored me in other areas such as Math and Writing. Learning never ends and Chris is unceasingly helpful in all aspects of my life. He is the most incredible writer I have ever met. I also plan on using Chris' services when I enter the work force after college. Meticulously written cover letters, resumes and thank you notes will put you above the rest. Thank you Chris. I am forever grateful.

I have 3 different children working with StrivePath right now and have been very satisfied with…read moretheir ability to work with my very different children who are having different academic paths and have different collegiate goals. Sunny and his team are both professional and warm, providing both sound advice without adding additional stress. Grateful to have them.

Cole has tutored my twin daughters since they were 12 years old. Both are now freshmen at UCs. He…read moreguided them during applications and made sure they wrote their essays on time. And the essays were fantastic! I can't stress enough of how amazing he is in his profession. He has a passion for it and it shows. My girls still call him for help with college classes and scheduling. Extremely grateful. No words to thank him enough!

We have utilized Lafayette Academy's services for ten years (possibly more). Their centers are…read morestaffed with experienced and knowledgeable tutors who can assist with tutoring in all academic areas along with ACT and SAT test prep, exam crams and more. I have two girls, who benefitted greatly over the years from their services. From middle school work to college level courses (they even helped my daughter who attended Cal Berkeley with her Business Statistics Course and my other daughter's Chemistry Course through San Diego State) Lafayette Academy had the appropriate staff on hand to assist with all of their needs. Their success can be attributed to the owners. The owner Mark B. with whom I conversed with regularly, is involved in his business and takes great care to ensure his clients are provided with excellent service. He and his staff are responsive and always have found the right fit for our daughters to ensure their academic success. I highly recommend Lafayette Academy! Simply put..they are the best! Aimee P. Alamo, CA

Love this place and highly recommended! So easy the work with. Both the tutor and the young…read moregentleman (sorry, I didn't get his name) at the front desk are so nice and friendly. My son got sick over the weekend, and Monday was his session, but he was too sick to attend. Just one phone call and it was changed to Tuesday. Thank you!

My son has been going to Alpha College Prep for almost 2 years utilizing chemistry and math…read moretutoring with Robert, SAT test prep with Taylor and now college essay writing with Jennifer. Both of us have been quite happy with the tutors and staff at Alpha. Academically, my son has raised his gpa, test scores and equally important, learned the subject matter. The tutors understand how to work with teenagers and my son feels more confident in the subject areas after his tutoring sessions. Lastly, their rates are reasonable and hours are flexible to suit the needs of students. We've been to other tutoring centers in Berkeley and El Cerrito, but none of them has produced as great a result as Alpha.

During my senior year of high school, I went to Alpha College Prep to seek help with my college…read moreapps and help with the overall process that can be very overwhelming. I worked with Jennifer, who was absolutely wonderful, and she managed to help me write my college apps that got me into top universities like UC Berkeley, Northeastern, and UCLA. With this, I also got scholarships from other universities I applied to and had an overall amazing college application experience. She helped me facilitate and better explain my ideas on paper which helped a lot. Also, before the SATs got cancelled, I used the Alpha College Prep to mainly help with the math portion of the SAT and after the first session my score improved by 50 points. I would recommend Alpha College Prep for students who are looking for some guidance during the college admission process or looking for overall tutoring in any area. I will be a freshman at UC Berkeley this fall and thank Alpha College Prep for helping me write and formulate strong essays as I couldn't have done it without them.

Without question, engaging Scott was the most valuable educational investment I made to support my…read morechild. It's not cheap, but the outcome is extraordinary. The impact Scott had on my son went well beyond college essay preparation/production. Pre-Scott, my son could barely write a coherent sentence and through the magic of Scott's teaching methodology and in a relatively short timeframe, the improvement was dramatic. The counsel, candid discussions, and direction Scott provided paid huge dividends in the classroom and in daily written communication (emails, texts). My son became a more confident writer and student which of course, carried over to everyday life. As he heads-off to college in the fall (UCLA), I'm forever grateful to Scott for the life-changing role he played in preparing my son for the next chapter and beyond.

Scott worked with my daughter during her senior year to help with her college applications and…read moreessays. He guided us through the entire process and went above and beyond on the deadline days. Scott helped my daughter think through her experiences and interests and figure out how to apply them to all the different application prompts and questions. He was dependable and present in all of their sessions to make sure the work got done. My daughter really struggles with deadlines and time management and Scott was really patient and gave a lot of good advice and guidance. In the end she was admitted to her top choice. We were very happy to work with Scott and would be happy to work with him again in the future.