My older son had a fantastic experience working with Jennifer over two years. She helped him…read moreidentify schools of interest, calibrate likelihood of admission so that he had a great mix of "reach" and "safe" options, and assess the pros and cons of different majors (really helping him define and articulate for himself what he wanted to study). She also helped him turn an initially disparate set of activities and extra-curriculars into something much deeper and coherent. She presented him with an amazing range of options (like online summer courses in entrepreneurship) which he enjoyed, looked impressive, aligned with his admission "narrative", and which we frankly would never have found without her. Finally, she was invaluable in compiling everything into the applications themselves and invested a ton in making each one as good as possible. This included essay ideation, rough draft reviews, and went all the way through to line edits with us of every final essay and application. I think I'm a pretty good writer, but the input and help that Jennifer provided my son was far beyond my expectations and much better than what I could offer. I believe that her effort, expertise, and attention to detail significantly increased the number of acceptances and options that my son ended up with. Throughout this, Jennifer was patient, persistent, encouraging, and comforting during a period when I know my son was stressed about both the admissions process and also moving into this new phase of life. Jennifer was invaluable to my son and he was delighted with the options she helped him get and is incredibly happy with the choice he ultimately made on where to attend school. We heard of Jennifer through word of mouth and are so happy that we did. My sophomore has just begun working with her and asked if he could based on the experience that he saw his older brother have.

Jennifer helped my daughter (and us!) with her entire college application process. We loved…read moreworking with her because she was very patient, supportive, communicative, non-judgmental, kind, motivating, and organized! I already referred my friend and her daughter to work with Jennifer. She really relieved a lot of stress for my husband and me. We are very grateful!

We couldn't be happier with Margaret! She was the only college and career counselor willing to help…read moreus out when our son graduated unexpectedly early, missing the college prep that he would have done in his senior year. The other counselors I contacted were only willing to take on clients as freshmen or earlier. As well as helping him polish his essay, and fill out the college apps., her assistance was invaluable in opening new doors, and colleges he hadn't considered. Her insight led to him following his passion, and getting a degree which will further his dreams, rather than the direction he'd been planning, in which he thought he "should" go. After researching, in great detail, colleges which were possibilities, she worked with our son to make sure applications were in on time - taking us parents out of the equation. After acceptance, she worked with the admissions office, and she made several conference calls with my son and the college of his choice, making sure he received as much credit as possible for the college courses he had taken. He ended up enrolling as a second semester sophomore, which is very helpful to the bank account. Not only is Margaret worth every penny, I'm confident that we've come out ahead! Margaret is smart and kind and worked very hard for us, doing things we didn't even know to do, and our son is in a much better place because of it. Woohoo! She is as good as it gets!

Margaret really knows her way around the common app! We used her towards the end of the college app…read moreprocess, when we were tired out and stressed about it. She is very helpful and really cares about the students and finding the right fit. Has helpful suggestions and is very knowledgeable and fun to work with. Highly responsive in email/text. We tried three other college coaches, and she was definitely the best!

I wrote a review 4 years ago (see below), and I don't know how to post a new review separately from…read morethe first one. Anyway, this is my second review for Cathy Chen. My daughter, Angela, has been with Cathy since her 8th grade 4 years ago. Angela is a very independent, thoughtful, passionate girl. All these great qualities have served and will continue to serve her well, but nothing comes without a flip side. She can be very stubborn, so I had a sense that my wife and I need someone like Cathy to help her and help us. I have to say this is one of my smartest decisions. Cathy has great skills and experience working with teenagers. Parents are not trained at all for teenagers. During the beginning of the covid period, Angela experienced a big challenge, and it was a big test for our family, too. Luckily, we had Cathy. We got out of it successfully, and I believe it became a valuable experience for Angela. Cathy's assistance to Angela's college preparation was also great. We all know there is great amount of work and so many details to be taken care of. Just imagine on top of this amount of work and you have a daughter or son who has time management issue and can be stubborn. Angela certainly is not the only teenager who has time management issue. In the end, Angela not only got it done, but actually didn't allow my wife and I to get involved at all. Personally, I appreciate more Cathy's guidance on the soft skills, like the right mindsets for life. Angela is going to college now, and she has Cathy as a good friend probably for life. Review from 4 years ago: Cathy is coaching my daughter who is an 8th grader. Cathy has great communicating skills, and is compassionate helping children. I feel lucky that we found her.

Village has been nothing short of amazing for our son and our family. We consulted with Village…read moreabout a year ago and from the beginning Village completely understood our son's patterns and had experience in working with several similar children in the past. Remarkably, Village had a specialist that works particularly with children needing assistance in these areas and within weeks, she and our son were working together. While our son had shown resistance to other tutors/coaches, from the very first meeting with Kathryn, they hit it off. Kathryn has incredible listening skills, patience, and clever ways of engaging with our son. She also started working with him in short spurts throughout the week rather than a regimented prescribed time which was precisely what worked best with our son. She was able to monitor assignments, test dates, break down large assignments into manageable pieces and inspire our child to put forth effort more consistently than previously. Importantly, it also removed us as parents from the equation, substantially reducing conflict and tension in the house. We are embarking upon our second year with Village and our son intends to work with Village throughout high school.

I went through the college admissions process alongside peers with similarly strong academic and…read moreextracurricular profiles, but my family decided to work with a college counselor who offered a far more personalized, high-touch approach. Looking back, I can clearly see the difference in both the application process and the results, and I genuinely believe Dan was instrumental in my success. Although I considered myself a strong writer before this process, nothing could have prepared me for what it takes to craft a truly compelling personal statement. Writing a college essay is completely different from the kind of writing we learn in school - it requires deep reflection, countless conversations, strategic thinking, and an understanding of how to present a student authentically while still standing out among thousands of applicants. Dan is brilliant at identifying what makes each student distinctive and positioning that in a way that affects people emotionally, and is therefore memorable. The essays I ultimately submitted were on an entirely different level than anything I could have produced on my own, and I am incredibly grateful for his guidance throughout the process. When searching for counselors, we encountered several large companies whose approaches felt borderline performative and unconcerned with presenting the student authentically. Dan was the complete opposite. He preserved my voice throughout every stage of the writing process while also pushing relentlessly for quality and clarity. He truly cares about helping students present the strongest, most authentic version of themselves. His feedback was always direct and insightful without ever feeling discouraging - something I deeply appreciated during the tumultuous time that is the application process. Dan kept me grounded throughout and on track. I applied to 20 colleges and was accepted to 18, including Carnegie Mellon - my first-choice school and one of the top universities in the country. I can say with complete confidence that I would not have achieved the same outcomes without Dan's dedicated mentorship. I also feel so much more at peace knowing that this was achieved through writing that feels 100% like me. Working with him was one of the best investments my family made during the college process.

extremely helpful! very thorough with comments and editing. Very talented and knowledgable.read more

Review from my son: Zach Pava played a major role in my…read morecollege admissions process. Not only was his college essay feedback on 15+ essays extremely insightful, I felt that the manner in which he set up a schedule with deadlines and tasks was more helpful. He always kept in touch, especially during October and November, and always responded promptly. Zach set up mock interviews for me with other Insight counselors to practice for college admissions interviews, which did not count against my counseling hours! Also, the fact that Zach primarily worked over Skype was actually more convenient, since I did not have drive to the Cupertino office all the time for the counseling; instead, I could just do it over Skype in my room.

I just recently graduated from Emory University, and upon finishing my time in undergrad, I found…read moremyself looking back and reflecting on my college application process. I am the eldest in my family, and a first-generation American, so my family and I were unseasoned and largely out of our comfort zone when the time came to begin applying to universities. I found Zach through Insight, and he was a tremendous help to me, offering up suggestions about colleges I may be interested in applying to, prepping me for college tours and visits, editing my personal statements and supplemental essays, and offering me any guidance or support I needed throughout the long process. While I was a bit shy and lacking in confidence, Zach saw my strengths and potential, and constantly motivated me to challenge myself, ensuring that my applications reflected my best attributes. With Zach as my counselor, I never once felt stressed or overwhelmed about writing my applications, as Zach planned out deadlines for all components of my applications, ensuring that I would have everything in on time. Zach's genuine concern for my well-being and future was palpable throughout the application process, and after being accepted into Emory, my top choice school, Zach continued to be supportive of my aspirations. He was always more than happy to answer any questions I had about college and the future beyond. I highly recommend Zach not only as a college counselor, but also as a trusted mentor. His help was, and continues to be, an invaluable resource for me and my family!

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 had a very disappointing experience with Fahey College Consultant. We paid a significant amount…read morefor guidance through the college application process, especially for help with essays and making sure applications were completed on time. Unfortunately, once the process began, the support we expected simply was not there. The student struggled with writer's block and anxiety during the essay writing stage and needed real guidance and feedback. Instead of meaningful help, we mostly received long lists of tasks with little actual support on how to complete them. Communication also became inconsistent during critical parts of the process. As deadlines approached, we expected close guidance and review of the application materials, but the student felt largely abandoned in the middle of the process. While the consultant presents herself very well and is a strong salesperson during the initial conversations, the actual delivery did not match the promises made. For such an expensive service, families expect hands-on guidance, especially when students are struggling. Our experience was that the student was left to manage a very stressful process largely alone. I would strongly advise families to carefully evaluate the level of support they will actually receive before committing to this service.

If I could give 0, I would. Please STAY AWAY from this counselor and her team. She would sweet talk…read moreuntil signing a contract and then from there everything goes downhill. She and her so called team of writers don't do any due diligence on the essays, they would even leave one college name in another college essays and this was after multiple rounds of checking by THEM. She addressed my child in email with another student's name and completely another major and college, so this shows how much thorough she is with her work. DONT WASTE MONEY....she only takes money and then vanishes.

I got in contact with Agnes again to have a professional edit my MBA application essays. I cannot…read morerecommend Agnes enough. I have never been a strong writer, and while I had an idea of what I wanted to write about, I was not satisfied with the way in which I had written my essays. Agnes was able to help me convey my ideas in a more compelling manner. Furthermore, Agnes was able to provide advice on what would resonate more with the admissions officers and help me refine my ideas. I was extremely busy in the months leading up to the application deadlines, but Agnes' quick turnaround time allowed me to edit each essay enough times and until I was happy with all of them. After sending an essay back to Agnes for revision, she replied with a date by which she was able to edit my essay by, allowing me to plan ahead. In the end, I was admitted to Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and Kellogg School of Management. I strongly recommend Agnes to anyone who needs help with their essays.

My son is a high school senior. Agnes did a one-on-one call with me and answered questions via…read moreemail and then did a one-on-one call with my son. Agnes worked with my son on everything from application strategy, timing, resume, essay edits and strategy. She spent time every week catching up with my son and was a true partner. He showed me some of the multiple edits she worked with him. She helped him narrow down his reach/ possible / safety choices (and some new ones) and worked with him on an Early Decision 2 and his regular decisions. My son is smart but has poor organizational skills and timing was never his strong suit. Agnes was great in keeping him on track and making sure he was progressing on time. He and I were happy that he got all his essays done and applications out. My son got into his first choice via ED2 so we were thrilled (unfortunately we had already spent money on regular decision applications but all is good). Would recommend Agnes for any parent looking for a partner for this child.

I had a fantastic experience working with Peter Littlefield while preparing for my MCAT. He was…read moreincredibly thorough in his explanations and always took the time to break down complex concepts in a way that made them feel manageable. I never felt hesitant to ask a question because he created an environment where curiosity was encouraged and every question was met with patience and respect. Peter also helped me develop a structured and intensive review plan for my full length exams, which made a significant difference in how effectively I was able to study and track my progress. His guidance strengthened my understanding of the material and gave me the confidence I needed as I moved closer to test day. Peter is an exceptional tutor, and I recommend him wholeheartedly. He is a wonderful choice not only for MCAT preparation but for any science course. His dedication, clarity, and supportive teaching style truly set him apart.

Our son has struggled with social communication and expressive language, but through learning math…read morewith Daisy, he has not only developed a genuine interest in math, but also improved his communication skills and confidence. Meeting a teacher who truly understands and supports a child is something incredibly meaningful in life. We are deeply grateful for Daisy's warmth, patience, and encouragement, as well as the caring support from AJ Tutoring . Thank you for making such a positive difference in our child's growth and happiness.