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!

Emily at Lodestar worked with me on my my college application essays. I loved working with Emily…read morebecause she took the time to understand the message I wanted to convey, and then worked with me to craft it in a way made my story unique. The final versions felt authentic to me, but very polished and with a much stronger message than what I started with. I ended up getting into my top choice school (which was actually a school my college counselor told me I shouldn't bother applying to because of how competitive their application pool is) and I'm certain that my essays are what helped me stand out from the pack!

I hired Emily for admissions services and couldn't be happier! She was professional, easy to talk…read moreto, and genuinely cared about my success. The process was well defined and enjoyable. Her interview coaching helped me to present the best version of myself. Very highly recommend! Sophie S. San Diego

What can I say about Judith and Positive Outcomes? Well it was positively the best decision we…read morecould have made for our daughter and family to navigate the incredibly complex college selection landscape! We did not even know where to begin and my daughter felt like she didn't even have a chance because she didn't have a 4.0 and perfect test scores, she was discouraged before even starting the search. Judith quickly got to know our student and she was genuinely interested and excited to hear about our daughter's passions. Because of this Judith really got her to open up and explore ideas for the essays and personal statements. After every meeting with Judith, our daughter felt more and more confident and even started getting excited about her options! Judith is extremely organized and knows all of the ins and outs of the college admissions process, I was pleasantly surprised by how deeply familiar she was with so many colleges across the country, she could answer almost all specific questions off the top of her head. If she didn't know the answer, she would quickly research and get back to us. Judith manages everything with the student, as a parent I only had to get involved when I wanted to, Judith empowers the students to own the process and be accountable and it worked! I'm happy to say our daughter got into most of the schools she applied to and we can't be happier with the college she has decided to attend. Thank you Judith!

I have used Judith's admissions expertise twice. After getting into my first choice university with…read morea scholarship, I recently used Positive Outcome for Admissions Success' services again for my law school applications. As someone who considers themselves an excellent writer, I had major writer's block when it came to writing about myself. Judith helped me get over my fear that I sounded like I was bragging, and got me to highlight why I was a competitive candidate for school. Judith has a talent for getting you to bring out the most interesting aspects of your story, helping you consider the most advantageous angle. She talked me through my experiences to understand my strengths. Then she worked with me to edit out the fluff to create strong concise points and an effective essay which truly reflected my character. With college applications, you are presented with limited space in which to demonstrate who you are. Positive Outcome helped me make the best use out of the space I had, eliminating unnecessary information so that my strengths were highlighted. With Judith's guidance, I was able to produce a personal statement that I was proud of. I was accepted to my first choice school with a $50,000 yearly leadership scholarship. This scholarship would not have been possible without Judith's help. She got me to reflect and really draw from the strongest parts of my experience-- to show I was a leader, not just say that I was one. I am currently waiting for law school acceptances without stress, knowing I sent in my best application materials.

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.

My daughter and I often joke that Elaine came to us from on high just when we needed her most! We…read morehad no idea how to navigate the college application process, but with Elaine's excellent help (she is calms, clear, organized and inspiring) we were able to make it! My daughter ended up getting into her first-choice school and Elaine's amazing help made that possible. But more than what school she got into it was just wonderful having Elaine to guide us and bounce ideas off of throughout the process. It's not easy out there and there is no one right decision - through it all Elaine made us feel like we had a strong guide on our side.

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.

I highly recommend Alice Chen as a college admissions consultant. We met Alice when my son was in…read more10th grade. When we first met her, we knew she was the right person to help our son with his college application. She planned everything ahead and kept my son on track with all the application processes. She was always creative and shared new ideas from different aspects of the applications. She was tireless in her enthusiasm and generous with her time, especially during the holiday season. She gave my son the most considerable support. The competition is fierce for Asian male engineering students, and she helped my son create the strongest application possible. My son has already been accepted into an Ivy League university and another Top 10 University. She is an outstanding mentor - she works not just on the essay but on developing the potential of each of her students.

I am very grateful to have worked with Alice throughout the college application process!…read more Before I met Alice, I felt very unsure and stressed with deadlines, having gone through many different ideas/drafts for my essays. By asking specific questions and providing prompts for thinking, she helped bring my writing to life. In addition to providing advice/direction, she also always eased my stress and was a pleasure to talk with. With Alice's feedback, I was able present my best self to my colleges, helping me get accepted into my top choice school early.

The college counselors are AWFUL. My friend has a 4.0 GPA, valedictorian, and a high score on tbe…read moreSAT, along with solid extracurriculars and 5 leadership positions, but her counselor here only destroyed her confidence and told her that she couldn't even get into a crappy state school with a 50% acceptance rate. The counselor is clearly a snob who's not interested in helping students, only crushing their dreams and telling them to aim lower. I listened to the entire counseling session, and the she was extremely rude and bitter and all around not helpful. She just threw insults at my friend in 100 different ways. Her whole agenda is to instill fear into applicants so they'll pay her more. The counselor was genuinely one of the worst people l've ever met and it's shocking to me that she can feel good about herself. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to name drop, but she had a very pretentious name that started with a D. If this sounds like your counselor, RUN.

Terrible, terrible, terrible! We specifically signed our son up for a money back guarantee program…read morewhich cost more, almost $4000 and our son's score only went up 10 points! They guaranteed a 1400 or we'd get our $ back. When I submitted for the refund, they denied it saying because he submitted a couple of homework assignments out of cadence, it cancelled the guarantee! So hours of classes, prep tests and studying are all negated by submitting some homework late? Oh and he was supposed to go back and refer to the welcome guide to see those details. Again he went up only 10 points from his previous score after we spent almost $ 4,000! RIP OFF do not waste your money!!

or Sallie was a fantastic resource over the past year and a half. My child loved working with her,…read moreand together, they worked on all of the applications and college essays. Sallie made herself available whenever my kid wanted needed her. The college application process was a breeze. I am not kidding you! How often do you hear parents say that? My kid got into the school of their dreams, into their honors program, with a scholarship! And Sallie helped make that happen. I am so pleased that we went with Sallie Bryan. She made the whole process downright enjoyable. Thanks Sallie!