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Doran & Scalora

1.0 (2 reviews)

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Pathway Admissions

Pathway Admissions

5.0(1 review)
1.6 kmDowntown, Fourth Ward

Summary: Expert and inspiring, Alexandra Wax provided invaluable guidance to my child throughout…read morethe college application process. After being discouraged and told to aim low by a competing college advisory firm, Alexandra Wax encouraged my child to aim high, and my child ended up at my child's first choice Ivy League school. Details: After feeling that I had wasted a sizable flat fee with competing college advisory firm Doran & Scalora (see review of that firm for details), I hired Alexandra Wax on an hourly basis after my child's junior year of high school. From the start, Alexandra Wax encouraged my child to aim high, shared insights about college communities that would be a fit or not, identified admissions departments' preferences to guide essay drafting, and provided constructive criticism that pushed by child to produce creative and thoughtful essays. Alexandra's advice always made sense and reflected extensive experience and a broad network of admissions officers. The few times I asked why Alexandra had made a certain recommendation, Alexandra easily explained her reasoning, citing inside sources as well as publicly available information. My child loved working with Alexandra and remained excited and motivated throughout the college application process. I feel Alexandra's service was invaluable and worth-every-penny-and-more! I plan to hire Alexandra Wax again when my next child is ready to apply to college.

Academic Answers

Academic Answers

5.0(4 reviews)
5.9 kmUpper Kirby

The advocate you want in your greatest time of need. This is not just one person, but a team of…read moreexperts who care about you and your child. They bring a depth of knowledge and experience to their intuitive approach to helping match families with solutions. Shay is an incredible mix of touchy-feely, intuitive, listening, and connected - with a fierce side of get 'er done. This is the team of experts you want when trying to advocate for your child.

Shay and Karen have been by my side through thick and thin. They have always been understanding and…read morecompassionate and helped me find my way. They have helped me navigate through those hard times and continue to be considered dear friends I can always reach out to. Shay and Karen truly saved my life. I am not a parent, I am a young adult who has been working with them for the past 3 years. They have stepped in and helped me when I could not rely on my own parents. They have treated me as a friend, and mentee, and almost as if I am one of their own. I love them both dearly. They have been by my side through the rough times and they have been on the other side of the bride to see me come out with success. They have guided me every step of the way. If I ever need someone to talk to in the middle of the night I feel safe calling either of them. I truly have a unique bond with them than I have ever had with any counselor or therapist. I recommend anyone needing help with counseling or treatment to run straight to them for help. They know what to do and will put you in the right direction. I even had someone tell me that Shay and Karen are a "BIG DEAL" in the recovery world. I feel honored to be their client and have such a strong bond with them. You will not be disappointed!!!!

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Ivy Scholars

Ivy Scholars

5.0(9 reviews)
2.1 kmFourth Ward, Midtown, Downtown, Montrose

The college application process and landscape have changed so much since I was a college applicant,…read moreI wanted to make sure my son would be prepared for the challenge. I had colleges in mind for my son but I needed a third party who is familiar with the process and have resources to elevate him as a strong candidate. I also needed someone to coach him so that I end up not being a "nag" essentially. I felt confident after interviewing and researching several college application counseling services that Ivy Scholars was the one. What I liked about Ivy Scholars was their bespoke approach to coaching the candidate. It was one on one which I truly loved - Not some group in a conference room discussing your child and giving vague ideas of how to build your candidacy. I felt Ivy Scholars focused on the individual candidate. Meeting with Sasha was great, instant confidence. I reviewed his team and they were all very professional and very qualified. It offered candidacy building, test prep, and essay and application help. Everything I was looking for. I had a lot of trepidation about spending money (it is expensive, they all are) on college applications but I felt it would help my son. I needed help as a parent. Well, it was well worth it. Actually I would say Ivy Scholars helped my son beyond what I expected. Daniel Schriever was my son's weekly coach and counselor. He was patient, thoughtful, and really talented. He took the time to learn my son's personality - strengths and weaknesses. My son was not the most organized - typical teenage boy. He worked with him and learned of his passions and interests and helped him get an internship that he loved. It fit right in with his interests. He helped him connect with a research mentor and he was able to submit his research for publication. As for the college application process, well, my son, out of the blue, wanted to apply to the service academies. That is a whole another beast of a process. Daniel helped with 16 college applications and three service academy applications. The essays, the college app, coached him on military panel interviews as well as congressional nomination interviews. So now we have a problem - a good problem to have, we never expected. He got accepted to UT Austin early action as an out of state applicant. They had 140,000 applicants this year - 95% deferred, and only 10% is out of state. He is a national Air Force ROTC Scholarship recipient as well as Army ROTC Scholarship recipient. He received an appointment to the United States Military Academy (West Point) with three Congressional nominations. He also got accepted to 11 other colleges of which they are rewarding him with scholarships. Thank you Daniel, Sasha, Dr Len and Team

I sought Ivy Scholars for my daughter in the spring of her junior year and through the fall…read moresemester of her senior year, leading up to her college acceptance at her first-choice university. While my child had a great GPA, high test scores, and some admirable extracurricular accomplishments, I felt she needed help standing out in a crowded, hyper competitive applicant pool. What attracted me to Ivy Scholars is that is they are based in Houston (I also considered national counseling services based on the West Coast and East Coast) and therefore knew the local Houston area high schools and how candidates from the South compete at Ivy/Ivy Plus colleges. I admit that I was initially skeptical if the money would be worth it and if advice would be meaningfully different from the private high schools. My conclusion is YES it was worth it, and here are four things that I got from Ivy Scholars and from no one else: 1. Clear-eyed, objective analysis with pointed feedback: Sasha blew us away at our first interview. He asked a lot of questions, cut to the chase, and offered at least three different approaches to up the game. My experience with other counselors had been generic and friendly, "you do you" message for the applicant. Sasha zoned in on my daughter's options and gaps that had to be filled depending on the option we selected. I also greatly appreciated his insight into what activities NOT to invest in anymore since more is not always better. 2. Application strategy: besides the application itself, other factors just as Early Decision (1 or 2), Early Action, major selection, etc. affect the odds. Ivy Scholars was the only source who could provide specific multipliers that improve or hurt one's chances for acceptance. These multipliers are based on actual data from the colleges. Because of this insight, we had not just a college list but a detailed sequence to execute for early decision, early action, regular, majors, supplemental essays, etc. 2. Ruthless editing: My daughter worked with Dave W. to edit 14 essays for the Common App and supplementals. Quote from my daughter: "it was nice working with someone who didn't know who I was or was worried about hurting my feelings. We just got right down to the point and worked on making the essays better. There was no wasted time." She had her Common App done by the summer. 4. Capstone opportunities: Ivy Scholars provided unique capstone opportunities through their extensive network, enabling my daughter to undertake projects that set her apart. These opportunities, associated with prestigious academic institutions, enhanced her resume in ways beyond what her high school or clubs could offer. For those who are considering Ivy Scholars, I hope that this breakdown of benefits helps other parents make a decision. Ivy Scholars took my stress level down from 95% to 5% and boosted my daughter's confidence in the process, well before the acceptance emails started to roll in. I highly recommend Ivy Scholars and would use them again for my other children.

Firat Education

Firat Education

3.7(3 reviews)
7.5 kmHighland Village

Firat Education was referred to my parents by several other moms with kids going through the…read morecollege admissions process. My brother (two years older than me) started with Ibrahim first, and my family had such a great experience! When it came time for me to apply for college, I used Ibrahim as well! Firat Education managed everything for me, and their customer service is unbeatable. Scheduling was a breeze - all I had to do was my homework and show up! Ibrahim has an innate way of personally connecting with his students, and we got along immediately! He understood my interests, goals, and everything I dreamed of in a college to a T. I increased my ACT score by 9 points after working with them and got accepted into my dream school, University of Georgia. Throughout college, I returned to Firat Education for tutoring help and essay revision, graduating summa cum laude and with honors from the Terry College of Business. Since my experience, we have referred many family and friends to Firat Education. I continue to keep in touch with their staff to this day! Nurturing customer relationships is one of their core values, and they will no doubt help your student find the perfect college match!

Buyer beware - they pitch is terribly misleading. I wasted thousands of dollars and my son wasted…read moreso much time with this co. We bought their top package of 35 hours of tutoring. They only did two check in practice tests and showed no improvement in his SAT score. (while he showed improvement in ACT after this, suspect them of giving him an easier test to show some improvement) When I asked about it they said it was ok because we haven't gotten to PHASE 2!!! Their top package of 35 hours includes no test taking tips just content and if you don't renew for several thousands more they view you as quitting their program and don't include your results in their stats. Such a rip off. The owner was arrogant, rude and didn't take any responsibility for their results. He lied in our meetings - so untrustworthy. Know others who had same experience. Had much better results with both Advantage for personal tutoring and even Testmasters for class setting. Either of these programs are much better alternatives. Embarrassed at how much money I wasted on them. total scam. His comment below is so disingenuous as he refused to discuss the situation once he realized we didn't want to continue to spend thousands more with them. He abruptly ended my son's tutoring refunding his remaining sessions and not finishing his package. (also do not remember giving you permission to share my son's scores, true to form)

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Doran & Scalora - collegecounseling - Updated May 2026

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