What can I say about Felicia? If it weren't for Felicia, my son would not be attending Quinnipiac…read moreUniversity. Our journey with Felicia began when my son was a Freshman in high school. From our first visit with her, I knew this woman was all about getting to know each kid, focusing 200% on each kid, and truly doing what's best for that kid. We had visited another college admissions counselor, prior to meeting with Felicia, and what a difference between the two. I think what stood out from the start was the fact she didn't have a cookie cut formula for all students, that's what most of the college admissions counselors do, instead Felicia tailored a special formula to get my son on the path to college. It's easy for a college admissions counselor to guide a 4.0 student with high SAT/ACT scores. It takes a special type of counselor to guide a student who's not the 4.0, who's perhaps finding him/herself in high school, and present them with endless college options and paths that fit that student. We would've never known about Quinnipiac University, nor would we have known what to do in order for my son to get accepted there. Felicia guided us step by step. She encouraged us to visit the school, when my son was a junior in high school, and not during summer time where we'd be lost among crowds of students. She informed us step by step how to get acquainted with admissions counselors, the follow-up needed, and what my son had to do to stand out. Throughout all of our indecisiveness selecting between colleges, which essay to send, and the numerous re-drafts, Felicia was always patient. I think what stands out about her is although she knows what's best for the student, she lets the student make that decision regarding which school, which essay to send, and all the follow-up communication. She guides and gives her honest & knowledgeable opinion, but ultimately it's the student who makes the final decision. That's a rare quality as most of the college prep counselors want kids to follow their formula, which of course is easy for them, but not necessarily best for the student. Besides the fact Felicia became part of our family the past few years, she tailored a campaign unique for my son to reach his destination. And that took hours of time and emotional investment, which Felicia so willingly gave. As we pack my son and head to CT in few days, both he and I are forever grateful for everything Felicia has done for us!! Besides the fact Felicia is a very knowledgeable professional, has visited more schools than imaginable, has insight into all types of higher education institutions (from liberal arts colleges to large universities), has an amazing summer program for getting kids started with all the college entrance prep work (it's an awesome program), besides all that....she's one cool human being with soul and compassion. My son would not be here today embarking on the next wonderful years of college if it weren't for all the help and guidance Felicia gave him....thank you!!

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.

What a wonderful mission: To make reading accessible to all…read more This studio records audio books for individuals who are blind, dyslexic, or have other learning differences. The unique thing about the books produced here is the human voice on the recordings (as opposed to a computer-simulated voice). Volunteers go into a soundproof booth and read the original books aloud, recording themselves as they go. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/learning-ally-palo-alto?select=sHCCu7x-0lBqxJQmTDSC4Q#sHCCu7x-0lBqxJQmTDSC4Q) I have been volunteering here as a reader for 4 years, since January 2009. I also served on the Board of Directors until very recently. Over that time I have observed the staff's hard work and dedication. They are always friendly and helpful and make the studio a fun place to be. As a reader I have noticed all sorts of books at the studio. Since Learning Ally's members request books that they want read with a human voice, there is a wide variety of material. I learn something new pretty much every time I go in to record. How could you not, with all the different types of books being requested? Here is a sample of books in the studio: * Novels * Instructional books on nutrition and health * Plays * Psychology of sexuality - This gets really interesting, especially if you have a director listening along as you read. * History textbooks - These are usually high-school or college level and above. * C++ and advanced math - Only readers with a specialty in these fields can and should read these... books full of pure code are pretty intense. I stick to the other areas myself. * And more! (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/learning-ally-palo-alto?select=sHCCu7x-0lBqxJQmTDSC4Q#ZNR6ybzMIfL-roJ-fhlt5A) For those of you thinking, "I don't really like hearing my voice out loud," there are various volunteer roles including: 1. Readers - This usually also involves self-directing and recording in the booth. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/learning-ally-palo-alto?select=sHCCu7x-0lBqxJQmTDSC4Q#9BPJWxMi3pYfOOw26gkLlg) 2. Directors - Most readers record themselves nowadays, but some readers still ask for a director. 3. QC - Quality control is important to ensure audio books are being recorded correctly. A sample size of each session recorded by each reader is reviewed. 4. Book Copy - Special instructions for readers/directors need to be transferred to all copies in the studio. Learning Ally is a wonderful place to give back to the community. For more info, visit either: - Learning Ally website for Palo Alto (https://www.learningally.org/studio/palo-alto/) or - GoVoluntr, which is a Yelp affiliate (http://govoluntr.com/events/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&include_past_events=true&filter_term=start_date&search_term=learning+ally).

It wasn't until I broke my ankle that I realized how few volunteer opportunities were out there…read morethat didn't require you to be standing or moving around. Enter RFB&D, which turned out to be something that I originally chose upon practicality (i.e., I could sit while volunteering), but ended up being a surprise gift wrt how great this place is. What a wonderful cause to support, and the staff & fellow volunteers are awesome! Not only are you helping a great cause, but you get educated about different topics yourself. For instance, the past couple of times I've volunteered, I've read about US political fundraising & also about Postmodern art. The next time someone wants to throw down discussion on Jasper Jackson, Dadaism or Fluxus at cocktail hour, watch out. Bring it.

Kehillah is a wonderful place. The students seem so happy here. Classes are small and each teacher…read moreknows your child and genuinely cares about their experience both inside and outside the classroom. Kehillah integrates compassion, good communication and respect for others into the daily experience of each student. They have a wonderful athletic program that is expanding each year. Students are able to form all kinds of different clubs and offered wonderful opportunities to participate in music, theater performances and digital arts.

My child was a victim of rumors, which were later proven to be false, and as such was excluded and…read morebullied by his classmates and betrayed by his friends. The administration did little to help him clear his name and preferred to sweep his suffering under the rug instead. Some of the teachers were really good and caring, but teacher turnover is pretty high.

I'm really happy to be writing the first review for Admissions Advisory Group. I consider it a…read morepublic service announcement to anyone in the bay area considering business school! These guys REALLY know what they're talking about- Marie Mookini was the director of admissions at Stanford and even created some of the college admissions questions that are still used today (such as: what matters most to you and why). Lisa Park has loads of experience as well and is very dynamic and enthusiastic. It really comes across that this is not just work- Marie and Lisa took the time to engage everyone individually at the workshop I attended (and stayed after to answer questions). The workshop was very professional, interactive, and also packed with useful information. The facilitator's insight and examples had me generating ideas throughout the session. Though the application process is daunting, I left the session feeling confident with a strong understanding of what admissions is looking for and how to go about developing my essays. Note: I haven't seen workshops like these with other consulting companies. They only occur every few months so I would look into it sooner rather than later.

My niece took several classes at Lydian in Menlo Park recently, including English and Physics. She…read morewas having a tough time focusing in classrooms with 20 to 30 students. The distractions of traditional classrooms are hard for kids with learning differences. Lydian was a good solution. She had compassionate and dedicated tutors, and my niece improved her understanding of the course material and was able to finish the academic year successfully. Of course, some tutors are better than others so check on qualifications and meet the tutor. Since then I've recommended Lydian to several other families and each time they also were happy with the result. It's a luxury to be able to offer a child one-on-one tutoring. If you can afford it, it can mean so much. I recommend Lydian for this reason alone. It's a good model and it can get results.

Extremely poor school. Do not go here, parents. They rejected me from being a teacher here even…read morethough I am fully accomplished and qualified. They do not want excellence. They simply want to drag your child through school as long as possible to take your money.

This is an amazing organization that has some how been flying under the radar. This is a school…read more(with two campuses) that specializes in education services for children with emotional and bhavioral issues. These kids need special attention in many different ways, and this school can provide that for them and will help them prepare for the 'working world'. This is a great school that definitely depends on donations from the state and community. They do an amazing job in involving the community and making them aware of their mission, and how their donations are helping. I have volunteered for this orginization many times, and always look forward to it. It is an amazingly rewarding experience, and you can really see on the kids faces that they appreciate having you around. Please take some time to look them up, it is worth your time!

Scheduled me for an interview for a non-teaching position . Confirmed about the position via email…read more. In the interview , told me that they had the non-teaching position filled but were open to interview me for a teaching position. Posting was meant to lure in people Crook was his name , poetic .

BenZhen Sung is an amazing tutor. She helped prepare by child for the ACT exam. BenZhen takes the…read moretime to understand each student's individual needs and works closely with them to provide personalized support. As a parent, I especially appreciated her detailed and thoughtful communication, which was incredibly helpful in keeping me informed and involved.

My son had an excellent experience with Caleb Liu preparing for the ACT. Caleb is extremely…read moreprofessional, listens attentively to the individual needs and goals of the student and parent, and goes above and beyond to ensure the success of his students. He was recommended to me by a parent whom he successfully tutored with great results as well. I was especially impressed by him when there was a practice test hiccup, was super responsive in resolving the issue, and took it upon himself to do a personal makeup for my son. I highly recommend Caleb as a 5-star tutor for test prep. Overall, our experience with AJ was very positive, but there is significant room for improvement for practice test sessions. My son took two practice tests that were not well-organized and frustrated him because he had prepared for them only to feel like his time was wasted. I provided direct feedback to AJ because I was surprised that that this happened twice in a row to my son. I expected a premium tutoring service like AJ to be able to run practice test sessions routinely and smoothly because when they don't it causes additional stress and time on the students and parents. I hope AJ takes this as constructive feedback for the future.

Solid after school program. Mandarin education is their strong point and they give homework, then…read moreadminister quizzes and tests to measure progress - all things that were lacking when our kid was in Ohlone (after 2nd grade, she could not even write her name in Chinese correctly). Thanks to Acme, that deficit has been fixed and she is on track to be at grade level on Pinyin, Chinese character writing (including correct stroke sequence) and reading, and speech. I was not expecting much, just basic after school care when we enrolled but have been pleasantly surprised. If we had known earlier, we would have stayed with our local PAUSD elementary school and not gone to the Ohlone for their so-called Mandarin Immersion program. Note that the school has something of the feel of an expat institution (probably over 90% of the students have mainland Chinese parents). That's not necessarily a bad thing, just be aware that it is culturally homogenous.

My son has some after school and summer school here…read more Pros: 1. Super convenient location (Cubberly Community Center) with multiple places to park and pick up 2. Electives at after school. They offer piano, modeling, critical thinking, clay/sculpting, singing/dancing, tennis, chess, soccer. The electives are provided by an external company. Everyone has been trained that if a parent goes to pick up (say at the soccer field) and doesn't have the pickup tag from the front office then they can't release the child. 3. Bi-lingual English and mandarin. For kids who don't know the language there was a beginner class just learning the sounds and basic words 4. They have independent van drivers who go pick up the kids (they are paid separately from the school) from whatever elementary school and drop them off at ACME. 5. My son has fun - when they have cooking days he always wants to stay until the cooking part is done 6. There are parent teacher conferences so you can get a sense of how your child is doing 7. With the English homework (math, spelling), I can really get a sense of how my son is doing and where he needs help. Cons: 1. Sometimes the electives are during the Chinese part of class so the child will miss out on the lesson and fall behind 2. You emailed invoices but it's not always clear what they are for 3. It would be nice if they had a network of tutors who could be hired for additional fee to help children one on one 4. It can be hard to get into popular electives Bottom line: it's cost effective, it's convenient, and my son has fun