Elaine is a world-class advisor--thoughtful, capable, compassionate, and responsive. 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. read more

My daughter and I often joke that Elaine came to us from on high just when we needed her most! We had 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. read more

Elaine Chan helped my daughter apply for college for the fall of 2023 and I can't say enough positive 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!! read more

I worked WITH Elaine Chan for 3 years (2018-2021) at a high school in the Bay Area. At the time, I was working as the school's College Counselor and collaborated often with Elaine. Elaine was the Coordinator for the College Essay Reader Program and oversaw everything to do it (from scheduling, to training, to facilitating meetings between the Readers & Students). She has natural counseling instincts and is infinitely resourceful. I have seen her work with all types of students and be successful; I believe her care, desire to stay learning, and humility are what set her apart as a College Advisor. If I had high school aged kids, Elaine is who I would go to first for college advising. I mean that with 100% sincerity. read more

Elaine has been a fantastic help though the college process. She assisted my son with finding colleges to apply to, the application process , wiring essays , applying for financial aide and more. Elaine was 100 percent accessible and I never had to worry about a question we had. She has a calming energy during a stressful time and it's worked so well with our family. To date my son has been accepted to all the colleges he applied to. While we are still awaiting a few more, you can already see how well Elaine's process works read more

Elaine is fantastic -- immediately responsive, very knowledgeable, and most of all she really cares about the kids. She had so many great suggestions, above and beyond the questions I asked, and brainstormed some tricky issues with me. read more

When we called Elaine to help our son who was struggling with his college entrance process, she quickly resolved his problems. She helped proofread my son's essays and made so many great edits. She helps our son find colleges and apply for financial aid. In addition, she was quick to respond to our questions and concerns and would always reach out to provide us with helpful information. Elaine is kind and made a great effort to help my son. If your child is looking for someone to help with college applications, consider Elaine as the best choice. read more

Elaine not only has the knowledge and expertise needed in a college counselor, she has incredible people skills (with both parents and students). She was able to guide my daughter with grace and foresight. She knew what questions to ask and when. She kept the focus without driving up anxiety for any of us. Elaine knows how to exhibit patience while somehow still driving the process forward. Her expertise was priceless and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone who is going through this sometimes overwhelming process. She would be excellent for anyone but particularly students with anxiety. She will be your guiding light. read more

Elaine was extremely helpful throughout my college application transfer process. She helped me go through each and every one of my essays which was extremely beneficial. She gave me opinions, thoughts, and recommendations to work through so that my essays could be the best representation of me possible. I got into 5/6 of the schools I applied to and will be heading to UCLA in the fall. Elaine was a big aid to me through this process and I can't thank her enough! read more

Elaine has been thorough and organized with the entire college application process She has put my daughter and us parents at ease instantly. She is an awesome person who genuinely wants to help students.Awesome job . Thanks Elaine read more

Elaine is a great help in our daughter's application process, especially when we were nervously waiting for the decisions. She is very knowledge and experienced, helping us to go over options, make decisions and take necessary actions, to ensure my daughter is getting into her school of top choice. We highly recommend her if you are looking for someone to help you get through the complicated process, and enjoy the desired outcomes. read more

I worked with Elaine to prepare myself for the college process -- specifically, she helped me manage my time and she advised me on personal essays. She was a valuable resource, with helpful exercises that brought out new ideas and tips for how to make my writing clear and persuasive. She was easily accessible to talk on the phone about the process, and was very friendly and warm to work with. Elaine helped me get my work done to apply early to Brown, where I will be going next year. Thank you so much Elaine! read more

Elaine Chan was recommended to our family by a friend whose daughter made it into one of the top colleges in California. She took a lot of time on my daughter, researching the best fit for her future, how to correctly handle college applications, giving us insights into the universities to apply for her, and guiding my daughter to write an essay true to her personality. She was honest and very patient with many of our questions as it got overwhelming. She was very busy as she has other students so from what I could tell, it is better to start early with her, rather than wait until it's too close to deadlines. We approached her very late. Despite that, she helped us in many ways and we wish we had done this sooner. I highly recommend Elaine and my only advice is to start early so your child and the counselor can have time to work together. Happy to support someone who truly made a difference for us! read more

Ms. Chan is a wealth of college readiness and targeting knowledge. She quickly understood our son's scenario (GPA, SATs, goals and athletics) and helped us fine tune his target lists of safe, match and reach schools most suitable for him. She has also been generous with her time and her rates are fair, especially given value of her input. She helped put our son at ease (and us as parents) while also providing us with the themes and focus to stand out along with the best way to present his "story". Thank you! read more

Elaine was a great help to my son and to me in the college application process. Hiring Elaine allowed me to step (way) back, which I think was critical for my relationship with my teen. He relied on her for essay support which included brainstorming for the main essays, and editing, likely even more but I am unaware of it as I was not part of his college application process. Elaine was available on short notice for phone review. With her efficient help, my son was unexpectedly ready for the application season and so applied early decision to his favorite university and was accepted! Elaine was flexible about her services and made the early process of self-evaluation fun for my son. Thanks Elaine. read more

Elaine is currently advising my older child and with just couple of months, I have felt the impact. My son trusted her and has exhibited motivation I have never seen before. Elaine loves to work with young people. She sincerely cares about them and does everything she can to help brighten their future. She is very understanding, patient, and a great listener. I am so glad my son is connecting with Elaine and receiving advise and help from her. I highly recommend Elaine! read more

Miss Chan was very helpful and to the point in a short amount of time.....would certainly consult with her again!

Elaine was awesome in guiding us through the complicated college application process and was super organized. She worked with our son to help him manage his time to meet all the deadlines while he was taking a challenging academic load, and she gave him feedback on the important college essays. Elaine is insightful and was able to select the right set of colleges for him using multiple criteria. Overall, Elaine's advice made this process much less stressful, and empowered our son to make his own choices. We highly recommended her to work with your student. read more

Elaine is very flexible, and an excellent listener. She really knows her stuff. She helped my daughter decide on a list of colleges, and had some good ideas of schools we hadn't considered. I was really impressed with how well she could sort through our issues and help us develop a plan. As another reviewer said, she gives just the help you need. I wish I could give her 6 stars. read more