Christy Frantz is an exceptional educator and deeply intuitive guide to teens (and their families)…read moreduring what can otherwise be a wrought and stressful time. Her guidance is relationship-focused and her energy is passionate and infectious. The wide range of programs at the Learning Studios makes it especially unique. To put it plainly: Christy is the best in the biz, and you'll know it as soon as you walk in.

The Learning Studios took the place of therapy for me as a parent of a college bound child. I…read moredidn't stress a bit during this time! My daughter just finished her Freshman year at American University and it has been an excellent fit for her. The only thing I did to help her with her college prep and research was sign her up at the Learning Studios. Christy and her team helped her explore what she wanted to study, what she wanted in a college, what colleges to consider, how to write her statement of purpose, etc., etc., They even helped with her applications for financial aid/scholarships. They held her accountable for all the steps along the way and she was pretty much done with the hard stuff by the start of her Senior year. Without the Learning Studios, I know this would have involved many stressful moments between her and me. It was worth every penny. They also provided excellent math tutoring for her (e.g., precalculus, and AP calc plus more). I've since recommended The Learning Studios to other families and all have been very pleased. I highly recommend The Learning Studios.

Amy is a wonderful counselor, writer and editor. I was part of Amy's earliest class and 10+ years…read morelater, I've enrolled my brother at Blue Stars. The best part of working with Amy is that she has "magic" in her writing and story telling. As the family of hard working students, we really want to help them put their best foot forward and have college admissions see their personality, grit and merits shine through (beyond the stats). Amy is the best at this! Her process helps extract the raw content from the student's experiences, focus in on topics and concepts that showcase "X factors," and polish and refine the writing piece so it not only showcases maturity in content but elegance in narrative skill. For first time college families, Amy's team helps a lot with time management. We started the process a little late this year but we worked together with the team to come up with an expedited timeline, set expectations and were able to execute quickly with time to spare. I think a family's level of involvement and the student's natural drive plays a big role. If the student isn't willing to put in the time- it could be a little more painful but the Blue Stars team will coach and push the student. If the student is extremely driven and wants the team to go faster they will 100% match that level of energy. With Amy and team's help, we were able to get into the dream school (4.4% admissions) REA. If Amy is in the business in 18-20 years (lol), I'll be back again and send my kids to her!

Over promised and under performed. Purchased 5 college package. My daughter got into only 1 of the…read more5 universities applied to and the university which did accept her was the least competitive at 48% acceptance rate. We already knew she would get accepted there as we are alums. Other schools that denied or wait-listed her were all 25% acceptance rate institutions, none were ivy league. While Blue Stars did spend many hours with my daughter, the essay topics selected were boring and routine -topics specifically mentioned to stay away from in Dr. M's blog posts (ex. Mission trip to Mexico). The editing by Dr. M only on Monday was a bottleneck. Two weeks before early action deadline, my daughter's essays were still very rough with a very polarizing thought not addressed and total lack of specifics on why the particular school was right for her. I lost all confidence and had to get involved. While Dr. M may say it was my involvement that sunk her acceptances, I do not agree!! I left one school, William & Mary, as a test. I did not read or review that application and the answer was the same...waitlisted. I feel we were swayed by Dr. M's amazing marketing/website/blogs etc. The reality was much different. Blue Stars is not worth the extra cost. For all schools selected, my daughter had grades and ACT scores that met their criteria. The difference was going to be made in marketing herself and her extra-curriculars. In this area, Blue Stars was lacking and did not deliver as promised. To date, we (as parents) have not heard from Dr. M. She made no post-application phone call or check-in. She got her payment and has moved on. In short, don't be sucked in by her marketing. Blue Stars over promised and under delivered, period.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 Marc was struggling in precalculus. The class was…read moredifficult and the methods of his teacher were not being effective. His counselors said it was highly unlikely he would pass the class as he was already half way through the semester. We were considering dropping the class until we were recommended San Mateo Tutoring from a friend. They were very responsive to our needs and assigned us a great tutor right away.  Andrew was a star send. We booked him to come once a week sometimes twice when needed. He was very flexible and would even come before school started on test days. Amazingly Marc managed to pass precalculus to our and his counselors' surprise. We continued with the tutoring through the next year in calculus and Marc ended up passing that course as well. He is happily in college now and continues to thrive in math. Thanks for all the help, we highly recommend San Mateo Tutoring.

This company has been very helpful for us this year and last. We needed them for Algebra 2 tutoring…read morelast year and decided to also use the added support this year in Pre Calc. I don't really have any complaints. The communication was strong and usually respond within the hour. Would recommend for anyone needing tutoring support for their kids. Thanks for the help.

I graduated Stanbridge in 1999 and really enjoyed my years I spent enriching my education and…read morepotential. When I first started in 1993 I knew I would be accepted into this loving and caring environment. With their various programs from drama, to experiential education my love of education started to become a reality. Jeff Patheal instilled confidence and challenged me in ways I never thought were possible with the experbtial trips. Angel Island, Tall Ships, river rafting, skiing and backpacking. I must also shout out to Dick Wesendunk and Jeff for making PE both enriching and fun. I can attribute my love of fitness and the outdoors thanks to their dedication and patience. The classes were small and the faculty really cared about me. Homework here was not busy work but more of an extension of the classroom. It was not hours and hours of work but more project based. Andi Jobe and the late Headmaster Richard Bowen along with the Administrative support staff including Betty Scalf wanted the best for me. Every attention to detail was done with the utmost care and respect. I was able to transition to a regular neighborhood High School and graduate with a 3.5 GPA and then attended West Valley and Foothill Community Colleges. I graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts(Summa Cum Laude) in E-Learning, MA in Human Resource Education, certification in Travel and Tourism as well as Assistive Technology. I am in the field of researching Accesible Travel for individuals with disabilities and advocate for individuals with disabilities. The future is bright and I attribute my success to Stanbridge!

My daughter spent 3 years at Stanbridge Academy, the education is definitely a little behind, but…read moremy biggest concern with this school is safety. My daughter was assaulted by male student on campus repeatedly and my daughter informed the principal and several staff members and zero of them reported this to us as her parents or police. In fact when I brought it up to the school they blamed my daughter for the assault, this floored me given this is no where near the truth. If you have a daughter especially please be very careful, no child should have to experience what mine went through and is still going to therapy for 9 months later. The head of the school Julie is the one who blamed my daughter for being assaulted and claimed her word was less credible due to her being autistic, these people are supposed to be keeping our children safe and us as parents informed. Please be careful sending your children here

We couldn't be more grateful to Marc and Lori for guiding Lindsey through the college application…read moreprocess and helping her find her perfect match at LMU. Now that she's almost completed her first semester, it's clear she has truly found her place -- academically, socially, and personally. Throughout the journey, Marc and Lori always made time for her questions and concerns. They helped her navigate each step with clarity and patience, building her confidence and encouraging her independence. Their support went far beyond applications; it helped Lindsey step into college feeling prepared and self-assured. We are deeply thankful for the thoughtful, personalized guidance they provided and for the role they played in helping her find a college experience where she can genuinely thrive. Thank you College Advising Team!