Parents-This is the best money you will ever spend and the kindest gift you will ever give your…read morechild. Elisabeth Morgan is the definition of excellence. Every friend we have went with College Matters after we shared our child's great experience with them. Students are expertly matched to a College that will fit them perfectly! The selection process really opened our eyes to possibilities that never entered our minds, not to mention access to an extensive scholarship data base. The best part is, your kids will adore Betsy and her staff, they truly create life long relationships. Our child just graduated and is about to accept an offer at a prestigious financial firm. He spent a semester in NYC working for one of the top investment groups. We had nothing to do with it, we never had to fill out a form or see an application. He received 2 scholarships-a complete surprise ! What a relief not to have to deal with the stress of the application process and all that goes along with it. Of course your child can go it alone, many kids do, ours certainly could have, but the truth is, they do not have the inside line, and are not given all the available options or professional insight from the best of teachers and high school counselors. College Matters does it all -and gives every parent peace of mind! Thank's again Betsy for creating such a wonderful place!

From the owner: From preparing for high school to planning your Ph.D., College Matters has options to support you…read moreeach step of the way.

The college application and decision process can be extremely overwhelming, and Chris' help and…read moreguidance throughout the entire experience from beginning to end was indispensable. There are so many aspects that need to be managed, and Chris keeps you and your child on task. He is also very easy to contact, which is SO important. A friend of ours referred us to Chris, and we reached out to him very early in the process, which was very beneficial. Our son was very unsure as to what school he wanted to attend and also did not know exactly what he wanted to study. Chris helped us narrow down our choices as time went on, helped us with school visits, helped us with Naviance (which is a nightmare), and also kept our son on task as far as testing and classes. He was worth every penny that was spent - our results were amazing, and my son will be attending the school that is the perfect fit for him this fall 2022.

From the start, we were all so satisfied with the services that Chris provided us from Naviance, to…read moredifferent college boards, to information on colleges that my daughter had not reviewed before his suggestion. Any questions we had, Chris was sure to answer quickly. He consistently sent emails regarding follow ups or reminders for the seniors as well as being motivational to them. We felt at ease with the application process and I knew my daughter was in good hands. You can tell that Chris puts 100% into his job and enjoys what he does. I will definitely refer him to friends and will utilize his services for my younger daughter. Thank you Chris. Jen S

Andrea helped my daughter apply and get accepted to her dream school. She took a lot of the stress…read moreout of the situation and we are so grateful for her guidance, encouragement, and kindness.

I've been very happy with my company that I had been with for nearly 20 years, but after such a…read morelong time, I wanted to see if there were other opportunities out there for me. I updated my profile in LinkedIn and signed up to receive emails when potentially interested jobs are posted. The next step was to update my CV... which I realized I had not updated since my school days! (Such is the case when you've been with and moved up the ranks of the same company perhaps?) I was referred to Lucent Education by a friend who had worked with them before so I sent a message to them and received a reply from Agnes. I sent her my old, outdated resume and let her know what my current role entails, as well as the types of roles that may interest me enough to consider leaving my current role. Agnes was very speedy with her responses and got back to me within days with the first set of updates and suggestions on my CV via Google Docs. I was able to review and accept or decline her suggestions with ease. She also asked several thought provoking questions to illicit more details from me. That was very helpful to me as I realized that I took some of what I did on a regular basis for granted and had not thought to put them into a CV. She was also helpful to identify sections where specifics would strengthen the task description (ie: "manage a team" vs. "manage a team of 10," "increase xx count" vs "increase xx count from 150 to 200 from 2019 to 2020") Overall, the whole process took about 3 weeks... and that's only because it took me about a week in between each of her updates to respond back. I wasn't in a rush to get this done as I just wanted to have it ready in case something of interest came up. Agnes never rushed me though, which I appreciated, and she always responded promptly even though I was not. After 4 revisions, I was very happy with the end result - not only in content but also in the visual aspect of the CV, which Agnes also laid out. As fate would have it, recently a job opportunity of interest did come across my way and I was very relieved to have my CV ready to go. Had I not, it would have been really stressful having to come up with one on the fly. I'm not going to go as far as saying the CV is why I got the job, but I'm certain that it helped - at the very least to get me an interview! Thanks Lucent and Agnes! Wish me luck on my new job!

Agnes got back to me right away when I first requested a consult and seemed to be ready to help. I…read morewas excited for my consultation and to begin working with them. Oddly enough, all contact has dropped off and now no one will return my emails or request for an appointment. Very bizarre and disappointing.

Mike did it again! He guided my son through the essay writing process, finding an unusual personal…read moretopic where my son's qualities could shine. The result was an incredible piece that has blown away every adult who has seen it. Mike also raised his sights above his high school's recommendations, encouraging him to apply to more challenging universities. My son was admitted to his first choice in early decision, ahead of several friends with better academic records. Also notable is how well he communicates with parents, his straightforward billing and how painless he makes the process for parent and student.

Mike helped me raise my toefl score from a 55 to a 90 in only one month! I needed a score of 80 on…read morethe toefl to be accepted into college, and I didn't have much time to prepare. I didn't want to take a big class with many other students. I found out about Mike over Yelp. Mike was able to meet with me for one-on-one sessions over Skype and created a program just for me that I found extremely helpful. He was always very nice during our sessions and was willing to work with my difficult schedule. I felt confident taking the test after his sessions and got the score I wanted. And I'm getting ready for college in the Fall. Thanks Mike!

I always found it really hard to express myself in writing and I knew that my college essays were…read morethe most important part in letting the university know what kind of person I am, so I sought help in order to make my application as strong as possible. I honestly loved working with Jessica. She always seemed to know how to phrase what I would struggle to express in writing and I appreciated that. I feel as though I improved my writing skills and polished my writing style through working with Jessica.

From the owner: Since 2009, Private Applications works discreetly, quickly, and attentively with all students…read moreregardless of academic records or standardized test performance. Stress Free! Flexible Meeting Hours! Skype Sessions Available! International Student Expertise! Enjoyable & Painless Process for Students AND Parents! College Counseling: Guidance is provided to students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Get early assistance with curriculum planning, extracurricular consults, special project strategy sessions, school visits, and summer activity suggestions. Seniors work on school selections, scholarship search, essays, applications, mock interviews, financial aid negotiation, and more! Graduate School Counseling: Guidance provided to graduates applying to Medical School, Law School, Dental School, Architecture School, Doctorates, MBAs, Masters of Science, Masters of Arts, and more! Get help selecting schools, identifying professors for research, articulating education goals and writing essays, Career Counseling: Guidance provided to recent college graduates or college students applying for internships. Get assistance with the creation of an effective resume and cover letter. Gain tips for successful job interviews and appropriate corporate and non-profit communication. Applications are 20% of what has already been accomplished and 80% of how it is presented. Getting help is nobody's business but yours. You will be glad you did.

Neal Schwartz, College Planning of Westchester (www.collegeplanningofwestchester.com) is a…read morefact-based, data-driven, business-oriented consultant who gets results for parents and students. We were looking for a college consultant to help us navigate the college landscape for our daughter. We observed that the college marketplace had changed and become dramatically more competitive - particularly at the elite schools. The number of applications has exploded. The acceptance rates have declined. Many of the college consultants we spoke with were taken aback by the changes in the marketplace. They were negative. They were dispirited. They were looking for the lowest common dominator in terms of setting expectations for our daughter. Neal Schwartz was different. Neal spent most of his career in business: selling computer hardware, leading computer hardware sales organizations, and managing business units as an executive. Neal was fact-based, data-driven in his approach and developed a plan and a process to help us navigate the landscape and achieve the best results. Business background is key. While the college marketplace is competitive - this is not the first time Neal has dealt with competitive market dynamics. Thus far, Neal has provided advice and counsel in terms an overall plan, suggested priorities in terms of after-school and summer activities, suggested priorities in terms of AP classes, and - most importantly - providing us with access to a proprietary database / online tool to allow us to review and understand our choices in terms of college and "fit" for our daughter. Again, this is a data-driven approach. But the biggest upside so far has been working with our daughter on the ACT exam. Neal reviewed the results of the PSAT and PACT exam and provided us with the pros and cons of each test and the most likely "lift" in terms of scores. Neal provided us with outstanding tutors who helped our daughter practice and prepare for the ACT exam. The tutors were themselves business executives who were either in the financial services industry or retired executives who had built and sold business. The approach was again a business focus that was fact-based, data-driven, and geared toward results. The result was a tremendous ACT score for our daughter. We look forward to working with Neal to finalize this journey for our daughter. Perhaps it is a stereotype. Perhaps it is unfair. But many in the educational community could be considered more of the nurturing, supportive variety. Perhaps "soft." Neal is not "soft." Neal is practical and he gets results. We will always be grateful to Neal Schwartz. It has been a great fit for our daughter.

Test Psychology - Tests make my son nervous, especially timed tests! He scored very high on his…read moreoriginal PSAT, but we were worried he would psych himself out. Neal and his staff gave him strategies to deal with timed questions - when to skip a question and general time management. He would up scoring in top 1% on the first SAT! Thanks.

Veronica was so incredible with the college process from A to Z, that it allowed my son and I to…read morereally enjoy our time together visiting schools. No fighting, no tears! She was accessible & knew every school inside and out. After really getting to know my son, she knew exactly how to accentuate all positives, where he would thrive, etc...He got his #1 choice! Here we go with son #2, wouldn't think of using anyone else.

From the owner: I offer comprehensive college guidance, college application completion help, college essay…read morecomposition assistance, and subject tutoring in history, English, and science. I am also a specialist in the area of executive function work for children with ADD and ADHD. I privately teach students essential academic skills and prepare them for learning in a high- stakes world. My college admissions counseling is targeted and personalized. My unique process is based on proven formulas that lead to success. When a student works with me, I build their confidence. Under my guidance, students learn real skills, explore possibilities and reach their fullest potential. The result is acceptance into a college that meets their needs and fulfills their dreams.