We've had a great experience with Insight, Purvi is phenomenal. The college process can be overwhelming, and a lot of it comes down to picking the right list of schools to apply to early and during regular decision. Insight has a lot of experience on this front, and also a lot of "insight" into what colleges look for. In short, Purvi has been able to guide us through the nuances of the application process. Additionally, she gave us some great advice around summer programs - we would have never found the ones that she suggested. We also had a great tutor for ACT from Insight, who was able to give my daughter some great tips. She ultimately got into her top-choice school. We are very happy with Insight, and have recommended them to many friends! read more

Hi Ajit, Any chance I can get my $200 back for an initial consultation that was absolute nonsense? I have kindly asked for my money back multiple times. I want you to known that telling my kid who is STEM focused taking 10+ APs to consider taking a ceramics course doesn't cut it for a $200 initial consultation. JUST GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK. Just letting you know that your responses on your reviews of people who complain about your service is underwhelming. Improve your service and you will do much better. Ajit, I will continue to complain about the service I received to every Indian parent that I know in the Bay Area. If you think otherwise, you don't know me well... Based on your "Stanford MBA" education, you may certainly know that word travels fast in the Bay Area. A simple suggestion to all who read this (including you Ajit) - Do NOT pay $200 for an initial consultation. Simply request a free initial consultation so that you are aware of the all of the program details, the costs, and the proficiency level of the counselor. If they can't give you a free consultation, move on and find another program. Believe me, there are plenty of programs that give you all the information that you need without paying fees to find out. They should be selling you on the program and not the other way around. 8/18/25 - Ajit, I read your response. Your answer is false. My wife, my son, and I all attended the meeting with your "counselor." It was you who was missing in that meeting. So don't make up stuff. The fact remains that I have not received my $200 back.... read more

Our child worked with Purvi. For some reason, Purvi shut out the parents from all communications. Everything was between our child and Purvi. We later realized our blunder. Our child got into a decent school, but the process we went through for helping get into college was extremely frustrating. Our hope was the counselor would make it easier. But our experience was that she made it harder. We wish we had not hired Purvi and saved our money. Not worth the cost at all! read more

If you're looking for a college admissions counselor who truly understands how to bring out the best in your child and help them stand out in a sea of applicants, I wholeheartedly recommend Priya Singh. From the very beginning, Priya approached our son's college journey with care, insight, and a deep commitment to his success. She took the time to understand his unique strengths -- his "superpowers" -- and guided him in presenting his most authentic and compelling self to each college. The college admissions process can be incredibly overwhelming, but Priya was a steady and reassuring presence for both our son and us as parents. She helped us navigate the many moving parts with clarity and ease -- from building a balanced college list to providing thoughtful, strategic feedback on essays, and even identifying areas where our son could strengthen his application. She stayed on top of deadlines, kept things moving forward, and made sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Thanks to Priya's support, our son was accepted into multiple highly selective public and private universities -- and ultimately chose to attend Carnegie Mellon University, one of his top choices. We are deeply grateful for Priya's dedication, expertise, and genuine care throughout this journey. She made what could have been a stressful time feel organized, hopeful, and empowering. Simply put, she was a game changer. read more

Ajit, Kelly and the team at Insight education were phenomenal! They really took away my stress as a parent as my daughter was doing her college apps! Their feedback was constructive and positive! Will definitely use them for my son when it's his turn! Wonderful experience! read more

we are incredibly disapointed with the service provided by Insight Education. We heard about the service through a friend and decided to give it a try. We were asked to pay a heavy fee to meet for a consult with Purvi Mody, whom they said was the premier college counselor. During the entire meeting she seemed to be checking her texts/emails and not focusing on the session. Nothing but trying to sell us on their expensive packages. No refund. Money down the drain. We also heard about a parent that they overhead an older indian gentlemen making racist comments when they were there for a class and also decided not to return. I was excited to try it for my kid but it clearly was not a good option. I recommend any other service instead of this one read more

This tutoring center prioritizes money over the quality of their tutoring services and the improvement of student grades.

I have to say that we are very impressed by Insight Education. My nephew was very new to the college system, admissions, and all the prep required, so navigating through it seemed like a daunting task. We worked with Ajit, and he is extremely dedicated and made the process super smooth for my nephew. It also helped him to jumpstart the process and found a new focus in High School to facilitate the admission process. Ajit encouraged my nephew to reach his dreams and that is awesome and inspiring. He also helped him to narrow down the school options and potential majors. Ajit was at his best "unpeeling the onion" in the career discovery process. He understands people and it shows. Also you can tell that he knows a lot about universities all across the Country, we have explored great options in and out of state that we really didn´t have in our radar. All in all, we were very happy and impressed with Insight Education and I recommend them 100%. read more

I had a great experience with Insight, would absolutely recommend. Purvi was extremely helpful with guiding me towards the right colleges for my goals, as well as helped me determine my high school class schedule. She also helped me refine my extracurriculars and opened up volunteering opportunities for me to participate in. I worked with Ramya for my essays, and absolutely loved her. She listened to my ideas, and offered suggestions and edits without compromising the message I wanted to get across. I worked with Ajit for mock interviews, which was great because I hadn't done any interview like this before. He gave me really helpful feedback. I also used their SAT test prep classes, which helped me understand how to approach the questions, and they helped me raise my score. Overall, I wouldn't have gotten into the colleges I did without Insight! read more

My daughter got admission into her first-choice college at UCSB a few days ago. We are so excited!!! I know I am a mix between a helicopter and tiger parent, so this review is to say that we had a fantastic experience with the efficiency and professionalism that was present right across the board starting with the call to the front desk and our first meeting with Priya. Overall, I was very impressed with the number of clinics that were offered that showed us literally from how to 'fill out the applications' to 'how to select a major'. I found the 'getting organized' workshop for parents very useful. My daughter used the ACT boot camp for her test prep and did well in increasing her score. And special thanks to Priya Singh for her unending patience and support through the countless iterations of the essays and the endless questions. She really helped us through the process and made it so straightforward and stress-free. Big Thank you to the Insight family. Happy mom :-) read more

Just wanted to share an honest review regarding the lack of privacy in working with Insight Education. If you share an honest opinion, they will share your private information such as your parents' names and the schools you attended over the years. If you would not like your information publicly shared with a solid attempt to shame you for sharing a personal experience, please look elsewhere for college admissions support. It was shocking to see how my information was blasted on the internet by a so-called reputable company like Insight Education. Unfortunately, this further secures my poor opinion of their customer service and authenticity. read more

Purvi was a godsend! Our child had been struggling in high school and we were worried. A family friend mentioned that Purvi was wonderful so we scheduled the first meeting. From the moment we walked in the first time she was welcoming. Purvi is always smiling, the consumate optimist. That first meeting gave us some of the hope my daughter needed. We had met other admissions people and they actually made our child feel worse. There's none of that with Purvi. We enrolled right away. Purvi and her team are kind, empathetic, efficient. Purvi helped my daughter learn how to organize her life and she spent extensive time and effort sharing her extensive knowledge of college admissions amd how our local high school would influence admissions. In fact, her specific knowledge of the inner workings of our high school blew me away. She knows the teachers names, she knows who is hard, who teaches well, who gives good college letters. Wow! My daughter's confidence was low after a few years at a Cupertino area school. But after a few months working with Purvi, we saw a change. Purvi was able to motivate her by helping her identify her strengths and take pride in them while accepting that life will always require to work on her weaknesses without feeling inadequate. My daughter produced stellar admissions essays under Purvi's guidance. The entire college admissions season was well organized, punctual, efficient. Much credit to the entire team at Insight for that too. Although my daughter naturally felt moments of stress and panic s she prepared her applications, Purvi was always there to listen, advise and calm her down. Insight happens to offer admissions clinics that worked well for our daughter because they forced her to complete tasks she would have otherwise delayed like filling out her UC apps and the common app, college essay tips, etc. We are so grateful to have found Purvi. She made something daunting very manageable. Our daughter has since gradated from a college we didnt believe was possible before meeting Purvi. She is working and happy in a career she loves. Purvi also counsels parents by the way. As Indians we had a closed mind about majors. Purvi held our hands and kept us calm as we learned to understand how important it was for our daughter to study a subject she loved and also a career she loves. Our experience with Insight was incredible every step of the way. Thank you Purvi and team! read more

My counselor, Zach Pava, was a huge help with the college admissions process. I started working with him in the January before senior year, and he helped with many things including finding and applying to summer internships, researching and creating a list of colleges to apply to, and proofreading my applications. His specialty is writing essays, and he aided me in brainstorming ideas for each prompt and developing a writing style that best conveyed my ideas. Furthermore, Zach was super flexible in his hours, always made sure I stayed on schedule, and made the entire process a lot less stressful. In addition to my personal counselor, the Insight team was amazing as well. I was able to get ahead of the game with workshops on filling out Application Portals during the summer, as well as mock interviews with other counselors. The counseling team also conducts peer reviews of applications and essays for reach schools, so you get input from a variety of perspectives. I will be attending the my first choice school, the University of Pennsylvania, next year, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of Zach and Insight Education. read more

Zach was my counselor and he definitely was a huge help. He had a lot of general knowledge about the college admissions process and could always answer my questions. After talking to me about my interests, he helped me create a college list and pointed me to any programs that might have been helpful. He did a great job too when it was time to write essays. He helped me express and refine what I wanted to write over multiple review sessions. Overall, I would recommend Zach and Insight to people looking for a reliable counselor. read more

Insight education understands what's needed for college admissions. We have already worked with Purvi for my daughter 4 years back. This time it was for my son, we have been very lucky to have a great counselor Priya Singh. Priya is a very dynamic person. She is a 24/7 person and is always available and ready to get into a call for any questions. She worked closely with my son and he has full trust in Priya. That's so important in this process. Priya has very patiently worked with my son to get his apps done in timely manner. I really can't imagine how we would have stayed on track without Priya's help. I strongly recommend her for any counselor needs. read more

I liked the structured method by which Zach approached the whole admission process. First, there was research into colleges to make a list, then a rigorous back and forth on the essays and finally meticulous approval on the final application. My son learnt a lot from Zach and we are hoping he will apply these lessons in his future career. Kudos to Zach and the Insight education team. read more

What a great experience it has been at Insight Education! I can't thank Zach enough for his help and guidance. Zach had initially helped my older daughter when she was in high school and we had an amazing and incredibly valuable experience with Zach in preparing her for her college admissions. Thats why making the decision to enroll my younger daughter in Insight and sign up with Zach again was a no brainer! My daughter began working with Zach in freshman year! He supported her in every aspect of the college admissions process: from helping her identify her top schools to offering insight and advice, and helping her build the self-confidence to reach her fullest potential. Even in the earlier years of her high school career, Zach guided her in choosing classes that would best support and expand on her interests. Preparing college lists, reading essays, proofing resumes, offering volunteering guidance and internship prospects, and recommending summer courses-he had extensive knowledge in all! Zach made the college application journey extremely smooth and stress free not only for my daughter but also for us parents! We never felt hesitant to ask him any questions we had, and I appreciated his timely, honest responses. Even after the college decisions came in, Zach helped my daughter in picking the best fit for her, keeping her wishes and preferences in mind and not forcing her either way. We were very pleased and happy with the whole experience and highly recommend Insight Education to anyone starting their college application process, especially Zach! We could not have done this without you Zach! Thank you! read more

I used Insight Education to help me during my college application process. My plan included 6 private schools, UCs, CSUs, and unlimited essay reviews. Ajit was very helpful. He responded to my emails quickly and once, stayed up with me till 2am exchanging emails with me as I sent him updated versions of my essay. I met with him once a week to discuss and plan my path, as well as edit essays from July of 2010. Insight is very organized, knowledgable, and is professional. Their clinics (that they provide with your package) are very useful and all of the staff are very friendly. They provide a lot of resources for their clients and put in a lot of hours for their students. I once went to IvyMax for a college counseling session and my experience at Insight Education was a huge improvement (and relief). If you're lost during this season, consider finding help. I definitely recommend Insight Education! read more

Ohhhh those miserable days of college applications and SAT prep....how stressful that COULD have been had I not had Purvi on my side! Purvi worked closely with me throughout the application process to search for schools, write application essays, prepare for SATs, finalize applications, etc...yup, she just about took care of shebang for me, so I didn't have to stress about anything. She made a timeline with deadlines so I didn't forget anything, she edited my essays until they were perfection, and she kept everything organized for me so that I (thank GOODNESS) didn't have to. It pretty much doesn't get much better than this. If you want help with the college application process, Insight has the resources, professionalism, and dedication to help you. read more

Insight Education has really helped alleviate the stress of college applications. Working with Jason and Purvi has helped make the whole college application process easier. During the summer before my senior year, Purvi helped map out the whole summer and gave me various resources to help choose various colleges to apply to and also materials to make the essay-writing process easier. She also gave me a lot of helpful feedback to make my app stand out. As someone who was very stressed before the college app process, I am very thankful for all the help from Insight. After crafting my essays, Jason provided a lot of meaningful advice on all my essays. He helped me by telling me which ideas I should emphasize in my essays and gave me other helpful pointers. Overall, I have had a great experience with Insight! read more

I am currently a student at Carnegie Mellon University and I can honestly say that without Ajit, Purvi, and Insight Education, I would not have gotten in. My SAT score improved by 400 and the help on my applications was unbelievable. Ajit and Purvi are such unique counselors; they don't lecture or act like normal college counselors. They really put themselves in their students' shoes, and communicate on a personal level, while still maintaining the discipline and and professional stance of college counselors. read more

Both my brother and I worked with Purvi for around seven to eight years and I can truly say she was an absolutely phenomenal college counselor. Purvi really took the time to understand my personality and what I wanted out of the next couple of years in high school. Starting from sophomore year, she helped me prepare a plan to succeed whether it was academically in school, with SAT Prep, summer programs, or just extracurriculars. She was always great at boosting my confidence whenever I felt down or stressed and would be a great support system. Before all of the college essays even started, she was there to edit any application for summer programs or any leadership positions. When I started applying for college, she helped me make a solid list of schools with safety's, targets, reaches, and dreams. Her essay editing skills and the way she helped me shape my whole college application was truly incredible. She was also very responsive through email whenever I had even the smallest question. I can confidently say I am happy where I decided to attend college. In addition to working with Purvi on essays, etc., I also did some ACT prep here and got tutored for subject tests and physics. I did their ACT boot camp in December and it was pretty good as they push you really hard. They also allowed me to come in whenever I wanted and take practice ACT tests, AP tests, and subject tests. Overall, insight education was an amazing experience and I know my whole family loved Purvi as well! My brother had an amazing experience and attended the college of his dream. My mom continues to recommend this place to friends! read more

Ajit and the rest of Insight Education has helped me in so many ways, I don't think I could even start to describe it here. From helping me decide my majors and schools to editing my essays until 3:00 AM on his day off, I owe Ajit so much for all the things he has done for me. The thing that differentiates Insight Education from a school counselor or any other company is that they actually have they actually cared about my success. Although Purvi was not my counselor, she still helped me brainstorm what to write about, answered all of my questions, and edited several of my essays. They go above and beyond what they are supposed to. I have over seventeen versions of some essays, which Ajit edited patiently day after day. There is always someone available to help you at Insight, with any questions that you have. And if the office is closed, they respond extremely quickly to e-mails and phone calls, and always give you direct and accurate information. They now the ins-and-outs of the college application process from how many extra characters can be entered into each box to rush shipping SAT scores. Once, a college e-mailed me that they hadn't received some of my materials, and that they would not review my applications until they were sent in a week later. Ajit helped me sort out the problem, and even edited my e-mails back to the school. I spent the last three months living in their office, reading all of the books on Colleges and using their binder of endless essays to brainstorm my own. They also have a really big collection of SAT and AP books which you can use as well. I can admit to sitting there for hours writing essays, getting my questions answered, doing SAT prep, and even finishing my homework. It's a friendly and comfortable environment, and everyone makes sure that you're on task! (: I have yet to hear from the colleges I have applied to; however, I can say that looking back on my essays, I am very proud, and owe it all to the help I received from Insight! (: I absolutely recommend it to anyone applying to college, it really makes the whole process less stressful and more memorable. read more

All the parents, ok fine I meant Asian parents, would come to this period eventually. Deciding which SAT prep classes to go with for their kids. This location is within walking distance that's always a plus. There is another prep course in the building but I didn't consider that because it's got a bad reputation in Chinese community. So I call Insight instead. I'm glad I did because the staffs are informative and Mom friendly. After the course is done, my son has improved 150 points. I am quite impressed with that. They offer 3 mock tests that can be scheduled with flexibility. I thought this is important to high school kids because their life is busy. read more

I was a student with Insight in 2008-2009 and worked closely with the college counseling team through each step of the application process, from figuring out what type of college experience/fit would be right for me to carefully reviewing my essays and application multiple times. Insight played a big part in helping me attend my dream school. Since then, I've worked as a tutor/instructor with Insight - I was constantly impressed how tirelessly every member of the staff worked, with a significant amount of time spent behind the scenes preparing for meetings, reading essays, responding to emails, and figuring out how to best support each student. I would definitely recommend Insight to anyone interested! read more

I was enrolled in the SAT prep class for a 2 week accelerated program and I can only say that the program lived up to the hype! The entire program was overall an amazing experience that helped me develop time management on the test and my overall test taking ability. I have to say is the time after the practice test when the staff helps take apart the questions that we missed and helps prep us for the following practice test the next day is one of the best parts of the program. But the dedication of staff members like Jenny Bloom was just the kind of thing that made the entire experience fun and memorable. Mrs. Bloom gave invaluable insight into my college applications and helped craft a resume that gave me opportunities to receive a scholarship at top universities like University of Texas at Austin and a full-scholarship at the University of Texas at Dallas. I recommend this program to anyone who is serious about their college application and their chance to get a scholarship through their test scores! read more

Stacy is my savior! I don't know what I would have done without her over the past two years. She started working with me at the beginning of the summer before my junior year, and then helped me with college applications and scholarship applications during my senior year. She shows genuine interest in my life and knows my personality, likes/dislikes, and activities. I love attending our college counseling meetings. Being the first person in my family to attend college in this country made the college admissions process seem overwhelming. I would have been lost without Stacy. She kept me motivated and showed me what I needed to do to succeed. For the last two years, Stacy has provided me with great advice. She helped me study for the SAT, land a volunteer position, and secure a biology internship at Stanford University. When it came time to write my college essays this past year, she helped me brainstorm different topics. When I decided to apply to more colleges, she even gave up her week of vacation to help me revise my essays. At 1AM, Stacy discussed each line of my essay with me and the next day made herself available to do a final review of my essays before I submitted. She is now helping me with scholarships and financial aid. Beyond college guidance, Stacy has taught me numerous life lessons including discipline, motivation, and to always fight to achieve my dreams no matter how difficult they may seem. From replying to the four e-mails I sent her within one hour on various occasions to the friendly "hey, guess what?" message, she is available to me 24/7 and always answers my questions. Having Stacy as my mentor is one of the most treasured relationships I have! read more

The team at Insight Education never ceases to impress. As an alumnus, the team periodically checks in to see the progress of my post graduate career and understand how my university choices shaped it. This type of research shows me that the Insight Education crew brings long-term perspective to its current students. A value that is extremely valuable for high school students trying to figure out which college to chose and how that choice will shape their lives. Keep up the great work Insight Education! read more

I had a wonderful time at Insight Education. I worked with Ajit throughout 2011, applying to college in fall of 2011. Ajit is really, really good - he did over a dozen reviews of a single college's essay alone - and is very honest and direct with his feedback. He was also super helpful in me finding an internship that summer, which greatly helped with my college apps. I have and will continue to recommend Insight to other folks looking for college prep services. read more

Very disappointed. We naively bought into "customized counseling guidance through high school" with x hours per year and unlimited support, location both Fremont and Cupertino. Counseling was literally 30 min each month with standard questions checking grades, etc. The Fremont location did not work for the counselor so we ended up doing Skype calls. Ultimately all the summer programs, things to do around school break were planned by us, the counselor just said "that's a great idea, go for it" in the sessions. $7000 later, we chose not to renew after two years. If you want counseling, suggest go one on one with a private counselor who really knows your kid and can provide some meaningful feedback. read more

Zach from Insight provided amazing support, guidance and assistance through out the college consulting process. I really appreciate for them being proactive in following up and providing their inputs. I would definitely refer to my friends and family. read more

My daughter worked with Jenny Bloom at Insight Education and had a very good experience, as well as being admitted to her first choice college. Having Jenny's help and guidance GREATLY reduced the stress of the college application process (compared to our experience with our older child). I thought that Jenny did an exceptional job of getting to know my daughter and helping her make choices that were best for her and her situation. Jenny was extremely helpful with deciding which schools to apply to. This is a very important step in the process, and Jenny made sure my daughter gave it the necessary time and consideration to do it properly. Also, Jenny's knowledge of schools and their programs, as well as their admissions policies and quirks, was a huge asset in this area. This saved us all time, money and stress and my daughter ended up applying to a reasonable number of schools and feeling confident she'd be accepted to a school she would be happy to attend. Jenny was also very helpful with essays. She gave my daughter good advice on what were and were not good topics, and a lot of help with feedback/editing of the essays themselves, including getting feedback from other counselors. My daughter didn't require too much help with test prep, but she did take advantage of taking at least one realistic-environment practice test, which was very useful. She ended up taking the SAT just once and scoring very well. It seemed like there were a lot of test prep resources available to her at Insight had she needed them. Jenny did a good job of helping decide which SAT subject tests to take as well. We are a family of procrastinators, and Jenny did a good job of keeping my daughter well ahead of her deadlines so we never had the stress of submitting things last-minute. I found this almost miraculous, as my daughter had an incredibly busy schedule in the fall (marching band, AP classes, other extracurriculars). Overall, Jenny was very pleasant, helpful, and available. She established a good rapport and trust with my daughter quickly, and we felt confident in following her guidance. Despite my daughter's tight schedule, we were able to schedule sessions without difficulty. Jenny was also quick to respond to email. We are all very pleased with our experience and outcome, which well exceeded my expectations. I would highly recommend Jenny as a counselor, and I consider the fees paid to Insight money very well spent. read more

This was the biggest disappointment in terms of college counseling. Don't waste your money with this center. I can't believe that anyone would even give them a rating of 2! read more

Insight education is a very well run institution where the team focuses on the kid's capabilities, interests, profile and tailor an individualized program to maximize their potential. We had an excellent experience with Purvi and her team! I especially loved her style: she focuses on what's best for the kid and not distracted by what the parents want. She guided our son for over 2 years, helped him at every step (courses, internship ideas, SAT-II) and her methodical approach in writing the prompts and essay was very effective! He got into several top CS programs and much of the credit can be attributed to the excellent guidance by Purvi! I highly recommend her! read more

I worked with Insight in 2016, and I had an absolutely phenomenal experience. I worked primarily with Purvi - as an international student - and I was amazed at how much time and effort everyone at Insight spent to help me through the application process. From test preparation, essay critiques, and mock interviews the team was incredibly helpful. Overall, Purvi made the application process much less overwhelming. She helped me every step of the way and was always available to provide extra help. All in all, I was accepted to over 7 schools in the U.S. I would highly recommend Insight's services to any student. read more

Both my brother and I attended Insight and had a fantastic experience. I had Purvi as my college counselor during high school from 2011-2014. Having parents that had not gone to school in the U.S., Purvi was able to explain the college application process in great detail and prepare my family for college admissions. During the earlier years of high school, Purvi helped guide summer activities, and encouraged me to get involved with research outside of school. I also had access to dozens of standardized tests which helped me prepare for SAT subject tests, the ACT, and AP exams. These tests helped me practice and bring up my scores tremendously. When it came to senior year, Purvi was extremely responsive to all my concerns. She helped me narrow down which schools to apply to, and advised me to get started early. She went through dozens of drafts of my essays with me and helped me present myself in the best way to colleges. Furthermore, when I was deciding where to go, she took the time to review all my options and give me the best advice. Four years later, I was extremely happy with the college I chose and couldn't be more thankful to Insight for getting me there. read more

I joined Insight in my junior year and have worked with Sarah for the past year and a half. I am incredibly grateful for the support that she and Insight have provided for me, whether it be preparing me for an interview, creating a list of colleges, or guiding me through intimidating college essays. I appreciate how she supported me as both a student and person: she listened to my stories, gave me guidance, helped me reflect on my experiences -- even helped turn my three-page bulleted list of scattered thoughts (after many rounds of revisions and reflection) into a 650 Common Application essay that I felt proud submitting, because of how well it reflected myself. Through the college admissions process, Sarah helped me to recognize how significantly my experiences have shaped me, and I am happy to be able to enter college and pursue my goals with a greater understanding of myself and where I want to be. I have committed to my dream college for this coming fall, and when I look back, I still remember how supportive Sarah was throughout the whole process. I remember Sarah giving me advice on what to do when I visited schools during the spring of my junior year, encouraging me to apply to a summer camp that later solidified my interest in a major that I will be studying, helping me brainstorm ideas for my essays, providing me thoughtful feedback for improvement, giving me the final "all-clear" for submission, and checking in with me when results came out to hear my good news. At every step, I had someone I could ask for guidance or support, and it truly made everything so much easier. The individualized and personal help at Insight is what makes them special. I felt cared for and supported as a person rather than a resume to be made. They value getting to understand the student and family, learning about the path they would like to pursue, and recognizing their values and experiences. By doing this, they are able to not only guide their students into becoming intelligent learners, but also critical thinkers, leaders, and prepared young adults. I would highly recommend checking them out! read more

I am currently a student on part-scholarship at my "dream" school, Rice University, and I can honestly say that I would not be here without the incredible support that Insight Education provided me. I worked with Purvi closely throughout my junior and senior years of high school, and Insight provided me with test-taking and counseling services. Junior year: I had gone through a full SAT Course at Elite right upstairs, and I remember being so incredibly frustrated that my SAT score would not be where I wanted it to be even after 3 months of studying and wasting a summer. I came to chat with Purvi for the first time and she assured me that if I worked with them and took the seemingly hundreds of practice exams they had, that my score would definitely be in a competitive range. I signed up with Insight for my junior year, and by October I surpassed the SAT score I had wanted to get and was able to do even better on my ACT and subject SATs, all with Insight's help. They are incredibly flexible and have endless resources to take practice exams. Even throughout my basketball season, I was able to come in on the evenings or weekends and take practice exams as often as I liked. Weekly meetings with Purvi also helped me plan my extracurriculars and she gave me meaningful advice and encouragement when it got to the tough parts of my school year. By the time it got to looking at summer internships as a intended-pre-medical student, Purvi gave me a list of internships that I could look at and also helped me edit emails to send to professors at nearby universities. I was able to get internships at both UCSF and NASA with her help prepping for interviews and editing my resume. Senior year: By senior year, I knew that Insight would be the right fit for me -- I was really overwhelmed and I was never the kind of person to have a dream school, but Purvi worked with me from the June before my senior year to compile a list of about 25 universities that I intended to apply to -- both medical programs and just undergraduate universities. She was an incredible help to me in editing and formulating my thoughts because I was never great at condensing all of my experiences from high school and tuning them to each application. Within 2-3 days, I would always have her thoughts on my university+scholarship applications and free-writes. Even now as I look back at my applications and am able to see how she was able to help me weave a story with all of my high school experiences and career goals. I was able to get interviews and acceptances to top 10 universities and medical programs, and I could not have done any of this, again, without her incredible mentorship and guidance through the interviewing process. Finding Rice University to be the most perfect fit was something I never would have even imagined, but after chatting with multiple people at Insight, I was able to narrow down my list of acceptances and pick this school -- a decision that I will never regret. But, beyond all of this, the crew at Insight -- Sarah, Ajit, Purvi, Ben, Jenny -- they were a constant source of emotional support through the rough season that was college acceptances/rejection. I remember going in after school week after week and they would just come out and say hi to me and have genuine conversations with me encouraging me and offering to help. I remember even going in one day to Purvi's office and having a "vent session" with her not because I needed help with school or with applications, but rather because I just needed someone to talk to who understood the stress I was going through during the time. Even 2 years later, I still have a picture of Purvi and I at my graduation party and a note that she wrote to me titled "10 things to remember when Cupertino is too far". tl:dr Insight Education is beyond worth it as a counseling service, and I cannot express how thankful I am for Purvi and the rest of the incredible Insight crew. read more

I am currently a student at Santa Clara University, and am transferring to the University of Southern California for the upcoming academic year. I started going to Insight as a junior in high school, and it was an incredibly useful tool for me. Throughout junior year I was able to take ACT and SAT subject tests, which I found very helpful. Insight helped me particularly in senior year. My counselors edited and revised my essays (we ended up with 11 drafts!), helped me with the technical parts of the application, and made sure I portrayed myself in the way I wanted to. When my counselor had to move to Chicago, Insight was very accommodating of my schedule and needs, and allowed me to Skype call with my counselor who had moved but also work with another counselor still in the area. Zach and Sarah were both very helpful and because of Insight, I was able to get a lot of helpful feedback on my essays. I definitely recommend Insight to anyone looking for help with the college experience; Insight made the process so much easier! read more

I am currently a student at UC San Diego, one of my "reach" schools, and always remember how Insight Education played a key role in getting me into a university that is friendly, challenging, and a great fit for me and my intellectual and social pursuits. I remember sitting down at a consultation, even before I had registered for Insight Education, discussing majors and possible career paths with Ajit Jain. I felt at ease being able to organize the application process and narrow schools and majors with helpful advice from Ajit. I'm so grateful for Insight's help because the millions of questions that come up during the application process, they were able to answer and were always there, through email or by phone or in person. I was also able to work on my application right there in the office! where they could look over my shoulder and guide me through it, saving time and reducing stress. I loved being able to send my college essays to Ajit and receiving instant feedback. I know often times students are worried that if they get their essays reviewed too often, they might lose their personal voice. Ajit's feedback was extremely beneficial because he would help make my essay stronger without losing what I was trying to get across. This was important to me because in getting essays reviewed by others, there is often a tendency for reviewers to completely take apart your essay and make it their own. Also, Insight had the resources (that many other prep centers don't have) to aid me in preparing for my SAT's, SAT 2's and AP Exams. I could just pop in on the weekends, take a practice test and go back home because of the friendly atmosphere. I would see friends there, and it helped make studying relaxing and fun. Taking an SAT on the weekends at Insight almost felt like being able to go to my friends house without notice and just hang out (except hanging out in this case, was helping me get to the college of my dreams!) Seriously though, TO THIS DAY, I can email Ajit and ask him questions about college, and how to prepare for post-graduate plans, and he is always helpful and responsive. He truly cares about students not only during their time at Insight but further along the road. Insight is definitely worth it if you want to find the college right for you and master those stressful applications and essays! I highly recommend it! Feel free to comment or email if you have any questions! read more