The college application process and landscape have changed so much since I was a college applicant, I wanted to make sure my son would be prepared for the challenge. I had colleges in mind for my son but I needed a third party who is familiar with the process and have resources to elevate him as a strong candidate. I also needed someone to coach him so that I end up not being a "nag" essentially. I felt confident after interviewing and researching several college application counseling services that Ivy Scholars was the one. What I liked about Ivy Scholars was their bespoke approach to coaching the candidate. It was one on one which I truly loved - Not some group in a conference room discussing your child and giving vague ideas of how to build your candidacy. I felt Ivy Scholars focused on the individual candidate. Meeting with Sasha was great, instant confidence. I reviewed his team and they were all very professional and very qualified. It offered candidacy building, test prep, and essay and application help. Everything I was looking for. I had a lot of trepidation about spending money (it is expensive, they all are) on college applications but I felt it would help my son. I needed help as a parent. Well, it was well worth it. Actually I would say Ivy Scholars helped my son beyond what I expected. Daniel Schriever was my son's weekly coach and counselor. He was patient, thoughtful, and really talented. He took the time to learn my son's personality - strengths and weaknesses. My son was not the most organized - typical teenage boy. He worked with him and learned of his passions and interests and helped him get an internship that he loved. It fit right in with his interests. He helped him connect with a research mentor and he was able to submit his research for publication. As for the college application process, well, my son, out of the blue, wanted to apply to the service academies. That is a whole another beast of a process. Daniel helped with 16 college applications and three service academy applications. The essays, the college app, coached him on military panel interviews as well as congressional nomination interviews. So now we have a problem - a good problem to have, we never expected. He got accepted to UT Austin early action as an out of state applicant. They had 140,000 applicants this year - 95% deferred, and only 10% is out of state. He is a national Air Force ROTC Scholarship recipient as well as Army ROTC Scholarship recipient. He received an appointment to the United States Military Academy (West Point) with three Congressional nominations. He also got accepted to 11 other colleges of which they are rewarding him with scholarships. Thank you Daniel, Sasha, Dr Len and Team read more

I sought Ivy Scholars for my daughter in the spring of her junior year and through the fall semester of her senior year, leading up to her college acceptance at her first-choice university. While my child had a great GPA, high test scores, and some admirable extracurricular accomplishments, I felt she needed help standing out in a crowded, hyper competitive applicant pool. What attracted me to Ivy Scholars is that is they are based in Houston (I also considered national counseling services based on the West Coast and East Coast) and therefore knew the local Houston area high schools and how candidates from the South compete at Ivy/Ivy Plus colleges. I admit that I was initially skeptical if the money would be worth it and if advice would be meaningfully different from the private high schools. My conclusion is YES it was worth it, and here are four things that I got from Ivy Scholars and from no one else: 1. Clear-eyed, objective analysis with pointed feedback: Sasha blew us away at our first interview. He asked a lot of questions, cut to the chase, and offered at least three different approaches to up the game. My experience with other counselors had been generic and friendly, "you do you" message for the applicant. Sasha zoned in on my daughter's options and gaps that had to be filled depending on the option we selected. I also greatly appreciated his insight into what activities NOT to invest in anymore since more is not always better. 2. Application strategy: besides the application itself, other factors just as Early Decision (1 or 2), Early Action, major selection, etc. affect the odds. Ivy Scholars was the only source who could provide specific multipliers that improve or hurt one's chances for acceptance. These multipliers are based on actual data from the colleges. Because of this insight, we had not just a college list but a detailed sequence to execute for early decision, early action, regular, majors, supplemental essays, etc. 2. Ruthless editing: My daughter worked with Dave W. to edit 14 essays for the Common App and supplementals. Quote from my daughter: "it was nice working with someone who didn't know who I was or was worried about hurting my feelings. We just got right down to the point and worked on making the essays better. There was no wasted time." She had her Common App done by the summer. 4. Capstone opportunities: Ivy Scholars provided unique capstone opportunities through their extensive network, enabling my daughter to undertake projects that set her apart. These opportunities, associated with prestigious academic institutions, enhanced her resume in ways beyond what her high school or clubs could offer. For those who are considering Ivy Scholars, I hope that this breakdown of benefits helps other parents make a decision. Ivy Scholars took my stress level down from 95% to 5% and boosted my daughter's confidence in the process, well before the acceptance emails started to roll in. I highly recommend Ivy Scholars and would use them again for my other children. read more

My daughter worked with Sasha and Ivy Scholars to build a customized candidate building plan that really helped her shine! With the help of Danielle Haak at Ivy Scholars and her attention to detail, my daughter was able to develop her interests into extracurriculars that helped her stand out in her application, from starting and growing a non-profit, to seeking out professors to connect with on research on sustainability in the fashion industry. Also the sessions with Danielle just really boosted my daughter's confidence and made her feel like she was capable of growing her talents to the next level and showcasing them in an interesting way. My daughter was accepted to her top choice, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and it was guidance from Danielle and Sasha that that inspired her to pursue the Wharton Global Youth Program. The team's knowledge that this program was key to helping my daughter acquire some of the skills that would make her attractive as a finance major in the program was just what we needed. Also, the training my daughter received for SAT testing was helpful because of the tips and tricks she learned at mastering each subject area. I am so happy we were able to connect with this team who not only worked hard with my daughter, but who also addressed all of my concerns through the entire process. read more

My daughter has attended a local private high school for the last four years. While we felt very comfortable with her teachers and coaches there, we wanted an additional opinion when it came to college counseling. Sasha's company Ivy Scholars is special because they pay attention to student's growth and development as well as writing good essays. My daughter started by working with Jennifer, who helped her understand her interests through the candidate building program. My daughter was very excited by the resources and mentorship available. She was able to learn about majors to pursue in college, then take on philanthropy projects, including teaching study skills and martial arts to children from low-income families during the lockdown. She was also accepted to a prestigious Harvard summer camp, where she received an "A" in a college-level psychology course. These early successes helped her feel more confident in herself as she started to apply to college. Working with Jennifer helped Pearl become more mature, as well as more ready for college applications. When we started the college application process, Martin helped my daughter turn her interests and experiences into great college essays. I was so proud to see that university admissions committees would see not just her achievements, but her growth. For example, my daughter has been deeply passionate about highland dance for years, which is an unusual style, especially for our family's Chinese background. Not only did Martin help Pearl show the hard work and determination this unconventional style demanded of her, the essays they built together showed her personal growth as a leader in her dance class, overcoming her own insecurities and helping other girls do the same. It meant so much to me as a parent to hire a company that will help my daughter understand how she has grown and show that to colleges. In the end, we applied to about 10 universities, but were accepted to our first choice, the Early Decision school, Rice. We are overjoyed, and highly recommend Ivy Scholars. They helped my daughter grow and cared about her, putting their hearts into their work. I'm tremendously grateful. read more

Thanks very much to Sasha and Ivy Scholars for help with my application to Cambridge University for mathematics. I received great help with my personal statement, as well as some very useful interview preparation and I am delighted to say that I now hold an offer from Cambridge. read more

Just want to say that everything that applies to the Ivy Scholars in Sugar Land is true here too. Basically, much MUCH better than Testmasters and a world away from the counseling that comes with high school. My time management skills were basically nonexistent when I started. Getting organized and planning 9 months ahead was the best choice I made in high school. They are patient, easy to work with, and probably saved me 100 hours of struggling to figure things out on my own. Thank you guys! read more

My son is a very talented artist at the prestigious Shanghai American School. Matthew and Sasha did an amazing job helping my son get into the Rhode Island School of Design, as his first choice and one of the world's best art programs. Only 10 students in all of Asia were accepted for the Early Decision and my son was one of them. So I am writing this review to say thank you. I have always told my son that I would do everything I could to support him going to a very good college, that could enable him to be a fulfilled artist and happy, prosperous, professional. Our journey to get him the best education was not easy and required a lot of personal sacrifice. It was hard to find a college counselor we could trust. We did not like college counselors' attitudes in Shanghai, because they were hypercompetitive and not genuine. We felt they did not really respect him, the sacrifices he made, and why his art was important to him. My son wouldn't have fit well with a slick person. He needed to work with an artist like himself who was genuine, passionate, insightful, and creative. After the first two years of high school, I was introduced to Sasha by one of my friends from the Asian-American Council, Mandy Kao. Sasha and Matt helped her son get into Rice, and she said they could help my son too. I was very grateful for this reference, as expectations were high and time was short. Sasha's first call with my son lasted three hours. Not only did Sasha ask about academics, he asked about my son's artistic vision, personal motivations, and life goals. Afterwards, my son told me that Sasha really cared about him. I agreed. When I talked to Sasha, he asked questions like "what are your dreams for your son?" that nobody had asked before. It felt like he was a counselor and not trying to sell me something. Ivy Scholars had a playwright and poet on staff named Matt, whose work fit perfectly into my son's art. Matt was authentic, kind, thoughtful, and funny. My son loved working with him. He guided my son on his art, on publishing and getting recognition. The year he spent getting to know my son before the college application process made a huge difference. Matt and Sasha really listened to the challenges facing our family. They also helped us navigate a difficult family situation between my son and his father. By the time they started writing, they were good friends and understood each other, so they could write better together, slowly tuning into my son's best qualities and framing his story. Especially in pool of Chinese students, my son's Personal Statement had heart and showed his artists' soul. It was real and genuine. My son was comfortable with how he presented himself in his essays. Ivy Scholars lifted a heavy burden from me. They did an exceptional job accommodating the time difference. Even at the last minute, they were available. My son worked with Matthew every Monday night (China time, Sunday morning US time). He was happy to stay awake until 11PM Shanghai time, and enjoyed his late-night writing. Time management was perfect. Everything was submitted on time, which would not have happened if my son was in charge. I was still a little worried, but I felt more comfortable working with caring professionals. My advice for parents reading this is to start early and find mentors, not consultants! We started in October of 11th grade and had just enough time to complete all of my son's candidacy goals before he had to write his college application essays. I think starting in 10th grade is ideal. Less genuine counselors in Shanghai will work with students only for a month or two. This would not have worked for me and my son because we needed a mentor we could get to know personally and trust, not just essay editors. Great work with students requires rapport. Smart college counselors can't substitute for college counselors that pay attention and care. Sasha and Matt knew my son thoroughly, deeply, and with great rapport, because they were there for his development, guiding him on what colleges wanted and how to think of himself as an application without compromising his integrity. Without that personal connection, Marcus would not have written such a great personal statement, or achieved such great successes. I am so happy I found them to support my son's dreams. read more

This process - from the day I first met with Ivy scholars in 10th grade to reminiscing with my mentors today as I graduate high school - has been a whirlwind of progress and self realization. I knew nothing about the college application process before starting with Ivy Scholars and never dreamed I would be accepted to an Ivy. I was a good student with all As and participated in a few extracurricular activities, but I lacked vision for my future and the doubted my abilities nonetheless. Two years after starting with Ivy Scholars, I got into my #1 dream school (Columbia University) and developed a new set of skills, including self confidence, great time management and organization, and an open mind to the world's opportunities. Ivy Scholars has taught me more about myself than I ever expected and through the process I have made valuable connections with my mentors, whom I now consider my friends. Thank you all so much for this experience, team. You guys rock read more