My stepdaughter Catalina began her search & application process for graduate schools relatively…read morelate in the process, with just a few weeks before the deadline. Right off the bat, David was very accommodating with his time. From the initial consultation, I could tell that David was very skilled at determining her strengths & weaknesses & how they fit into various graduate MBA programs. He quickly got an intrinsic understanding of ''who she is'' & was able to devise an action plan to highlight her strengths for her school of choice. Based on a couple initial conversations we had, he generated a terrific list of core values which helped drive the rest of the process. Just to be safe, I shopped around a bit and found that David's fees were very favorable compared to some of the other well-known admissions strategists around the country, in some cases less than half as much. So we decided to stick with David. David would promptly answer our questions & provided strong recommendations for my daughter on how to articulate herself in the both the application and essay. He was always available either by phone or email and always made us feel like his top priority when we needed his assistance. I have to recognize that we called him perhaps much more than we should have, but he took it all in stride and was extremely accommodating, reassuring, patient and attentive. He was also excellent in researching the most recent admission trends for her top choice university so we could appropriately strategize the application and pitch her strengths in a way that helped turn the tables on the college admissions process. I would highly recommend David if you are looking for an expert in the graduate admissions process. He's worth every penny. - TT (stepdaughter), admitted to Stanford MBA

David and College Match were great to work with. David was a critical part of the college…read moreapplication process for my two children, now undergraduates at UC Berkeley and UCLA. His style of working with high school students is very easy-going and patient, asking inquisitive questions to help them identify their own approach and highlights throughout the complicated and intense application process. We started with David a bit late with our first child, but David quickly helped him catch-up and stay organized. With our second, we were able to involve David earlier in the process which helped space out the work better. He and his team were equally responsive and timely with their support. Thank you David!

It was wonderful and so reassuring to work with Ms. Colwell! She put together a great list of…read moreschools that were just right for our son, and so far, he has not received a single rejection! The whole experience has been so much easier than the nightmare stories I have read and heard from fellow parents! The key is knowing and finding schools that are the right fit for your child, and Ms. Colwell is passionate about that, and introduced us to some thoughtful and great programs- perfect for our son! I highly recommend working with her, listening carefully to her advice and watching the good news roll in! So grateful for her help! Mom of very happy senior in High School

Stacy has been working with my daughter for 2 years. She's now off to college. Stacy is extremely…read moreknowledgeable with the college process! She really gets to know her students to give them proper insight for colleges that would be the best fit. Stacy has a positive energy and a great sense of humor which relates well with teenagers! She made the stressful college process more enjoyable!

Allen tutors our two daughters (middle and high school) in math and writing while coaching me and…read moremy husband through a step-by step process on how to implement a project-based home curriculum. Now that we are both working from home, and with school closures in effect with no end in sight, Allen has been helping us create a home learning environment for our daughters. When we first started with Allen, he set us up with a daily schedule, which has helped us set routines for ourselves and for our children. The daily schedule has been a game changer for us. Personally, my own stress has been reduced because Allen has empowered me with the advice, skills, and patience to work with my own children in an academic homeschooling kind of way. 100% recommend Allen!! Wonderful and intelligent individual!

I highly recommend Allen Kushinsky. Allen came in to help my 9th grade son transition to his high…read moreschool studies. In particular, I wanted a strong writing instructor for one-on-one writing development. Allen is super easy-going and approachable, and he connected quickly with my son. He was wonderful at helping sort through the various class platforms (for grading, homework assignments, resources, etc.) which can be quite confusing at Drake. He was super patient, giving thoughtful and helpful feedback to my son. He also helped my son devise study systems for each of his classes, making the course load much more manageable. We hope to continue with Allen on a project basis, and then restart weekly meetings once winter sports are over.

I loved working with Emily. I found her through Sage Educators in Mill Vally and was so glad that I…read moreworked with her over other counselors. I had friends who worked with other counselors who were discouraged about the schools they were applying to and Emily was always very supportive of me while still being realistic about what I should be looking for. Emily met with me personally, helped me fill out applications, reviewed my essays and even gave me a binder (and google doc) of my daily schedule for applying to schools. I couldn't recommend anyone else. I am currently a student at Chapman University (my top choice of colleges) and owe it to Emily!!

I highly recommend Emily. I chose Emily on my own searching on yelp for a counselor when I realized…read moremy school counselors weren't very helpful. Emily showed me a lot of schools that I didn't know much about and I ended up applying to most of them. The net result couldn't have been better, now I am in a top-tier school in my subject (tied with brown and yale on CS rankings) and I have to thank her for that. She has the power to change lives! :)

We are really grateful we signed our son up with The College Planning Center! He's already…read morebenefitting from their organized step-by-step approach from their two programs - College Planning and Test Prep. He has more clarity and commitment, and this is helping to support his journey towards a future career choice based on solid facts about his interests, skills and dreams. The College Planning Center of Corte Madera is a family run business that has expanded from Granite Bay Area. Lynnette the owner has over 25 yrs of experience helping college bound students. We were assigned a Councelor match and have truly marveled at how Jann Russell weaves together the results of his SAT/ACT practice test scores, personality test and their college preference questionnaires -- into a clear and customized understanding of his college trajectory. Jann came up with an impressive slide show of recommended colleges and helped make the process for our teen surprisingly stressless. We walked out of their office after the show with a clearer college action plan, and with less anxiety around the mysterious unknowns which parents and college bound students often feel about the process. We continue to benefit from their vast experience and look forward to visiting the colleges they've specifically recommended for him. He'll eventually have guidance with college essays, and can dip into their proprietary software anytime which guides him to study online exactly which test questions he needs help with based on his practice test results. Overall, an outstanding service. Worth every penny. Highly recommend

Throughout my entire life, going to college and starting my own life has always been a big dream of…read moremine. I just never knew how I was going to achieve that. Both of my parents are immigrants and as they try their hardest to help me achieve my goals, they did not have much information on how to apply to colleges or what colleges I should even apply to. That was when my friend referred me to the college planning center where I was given my very own college counselor, named Rajani Rao who showed a deep care in seeing my success in this college process. Every step of the way she gave me direction and deadlines ensuring I would get all of my applications done on time. Whenever I needed help with anything I was able to turn to her incredible knowledge and get a fast, swift, and helpful answer. She made the college application process, which is an extremely stressful one, more enjoyable, easy and she showed that she believed in me throughout every step of the way. I ended up getting in to one of my dream schools and I could not have done it without the college planning center's and Rajani's incredible help. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone looking for help and guidance through their college application process! -Selihom Kibrom, Class of 2024 Going to Cal Poly Slo!

Thinktango, and the people that make it what it is (Dr. Shari Aldridge and Chloe), are some of the…read moremost generous, intelligent people I have ever met and produce truly astonishing work. Before connecting with Thinktango, I had been advised by two of the United States' 'best' admissions consultants (former readers from two Ivies who operate their own independent admissions consultancy groups). Working with Shari, I could not have been more impressed and from my experience, can confidently say that she is the best possible person to offer admissions advice. As a current student at Columbia University, Shari's guidance was invaluable in my acceptance. Shari is honest, to the point, and hones decades of experience in helping students shape their applications. She provides feedback and guidance and knows exactly what is needed and where; she cares deeply about her students and is committed to going the extra step. The changes that I made as a result of our discussions were clearly distinguishing factors that further set my application apart. Shari's experience and wisdom is second to none as are her results and success. I recommend Thinktango completely and when it comes to applying to college, trust Shari and Chloes's advice above all others. Thank you both so much - I am completely indebted to you for your help and guidance!

Shari and the team at thinktango are phenomenal! We really can't thank her enough for helping our…read morefamily through not just one, but two, college processes. Our girls, one now a junior and another a freshman, were both accepted at their early decision schools. First off, when you meet Shari, it is immediately evident that she knows each college and its individual admissions process well. This is incredibly valuable in helping your child choose the right school. After getting to know each of our girls, she was spot on in her advice as to which schools would be good fits for them. Also when it came to the application process, she clearly understood what each school was looking for. After working with so many students over the years, she has accumulated a vast knowledge base of what works and what doesn't -- and it is definitely a vast spectrum. And while both girls got into their ED schools, each had a dozen applications already completed and ready to submit in early December, all of which had been customized. In terms of the actual applications, we could not have been more pleased with the final products each of our girls submitted. I recall sitting with my oldest before she hit the Submit button. We both agreed that the application in its entirety was a true representation of her - it portrayed exactly who she was as a person, not just her accomplishments. This was the real value-add that Shari provided. She got to know my child and was able to extract and have her put on paper what was truly unique and special about her. It vividly came through. This created a great sense of relief - we both felt that if she had gotten rejected, it was because the school really saw her for the person she was and just didn't feel that she was a fit. It would not have been because her application fell short in anyway. We had the same experience with my younger daughter, who could not be more different in personality and interests than our oldest. Lastly, one of the best things about working with Shari is that she and your child will own the process. We originally struggled with using a consultant -- ultimately I felt that the most important thing was preserving my daughter and my relationship. And that is exactly what happened. My husband and I were involved in the process, but only from a big picture way. We saw drafts and gave high level comments, but quickly realized that they had everything under control. As you can tell, our family had a wonderful experience with Shari! We could not recommend her more highly.

Life is a journey, not a destination…read more - Ralph Waldo Emerson This quote is the bedstone of Linda's practice. Though the destination is 'college' with Linda's individualized guidance the journey of discovery revealed several excellent college matches for our son. We interviewed numerous college counselors. Immediately we knew Linda was the right professional to take the overwhelming worry out of the daunting college process. She is thoughtful, inviting, well educated and absolutely client centered. Linda has a wealth of applicable knowledge and experience. She worked tirelessly with our son to find the right fit. Her method kept him organized and on track with regular meetings and check ins. More importantly he enjoyed working with her! Ultimately, Linda's expertise and guidance was integral in his Early Decision acceptance to Cornell. We look forward to watching our son work into his full potential and are overwhelmingly grateful for her help.

Better be good at computers because she refused to give me any written documentation of the…read more'research' she had compiled for my daughter, which is like a doctor refusing to release your medical chart! Not a good fit for our family at all.

Fusion has been a complete game-changer for my son. His teachers are all experienced, creative,…read moreengaging and flexible and have been able to tailor the curriculum to match his interests and learning style. His love of learning has been rekindled. Prior to Fusion, we struggled with school refusal -- now he looks forward to going, no joke! Each day, we receive updates from his teachers about his progress. The administrators are also wonderful and went above and beyond to understand his learning style as well as a few health issues. We never have to worry about him falling behind if he needs medical treatments. There is incredible flexibility with how assignments are given and he can learn at a fast pace. I give Fusion a 10 out of 10. So grateful to have this school in Marin.

Both my kids are thriving and realizing how well they can learn with a personalized program. From…read moreboth almost failing in public schools even with IEP, Fusion has helped them realize that they can achieve fantastic results.