This was our first time going through the college application process of today. Everything is so…read moredifferent from when we went to school, that we knew we needed a professional to guide us and our son on his next journey. Tiffany was a good fit, very organized and kept our son accountable and on track with the application process. She really listened to our son, guiding him through the process with his best interests in mind. She reviewed his essays timely with constructive feedback that helped give him a competitive advantage and made him stand out among so many applicants. As a parent, you naturally want the counselor to weigh your choices more heavily than the student. However, Tiffany tries her best to balance out the differences in choices. Tiffany's templates were very helpful and she had a lot of good references to share. Both us and our son had weekly action items. Our meetings with her were on time, focused and kept us moving forward. She took us step by step and explained clearly. There were some moments where it felt like things were moving a little too fast in areas we wanted to spend more time, but when we asked for clarification, she did provide it. Tiffany's systematic approach to the college application process, along with her recommendations on schools based on our son's interests, contributed to the high volume of acceptance letters from schools of his choosing. As a family, we committed to the university that best suited our son's personality, needs, and goals. Tiffany was there every step of the way. We are grateful for her support and look forward to going through the process again with her in another three years with our youngest.

Tiffany is amazing. She helped my senior son with his college application process…read more She helped him narrow down the college list. She worked with him to come up with a story about himself. On one occasion, my son decided to submit an appeal letter at the last minute. She was out of the country and my son was on vacation. Timing was very challenging. Nonetheless, Tiffany made herself available, stayed on top of it, and helped my son write and submit an appeal in a very short period of time. Best part of all is her communication skills. She knows how to work with teenagers. My son is introverted and sometimes it's hard for him to open up to people he doesn't know. Tiffany was able to make him feel comfortable and he was able to work with her genuinely. We were very happy with Tiffany's service, and when our younger son wanted to work with a counselor, we scheduled an initial meeting with her for him. During the initial meeting, my son already knew that he wanted to work with her and now Tiffany is his college counselor, too. I would recommend Tiffany to any high school student looking for an excellent college counselor. She is knowledgeable, approachable, and very passionate about what she does.

Manny is very good advisor for college. He is perfect for those looking for help that live in the…read moreSan Francisco Bay Area. I highly recommend seeing him when your kid in the 8th or 9th grade. This is the best time to take advantage of his services.

Manny has been with us from beginning, to middle, to end…read more it can be a challenging process to navigate, so having his kindness and knowledge is huge!! Thank you, Manny for always helping and showing us how it's done!

We approached Elite SAT through a friend's referral, but it wasn't until we went through the…read moreprocess ourselves that we truly understood why it came so highly recommended. Elite SAT prep focuses on an individualized plan tailored to each student's needs. What impressed us most was that the Director, Ms Chiu offered consultations and guidance, taking the time to plan with us from the beginning to end. This level of involvement and personalized support helped my son achieved a 1570 on the Fall SAT. We're thankful.

My older son took the Elite Prep SJ Summer SAT program a few years ago. It prepared him well for…read morehis SAT. He became a National Merit Scholarship finalist and got 1580 on SAT. Although he ended up going to UCB which is test blind, but he also got in other top schools that do care about SAT scores. My younger son who was applying for high school, used Elite Prep's tutoring service to help him prepare for the High School Placement Test (HSPT). He was in the 70-80 percentile range when he first started taking the diagnostic exam, and he ended up getting 99 percentile on the actual test. He got in his #1 choice high school. Elite's test prep programs are not magic. It's not like you pay, then boom, you are guaranteed with high scores and admissions to top schools. The student has to be highly motivated, and put in lots of time, effort and sweats. Elite is there to guide the students and they know what they are doing, but they can't make "magic" happen if the student doesn't do their portion of hard work. For example, both of my boys did 4-6 months of test prep on their own with weekly practices, in addition to Elite's programs. That's what it took to reach their academic goals.

If you are looking for college admission support, I cannot recommend ILUMIN Education enough. Our…read moreconsultant, Danny has been working with my son since junior year, and his help during the application process was invaluable. He was extremely dedicated and provided advice that my son actually listened to and follow - which is a huge win for any parent! Seeing him get into his dream college was proud moment for us, and we know Danny played a big part in that success. We are so appreciative of the care and effort put into his journey.

Navigating today's college admissions process is completely different from when my husband and I…read morewent to college. We both attended public universities in California, but we quickly realized we didn't feel equipped--or have the time or energy--to guide our son through the competitive and often overwhelming landscape of applications, essays, and deadlines. On top of that, the dynamic between my son and me made it difficult to help him directly. That's when we decided to look for a college consultant. After an initial consultation with another firm, we hesitated. The cost was high, and we weren't convinced about the value. Around that time, we remembered Elton, whom we knew through our church. Years ago, I had attended a free workshop he gave and was struck by his message: helping students find the right fit--not just chasing prestige. That stuck with me. Knowing his character and his heart for young people and families gave me confidence in Ilumin's mission. Ilumin Education has a stellar team of experienced counselors, and we were given the chance to interview several coaches. We chose to work with Kelly because of her warmth and energy. She made an immediate connection with our son, and the fact that she had a child going through the process as well gave us added reassurance that she truly understood what families like ours were experiencing. Kelly built a trusting relationship with our son and always acknowledged his strengths--even though he didn't have a top SAT score. She structured meetings to fit his personality, keeping them productive and under an hour, and helped him stay on track without overwhelming him. Thanks to her encouragement and guidance, he completed his essays with confidence--many of them even ahead of schedule. He participated in Ilumin's summer essay bootcamp and later told us, "I can write really good essays now." He was so confident, in fact, that he submitted essays to additional schools outside our package on his own. The growth we saw in him was incredible. He was motivated, driven, and even helped friends who weren't working with a consultant. I had never seen him work so hard--and I never once had to nag him about his essays. Kelly helped him apply for selective summer opportunities, one of which was a month-long program at UCSB that turned out to be an amazing experience. Ultimately, our son was admitted to several great schools--including Purdue, University of Washington, Santa Clara University (with merit scholarships), and several selective state schools. He was even waitlisted at a highly selective Ivy League school, which he never would have considered applying to two years ago. While he didn't get into all his top choices, we were incredibly proud of how far he reached and how much he grew through the process. Beyond her work with students, Kelly supported me as a parent. During moments of panic (and there were many!), she responded to my emails promptly and thoughtfully--even after hours. On one occasion when Kelly was unavailable, Elton stepped in right away. That kind of responsiveness and care made us feel like more than just clients. We truly felt like they were part of our team. Working with Ilumin was one of the best decisions we made. I've spoken with other parents who hired consultants from other companies, and I can honestly say--we had the best experience. We are so grateful to Kelly, Elton, and the entire Ilumin team for their support, wisdom, and care during this journey.

I am grateful for having come across Dan and his writing and editing services. He perfected my…read morestatement of purpose and resume which helped me get accepted into my school of choice in a competitive field. The application process to any school or program can be daunting. It's worth seeking a highly skilled professional like Dan who will ease your worries and make you feel confident about your final work. He is honest, thorough and efficient. I am thrilled to be able to pursue my career and will never forget Dan and his top notch guidance.

Daniel helped me with correspondence to a business partner for negotiating a new arrangement…read more My contract was going to expire soon, so I needed to work out a plan that would protect me from uncertainties caused by COVID. Daniel provided valuable analysis and strategy. His writing is simple but very clear and persuasive, which makes it possible to achieve win-win solutions. He knows how to use psychology to get excellent results. Thanks to this assistance, everything worked out for the best. I also appreciated how he was always concerned about my needs, like a true friend. Highly recommended!

Entering my senior year of High School and the chaos of college applications, I was very lost on…read morewhat a strong college essay and application looked like. I remember having different extracurricular experiences to talk about but there was a missing piece of how to word my essay and let alone start on my essays. I spent 2 weeks blankly starring at my document before realizing I needed more help than I expected. It wasn't until I started working with John and Jamie that I was able to talk about my life experiences and turn them into strong essays that reflects who I am and the type of leader I am in any community. Working with them helped me quickly understand how college essays are structured and how I can word my experiences to illustrate my strong characteristics as a student and leader. I really appreciated the weekly workshops provided by Jamie and John for extra time to spend on essays. As someone who had a hard time finding time and motivation to work on my essays, the workshops and set meeting times held me accountable for getting my work done before each meeting. I would 100% recommend John's service to anyone else struggling during this process. I am now committing to UC Davis and I couldn't be more grateful for the help provided by John and Jamie.

We were referred to John by one of our close friends and we are so thankful we did it. John and…read morehis team worked closely with our son for four years, from course selection to summer camp application, and eventually through the college app process. He put a lot of thought and paid extra attention to every details of the application forms. He is our guardian on meeting every milestone in this journey. John is more of a mentor to my son as well. He helped him navigate through his stress and anxiety, so that he could focus on making progress in his course work and applications. He also help bridging the communication between us and our son, which we deeply appreciated to balance our relationship during the crunching times. We would highly recommend John, he is the one you can count on!

As a parent, I honestly felt we had started the college application process too late. We first…read morebegan working with Mr. Park during the summer before senior year, and I was worried there would not be enough time to really help my son. But after meeting him, my thinking completely changed. From the beginning, Mr. Park was very clear, organized, and realistic with us. He did not just give general advice like many other counselors. He took time to understand my son's strengths, personality, and goals, and gave guidance based specifically on him. That made a very big difference for us. He helped a lot with essays and personal statements. Many times he pushed my son to think deeper and explain his experiences better, and I could see the improvement over time. His feedback was very detailed and personal, not advice that I could find online. What I appreciated most was that he was honest and straightforward while still being very supportive. The college process can be stressful for both students and parents, but Mr. Park helped make everything feel much more manageable. My son also became more confident, organized, and mature during this process. I truly feel Mr. Park cares about his students and wants them to succeed long term, not only for college admissions. I would highly recommend him to any family looking for genuine and personalized college counseling support.

Mr. Park is an outstanding college counselor. Through his guidance over the past two years, my…read morechild not only got into her dream colleges but she also learned many life skills from him. Mr. Park has in-depth knowledge of the admission process. His understanding of application requirements, deadlines, and institutional preferences has helped my child to have a clear idea of what she needed to do. He stays informed about the latest admission trends, and his advice is relevant and up to date with the priorities of each college and their selection criteria. The organizational skills of Mr. Park are exceptional. He tracks my child's progress, application requirements, important dates of tests and submission deadlines very carefully, making sure nothing is overlooked. His well-structured documentation system consists of clear timelines and checklists which make it easy to follow and help my child to stay on top of the tasks. He also frequently guides my child on the organization skill which is very useful in life. Mr. Park consistently met with my child to ensure all the tasks were on track and discuss upcoming requirements. He had coached my child on the SAT before Junior year started, so she could later be more focused on her school work and applications. After spending a month working with Mr. Park intensely on the areas the she needed to improve, she scored very well and was satisfied with her performance. For college applications, Mr. Park always set the deadlines early to make sure there was enough time for review and revision in order to submit the best quality of materials on time. This skill let my child navigate this complex process smoothly and reduced last-minute stress. Mr. Park is honest and direct on feedback and what needs to be done. At the same time, he is also very encouraging, providing a positive outlook and always made my child feel his confidence in her. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a structured yet supportive college counselor.

Mark provided very useful information that the average parent and applicant may not know other…read morewise. He was patient and reliable.

My family has been working with Mark at Clear Path College Counseling for the past few months on…read moreour daughter's college application. Mark patiently guided us through the entire process. He confidently answered all of our questions. He carefully reviewed the essays and provided thoughtful comments, edits, and suggestions. He even reviewed our entire application to make sure that all entries were correct. Mark used his extensive knowledge and experience to provide valuable insights and advice into the college application process. We would highly recommend Mark to any family who is looking for guidance during this process or to strengthen their child's college application.

We've had a great experience with Insight, Purvi is phenomenal. The college process can be…read moreoverwhelming, 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!

Hi Ajit, Any chance I can get my $200 back for an initial consultation that was absolute nonsense?…read moreI 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....

Mr. Trung Le at Bay Area College Consulting, Northern CA, is an expert and the best, most…read moreknowledgeable, and kindest College Counselor my family and I are lucky to have worked with. Counselor Trung Le has devotedly helped my son and daughter with great advices and in details, and their best college applications. My family and I are grateful for Mr. Le's help. You're in great hands with College Counselor Trung Le's guidances. Scott & Katelynn N. Sunnyvale, CA

I want to share my experience with Bay Area College Consulting and Trung - who is the founder and…read moreconsultant of this organization. We are extremely happy with Trung for guiding our son (and me too :-) ) through the College Admissions process. Our son is now admitted to UCLA and I give a huge credit of this achievement  to Trung and his consultation. Trung, very expertly took us through all the intricacies of the college application process and essentially gave a very realistic picture of this very daunting process. Interaction with him greatly demystified the college application process, for us.  This helped our son clearly focus his energies to the right areas without having to second-guess if this was the right thing to do. Right from the beginning Trung was very organized with his approach. -He created a baseline of our son's profile. -Created a list of colleges matching his profile and expectations. -Identified and recommended taking relevant community college courses to augment credentials (super helpful!) -Most Important: Trung recommended the execution of a unique project that showcased abilities that were relevant to his area of interest. I think this really helped towards rounding up our son's overall profile. -And finally, Trung helped us through all the details of the college application process. We are extremely happy with the guidance, counseling and consulting Trung has provided to us. I would happily and highly recommend Trung to any one who wants to prepare themselves, or their child, for the College Application process.