Christine Southgate guided our family, patiently, professionally, thoughtfully and smoothly through the boarding school process. We live in Reno, NV and have many fewer options for counselors here than in the Bay Area. We had just one in person meeting, then worked remotely for the rest of the year. After meeting with our family, getting to know our son and hearing what our son and we were looking for, she helped us to devise a list of schools that she felt would be a good match. We then researched her list, had follow up calls and discussed a few more and worked together to narrow down the list of schools that we planned to visit. We spoke only a few times throughout the process, but at each juncture, she listened to our concerns and guided us. Christine reviewed our son's essays, gave suggestions and communicated with the schools we were considering. In almost every admissions office the fact that we were being guided by Christine had a real and positive effect. They sung her praises. We could not have been more happy with a counselor than we were with Christine and would highly recommend her services. read more

Christine really pushed for Priory when helping us select a right fit school for our child who is academic, athletic, kind, extroverted, personable and social. She made no mention that out of a class size of about 80 12-17 of those kids would be international boarders, primarily from Asian countries who often reclassify when they enter 9th gr. Another thing she left out about priory is it draws a fair number of Asians frompaloalto and losaltos hills. She also failed to mention that it is known for being open ti accepting the quirky and socially awkward kids. My child is none of these things. I think she needs to update her info on each high school to more accurately reflect their current student body, not the one her daughter experienced at Priory 1-2 decades ago. read more

Our child was recently admitted to their dream high school. It would not have happened without Christine's abundant knowledge, professional advices, and personal support to our child and to us as parents, throughout the entire HS application season. It would be a cliché to call the result the icing on the cake, but we truly value the application process working with Christine just as much. She led our child through the reflection and self-discovery as a 13 year old middle schooler, which will no doubt benefit them far beyond HS application or HS. As far as we know, there is a great collaborative relationship between her team and the Keys school team led by our head Heather. read more

As a middle school administrator, I have had the pleasure of working with Christine Southgate for over eight years. She is an impeccable professional who works tirelessly to provide the best information to families and help them make the right fit school selection. She has counseled numerous families on the best options for their children and works closely with both public and independent day and boarding schools to help families learn about and find the right match for them. When I made a career transition and temporarily stepped out of school administration, I knew of no one better to continue guiding families through this difficult journey than Christine. She brought a deep knowledge of the school counseling process and a professional, honest and caring approach to the experience. She raised the level of service and guidance to new heights and provided families with all the support and information necessary. Having recently returned to school administration, she was the first person I looked to for counsel and support and continues to provide balanced, thoughtful and clear guidance to me and all the families she works with. I cannot recommend her highly enough for her professionalism, poise, and personal approach to the school selection process. read more

This review was written to thank Christine Southgate's immensely valuable professional service for our child's independent school application process. We hope this review would be helpful for others who look for an educational consultant. We tried to search for an educational consultant for independent school application and got directed to the IECA website. By narrowing down the search criteria, we got to a shorter list with all consultants near our area. After some studies, we decided to reach out to Christine Southgate at NextStepSchool, simply because we were impressed by the service item "identify the best fit school" on the homepage of her business website. At the first inquiry meeting with Christine, she walked us through the services and steps she would provide towards the whole process. Her rich experience and concise manners really impressed us, making us feel very comfortable and confident working together with her for the journey. Christine began by talking to us together to get to know our family, and then with our daughter individually to identify her strengths and weakness. She asked many professional and knowledgeable questions, in the meantime helping us sort out our educational objective, choices, and plans. She provided us a list of best fit schools, suggested us to study those schools, and came back to her with our own choices. Then she reviewed again and gave valuable advice by calling and emailing us until we were satisfied with the school list. Right after that, Christine scheduled campus visits and interviews with these schools for us. We're glad we made the trips, and we like all the schools we visited. We must mention it here that our daughter really appreciated the mock interview Christine gave her as a trial; it boosted up her confidence and calmed her nerves. She learned so much about communication and presentation. When it came to writing essays, Christine emphasized that she doesn't write for her clients. Instead she asked questions, encouraged students to think differently and develop their own unique personal essays. We often receive emails from her assistant reminding us what is due and what to prepare for the next steps. The service is very well organized, informative and professional. We believe that every family feels the stress of the application process, but with Christine's professional service, we feel very lucky in having her guidance throughout the whole process. We're waiting for the admissions decision. We want to share our experiences to as many people as possible. Christine is professional, very supportive and committed to helping students reach their full potential. We highly recommend her professional service to every family who is looking for the help. read more

In 2016 and 2018, Christine did a fantastic job helping my daughter and son find the the best-fit schools for them. We loved her approach of helping the kids and parents explore and understand their different options. After years of advising families, she knows the whole local school landscape and boarding schools better than any group of parents could know. Parents and kids usually just rely on a school's reputation and gossip, but with Christine you can rely on her years of experience from hundreds of students and families. She's a proverbial fountain of wisdom and gave us a clear look at both public and independent school options. We liked how Christine spent time with us parents without our kids, to understand what we were hoping for. She then spent time with our kids solo, to get to know them without parental influence on their answers and worries. She worked hard to find options that fit the abilities and desires of the student and parents. Over the ensuing weeks she suggested ways to get to know the schools directly, by attending open houses, sports games, plays, shadow days, talking to friends, while peppering us with suggestions on what to look for and asking how things went and what we thought. She used this flow of feedback to tailor a short list of great-fit schools and helped us navigate the complicated application process. Some folks may hope Christine will simply help their kid get into a specific school they've pre-chosen, by ghostwriting their essays, teaching interview techniques, etc. She doesn't do that since it wouldn't help a kid find a great-fit school. That may account for the single 1-star review she received in 2012. For us, Christine did suggest boarding schools, which we considered but passed on. But at no time was she the pushy, disrespectful sales person described by that reviewer, who then had an amazing 6 votes for the review (yeah, right). If you're looking for a seasoned, expert and thoughtful advisor to find great school options for your kid, look no further -- Christine is #1 in our book. We've recommended her to lots of our friends who have all had equally great things to say. read more

We could not have gone through the high school process in the bay area without Christine Southgate. The bay area can be a very intense and kids can feel a lot of pressure, and she calmed us from the very first meeting. She demonstrated such integrity with each piece of the process and was committed to our child and helping us to figure out which school community he would likely thrive. She really focused on who our child is, and provided such useful and thoughtful information so that we could focus and narrow our search. She not only decreased our stress but we left the search feeling really positive about the whole experience (and so thankful the bay area has so many wonderful options). She was so thoughtful and considerate with our teen, in really getting to know him and what he needed, that we will be following up with her to meet with our two younger children as well. read more

If you are considering any other school for your child but a boarding school you better stay away from this aggressive boarding schools sales person. Your time, money and effort would be wasted if you don't. If you want you child to go exclusively to a boarding school Christina Southgate possibly is a go to person. In an hour long individual meeting with me and my kid Ms. Southgate discussed what schools we are interested in. From the very start both me and my child were very clear that boarding schools were completely out of question. She still kept bringing up boarding schools as an option to look at. We had to repeatedly ask her to focus on what we need and what we came to see her for instead of promoting her agenda. When after the meeting she sent a "follow up" email I was appalled to learn that in Ms. Southgate's opinion we were still considering boarding schools. She suggested to prepare for a test that is accepted at boarding schools instead of a regular test for day schools and strongly encouraged us to come for a presentation made by an East Coast boarding school. In the end of this follow up email there was a list that included 5 recommended boarding schools. This was Ms. Southgate's takeaway from an hour long meeting and how NextStep LLC "helped" us to find a school. When asked what she meant by this sales pitch for boarding schools Ms. Southgate responded saying that we got confused her during the meeting. I consider this highly disrespectful to a client to spend an hour of client's time to ignore everything she has been told during an hour long meeting and instead go on with pushing her boarding schools agenda. I am still at a loss how an educational consultant that claims she has a degree in psychology after an hour of individual meeting with a family where she has been told many times what schools we considered and what schools were out of question (and that included boarding schools for sure) could have remained so "confused". Again if boarding school is what you are looking for your kid NextStep LLC could be a place to go (but I am not making this representation), but if you consider any other type of schools go elsewhere or even better do your own research, it is easy these days with so much info available on the internet. This would be better use of your time, would cost less money and, last but not the least, would spare you of having to deal with another situation of unwanted, unsolicited and really annoying sales pressure. read more

We had an excellent experience working with Christine on high school placement for our daughter. She was insightful, informative and very organized. Fantastic all around! read more

I have the utmost respect for Christine Southgate and I highly recommend her professional services! The private high school search in the Bay Area can be emotionally overwhelming and I'm deeply grateful to have had Christine as a resource for both of our kids. She's not only familiar with the Bay Area schools as a professional consultant but she has personal experience as a parent of 3 children. (Her kids attended Keys School, Menlo School, Woodside Priory and Castilleja.)She has served on school committees as a reader for school applications and she has professional and personal relationships with many of the schools in the Bay Area. We found there wasn't anything we couldn't ask about our options. Christine knows first hand what it's like to be on the other end of the application process and her valuable insights really helped my daughter and son to better represent themselves and to help find the best school options depending on their interests, pursuits, priorities and temperament. She is a deep listener and really pays attention to how your child and family would be better served in finding the best fit. Since Bay Area private schools are very competitive, Christine provides a comprehensive set of recommendations to all private, public and boarding schools to support any type of student. Christine is a huge supporter of each and every kid and provides objective and honest feedback to increase each student's chances of success. I know that our experience with Christine has been shared by many of our friends who have also benefited from Christine's valuable services. If you're looking for guidance in your child's private school search then Christine is the person to call! read more

Christine helped my son explore his options for high school, make a good impression, write great applications, and get accepted into both the schools he applied for. We met with her in person four or five times from June through January, with each meeting she helped us prepare for the next step in the journey. First she informed us about the overall process, and asked us to keep our minds open about the possibilities so that we could select the best choice for my son. She asked us to explore school's web sites. Then she interviewed him so she could understand his strengths, weaknesses, needs, and interests. She suggested several schools that might be a good fit, in addition to the ones we'd been considering. She let us know when evening school fairs, shadow days, and school site visits became available so we could sign up for a slot. She prepped him for these events so he knew what would happen, would have good questions to ask while there, and be prepared to impress the school with his strengths. We met again and talked about what he'd learned and where he wanted to apply. She reviewed our essays and made valuable suggestions. She was there for us every step of the way and I am very happy to say that my son was accepted to all the schools he applied for and is now enrolled at his first choice: a Catholic high school. If you need a counselor for your child's high school or middle school selection journey, Christine is just wonderful. read more

Christine is great to work with. She is professional, thorough and has great advice. She worked hard in not only guiding us thru the high school selection process but also following up with reviewing each and every student essay my child wrote and also setting up mock interviews for my child . There were also additional meetings and events set-up with parents (including reviewing parent essays and setting up mock parent interviews) , children and also an event where school alums spoke about freshman year in their public high schools. All this helped my child get a better understanding for what to expect when transitioning to high school. She loves working with children and getting to know them on a personal level. She played a very important role in my child high school selection process and he was able to secure admission in the school of his choice. I would most definitely use her as a resource in the future. read more

We were extremely pleased with the service offered by Christine Southgate in our search for a private high school this past year. Her knowledge is extensive and she was so helpful in guiding our navigation of this stressful process. The competition for a place in a private high school, in the Bay Area, is fierce and she is great at calming your fears and steering you in the right direction. I suggest going in prepared. We had spent some time visiting the open houses a year earlier than required. We were able to give her the names of the schools that our son was interested in visiting. She asked about public school and boarding school at our initial meeting. We made it clear that we did not want to look at either option. She suggested a few more schools that did not initially interest us. We told her why we were not interested and she convinced us to consider two of the three. We did let him try out at two of them. He only agreed to applying to one of the two. She gave great feedback on his essays. She helped him with practicing for his interviews. She is good at pinpointing your child's talents and gives advice on how to present your child to the school to make the most of highlighting your child's talent. We felt we knew about each school but her years of dealing with the various admissions departments have given her insight into the nuances of each school's admission process and the schools in general. We were thrilled when our son was admitted to more than just his first choice and wait listed at his bottom two choices. In the fall he will be starting high school at his first choice school. We are grateful for her assistance. read more

Christine was a wonderful resource for us as we wound our way through the high school selection process. She listened to our priorities and helped us narrow our search to the schools that were best suited to our children. When we asked, she also made helpful suggestions based on the individual learning profiles of our children. Those suggestions included both public and private school options. Christine was also invaluable when it came time to write the parent and student essays as part of the private school application process. She had very constructive feedback, which helped the essays reveal who we were as a family and who our children were as individuals. read more

My family had the most amazing experience in working with Christine Southgate during my daughter's recent search for a new high school. Christine is phenomenal! My daughter decided less than a month before school started that she did not want to return to her current school for 11th grade but instead wanted to attend a boarding school in the northeast. I contacted Christine and she sprung into action. She assured us that there were likely many options available even though it was already early August. She met with my husband, daughter, and me to discuss our priorities and determine a good fit school based on interests, learning style, location and other preferences. Within 2 days of our first meeting, Christine had contacted and scheduled interviews for us to visit 6 different schools in NH, MA, and VT the following week. She prepared an itinerary and planned the school visits so that our travel time was very efficient. Christine works very closely with each school, and in most cases, has visited and met with the staff and administration as part of her research, so she has a personal relationship with each of them. This helps her determine the best-fit and also helped her to advocate for our family, as the school administrators trust Christine's judgment. She followed up with each school to find out how the interview process went. She communicated with us via email and phone while we were on the road and promptly reviewed application essays via email so that we could submit them quickly. In the end our daughter was accepted at all the schools we visited and had excellent choices. We loved each of the schools that Christine had us visit and were so happy that the process was enjoyable, successful, and empowering for our daughter. While this current experience with Christine was for boarding schools, our first experience with Christine was when she worked with our daughter during 8th grade to guide her in her search for a Bay Area high school. We had a very positive experience during that process as well. She is very knowledgeable about local Bay Area schools and I would highly recommend her services for the local Bay Area high school search process. During our first experience, Christine worked closely with our family to seek a good fit school, and with our daughter to review application essays and perform mock interviews. Many students and parents in the Bay Area have not considered boarding school as an option, but as a parent who has now gone through this process, I realize that boarding school can provide an amazing experience. Because of the advantages of living on campus, along with excellent academics and a 5:1 student to adult ratio, our daughter will develop many close mentoring relationships with teachers and staff. Also, there are so many opportunities for extracurricular activities such as sports, student government, etc. to keep her busy and active. Everyone is encouraged to try new activities and be involved, far beyond what they probably would in a local high school. As a boarding student, she will have the unique opportunity to practice making her own decisions in a safe campus environment prior to going to college. We are confident that she will develop important life skills, leading to a high degree of self- and other-awareness by living in a close community environment. We are so grateful to Christine for all of her hard work in making this experience possible for our daughter and are certain that our daughter will have a transformative experience as a student. read more

It's too bad a person wrote a review here speaking negatively of their experience with Christine Southgate. My experience with her, when consulting her regarding where my daughter should go to school, was that she is not an aggressive salesperson, but rather that she is very impassioned with her work, and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the subject of deciding what school would best fit your child's needs. Both her intensive knowledge of schools and her background in psychology make her a great choice for anyone to consult. I would definitely not turn her down based on one review. Having passion for your job, and really caring about all children, their happiness, and their success, to me, says it all! read more

We had a wonderful experience working with Christine during the high school selection process. Christine is extremely knowledgeable about high school options and the independent school admissions process, and she puts in significant time and effort to stay current and connected in her field. She is very personable, supportive, and responsive and takes the time to get to know each student and family. She listens closely and directly addresses the individual needs and interests of each child. She provides practical advice based on her extensive knowledge and years of experience and helped us to navigate several situations specific to our circumstances. I totally disagree with the reviewer who said that Christine tries to sell families on boarding school. Within the first 10 minutes of meeting with her she recognized that boarding school would not be a good option for our child and it was never mentioned again. I cannot recommend Christine highly enough and only wish that she also consulted on college admissions! read more

We have two children, spaced four years apart, each with their own learning style, social needs and extracurricular interests. Since our public school would require a 40-minute one-way commute, we had ruled public schools out for our oldest child. But Christine knew of a public school (in our district) located closer to us with a wonderful international baccalaureate program that suited our daughter, and she was able to transfer into that school instead. Without Christine, we would never have known about this option. Christine took the time to get to know each of our children and us as a family. Four years later, when our youngest reached high school age, Christine helped us to consider high school options (both public and private) that were suitable for him. I was impressed with how well she listened to our son, carefully hearing what was important to him. Our son ended up applying to only two schools: the public school where our daughter attended, and a private boys' school which was his first choice. Christine stays on top of all of the schools in the area. She is professional, kind, competent and thorough. I highly recommend her. read more