Three of my four kids went through Waynflete - one for high school and two for preschool through…read moreGrade 12. These three children are vastly different. The school did an amazing job of preparing them for College and for life and adapting for each of their goals. Their focus on critical thinking and excellent writing and presentation skills has served our children well. My daughter went on to get an MD/PhD at Duke and her final training in the Harvard system. My youngest son has held increasingly important roles in a major renewable energy company and my oldest son is an artist and LSW. I mention their trajectories to counter comments that this school doesn't prepare students for the real world. It was a sacrifice for our family to afford but so worth the investment. They are all happy and fulfilled.

Waste of my high school career. Coming in as a Junior I was given no accommodation for the…read moreintroductory classes freshman are required to take such as the "intro to art". For someone on a clear path toward Engineering College and as a junior at a new school, being forced to take an art course with a bunch of freshmen all year (while knowing not a single person in my actual grade) was the breaking point for me when it came to Waynflete. The intensity of the classes is low relatively and easy to breeze through, with the school more worried about being inclusive and making everything a "safe place" rather than having actual scholarly rigidity. The lack of AP classes is despicable for a "college prep" school that costs upwards of 20k a year. Because of Waynflete, I did not feel prepared for college in the math and sciences, unlike my peers who had intensive preparatory high schools classes with AP's. Waste of my parent's money. Past-student here, not a doting parent.

Campus/locations in both Portland and Bath, this is the real deal for voice, piano, guitar,…read moreensembles and most anything related to professional teaching of music. The school and its staff is profession. Small but with many rooms for private instruction. They cater equally to both adult and youth and I've seen people from their late 50s to kids seemingly as young as 10 taking a variety of lessons here. I wanted to obtain good, reputable piano lessons for my partner as a birthday gift. He's academic minded and I knew I needed to find some place professional. Midcoast's Portland campus is located in an otherwise inconspicuous building above a private, classic car collector's showroom. There are signs on the side of the building and dedicated parking and classes are given throughout most days and evenings. One of the principal partner owners, Matt Fogg, could not have been more helpful and accommodating when I set up the first few lessons which my partner plans on extended into weekly lessons. Lesson scheduling is easy and flexible and the rates, while varying, are incredibly affordable. After looking around the area for music lessons, this place was a score. I'd give them 10 stars if I could.

Shark in the water preying on parents who are working through the college process for the first…read moretime. Always seems daunting, but all the info is out there for free. After signing a contract with College Solutions in what felt like a time share hard press meeting, I learned of better sources and backed out of the contract loosing hundreds of dollars. There is a seminar offered annually at South Portland high school by a professor from Colby College. That presentation was terrific and laid out the whole process in an understandable way. By all means, go to the College Solutions free seminar offered frequently around town. good info there too. You can build on your own from that free info. I think College solutions might be helpful for families with complex financial situations including where self employment or divorced parents are involved. Important to note that the College Solutions contract claims percentage fee for all financial aid received in future years by the student. Interesting that College Solutions offers very deep discount for the second child. Clearly, once you learn how basic the process is, and that College Solutions really cant do very much to influence the outcomes, nobody needs them for the second child. Based on my experience now working through my third child going to college, the basics to understand is the whole process is based on the FASFA. The schools your interested in will make their best offer which largely will depend on the FASFA financials, the student's high school academics, ACT/SAT scores, and diversity factors. There really is no negotiating at all. Look for the schools which you are interested in for their programs, distance from home, and feel (size, city vs rural, etc). Choose about 5 of them from a "stretch" to a "safety" school. Our experience is that most larger schools will come back with a package all at very similar cost. I have one child at UMaine and one at Kent State and paying virtually the same for each. Your biggest financial lever is high school grades. I Cant emphasize that enough. Your student can nearly out earn the parents during the high school years in the value of scholarships they can earn by getting to top of their class and participating in extracurricular programs. Forget having your student work flipping burgers. They earn way more in their job as a student, and gain all the work ethic they will ever need toward a professional career by getting straight As, playing on a team, and doing community service. By the way, you cant go wrong with UMaine. A great school in a great location not too far from home. And very flexible for in state admissions. Cant say enough good about Kent State in Ohio either. From beginning to end I think one of the best kept college secrets. Good luck!

Prior reviews are missing a very important point which is made clear during the first meeting…read more This isn't a scholarship/grant locating service. This is a service that helps you manage the process and identifies best fit schools (both financially, academically as well as the "feel"-wise). Kim has a ton of experience and is great at getting the kids to attempt to figure out what they want. With both of us parents working full time, her help was huge. She kept us on schedule, pointed out important things, helped us identify schools with better funding, and was the "voice of reason" to our daughter when it came to make a decision between two final options. We are getting her help for our second child. Very happy.

I have a very different experience with Sweetser than all who have posted here thus far. I have…read moreproviders at the Sanford Location and they are great. I have a visit with my Psych NP once a month for med management. I see my peer support once a week either in my home or the community and I have had my case manager for nearly six years. I have also received therapy services through Sweetser and the provider I had for therapy was also wonderful. If it were not for my Sweetser case manager I would not be here to write this today. She has literally been there when I needed someone the most. The office staff at Sanford are also kind and compassionate.

My husband went to get counseling to help save our marriage. Dr. Henckler was far more interested…read morein his relationship with his mother than our marriage. After the fourth visit, he gave up going and ended up getting better advice from one of his best friends - FOR FREE. That saved our marriage. Don't waste your money or time with this place.