Mrs. Haruka Yamashita helped me out with the whole process of writing essays. She guided me through each step, which made it easier to organize my thoughts and write clearly. As someone with immigrant parents, I didn't really have anybody to ask for advice about American colleges. Mrs. Yamashita and I discussed about how we can incorporate my Japanese activities in my application. I'm so happy that I was able to show how I've connected with my culture throughout my life through Japanese school, abacus, volunteering, etc. Mrs. Yamashita also provided useful resources that helped me write essays and the activity list. She also added detailed comments on my essays, so I knew which areas to make improvements on. I recommend her counseling service to anybody who's feeling lost in the application process. Thank you so much Haruka-San! read more

Haruka has been working with my son since sophomore year. She is compassionate, knowledgeable, and wise. With her guidance, my son got a fantastic internship, made use of the best resources for his essays, applied to the schools that fit his goals, and was accepted by his number one school - the university of Chicago. We can't thank her more!! read more

Haruka's advise was really helpful for me to choose MBA school in bay area. She gave me some practical knowledge about choosing college.Her communication and people skills are really good. read more

During application season, I was looking for someone to help me improve my essays and narrow down my list of schools to ones that would be a good fit for my profile. Haruka is incredibly knowledgeable, detail-oriented, and always sat down with me for as long as it took to get all my questions answered. She always went the extra mile to come up with new suggestions, and updated me regularly with any articles she found that would help further my research. Very helpful and always positive; couldn't have done it without her! read more

My daughter just committed to Wheaton College in Massachusetts, one of the 12 schools she was admitted to, and most of them with generous merit aids. The college admission process this year was extremely challenging under the pandemic, and Haruka played a pivotal role in navigating the journey. We cannot thank her enough for all of her support and guidance every step of the way, and most importantly, for helping my daughter gain confidence in leading her own college journey. I learned to stop "overparenting," step aside, and trust her to make her own decisions. Thank you, Haruka! read more

I highly recommend Plan It education for college admissions counseling. Our daughter is a Senior who had toured a few college campuses and knew what she wanted to major in, but really didn't know how to start the college applications process. Haruka helped guide her and self-evaluate to find what schools would be best for her needs. Haruka was instrumental in helping her refine her essays. My daughter was accepted into 7/10 schools she applied to, including Honors colleges and at least two UC's. She chose her top choice- Reed College in Portland. Haruka also helped my husband and myself understand the financial component of college such as the forms like the Fafsa, and the CSS profile and what our Expected Family Contribution would be. She is a wealth of knowledge and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend your Junior start working with her. read more

The college search and application process is so daunting, but Haruka has been a fantastic source of information and support. We've gained an incredible amount of insight from her College Knowledge webinars. And when my daughter was struggling with writing her college essay, Haruka was able to guide her and pull information out of her in ways that I just could not. My daughter ended up with an essay that she was really happy with and that she felt represented her well. I loved it too, and knowing that Haruka had experience with reading college essays made me feel very confident that she had steered my kid in the right direction. We are both so grateful to have benefited from the vast amount of knowledge that Haruka has accumulated over the years. read more

This morning, my son received Early Decision result from his dream school, Univ. of Chicago, that he was accepted! Thank you, Haruka, for your advice and kind encouragement! Haruka was very generous with her time and knowledge during this stressful process, and her calmness and cheerful personality were much appreciated. Plus her fluency in Japanese was a huge bonus! Happy parent (now in Japan), SD 親にとっても精神的に大変な半年でしたが、はるかさんの経験豊かなアドバイスに助けられました。息子に第一志望のシカゴ大学から合格通知が届きました。親身で丁寧、本当にお世話になりました、ありがとうございました。 read more

My daughter sought the guidance of Haruka after I heard her speak about the college admission process at a local Toastmasters meeting. Gianna wanted a "Big Time Football and small town Feel" and didn't know what that looked like or where to start. Haruka got her "gameplan" together and assisted her with college essays and got her thinking about what was important to her. (Not what her friends were doing). It was tailored and my daughter was very comfortable working with Haruka. She ended up being accepted to 5 of the 6 schools she applied to and chose University of Utah (4 other schools also in Pac 12) for it's campus, weather (4 seasons) the WWE program/liberal in-state residency opportunity, skiing, friends and ultimately the "big time football/small town feel". I am please that Haruka focused on the student and frankly cut me out of the process. It was all her - she communicated directly to her and they were partners. It was a great experience for her and us and just that process alone was another step to her independence. Thank you again Haruka. I learned from you too - was time to step back and let the birdie fly. read more

I was looking for assistance in applying to colleges and Haruka had helped me clarify certain questions unique to my situation. I was happy to be able to sit down and discuss possible choices of colleges. The guidance was very hands-on which is great. I was able to get a better understanding of what different types of majors had in store, how competitive different schools are, and exactly what colleges ask for in online applications. Very helpful! read more

Going through the college application process can be very stressful. Working with Haruka made everything so much easier. We are grateful we found such a knowledgeable, kind, helpful person. Haruka definitely gets 5 stars from us. She had first hand knowledge and offered expert advice and guidance through the process in a timely manner, always getting back if I had a question or needed support. Her approach was genuine and we felt a great sense of relief after out first meeting with her. read more

College application season is stressful time for both high school seniors and parents. Thank goodness, we had Haruka to the rescue. My son and I are grateful that we started working with her during the last semester of my son's junior year because the whole process can take a while especially when you have a teenager who has no clue what he wants. He had a lot of figuring out to do and Haruka guided him through the entire process. For instance, she assisted him on the following: helped him determine a major based on his personality, strengths and weaknesses, identified schools that would be a good match, went on multiple college tours, reviewed his college essays, prepared for SAT/ACT, researched scholarships, reviewed the financial aid process, and many more. She is attentive and patient. More importantly, she listened to my son's needs. He was not an easy cookie, but he made it through with her help. In fact, he got into most of the colleges he applied to with some scholarships and grants. My son and I enjoyed working with her and appreciate all the work she has done for us. Thank you, Haruka! read more