As a former student of Mike, I truly believe that he is one of the reasons why I have a strong writing and analytic foundation today. I began with Mike in 2012 as ninth grader, with consistent tutoring sessions throughout high school. From teaching me how to methodically write and structure an essay about Hemingway's Grapes of Wrath, meticulously reading and summarizing challenging NY Times articles in order sharpen my analytic and vocab skills, and to writing a plethora of 50 worded admission essays for Brown University, Mike's tenacity is what truly grew and expanded my intellect as a student. During my tenure at UC Davis, I reached out to Mike several times. He had assisted me with some college transfer applications and composing its essays. Despite being somewhat unfamiliar with the transfer application process at the time, Mike worked tirelessly with me as we diligently navigated through these applications. Even though I already gone through the college application process as a senior in high school with Mike the previous year, I did appreciate his aid again when I applied for a transfer as a freshman in college. After observing his methods to pay close attention to detail as he acquainted himself with this new application, I have since incorporated such methods into my daily life with successfully outcomes. Mike's challenging reading materials is to teach techniques on how to decompose an article or a book into understandable terms, provoking deep thoughts in his students while expanding their vocabulary and public speaking skills. In addition, he has strategies for his students on how to form concise sentences that expand into material paragraphs, and then grow into substantive essays. He helps a student recognize what a question is asking and how to directly answer it in the most succinct way. As a work professional a year out of college, I am still using analytic approaches and paragraph structures that Mike instilled me years ago. Mike is not just a tutor. He's a hard-working advocate for his students, who genuinely wants to see them to succeed. Thank you for everything you've taught me. read more

As someone who has gone through the college process twice already, I had the opportunity to work with a variety of college coaches. The time I spent with Michael as my coach was notably the best experience of them all. Michael's approach to the college application process was both accommodating and well-structured. He would break up the applications into clear and feasible assignments which made it a smooth process for me. When I began working with Michael my list of top choices for schools were all "reach" schools. While it was important that I remained realistic about my chances of acceptance, Michael was very encouraging which kept my motivation high. This was something I had not experienced with other college coaches. His encouragement and great attitude made working with him a positive, productive, and successful experience. Furthermore, Michael would notice certain aspects of the applications that most people would never recognize. This ability to dissect the application helps provide a better understanding as to what each institution is looking for in applicants. I am proud to say that I was accepted into each of my top choices and I am very grateful for having found Michael. I give Michael the highest of recommendations and highly suggest his services for anyone currently in or approaching this exciting stage of their life. read more

A few of my friends worked with Michael on their college applications and SAT prep, so I decided to use him as well. He is very smart, but also very patient! Like a wizard, he figured out exactly what I should work on with the SAT and made the entire experience painless. For example, he knew that I needed to learn about imaginary numbers and exponents, and somehow made it fun! After a couple of months working with him, I got a 1420! About 4 months later, I had Michael look at my college applications. I wasn't happy with my Personal Statement essay, so we brainstormed new ideas together and I soon discovered a better topic (thanks to him!). I did all of the writing, but he gave me suggestions and revisions after each draft. And whenever I got stuck in an essay, he was able to magically solve the problem. It was really fun working with him and I'm so happy with the results. I was accepted into UCLA. Michael is great! read more

I highly recommend Michael to any family seeking support during the college application process. As a parent, I cannot express enough appreciation for the amazing guidance Michael provided to my son throughout the stressful and overwhelming process. From brainstorming personal statement ideas to providing thoughtful, constructive feedback on essays, Michael was there every step of the way. He helped our son stay organized, focused, and motivated, while also offering invaluable strategic advice at key decision points. Thanks to Michael's expert guidance, our son was admitted to several excellent colleges, and we are extremely pleased with the outcome. read more

Mike helped me raise my toefl score from a 55 to a 90 in only one month! I needed a score of 80 on the toefl to be accepted into college, and I didn't have much time to prepare. I didn't want to take a big class with many other students. I found out about Mike over Yelp. Mike was able to meet with me for one-on-one sessions over Skype and created a program just for me that I found extremely helpful. He was always very nice during our sessions and was willing to work with my difficult schedule. I felt confident taking the test after his sessions and got the score I wanted. And I'm getting ready for college in the Fall. Thanks Mike! read more

Michael is a great tutor. I worked with him on my college applications for about 3 months and his help made a huge difference in regards to the quality of my essays. Not only was his guidance beneficial to me in the college process, but also for my writing in general, whether it is analytical essays for school or personal creative writing. Michael is an amazing writer! When I was stuck, or didn't know what to write, he always had ideas to cure the writer's block. His process is also very structured which helped me plan out what I wanted to get done in a session so we could be as efficient as possible. Thanks again Michael! read more

I've been working with Michael since my freshman year, and he's been incredibly helpful throughout my college admissions journey. We've worked together on SAT prep, general high school check-ins, and -- most significantly -- college essay editing. Although my academic stats weren't perfect, I was still admitted to several Ivy League and top 20 universities, which I largely attribute to the essays Michael and I crafted together. Without his support, I truly don't believe I would've achieved the same results. If you're looking for a counselor or simply need writing support, I couldn't recommend him more! read more

Mr. Hirsch is an amazing college counselor, who devotes endless time and effort towards helping his students hone their application. I was lucky enough to have him guide me through the application process and with his help I was accepted into 12 of the 15 colleges I applied to. I am now attending Chapman University but was accepted into numerous UCs, Scripps, and LMU. What I enjoyed most about working with Mr. Hirsch is his attention to detail. He ensures that the application you send is unique and stands out to admissions officers. read more

After helping me get accepted into a great university along with a sizeable academic scholarship in high school, he has once again guided me through a rigorous application process where I was accepted into the University of Southern California as a transfer. Michael is diligent in his work and expresses genuine concern for his students' well-being and ultimate success. As someone who may wish to pursue graduate school in the future, I will no doubt seek out Michael for his excellent service again. read more

Mike was very helpful in getting me in to Grad School. I Skyped with him while I was living in Asia. He first worked with me on the TOEFL exam and really helped boost my score! Mike then helped me plan out my grad school personal statements. After I wrote them, he proof-read them along with me and gave me some really helpful edits and suggestions. He really knew what he was doing and made the process so easy for me. I ended up getting in to my top choice! I'd recommend him to anybody. read more

Michael helped my son for college application in fall 2020. I cannot imagine there were a better person to do this. Michael is so smart. His work is error free. My son got a good scholarship from a top school. Without his help, my son could not have achieved this. I would recommend Michael to anyone who need to hire a college application counselor. He is the best for sure. I am so grateful for Michael's help. read more

I have known Michael for 4 years. Michael is a wonderful and experienced teacher and mentor. He helped me with the TOEFL test ( for Ph.D. degree application), periodic essay strategizing, proofreading, vocabulary, speaking, etc. Classes with Michael are always efficient. Through Michael's tutoring, my English writing and speaking improved a lot. read more

Michael helped me with the application process for about 4 months, and with all his help I was accepted into all of the schools I applied to and will be attending my top choice, NYU, in the fall. Michael is great to work with, very detail oriented, and made sure I had everything I needed in my applications to succeed. read more

Michael was my tutor for about 6 months. He prepared me for study at Columbia University and helped me to be successful on the very challenging English exam for international students. We had repeated basic grammar rules and academic essay structure. Overall, Michael is a great instructor and easy to work with. read more