Chris is an outstanding counselor. He helped me write my essays for UCs and the Common App and…read moresupplementals for schools such as NYU and Columbia. His organization and the information he provides about all of the schools are amazing and reduced the stress of having to research all of the small things for each school I was interested in. The way he guided me to write the essay was efficient and saved me a lot of time as I didn't have to write the same essay for another question that was similar to the last. I was able to finish my essays by August. It was a big relief and the whole process seemed very manageable with his help. His ability to provide fluidity in my writing and his knowledge of college admissions helped me especially because my writing was "impenetrable" or difficult for someone who didn't know me to understand. Besides the support he gave me with essays, he was also very easily accessible and understanding. I had his number and if there was anything that came up in the way of a meeting, I could just text him and I got a response in less than an hour. Any rescheduling of a meeting was simple and caused no trouble. Chris is a very straightforward person and gave me the support and advice I needed to write my essays. He is also pretty funny and a down-to-earth person which helped as meetings didn't come as something I didn't want to do. Chris was a great college counselor and I recommend him as his understanding of the application process and his ability to tutor and write were a great help.

I come from a non-traditional educational background, having gone directly to the US Air Force out…read moreof high school, only to stare down my UC undergraduate applications at the age of 29. Chris helped calm my nerves during the entire process. Chris is patient and has a unique talent of channeling your talents with the best possible outcome. He reassured me that my uniqueness had value. He got me talking about my achievements, made me feel proud, and helped me coalesce my thoughts into an essay that won me acceptance to Cal. In fact, after my acceptance into Cal, the admissions team asked if they could publish my personal statement to help other prospective students. Out of thousands of applications, they remembered mine! I highly recommend Chris for anyone who struggles to put their thoughts to paper for a personal statement. Thanks to Chris, my life trajectory changed in ways I never imagined. Chris has also tutored me in other areas such as Math and Writing. Learning never ends and Chris is unceasingly helpful in all aspects of my life. He is the most incredible writer I have ever met. I also plan on using Chris' services when I enter the work force after college. Meticulously written cover letters, resumes and thank you notes will put you above the rest. Thank you Chris. I am forever grateful.

Amy is a wonderful counselor, writer and editor. I was part of Amy's earliest class and 10+ years…read morelater, I've enrolled my brother at Blue Stars. The best part of working with Amy is that she has "magic" in her writing and story telling. As the family of hard working students, we really want to help them put their best foot forward and have college admissions see their personality, grit and merits shine through (beyond the stats). Amy is the best at this! Her process helps extract the raw content from the student's experiences, focus in on topics and concepts that showcase "X factors," and polish and refine the writing piece so it not only showcases maturity in content but elegance in narrative skill. For first time college families, Amy's team helps a lot with time management. We started the process a little late this year but we worked together with the team to come up with an expedited timeline, set expectations and were able to execute quickly with time to spare. I think a family's level of involvement and the student's natural drive plays a big role. If the student isn't willing to put in the time- it could be a little more painful but the Blue Stars team will coach and push the student. If the student is extremely driven and wants the team to go faster they will 100% match that level of energy. With Amy and team's help, we were able to get into the dream school (4.4% admissions) REA. If Amy is in the business in 18-20 years (lol), I'll be back again and send my kids to her!

Over promised and under performed. Purchased 5 college package. My daughter got into only 1 of the…read more5 universities applied to and the university which did accept her was the least competitive at 48% acceptance rate. We already knew she would get accepted there as we are alums. Other schools that denied or wait-listed her were all 25% acceptance rate institutions, none were ivy league. While Blue Stars did spend many hours with my daughter, the essay topics selected were boring and routine -topics specifically mentioned to stay away from in Dr. M's blog posts (ex. Mission trip to Mexico). The editing by Dr. M only on Monday was a bottleneck. Two weeks before early action deadline, my daughter's essays were still very rough with a very polarizing thought not addressed and total lack of specifics on why the particular school was right for her. I lost all confidence and had to get involved. While Dr. M may say it was my involvement that sunk her acceptances, I do not agree!! I left one school, William & Mary, as a test. I did not read or review that application and the answer was the same...waitlisted. I feel we were swayed by Dr. M's amazing marketing/website/blogs etc. The reality was much different. Blue Stars is not worth the extra cost. For all schools selected, my daughter had grades and ACT scores that met their criteria. The difference was going to be made in marketing herself and her extra-curriculars. In this area, Blue Stars was lacking and did not deliver as promised. To date, we (as parents) have not heard from Dr. M. She made no post-application phone call or check-in. She got her payment and has moved on. In short, don't be sucked in by her marketing. Blue Stars over promised and under delivered, period.

StrivePath has been an incredible partner in guiding my daughter through her high school and…read morecollege planning journey. What makes them different is that it's not just about admissions, applications, or checking boxes. They took the time to truly understand her as a whole person, her strengths, her values, her motivations, and what genuinely lights her up. Instead of pushing her toward a particular school or path, they helped her explore her "why" and make decisions that align with who she is becoming as a young adult. That kind of guidance is rare. The team at StrivePath created an environment where she felt heard, supported, and empowered, not pressured. The confidence and clarity she has now is something every parent hopes for their child during such a big phase of life. I cannot recommend StrivePath enough for any family navigating high school or college decisions. They go far beyond academics; they help your child understand themselves. And that is the greatest gift.

Very happy with Strivepath…read more We previously had a mediocre experience with a different group we stopped using halfway through....entry level staff person was our main POC....offered very little direction and the communication was not clear. I wanted precise communication, a well thought out plan. There is so much grey area and uncertainty as you go through this process. Stridepath really helped explain how we could put our best foot forward. They have a very thorough and thoughtful process and were actively engaged with a student. Their team is professional and experienced.... No rookies. Sana, our lead, has a great deal of experience with the college admission process which helped give us clarity on what we needed to do and what schools to go after. Sana and my son did all the work. Us parents came in at a few junctures but for the most part, we were not involved. At the end we reviewed the essays and helped our son hit send. Most of our applications are submitted and fingers are crossed. Even though the outcome is uncertain, I feel like Strivepath gave us our best chance to achieve our future college students goals.

Dan's ability to build rapport with high school students and draw out their stories is obvious. His…read more"writer's workshop" approach clicked for my daughter immediately. Dan made the brainstorming process both fun and productive. As a result, my daughter understood the depth of her own character and experiences, and had a solid starting place for each college essay. We greatly appreciated Dan's coaching and assistance (and the fact that we parents didn't need to edit college essays!).

extremely helpful! very thorough with comments and editing. Very talented and knowledgable.read more

My son is a high school senior. Agnes did a one-on-one call with me and answered questions via…read moreemail and then did a one-on-one call with my son. Agnes worked with my son on everything from application strategy, timing, resume, essay edits and strategy. She spent time every week catching up with my son and was a true partner. He showed me some of the multiple edits she worked with him. She helped him narrow down his reach/ possible / safety choices (and some new ones) and worked with him on an Early Decision 2 and his regular decisions. My son is smart but has poor organizational skills and timing was never his strong suit. Agnes was great in keeping him on track and making sure he was progressing on time. He and I were happy that he got all his essays done and applications out. My son got into his first choice via ED2 so we were thrilled (unfortunately we had already spent money on regular decision applications but all is good). Would recommend Agnes for any parent looking for a partner for this child.

I got in contact with Agnes again to have a professional edit my MBA application essays. I cannot…read morerecommend Agnes enough. I have never been a strong writer, and while I had an idea of what I wanted to write about, I was not satisfied with the way in which I had written my essays. Agnes was able to help me convey my ideas in a more compelling manner. Furthermore, Agnes was able to provide advice on what would resonate more with the admissions officers and help me refine my ideas. I was extremely busy in the months leading up to the application deadlines, but Agnes' quick turnaround time allowed me to edit each essay enough times and until I was happy with all of them. After sending an essay back to Agnes for revision, she replied with a date by which she was able to edit my essay by, allowing me to plan ahead. In the end, I was admitted to Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and Kellogg School of Management. I strongly recommend Agnes to anyone who needs help with their essays.

I wrote a review 4 years ago (see below), and I don't know how to post a new review separately from…read morethe first one. Anyway, this is my second review for Cathy Chen. My daughter, Angela, has been with Cathy since her 8th grade 4 years ago. Angela is a very independent, thoughtful, passionate girl. All these great qualities have served and will continue to serve her well, but nothing comes without a flip side. She can be very stubborn, so I had a sense that my wife and I need someone like Cathy to help her and help us. I have to say this is one of my smartest decisions. Cathy has great skills and experience working with teenagers. Parents are not trained at all for teenagers. During the beginning of the covid period, Angela experienced a big challenge, and it was a big test for our family, too. Luckily, we had Cathy. We got out of it successfully, and I believe it became a valuable experience for Angela. Cathy's assistance to Angela's college preparation was also great. We all know there is great amount of work and so many details to be taken care of. Just imagine on top of this amount of work and you have a daughter or son who has time management issue and can be stubborn. Angela certainly is not the only teenager who has time management issue. In the end, Angela not only got it done, but actually didn't allow my wife and I to get involved at all. Personally, I appreciate more Cathy's guidance on the soft skills, like the right mindsets for life. Angela is going to college now, and she has Cathy as a good friend probably for life. Review from 4 years ago: Cathy is coaching my daughter who is an 8th grader. Cathy has great communicating skills, and is compassionate helping children. I feel lucky that we found her.

Very qualified coaches in terms of college coaching and advising. Some coaches who do parent…read morecoaching are not parents, so if that's important to you I recommend you ask about that. There are several coaches in addition to Cathy. Be sure you have a good fit for your child/teen AND you as the parent. A coach might work well for your teen but be a mismatch for you. If you have that sense, consider someone else at Village or elsewhere. College coaching Packages include very minimal and unstructured parent contact (eg no or inconsistent weekly reports or updates, and you will be charged extra or even admonished for more than 1-2 emails or conversations) Many other college coaches provide more structure and clearer policies for interacting with parents. I recommend that you ask questions to be sure Village Coaches is a fit for you. Even if you want your child to be independent, if you will be paying for college and living with your teen during their application process, it's helpful to be informed and educated and kept in the loop. This parent connection takes more time and is not integrated into Village Coaches college advising packages. Potentially you could ask to add it but philosophically they may not want to. I encourage you to at least ask questions about this.

We heard of Dave and College Match through a word-of-mouth recommendation. Even though we have…read morealready sent two kids to college, and understand the process, we were impressed by Dave's deep knowledge and understanding of the college system. Dave is great to work with and helps narrowing down the college list to the ones that would best fit your child's current interest, yet would be flexible to accommodate any change, or another degree. The college application process gets more demanding every year, driving kids to work hard in high school. Dave is instrumental in how to position your child's hard work, awards, and extra curricular in the best light possible, as it is critical to emphasize what matters to the colleges he or she is going to apply. Our daughter has been accepted to a number of colleges she was happy with, and Dave was helpful in making the final choice.

It was divine appointment that we found Mr. Test Prep. I…read morealmost never use Yelp anymore to search for anything (sorry, yelp!) but I came on here just to see if there was any SAT prep service that could help my son. He had already sat for the SAT in his 10th grade, and had a decent 1550 score, but we wanted to see if he could improve it. Mr. Test Prep's approach and clear value proposition really stood out to me in the sea of the multitude of tutors and SAT prep services. We gave it a try, our son Ethan loved Michael's style, and format, and it was a good fit for our family's needs all around. Ethan sat for the SAT again in a few months of working with Michael, and his score was perfect. Of course, everyone's mileage may vary. For us , it was a match made in heaven :) Thanks, Michael

Online only tutoring. My understanding is that Mr. Test Prep used to be great when he had kids come…read moreto his home. Now it is entirely online. My son (who actually does well with online learning) did the trial and felt he could do better on his own. I eventually got someone who did in person tutoring. In my experience, a lot of these online classes and tutors benefit the tutor but not the students. If you have a student who does well with online teaching, maybe this is okay. But if you want to pay big money, make sure you get results. For our family, the benefit of taking the SAT over and over was good. But not having any human interaction with the tutor or peers was not good. My son eventually scored a 1570 but with an in person tutor and taking the SAT five times.