Tony is a great mentor and counselor. He strategically guided and helped to prep my son's college…read moreapplication, and helped him to get admissions from multiple top schools in business majors with scholarships. Tony is very organized and followed closely with every step in the application process. Tony also adjusted the plan after my son got his EA results which was very helpful. I highly recommend Tony!

IvyBoost has been a great help in my college application journey since freshman year. My counselor,…read moreTony, took the time to understand my strengths, personality, and shortcomings, providing great insight when I began to curate a college list during application season. The casual but focused conversational style of our meetings worked very well for me. The IvyBoost team has also provided many resources that proved useful for organizing info about schools, my resume, and anything that was important to my college application. Its services have provided clarity and objectivity throughout my high school years, acting as a great support system whenever I had any inquiries or concerns. I'm so excited to join my dream program on scholarship in the fall, and it's thanks to the IvyBoost team's guidance!

My experience with Elite Prep has been nothing short of the best! One person who has been…read moreconstantly helping me throughout my time here is Jesse Kwon. When I first met with him after taking a diagnostic SAT, he walked me through the different SAT summer camp options, and told me what he thought would be best for me based off of my score and specific question types I initially missed. I left that meeting with a clear understanding what needed to be done over the summer in order for me to succeed. I enrolled in the SAT intensive bootcamp and improved my score by 120 points thanks to the amazing educators at this institution. I genuinely could not have achieved this without their help. The classes are incredibly engaging, and I learned so many strategies that I can apply to daily academic habits beyond the SAT. Since then, I have been actively participating in tutoring lessons with Jesse for precalculus. He's really good at breaking down math into understandable concepts, and that's what truly helped me build confidence in order to succeed in school. I highly recommend Elite Prep Fremont to any students looking to improve their SAT scores in a welcoming environment, or anyone in need of private tutoring.

I am extremely happy with my experience at Elite Educational Institute, and especially my guidance…read morecounselor and advisor,Jesse Kwon. As I prepare to make a transition to college, I can look back and understand how much of a contribution Elite and Jesse, in particular, have had in creating opportunities for me. My journey with Elite started in the early part of my freshman year at high school. Like most Asian families, my parents and I went to meet Jesse for the first time with ideas that only included lofty college brands, perfect GPAs and the most impacted majors. It took Jesse only one meeting to make me understand that I can do myself the best service by focusing on my studies with right time management, practice, doing due diligence to all my work, and asking for help whenever needed. During every college counseling meeting, Jesse always encouraged me, and even during times when my grades had dropped, he kept my spirits high. These four years, Jesse worked with our family like a team, providing valuable information, setting up course plans, summer programs, extra-curriculars, and helping me to maintain my school track records in spreadsheets. His dedication to help his students is exemplary. He is so invested in helping his students that he always loses track of time unless reminded by the front desk. I am also pleasantly surprised by the amount of patience he has as he will answer all questions (and sometimes my parents had a lot) without being dismissive. When it came time for college applications, I don't think I could have done so well without the help from Elite. Jesse took all the time to review and shortlist my Activities list, Awards and Honors, and of course my essays. I worked with Jesse through multiple rounds of reviewing before he gave me the greenlight. He also reviewed my entire application to make sure there were no errors. I cannot express the amount of work that I got to put with the Elite team to make my college application really strong. Even with a few blemishes in my grades, I still got admitted to 16 excellent universities, of which 6 were UCs. I got into both computer science and data science. In the end, it was a bit of a challenge to decide, but I am going to UC Berkeley. Without a doubt, my parents and the Elite team have immensely helped me through this phase. This may seem a bit out of order, but I wanted to cover my college application experience and the final outcome first. But I think my review will be incomplete if I don't mention Jesse as a tutor. Jesse was my math tutor in 10th and 11th grade. My school, Irvington High School, has a reputation of being intense at math. Apart from being a really excellent math tutor, I have always wondered how Jesse never gets stumped by any super difficult math problem. Last but not least, I am really thankful to the entire Elite team that I got the opportunity to work with. Chelsea was so much on top of everything giving me reminders if I am falling behind on any for-credit course. She is so well organized and really helped me to stay on track on a number of occasions. I worked with Joon as my essay coach, and he is definitely an expert of essay writing. It is difficult to satisfy him with the essay, but in the end when it all takes shape, you can only see how valuable his critique was. In the end, I became a much better writer.

Ms. Wong was instrumental in guiding my daughter throughout the entire college application process,…read moreand always with such great care and professionalism. My daughter, who is now on her way to start at one of her dream schools, feels the same. Here are my daughter's words: For the last three years, and throughout the entire college admissions process, Ms. Wong truly played a huge role - in her constant support, vast knowledge, and steady guidance. I am so grateful for her. She always provided quick responses regarding any questions I had about the overwhelming college process, and she always gave them with kindness, motivation, and genuine care! I could tell without a doubt that she truly wanted to see me succeed and thrive, and she would always motivate me to do my best. I would also like to shout-out Ms. Lin for her amazing college essay coaching help. Ms. Lin provided invaluable feedback to college essays and is so sweet and kind. I will always be grateful for their support.

My daughter ended up with a mediocre college after signing up for their consultation, The essay was…read morevery basic, they had college students review and provide feedback. Only positive was they were done with College applications before many started. I feel she could done better if we had not relied on their help and focused ourselves. I am disappointed and will not recommend.

When come down to find a good college advisor for our high school kid, it could be very…read morechallenging! We interviewed three consulting companies, after first initial meeting, very obviously Cortex was standing out! We are with them for three months now, we realized we made the right decision. There so many good things about Cortex! I will start with our family's first meeting with them, the presentation James showed to us was very impressive, the goal, the process and timeline of applying college was so clear, especially the philosophy behind their service is to help kids to build good study habit and be productive. My kid likes James instantly, to him, James is more like mentor. Each week James gives assignments and also monthly face to face meeting, which is very helpful. James is super responsive, patient and be passionately about his work! We feel so grateful to find Cortex! thank you James!

Being immigrants and attending a public school where counselors are overwhelmed by a very large…read morestudent body, we felt that we needed help to prepare for the college admissions process. We spent quite some time looking for someone who was not only knowledgeable and experienced but also relatable to our son, and we are pleased to have found Amy. Amy really makes an effort to understand the individual, his or her aspirations, merits, and potential, the basis of every recommendation and feedback, from which extracurriculars to pursue to which colleges to apply, always having in mind whether that is a good match for that specific individual. While the credit really goes to the student who earn the grades, take the tests, and write the essays, her support and advice really helped throughout the journey and the outcomes are a testimony to this: Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Southern California, and all of the UCs. Working with Amy was a delight and we highly recommend her.

I am sharing my experience so other families can make an informed decision…read more In February 2026, I was charged approximately $4,500 for automatic renewal without receiving any advance reminder or notice. When I discovered the charge, I contacted the academy immediately to request cancellation and a refund. I was informed that my request was submitted after an internal deadline and that no refund would be issued. Shortly afterward, my child's enrollment was terminated, and his access to all learning materials was removed, even though I had already paid in full and he had been working on those materials for over a year. At no point did anyone reach out to understand my situation or try to resolve the matter collaboratively. I later explained that I was experiencing financial hardship after losing my job, and that this unexpected charge was causing significant stress. Only after I escalated the matter and mentioned disputing the charge with my credit card issuer was my child's enrollment reinstated. This reinstatement occurred without any acknowledgment of the distress caused or explanation of their earlier actions. In addition, I was disappointed with the level of service provided for the price. The program consisted of approximately one half-hour session per month, often covering similar topics repeatedly. In my experience, the value did not match the cost. While services have now resumed, the overall handling of this situation felt unprofessional and unfair. I believe families deserve clearer communication about renewals, more transparency, and more compassionate customer service. I hope this review helps others ask the right questions before enrolling.

I wanted to provide an update to you all...we have been following up with zenith, asking for our…read moremoney back, as they advertise everywhere that it's 100% money back guarantee. We asked them to stick by what they promote. We have been emailing zenith for a response, but till date, we haven't received no response from them. It's been 4 months. Please anyone out there, don't sign up with them. They are a scam!

Mary Grace helped me a lot with my application for the graduate program last year. At the beginning…read moreof application, I was very nervous because I was not familiar with the application process. Mary Grace gave me a clear application schedule to enrich my experience and prepare my application materials. Also, she helped me do mock interviews to make me feel more confident in my real interviews. Mary Grace was very patient to help me go over my personal statements and correct my mistakes. I highly recommend Mary Grace because she can provide great support and valuable suggestions for job or work applications.

Ms. Gardner has an intimate grasp on why college essay apps can be so challenging and daunting and…read moreshe explains so well how to overcome those hurdles. She will work with you to explore any ideas you have and help you flesh them out. If you are overwhelmed by the college application process, don't stress! Use her expertise to help you get into your dream school!

Very money minded. They charge for initial consultation too and highlight all decision makers…read moreshould be present in that initial paid confirmation or meeting will be cancelled. They want to ensure you buy the full package and not able to say I will talk to my wife or something and get back to you. Very poorly managed communications and demonstrating there's no regards to anything except money. I have to add, not tried this company. I got bad vibes about how it will play out and did not go forward. I was told when Purvi herself was managing most operations and also providing counseling, company was much better. Now it's just a profit center. We have lots of choices, really a LOT out there. Skip this one.

The folks at Insight Education are outstanding. As a College Advisor for High school students, I…read morenetwork with other advisors and they have been incredibly supportive of me, my school and my students. They are very knowledgeable and give up their precious time to spend a day with my students supporting them in completing their college applications. I am very grateful for my relationship with the team at Insight Education. -Steve

If you are looking for college admission support, I cannot recommend ILUMIN Education enough. Our…read moreconsultant, Danny has been working with my son since junior year, and his help during the application process was invaluable. He was extremely dedicated and provided advice that my son actually listened to and follow - which is a huge win for any parent! Seeing him get into his dream college was proud moment for us, and we know Danny played a big part in that success. We are so appreciative of the care and effort put into his journey.

Navigating today's college admissions process is completely different from when my husband and I…read morewent to college. We both attended public universities in California, but we quickly realized we didn't feel equipped--or have the time or energy--to guide our son through the competitive and often overwhelming landscape of applications, essays, and deadlines. On top of that, the dynamic between my son and me made it difficult to help him directly. That's when we decided to look for a college consultant. After an initial consultation with another firm, we hesitated. The cost was high, and we weren't convinced about the value. Around that time, we remembered Elton, whom we knew through our church. Years ago, I had attended a free workshop he gave and was struck by his message: helping students find the right fit--not just chasing prestige. That stuck with me. Knowing his character and his heart for young people and families gave me confidence in Ilumin's mission. Ilumin Education has a stellar team of experienced counselors, and we were given the chance to interview several coaches. We chose to work with Kelly because of her warmth and energy. She made an immediate connection with our son, and the fact that she had a child going through the process as well gave us added reassurance that she truly understood what families like ours were experiencing. Kelly built a trusting relationship with our son and always acknowledged his strengths--even though he didn't have a top SAT score. She structured meetings to fit his personality, keeping them productive and under an hour, and helped him stay on track without overwhelming him. Thanks to her encouragement and guidance, he completed his essays with confidence--many of them even ahead of schedule. He participated in Ilumin's summer essay bootcamp and later told us, "I can write really good essays now." He was so confident, in fact, that he submitted essays to additional schools outside our package on his own. The growth we saw in him was incredible. He was motivated, driven, and even helped friends who weren't working with a consultant. I had never seen him work so hard--and I never once had to nag him about his essays. Kelly helped him apply for selective summer opportunities, one of which was a month-long program at UCSB that turned out to be an amazing experience. Ultimately, our son was admitted to several great schools--including Purdue, University of Washington, Santa Clara University (with merit scholarships), and several selective state schools. He was even waitlisted at a highly selective Ivy League school, which he never would have considered applying to two years ago. While he didn't get into all his top choices, we were incredibly proud of how far he reached and how much he grew through the process. Beyond her work with students, Kelly supported me as a parent. During moments of panic (and there were many!), she responded to my emails promptly and thoughtfully--even after hours. On one occasion when Kelly was unavailable, Elton stepped in right away. That kind of responsiveness and care made us feel like more than just clients. We truly felt like they were part of our team. Working with Ilumin was one of the best decisions we made. I've spoken with other parents who hired consultants from other companies, and I can honestly say--we had the best experience. We are so grateful to Kelly, Elton, and the entire Ilumin team for their support, wisdom, and care during this journey.

Thank you Dr Sherry and her professional team, my daughter got in her dream college in…read moreMassachusetts! On top of that, she got both merit scholarship and huge financial aid. We wouldn't have done it without Dr Sherry!

From the owner: We are college planning experts. Dr. Sherry and her experienced professional team are committed to…read morehelping students get into their dream colleges with the most efficient funding strategies, and also helping parents preserve their retirement funds in the most tax efficient ways possible. These strategies provide Peace of Mind to families!