Walking into Albert & Bryan's office was one of the best decisions I made in my college application…read moreprocess. Starting with outcomes: I got into all of my reach schools & my cousin (applying this year) is knocking out target/reach schools by the day. Of course, results never paint the entire picture, so I'd like to highlight a few behind-the-scenes aspects of their approach that I believe are quite conducive to great application delivery. 1. Crafting an authentic application. Every word on my application contributed to an accurate picture of who I am. Not once did I get the impression that Albert & Bryan were trying to fit me into a "template" of the perfect candidate (as a significant number of college applications guides tend to do). Their primary role was extracting notable points about my experiences and helping me with synthesizing/packaging them into compelling and genuine stories. Authenticity is one of the key characteristics of engaging college essay writing, yet it is often one of the most overlooked. Albert & Bryan know this, a fact that is reflected in their guiding principle: "If we anonymously drop your essays in the middle of the street and your best friends pick it up, they will immediately think of you. If strangers pick it up, they will feel as if they have already met you." I certainly believe that we accomplished this by the conclusion of the process. 2. Storytelling expertise. To put plainly, they are great storytellers. Albert & Bryan teach storytelling techniques that I haven't encountered anywhere else. Short, choppy phrases to convey excitement and thrill; sentence cadence to amplify any message you are trying to get across; sustaining a metaphor to create cohesiveness and make the essay a better read- a few of many techniques that I employ to this day. Telling a good story is a fundamental skill of any capable writer, one that is especially critical when trying to encompass your entire character in a few pages of paper. 3. Commitment to their students' success. Albert & Bryan had many other clients while I was there, yet they somehow made it feel as though I was their only student. They reviewed each completed application with the utmost care. I got emails from them at all hours of the day/night, pointing out the slightest of details (deviation in format, potential ambiguity, minor discordance in information) that I somehow overlooked. Every time I needed their help, they found a way to clear up a time slot. I've heard of instances where they devoted their entire night *after closing hours* to work on a mentee's last-minute submission. It goes to show how much they are willing to do to ensure that their students are supported. 4. Staying well-informed. They go to conferences every few months to keep up to date, not just with what application reviewers want to know from their applicants, but also general trends in what types of individuals thrive at which places. This- along with the personal network & bank of experiences that they built over years of being in the industry- means that they had well-informed and nuanced responses to any inquiry I had about the application process or the universities themselves. It's difficult to find guidance of this quality, especially for a process as convoluted as applying for college. Albert & Bryan's service is a gem in the space. I'd recommend them to anyone applying.

Royal Education provided an incredible amount of knowledge and guidance for me and my family during…read morethe college application process. I worked with Brian and I think his background as an Ivy League student from a family that was not well-off allowed me to connect very easily with him. I always felt like I was working alongside him to improve my applications, and it was very easy to joke with him and push through a counselor-student relationship. My family has never been through the American college application process and I would highly recommend Royal Education to anyone who would like clear and concise advice and guidance.

We truly appreciate you and CL team's efforts put into my daughter's college application journey…read more The success we called wasn't about getting into the highest ranked school, it is about the confidence we gained thru out the process, also the college fits her best interests!

Tammy as owner is hands-on, very personable and manages a fun team of college counseling experts…read morewho will take time to listen and help you with your college applications from A-Z!

Patti really helped my son navigate his voice in his college essays. She was also instrumental in…read morehelping him decide where he wanted to apply (and why) and what majors would and wouldn't be a great fit for him, based on getting to know him over the two years they worked together. Once my son decided what he really wanted to pursue, she helped him back into choosing the best colleges within various universities, keeping location, size, campus vibe, cost and other variables in mind. As parents, it was wonderful to have a positive and knowledgable outside influence take the reins in aspects of the process that we didn't know much about. She kept him accountable and on track, while always being upbeat and a pleasure to work with. He submitted all his applications early and was confident that he'd done his best work. I highly recommend Patti to anyone looking for guidance at any point of the admissions process.

As a parent going through their first college application with their child, I strongly urge others…read moreto search elsewhere for college counseling. Despite the positive reviews others have left, my son, Christian felt strongly about Patti's various shortcomings during his college application process. He felt that his questions were left unanswered constantly and oftentimes would leave meetings more confused. He strongly felt that his time would have been better spent somewhere else. To other parents: Please be wary of the unrealistic promises made by this business!

Ms. Kate Her is very professional and caring. She patiently explains all available programs that…read morefit your goals. Highly recommend this institution.

Elite helped my kid get into Princeton! This was always my kid's dream and Elite helped make it…read morecome true!! This place is VERY understated and probably could be charging quadruple what they do. A lot of places have good staff but I think what sets this place apart is the company culture, which is no small factor when your kid is trying to thread the needle through all of the little details that matter in the application process (and those little things do matter if your dream is one of the top schools). The staff members all work as a team, surrounding your kid with an army of people who not only know what they're doing, (you can get that at a lot of places) but who ACTUALLY CARE and personally go above and beyond to see them succeed. They almost feel like extended family, an army of support. You can pay someone to help your kid out with applications, but you can't pay Somone to actually care! That is the difference with Elite. I don't know what or how they go about hiring people or what they do to foster that type of culture but the benefits of it go to your kid and in our case the results speak for themselves. Sure my kid is smart, has near perfect grades and test scores but so do thousands of other kids with near identical profiles. Elite helped my kid stand out from the crowd. They truly know what they are doing. Thank you thank you Elite!! A true trajectory changer for my kid. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME on all of those "fancy" places that charge double or in some cases quadruple. I almost did and I'm so glad I didn't.

Carlos has been helping my son since the 9th grade, and from the beginning he guided him in…read moreselecting and designing the right high-school curriculum. He has supported us at every step and has taken the guesswork out of the entire journey. Carlos is caring, straightforward, and knows exactly how to challenge students while keeping them motivated. His experience as a former admissions director gives him rare insight into the admissions process, and he uses that knowledge to make everything clearer and less overwhelming. He is thoughtful, organized, and truly invested in understanding each student. I recommend Carlos wholeheartedly. My son is a senior now and we are very grateful to have had him guide us through his journey to college.

With Carlos' help my son got into UC Berkeley for Mechanical Engineering this year. UC Berkeley is…read moreknown as #3 school in the world for this major. I know he would not have achieved his dreams without Carlos' help. His results speak for themselves. Thank you again Carlos for helping both of my children get into amazing universities!

We are extremely grateful for the support this college counseling company provided our family…read morethroughout my daughter's high school. The process of preparing for college applications was overwhelming, but the guidance we received made all the difference. Felicia, who worked directly with my daughter, was outstanding, supportive, knowledgeable, and always encouraging. She helped keep everything organized and made sure my daughter felt confident every step of the way. She was always there for my daughter when she needed her. Justin, the owner, has clearly built a wonderful program that truly supports students and families. We're thrilled that my daughter was accepted into the university she had been hoping for, and we're very thankful for their role in helping make that happen. Very Highly recommend.

My student sat for practice tests in AP Chem and AP Calc AB with Premier Prep. Justin was friendly,…read morehelpful, and very responsive.

We are so grateful we found Sam Mikhail and College Made Easy. They were recommended to us by our…read moreson's high school at one of the College Financial Education nights. We thought we navigate the financial aid application process ourselves, filling out the FAFSA and CSS on our own... It was way more complicated than we thought. Sam helped us understand our current finances and really supported us in making some important choices that made a valuable difference. Everybody's situation is different, but If we could quantify the savings over the next four years, it's easily over $200k. His services has helped us figure out how to stretch our son's current college saving and really make it last.

We are so grateful we found Sam Mikhail and College Made Easy. They were recommended to us by our…read moreson's high school at one of the College Financial Education nights. We thought we navigate the financial aid application process ourselves, filling out the FAFSA and CSS on our own... It was way more complicated than we thought. Sam helped us understand our current finances and really supported us in making some important choices that made a valuable difference. Everybody's situation is different, but If we could quantify the savings over the next four years, it's easily over $200k. His services has helped us figure out how to stretch our son's current college saving and really make it last.

If you have a high school student planning on going to college but needs help, check out Pathways…read moreA-G for assistance.

From the owner: Pathways A-G is an independent educational consultant program helping families navigate the…read morestressful process of college admissions.