David and College Match were great to work with. David was a critical part of the college…read moreapplication process for my two children, now undergraduates at UC Berkeley and UCLA. His style of working with high school students is very easy-going and patient, asking inquisitive questions to help them identify their own approach and highlights throughout the complicated and intense application process. We started with David a bit late with our first child, but David quickly helped him catch-up and stay organized. With our second, we were able to involve David earlier in the process which helped space out the work better. He and his team were equally responsive and timely with their support. Thank you David!

My stepdaughter Catalina began her search & application process for graduate schools relatively…read morelate in the process, with just a few weeks before the deadline. Right off the bat, David was very accommodating with his time. From the initial consultation, I could tell that David was very skilled at determining her strengths & weaknesses & how they fit into various graduate MBA programs. He quickly got an intrinsic understanding of ''who she is'' & was able to devise an action plan to highlight her strengths for her school of choice. Based on a couple initial conversations we had, he generated a terrific list of core values which helped drive the rest of the process. Just to be safe, I shopped around a bit and found that David's fees were very favorable compared to some of the other well-known admissions strategists around the country, in some cases less than half as much. So we decided to stick with David. David would promptly answer our questions & provided strong recommendations for my daughter on how to articulate herself in the both the application and essay. He was always available either by phone or email and always made us feel like his top priority when we needed his assistance. I have to recognize that we called him perhaps much more than we should have, but he took it all in stride and was extremely accommodating, reassuring, patient and attentive. He was also excellent in researching the most recent admission trends for her top choice university so we could appropriately strategize the application and pitch her strengths in a way that helped turn the tables on the college admissions process. I would highly recommend David if you are looking for an expert in the graduate admissions process. He's worth every penny. - TT (stepdaughter), admitted to Stanford MBA

I loved working with Emily. I found her through Sage Educators in Mill Vally and was so glad that I…read moreworked with her over other counselors. I had friends who worked with other counselors who were discouraged about the schools they were applying to and Emily was always very supportive of me while still being realistic about what I should be looking for. Emily met with me personally, helped me fill out applications, reviewed my essays and even gave me a binder (and google doc) of my daily schedule for applying to schools. I couldn't recommend anyone else. I am currently a student at Chapman University (my top choice of colleges) and owe it to Emily!!

I highly recommend Emily. I chose Emily on my own searching on yelp for a counselor when I realized…read moremy school counselors weren't very helpful. Emily showed me a lot of schools that I didn't know much about and I ended up applying to most of them. The net result couldn't have been better, now I am in a top-tier school in my subject (tied with brown and yale on CS rankings) and I have to thank her for that. She has the power to change lives! :)

I wanted to take a moment to leave a quick review. I reached out to in regards to counseling…read moreservices for my daughter. Unfortunately, she was not taking new students at the time, but the fact that she took the time to call me back and spent her personal time on the phone, giving me some basic information with absolutely no upside for herself speaks volumes. If she will give her time to a parent, who is not her client I can only imagine how dedicated she is to the students she works with. Not only that, but she was a wealth of information in a short amount of time. Thank you for your time, it was truly appreciated.

We have just completed our second tour with Michelle and once again had a superb experience. She…read moreprovided great counsel starting at freshman year regarding what classes to take to improve GPA, summer enrichment programs to consider and how to round out experiences in order to make a compelling application come senior year. Her methodology and cadence for deliverables is very thought out and based on her depth of knowledge. It helped keep our student on track with a timeline and game plan. Everything she does is very purposeful. Our student got into his top target school and had many other options. She holds the kids accountable, is a straight shooter and is pleasant to work with, both for students and parents. She's a pro.

Gerna is the best in his field and he does it all with a smile and a lot of Aloha! He has helped…read moreme throughout my son's entire college career and he makes the application process for FAFSA painless. Gerna is a blessing and a gift to the parents who ask for his advice and support while applying to FASFA. Gerna keeps it real. Gerna IS the Great Kahuna for college financial planning. Janet Welsh Somatic Arts practitioner/ choreographer/educator.

We had great result with Bay Area College Planners. Our daughter was accepted in multiple colleges…read moreincluding UC-Irvine, UC-Santa Cruz, UC-Riverside. We are extremely happy with the results, given our daughter had multiple great choices. Gerna was always helpful, he walked us through the entire process. He was always available to answer any of our questions no matter what time or what day we called. Great results, great service. We will absolutely go with Gerna for our son who is graduating in 2 years.

Life is a journey, not a destination…read more - Ralph Waldo Emerson This quote is the bedstone of Linda's practice. Though the destination is 'college' with Linda's individualized guidance the journey of discovery revealed several excellent college matches for our son. We interviewed numerous college counselors. Immediately we knew Linda was the right professional to take the overwhelming worry out of the daunting college process. She is thoughtful, inviting, well educated and absolutely client centered. Linda has a wealth of applicable knowledge and experience. She worked tirelessly with our son to find the right fit. Her method kept him organized and on track with regular meetings and check ins. More importantly he enjoyed working with her! Ultimately, Linda's expertise and guidance was integral in his Early Decision acceptance to Cornell. We look forward to watching our son work into his full potential and are overwhelmingly grateful for her help.

Better be good at computers because she refused to give me any written documentation of the…read more'research' she had compiled for my daughter, which is like a doctor refusing to release your medical chart! Not a good fit for our family at all.

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.

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.

Stacy has been working with my daughter for 2 years. She's now off to college. Stacy is extremely…read moreknowledgeable with the college process! She really gets to know her students to give them proper insight for colleges that would be the best fit. Stacy has a positive energy and a great sense of humor which relates well with teenagers! She made the stressful college process more enjoyable!

It was wonderful and so reassuring to work with Ms. Colwell! She put together a great list of…read moreschools that were just right for our son, and so far, he has not received a single rejection! The whole experience has been so much easier than the nightmare stories I have read and heard from fellow parents! The key is knowing and finding schools that are the right fit for your child, and Ms. Colwell is passionate about that, and introduced us to some thoughtful and great programs- perfect for our son! I highly recommend working with her, listening carefully to her advice and watching the good news roll in! So grateful for her help! Mom of very happy senior in High School

What can I say about Barbara--she is terrific. She did exactly what she outlined to us when we…read morebooked her package deal in the late fall of my daughter's junior year. The deal was worth every penny. We are so grateful to have had Barbara to lean on through the college admissions process. She helped my daughter identify areas of interest and then guided her through the development of a college list based on those interests. She promised that our daughter would be done with all of her applications by Thanksgiving and she was. We didn't have to nag one bit. Barbara kept her on track and really educated her on the process. Thank you, Barbara, for making this process completely stress-free for all of us. We'll be calling on you again next year when our next one is ready to start the process.

Barbara is stellar at what she does. I got the essay package to help my daughter for college…read moreapplications and the process was smooth, efficient and stress-free, even during covid times. All sessions were seamlessly delivered via zoom in a timely manner. My daughter loved working with Barbara and was looking forward to all her sessions. Barbara helped masterfully discover what will help my daughter's application shine with her creative and knowledgeable brainstorming. She helped my daughter write better essays by instilling the confidence in her and with her guidance, the end product was great. We can stand tall knowing that my daughter's essays will best support her application and give her the best chance in getting into her dream schools.

Elaine is a world-class advisor--thoughtful, capable, compassionate, and responsive…read more She worked with our twins for several years as we navigated the stress and uncertainty of the college process--where to apply, how to think about value, and how to strike the right balance between reach, target, and safety schools. The process today is daunting. With Ivies accepting just 3-5% of applicants and UC schools also extremely competitive, it's too risky to go it alone and hope for the best. Elaine dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and care guiding our kids through every step. No matter the situation, her advice was always thoughtful and transparent. She responded quickly to every question, usually the same day or within 24 hours. Of course, no advisor can work miracles if a student isn't already committed and putting in the effort--but for motivated students, even the strongest ones, her guidance is invaluable. She also helps set realistic expectations for both kids and parents, which is just as important as anything else. Now the results are in. Both of our kids are strong IB students who were active in music and leadership programs. While the Ivies ultimately proved too far a stretch (despite their qualifications), they were accepted to several top UC and state schools, as well as USC, LMU, and others. Our daughter has chosen UC Berkeley, where she also received a significant merit scholarship--something we were especially grateful for given the cost of college today. Our son was also offered spots at UC Berkeley and UCSD, but has USC Thornton in his sights. If you have a child entering or already in high school, I highly recommend starting with Elaine for an initial consultation. Our whole family--especially our kids--is grateful for her guidance, which led to outstanding options at some of the top public and private universities in the country. We couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome and look forward to the next chapter with twins in college.

Elaine Chan helped my daughter apply for college for the fall of 2023 and I can't say enough…read morepositive things about Elaine! Let me try though... First of all, Elaine is extremely knowledgeable and professional- she does her research on colleges and keeps very up-to-date on the changes in universities and in the application process, even going on regular in-person visits to check out college campuses herself. She offers very personalized counseling services because she gets to know the student in conversation as well as through assessment tools. She counsels the student and family to apply for best-match colleges based on all relevant interests including academic, social, environmental/"vibe", geographic, financial, etc. Secondly, Elaine is super accessible and an awesome communicator (dare I say, to a fault, with the speed in which she answered emails and texts??) and she is very organized. Elaine makes herself available to answer questions and to be helpful in any and all ways she can. Elaine is resourceful and provides important resources and support without overwhelming the student with TOO much information. Elaine is very easy to talk with and helped make the college application process practically painless! Thirdly, Elaine knows how to bring out the best in the student by helping the student understand and capitalize on their strengths and coaches the student in the essay writing and in all the other application requirements. Because of Elaine's deep familiarity with the college application process, she is able to counsel the student on approaching college application in a strategic manner. Lastly, Elaine is a genuinely wonderful person- she is warm and caring and we felt that she had my daughter's best interests in mind in all of her meetings with Elaine. Additionally, Elaine has a special place in her heart for first-generation college students and has extended herself above and beyond for students who would otherwise not have the knowledge, resources or support to apply for and attend college. We are grateful for Elaine's help and would give her 6 stars if we could!!

We used IvyMax for college consulting last year. Experience was pretty bad for that price. As a…read moreparent, I learn nothing new from them. Many of their advices are just too general. You can learn that from youtube videos. Also, it's hard to get in touch with our college consultant, Mr. Wei. Every communication (phone call, text chats) had to go through his secretary. Very time consuming. They also tried to sell you more services in some meetings. The essay review was helpful but that's it. Unless you really don't know anything about college admission, you should look somewhere else.

I have sent my kid to IvyMax. At the beginning, just for a…read moreSAT class. Their class is very helpful. Teacher actually has good reputation because my daughter said she has some classmates come from Stockton! She got a 2380 in the real test (her diagnostic test was only 1940, after the test, her general counselor analyzed what were her weaknesses so she could really work on those parts). Class management was satisfying, teacher assistant reported to us how well she was doing, so we could keep tracking her progress. Later, we had a counseling meeting with their counselor and agreed that extracurricular was important but also her weakness since we didn't know much about how and what to do was good for her. Then we joined IvyMax's counseling program. I have to say, this one year so far, overall is good, even though not all the time being extremely satisfying, they have been adjusting and coordinating, willing to listen and communicate. My daughter now enjoys participating in their students actives. They have provided many volunteering opportunities and encouraged my daughter to try and challenge. I have seen how my daughter have changed!