Neal Schwartz, College Planning of Westchester (www.collegeplanningofwestchester.com) is a…read morefact-based, data-driven, business-oriented consultant who gets results for parents and students. We were looking for a college consultant to help us navigate the college landscape for our daughter. We observed that the college marketplace had changed and become dramatically more competitive - particularly at the elite schools. The number of applications has exploded. The acceptance rates have declined. Many of the college consultants we spoke with were taken aback by the changes in the marketplace. They were negative. They were dispirited. They were looking for the lowest common dominator in terms of setting expectations for our daughter. Neal Schwartz was different. Neal spent most of his career in business: selling computer hardware, leading computer hardware sales organizations, and managing business units as an executive. Neal was fact-based, data-driven in his approach and developed a plan and a process to help us navigate the landscape and achieve the best results. Business background is key. While the college marketplace is competitive - this is not the first time Neal has dealt with competitive market dynamics. Thus far, Neal has provided advice and counsel in terms an overall plan, suggested priorities in terms of after-school and summer activities, suggested priorities in terms of AP classes, and - most importantly - providing us with access to a proprietary database / online tool to allow us to review and understand our choices in terms of college and "fit" for our daughter. Again, this is a data-driven approach. But the biggest upside so far has been working with our daughter on the ACT exam. Neal reviewed the results of the PSAT and PACT exam and provided us with the pros and cons of each test and the most likely "lift" in terms of scores. Neal provided us with outstanding tutors who helped our daughter practice and prepare for the ACT exam. The tutors were themselves business executives who were either in the financial services industry or retired executives who had built and sold business. The approach was again a business focus that was fact-based, data-driven, and geared toward results. The result was a tremendous ACT score for our daughter. We look forward to working with Neal to finalize this journey for our daughter. Perhaps it is a stereotype. Perhaps it is unfair. But many in the educational community could be considered more of the nurturing, supportive variety. Perhaps "soft." Neal is not "soft." Neal is practical and he gets results. We will always be grateful to Neal Schwartz. It has been a great fit for our daughter.

Test Psychology - Tests make my son nervous, especially timed tests! He scored very high on his…read moreoriginal PSAT, but we were worried he would psych himself out. Neal and his staff gave him strategies to deal with timed questions - when to skip a question and general time management. He would up scoring in top 1% on the first SAT! Thanks.

I have worked with Ann since I was a junior in high school and have found her extremely helpful as…read morea mentor, counselor, and essay editor. When I was in high school, she was great at helping me manage the wealth of essays I had to complete as well as providing valuable feedback and perspective to improve and strengthen the essays. She was a major reason why I got accepted into my top choice schools including the University of Pennsylvania, University of Notre Dame, Cornell University, and the University of Michigan. I am now a sophomore in college, and still reach out to Ann for advice and feedback regarding ongoing opportunities at the university.

I am currently a senior in high school and I plan to attend college next fall. Ann was an amazing…read morehelp during the college process. Together, we narrowed down which type of school I would like based on my personality and preferences. Ann put together a list of schools I would like based on the questions she provided. When I narrowed down my choices, she helped me understand the college app (online website where a student can apply to multiple colleges at once) and helped me create a resume. We were then able to brainstorm ideas for my college essay. Overall, Ann's help made the college process a lot less stressful! I recommend contacting Ann if any juniors or rising seniors are confused or overwhelmed when applying to schools. Also the earlier you start applying or getting ready to apply the better! I applied to some rolling admission colleges in the summer leading up to senior year and started off the school year knowing I was already accepted to at least one college!

I called Lauren in a panic, as my daughter was experiencing some issues. After explaining the…read morecircumstances to Lauren she said "by no means am I minimizing your concerns, but I got this." She has been seeing my daughter for a couple of months now and it has been very helpful. I highly recommend her.

Tony Di Giacomo, Ph.D., and Novella Prep he founded are insightful academic coaches. Having…read morepreviously worked with other academic consultants, it is our family's experience that Dr. Di Giacomo creates unique value and benefit for the student. He is an exceptional educator and motivational coach. He has served as catalyst for our high school-age son's study habits, skills development, and academic progress. Dr. Di Giacomo left no stone unturned in understanding our son's playing field: his academic performance, notes taking in class, focus and knowledge retention at school, study habits at home, and underlying beliefs and motivation. It is this all-encompassing understanding that enabled Dr. Di Giacomo to define a breakthrough path for our son to a higher plateau, one where his academic performance reflects his full cognitive abilities and potential. Dr. Di Giacomo and Novella Prep are not only holistic in their approach to enabling the student with a keen understanding of child and teen psychology. They are proactive, caring, flexible, and responsive to the parent. We have been impressed by Dr. Di Giacomo's insight as he delved into our son's mind and psyche, uncovering and removing defense mechanisms and converting negative self-fulfilling prophecies into winning student habits and outcomes. Dr. Di Giacomo instantly earned our son's trust and cooperation in cooperating fully with assigned tasks that have led to effective habits and behaviors as student. There have been many academic and college advisors that present their expertise at our local library from time to time. Dr. Di Giacomo has stood out for his ability, efficiency, and effectiveness in coaching our son to success. He has our appreciation for his keen insight and pivotal contributions to our son's high school academic performance and college readiness.

Tony is fantastic. He understood my son and his needs pretty quickly. All kids I'm sure have…read moredifferent situations and goals and I think Tony and his team are able to move on that and come up with a workable plan. We have definitely seen results from the support he's getting.

Has been very helpful with the college process making it simple and fun. Would suggest for anyone…read morewho is in high school and people transferring colleges.

Ms. Rockholz gave me excellent insight into what my essays were doing well and what could be…read moreimproved! She offered valuable lenses for which I could frame my essays and showed great knowledge of college admissions standards (especially University of California admissions in my case) and what they want to see in a college essay. It is clear that she knows what she is doing, and I feel more confident in my essays than ever. Would definitely recommend to anyone who is eager to get a professional's feedback on their college essay!

I've known Randy personally for about ten years. With One on One Mentors, he's sharing decades of…read moreexperience working with young people to help them make the most of college and jump start their careers. Randy is personable, easy-going, and has a special knack for bringing out the best in people. Highly recommended as a career counselor and a college coach.

From the owner: One on One Mentors specializes in helping college students maximize their time at school. In a…read morevery personalized way, we guide students through every step of college (that they need), from selecting classes to picking a major, from internships to full time jobs post college.

I reached out to David with hopes of getting help with a unique situation. During our first…read moreconversation David was able to answer all of my questions and set my unfocused son on a path. He is extremely knowledgeable, friendly and caring.

We came to College Match after an unsuccessful college application process and a long search for…read morethe right advisor for my son. David had a strong record, an optimistic outlook, realistic and valid points, extensive interview process, excellent timeline, creative angles, supplemental resources, great rapport with everyone in the family, and made it all upbeat and enjoyable. He answered all questions on time, took a great load of concern off our backs, broke bigger projects into smaller, do-able steps. We are over the moon, my son got into his top choice, a reach college, the one and only course he truly wants to take in a highly competitive, niche area of study.

One of the most helpful thing Betsy does is to help identify the best colleges to apply to. Not…read morenecessarily the top ranked schools but the ones that are the best fit, both academically and socially. And her counseling on completing the application process and the application essay are invaluable. She really seems to know what the different schools are looking for and how to structure the application for each. Highly recommended!

From the owner: As your professional mentor and advocate, I will facilitate your search and teach you lifelong…read moreskills that will enable you to stand out and get into your ideal school. You'll learn how to showcase your unique qualities, talents and abilities in your applications, empowering you to realize your personal and career goals. I'll create an action plan just for you.