Testimonials

The following testimonials represent some of the unsolicited feedback we receive each year. We may correct typographical errors or misspellings, and will change or withhold details to protect client privacy, but otherwise do not edit these comments.

"David,

Very pleased to inform you that my daughter (coached by Nick P) has obtained admission at Harvard, Wellesley, Duke, Chicago, Vanderbilt, Barnard, and Pomona College.

Thank you for your help with the admissions process."  J, Maryland

"Dear Maria,

The session went very well and was very productive. Thank you so much for a wonderful consultant – Sheri was very helpful. She was very supportive and very honest with our son's current status and where we should move from here. We definitely would like to use her expertise for helping us with the college application.

Thank you again!"  J, Colorado

"Dear Deb,

Our daughter was admitted to UT but she will attend the orientation at GW. She is really looking forward to finishing high school and going to college. Thank you so much for your help in her college search and admission process. We could not have done it without you. I have 3 more children, so we will be in touch again in the future. Enjoy you summer."  G, Ohio

"Hi Maria,

I'd like to pass on how pleased I have been with Jim. Jim was knowledgeable, supportive, and honest. His follow-up list of potential colleges was specifically tailored to my son's abilities. So thanks for connecting us."  D, North Dakota

Hi Deb,

"Thank you for all your help. I can honestly say it would have not been to the quality it was without you.

You are fun to work with and have fabulous standards. You made the experience actually fun over here."  H. Canada

"Hi Sheri,

I am very happy to report that I was accepted into Columbia! Thanks for all of your help in getting me there!"  G, California

"Thanks again for everything you've helped out with so far - from essay prep to general guidance and insight through the admissions process. It's been a tremendous help to me."  D, California

"We really enjoyed working with all of you. the results were impressive, to say the least.

thanks, again,"  P, Massachusetts

"I just wanted to send you a quick email to update you on how the admissions process is going so far. To date, I've only heard from 4 schools - but it's okay because I've gotten into all of them! They are (in order of when I heard):

- Villanova (added late after my parents strongly suggested an extra safety school)
- Tulane (with a $30,000 a year Dean's Scholarship)
- University of Georgia
- Wake Forest (with a full tuition merit scholarship - which is about $30,000 a year too)

No big surprises there (except the money!) but it's good news anyway, of course! I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest turn out - now I'm seeing the downside to applying to so many schools - it's hard to choose among them!

Thanks again for all your help with the admissions process - I'll keep you updated on how it goes!

Best," N, Virginia

"Ms. Aileen was an extremely excellent mentor and advisor. I feel a little more at ease with the whole process. She was very kind, funny, and made reaching for the Ivies more realistic. I will contact her at a later date when I need help filling out those applications. So yes, I am very satisfied. Thank you so much!

Sincerely," S, Virginia

"Hi Deb,

I would like to inform you that the university I had applied to in Germany has given me a place. I just received the acceptance letter from them and I would like to thank you very much for helping me out on my first application and then after the waitlist period. I really do appreciate the effort you put in and would like you to know my decision to accept my place there. It was a pleasure to have known you. Take care and do keep in touch.

Yours sincerely," S, Singapore

"Hi Heather

I now have all my admission letters. I finally got admitted into 5 schools [UT Austin, U Washington, BU, UFL and USC]. I have finally decided to join UT Austin, its fully funded for the first year with a tuition waiver and TA. I am international, I also got my VISA today so I am all set to go.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank you, had u not advised and encouraged me my admission success might not have been possible.

You've been very supportive, your help and advice has been very helpful in my application success.

thank you" M, Korea

"Bill,

Havn't got chance to thank you for helping J getting into the college she wants. We really appreciate your dedication days and nights, weekends and weekdays to J's essays and inquiries. You are the best. We just want to express our appreciation to you. Certainly, we will refer whoever need this kind of assistance to you in the future. Once again, we know that she could not get into Columbia without your advice." D, New York

"I just wanted to drop a note with an update of K. Thanks again for your help with her essay. I will recommend your company and will use you again in the future with my younger daughter." L, North Carolina

"Hey Deb,

Guess what? I got in! I just found out. They sent me a great big packet, and now I finally know where I'm going to college. It's over! I just wanted to let you know how much easier you have made this whole process. The whole thing was much less stressful for all of us. And, It's always good to have a second opinion anyway. Thank you so much for all of your help. You have been amazing.

Thanks Again," A, Georgia

"Hi Amy,

I write to provide you with updates regarding B and S. B wanted to leave Hamilton College at the end of his freshman year. He has been admitted to Brown University and will attend in the fall. His brother S was waitlisted at Yale; he was called yesterday and informed that he has been taken off the waiting list and he will attend Yale!

Sincerely," D, Massachusetts

"Aileen's exceptional and unique knowledge base is immeasurably valuable; as a former Harvard admissions officer and student, she was able to answer our questions more than any other consultant I could imagine. She also gave a direct, honest, and credible assessment of my son's potential, without wasting time. She had clearly spent time reviewing the questionnaire and understood my son's unique background quite thoroughly. I also value that we have the chance to ask more questions as needed and pay as we go rather than pay for a package which is more than we would need. Since my son is homeschooled, he doesn't have an experienced guidance counselor or teacher who could give him advice and review his essay and application. We feel extremely fortunate to have Aileen help in this role and it will surely relieve the application stress I've have felt since this is my first child's college application and things have changed completely it seems since I applied to college back in the 70's."  A, Wisconsin

"Hi Maria,

Thank you for the email.  We were extremely impressed with Bill, as anyone would be.  His knowledge concerning the subject of college admissions is unmatched.  This is a difficult process for us and we are just trying to survive it, let me tell you!  But Bill was very helpful in helping my daughter to become more realistic in terms of schools that she might consider.  We have taken a step back and are trying to examine options at this time.  Bill was extremely helpful in letting her know she should pick several schools, not just one, to look at, so that is what she is doing now.  I am awaiting Bill's response to her latest query about a potential college but plan on employing his services again when she is ready to complete the applications.  Thanks again for the email,"  N, North Carolina 

"Hi Tom,

Thanks for all of your help in the mock interview. My interview at NEOUCOM contained many of the expected questions we discussed (they asked me that exact cheating question, for example). They also asked me whether I would tell the patient that he had terminal cancer even if the family asked me not to (I said that after talking with and counseling the family, I would have to tell the patient because he has the right to the knowledge of treatment and prognosis of the condition). Your help in this process was truly useful and greatly appreciated."  G, Illinois

"Hi Jonny: A is going to Colgate. She is all signed up and ready to go.
Thanks for your help."  C, New York

"Hi Deb, I'm just emailing you to let you know that I've gotten accepted into Yale, and that I will most likely be attending there this fall. Thank you so much for all the help you gave me with my essays and etc. I really appreciate it!"  N, California

"Hi Sara,

I just wanted to let you know that J heard from Carnegie Mellon this week and was accepted into their School of Architecture. He is very excited and feels like this is the right choice for him. Thank you so, so much for all your help. It was really beneficial and I really believe helped J's application greatly. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks again."  E, Wisconsin

"I can tell you that Nadine has been great as far as I can see (my son is working directly with her). She was very responsive and has him focused right away on the parts of the Chicago application that he needs to get done and done well.

Thank you,"  S, Arizona

"David,

I must say, that we have been incredibly happy with Deb in her handling of our daughter and her applications. So much so, in fact, that I would like to spend some time talking with her about our son, who is in the 9th grade at the present.

Sincerely," T, Georgia

"Dear Deb,

I mailed my completed Cornell application. Again, thank you so much for not just your help, but for grounding me and the unconditional support you showed me. Even when I was bouncing off the walls--wanting to apply to every college that sounded cool or challenging.

Best wishes and have a great year,

Sincerely,"  A, Florida

"David,

We tell Deb every time we talk with her, thanks for her tact, expertise, sympathy and professionalism.

Sincerely,"  P, Georgia

"Hi Jonny,

Hopefully, the college application crush has eased for you. I made a point not to bother you before the new year arrived.

That said, I wish to thank you for the tremendous job you did with our son.

You deftly held his hand, kicked him in the butt when needed, and challenged/ stretched his college agenda. Truly, he became an informed consumer.

You helped hone his resume from a wandering maze to a sharply honed list highlighting his accomplishments.

To this day, our son tells of how you asked him most of the same questions his interviewer did...and the difference it made in his comfort level....

In effect, you were like a one-man admission committee. If our son could get by you, he figured his application was thorough and strong....

Warmest Regards, [name,] Bowdoin College parent (thanks to you)."  J, North Carolina

"Hi Deb,

I think K. has gone as far as she can [on her admissions essays] given the time limits. Your support and comments were helpful in giving her momentum and thoughtfulness with the final opportunities to present her best in the remaining supplemental applications due. This has been a learning process in retrospect. It could have helped to have gotten more advice even years earlier. But we are pleased to have done the best we could, and look forward to whatever comes our way.

Hopefully we have not disrupted your holidays. Wishing you and your family a wonderful New Year."  M, California

"I'm not sure that my husband notified you. R. is accepted at William & Mary.

We are very happy and so happy for R. Thank you." A, Virginia

"Hi Sheri,

Thanks for e-mailing! And I definitely have received my letter from Wellesley. I'm going to be Class of 2010! Thanks for all your help. I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and New Years."  C, Virginia

"Jonny, Hi--its W.'s mom--He got into Tufts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

I really want to thank you for all your help--I can't begin to tell you how much all of you encouragement made him feel -- the essay editing and suggestions were wonderful, but your personal interest made all the difference. Thank you again so much, and please know that W. will be in touch."  S, New Jersey

"Certainly, I have found your firm to be an extremely valuable resource and will certainly spread the word. Did I mention that Deb rocks!!!!! Seriously, Deb is both professional and caring. I enjoyed our working relationship, especially how she was able to easily inspire me to produce excellent work.

Her experience is bar none. Simply the best!!"  A, Colorado

"You guys are definitely the best. How else can I explain the acceptances from Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Dartmouth with below average SATs? Your advice on college selection, essays, transcripts, and all the other questions I had was awesome!"  C, Connecticut

"Hi Sara. Wow! Either you're an angel or someone sprinkled angel dust on you! What you did with Tommy's essays was wonderful, and it really gave him a boost!! Me, too, actually. I think he is finishing up with the last touches today. Por fin!"  R, Utah

"[Son's name] got the letter yesterday and he was accepted by UPenn. Both my wife and I would like to express our sincere appreciation for your help in the process. We still have not heard from the other schools but they are no longer important now. [Son's name] was very excited about the admission and it has restored his faith in the system. We have also told him about the lessons learned. He is taking it a lot better. Again, thank you very much. I hope you don't mind if we tell our friends about your services."  C, Maryland

"Jonny,

[Niece's name] got into Hobart and William Smith with a $16,000 scholarship--so thank you for helping her do that."  M, District of Columbia

"Hi Sara,

I just wanted to let you know that I was taken off the waiting list at Cornell."  B, Georgia

"Thank you for the excellent work you did with our son. He has been accepted into two different schools that we thought were way out of his league. In addition to the self esteem boost you gave him, you also helped my family tremendously through what would have otherwise been a period of unbearable stress."  R, Virginia

"You were there every step of the way and you most likely saved me and my parents from a nervous breakdown at some point in the process. I've wanted to go to Notre Dame for as long as I can remember and now the dream is about to come true. Thanks from the very very bottom of my heart."  S, Florida

"I wanted to get back to you to let you know that we appreciated your services and the quick turn around of essays for [daughter's] application to Northwestern.

Northwestern's review and decision process took much longer than we anticipated. They had told us it would be the end of May or early June when we would receive notification. Well, she finally received the big Fed Ex envelope. Yes, we are happy that she WAS ADMITTED and the admissions counselor said wonderful things about her potential and their decision to offer her admission to NU. There were approx. 740 applications with 100 being accepted."  P, Michigan

"Dear Sheri,

Thank you so much for all of your help! I know that the information and tips you gave me are going to really aid me in this whole process. I'm looking forward to working with you again!"  L, California

"Hey Sara. I just wanted to let you know that I received an acceptance letter into Stanford. Needless to say I am very happy and very relieved."  C, Texas

"Dear Bonnie,

I got in [University of Pennsylvania]!!! It was a really bad year for everybody else, and seeing how hard it was really made me appreciate your help even more. Thanks you so much for everything. I'm actually going to Penn Previews tomorrow!"  B, New York

"I've been accepted and the hardest part of my life is now behind me. Your trust, patience, and understanding as well as your uncanny ability to know what I needed to say in my applications was a life saver."  L, California

"Jonny,

[Name of daughter] received admissions from Wash-U (she becomes more interested in this university), Swarthmore, Duke, Penn, BC and Penn State. She is pretty happy with the decisions. Thank you."  J, Pennsylvania

"I just wanted you to know that I was accepted by NYU today. Needless to say, I am very happy with NYU's acceptance. Again, thank you very much for all of your help reviewing my essays! You are a life saver!"  M, Hawaii

"Thank you. Bonnie was just GREAT."  C, New York

"Your honesty and candor was remarkable. I was dead set on going to Princeton and I was shocked when you told me I was aiming too high. I know I resisted and am sorry for that now, but you told me all the reasons I couldn't get in and then kept me focused on the schools where I had a good chance. My senior year would have been a nightmare if I hadn't had your professional guidance and I probably would have no acceptances right now."  M, Indiana

"Finally I've gotten an acceptance letter [transfer application] from USC for Spring '06. I'll be done with my classes in a week, and then I'm moving to LA couple days after quarter ends. I'm so excited."  A, Washington

"I was accepted at Columbia!!! I am going to New York City and I will be attending an ivy league. I couldn't be happier and you are a huge part of the reason for my success. You started helping me from the beginning of my junior year and patiently called to check up on me and offer encouragement, guide me on what classes to take, tell me what volunteer activities to get involved in, and a whole bunch of other things that I now realize really do matter. Your assistance with my applications was incredible too! My GPA and SAT are both below average at Columbia so I have no doubts that it was your help that made the difference. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!" T, Virginia

"Sara,

I hope you are doing well. I just heard back from all my colleges except for Princeton. I have been accepted at Georgetown, Duke, and Vanderbilt. I was put on a waiting list at Cornell. I think I will be very happy at Georgetown or Duke. Your help was instrumental in my applications to these schools and I can't thank you enough!"  B, Florida

"Hi Maria,

I have told you this before, but I just want to let you know again, that we are extremely happy with Sheri's services. She is absolutely amazing and is a great pleasure to work with. Thank you." S, Colorado

"Thank you for all of your assistance. Jonny is extremely qualified and well versed in college admissions." W, California

"I just got the news! Georgia Tech here I come! Your help truly made the difference for me! THANKS!!!!" B, Georgia

"[Daughter's name] has decided to go to Penn next fall, which she has favored from the very beginning. Still, it was difficult for her to turn down the offers of other schools (that's the downside of applying to multiple schools). We feel lucky that [daughter's name] can go to a school she really likes. College will be a new chapter for her.

Thank you again for all your help. I will recommend you to my friends to survive college applications."  L, New Jersey

"Sara,

I just wanted to let you know that I am planning on heading to Colby this fall with a major in psychology and a minor in education. Thanks for all the help."  M, North Carolina

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