Gerna is the best in his field and he does it all with a smile and a lot of Aloha! He has helped me 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. read more

We had great result with Bay Area College Planners. Our daughter was accepted in multiple colleges including 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. read more

Gerna is a wonderful College Planner with a wealth of knowledge that goes beyond the obvious. He has a positive, can-do attitude, but he is also a realist who understands the dynamics around college admissions and scholarship opportunities. He helped me with a really difficult situation regarding my daughter's financial aid package and even helped me craft a winning appeal. Without his help, I really don't know if she could have attended the college she chose. He has also helped my son navigate college admissions and made a huge difference in his self-confidence! I originally found him by looking for information about affording college, but I ended up realizing how much more he has to offer. I don't think I have even skimmed the surface of the knowledge he has and depth of his company's services. I would highly recommend that you work with Bay Area College Planners if you're a single parent navigating the challenges of college admissions and financing. He helped me enormously in a time when I was absolutely terrified and frozen in indecision after buying about five books on the topic and not knowing where to start. Our first phone call put me at ease, and I have been grateful ever since. read more

Wow. I am really late in reviewing Bay Area College Planners. Gerna has saved my family tens of thousands of dollars in the last five years. With one son in University and one in boarding school, Gerna helped us get through the financial aid process. More importantly, Gerna walked us through a number of appeals. We were fortunate to meet Gerna when my oldest was entering high school so we could adjust the way our assets were held. I cannot thank Gerna enough. My children are getting amazing private school educations because of his work and advice. Thank you Gerna! read more

Gerna and his team at Bay Area College Planners have provided us a step-by-step roadmap for college admission. He gave students access to the career software to explore their interests, provided college essay coaching, set up workshops to assist with the college application way before the deadlines, and assisted with FAFSA /financial plans. Our daughter got accepted to most of the colleges that she had applied for with his guidance. It's built her confidence toward the future tremendously. We really appreciate for his expertise to walk us through the entire process. read more

My family first heard of the Bay College Planners during a school presentation during my senior year of high school back in 2010. I am a first generation college student, so my parents and I had NO idea how to even begin approaching college applications, filing the FAFSA, and the overall financial aid process. They are not only knowledgeable about the financial process, but also about the strengths and weaknesses of each individual school. Gerna and his team also helped identify schools that were never on my radar, AND helped me to receive the maximum financial aid award possible from each school I applied to. (One school offered me a full-ride scholarship. I never would have known/applied to this school if it wasn't for Gerna!!) The team has been nothing short of thorough, patient, and immensely helpful through my undergraduate years in college. Whenever we had questions about a particular hold/fine/issue/anything on my account, I was able to call Gerna and he would call the school and resolve the issue immediately. I am currently back in school to obtain my Master's degree, and again, Gerna has been reliable in reminding me of what steps to take next to make sure everything is accurate, complete, and up to date with various changes (i.e. FAFSA pins changed to FSA IDs, processing periods, due dates, etc.). My two younger sisters are now working with Gerna and the team in going through the financial aid process (one is currently a senior, and the other is a sophomore). Gerna has helped in providing advice of the steps they should be taking (how to best prepare for the SAT/ACT, extra-curricular activities they should be participating in, scholarship websites/opportunities, how to write the best personal statement, etc.) in order to get into the schools they want to get into, and how to obtain the best financial aid package for them. They are extremely prompt in returning emails and phone calls, and have been available through virtual online chats when we were unable to go to their office due to our tight schedules. I definitely would not be where I am in my educational career today if it wasn't for their help, and my family has been experiencing the same great quality years later with my sisters now in the process. I highly recommend Gerna and the Bay College Planner team!! read more

My wife and I came to Gerna after a free presentation that he provided in our area about college financial assistance. I was very proud of our daughter when she was accepted to UC Santa Cruz. The first year we paid all cost out of our pocket, and at that time I had started a software company and was not receiving a salary. I started working with Gerna early in the year to see if we could qualify for any aid for the upcoming year since we no longer had the money to cover costs. Gerna worked quickly with us to get all required information we needed, explaining our story to the financial aid office, and following up many times with them after we submitted all the paperwork. I never once had to call the college myself. Many months went by without any response from the college, until late in July when we received a letter stating we did not qualify due to a large amount of money drawn from our retirement account. Gerna was very quick to contact the financial aid office and explained to them, with research in hand, that this was an error on their part. Within a couple days their decision was reversed, and our daughter received 100% financial aid for the coming year. My wife and I have been extremely pleased with Gerna's dedication to the service he provides. He is very prompt on answering emails and returning phone calls. I'm not sure how Bay Area College Planners compares to their competitors, as we never shopped around. From the first time I met with Gerna I know we would be well taken care of. In addition, I find the weekly, sometimes more often, College E-Letter and tips provided by Bay Area College Planners to my email very informative and helpful. If you're seeking financial aid for you or your child, I would encourage you to at least spend a consultation meeting with Gerna or Dan. I'm sure you will be pleased! Thank you Gerna! Mark & Diana K., Vacaville, CA read more

Bay Area College Planners - Certified College Planning Specialists - College Counseling Near Me - San Ramon, California

Gerna and his team are fantastic. They walked two of our kids through not only the financial - FAFSA trail but coached through writing essays and college choices. One knew pretty much what she wanted the other needed extra support. This team gave the needed support to both kids. Between the boot camp they offer to the seniors and the detailed analysis they provide of college options - this team is simply "No Ka Oi" - THE BEST. We can't wait for them to work with our other kids! read more

Having worked with Gerna for more than two years now, I can truly say that he has been there to help me at every step of my journey to college. From the get go, he made me feel comfortable as I initially opened up to him about who I am as a person so that we could get to know each other better. He also gave me resources to study for and improve upon my SAT score, showed me what I should be looking for in a college, helped me compile my college list, his associates assisted me with my personal statement throughout the college application process, and after having been accepted to my dream school UCLA, Gerna personally worked with my family to maximize our financial aid offer. This is the man!!! read more

This review is long overdue. Gerna Benz, from Bay Area College Planning helped us through the whole process of college admission. As my daughter was a senior in high school, we had absolutely no idea about the college admissions process, let alone what schools were best for her. With the help of Gerna Benz, we were able to navigate the workings of the Common App, as well as the essays. Gerna was always available via phone or email whenever we had a question, and he was always trying to insert us into his schedule. Even when our daughter was working on application herself, we were confident because of all that the counselor had taught her, and if she needed help all of a sudden, it was just a phone call away. Gerna Benz is practical, realistic, inspiring, and tons of fun. Well worth every penny. Without his guidance, we would have been lost in all of the chaos of the college application. Thank you, so much Gerna! read more

Truly amazing...as a parent inexperienced at navigating the entire college experience, we are so grateful and fortunate to have Gerna Benz helping to navigate the process. His knowledge and insight was tremendous, and we felt like we truly had an advocate and expert advisor on our side. We give Gerna and his team our highest thanks and recommendation! read more

Bay Area College Planners has been a god send for our family. Gerna has helped us get 5 children through college and is such pleasure to work with. read more

I went to our local library in Benicia and watched a free presentation given by Gerna Benz on information parents should have before sending your child to college. I thought it would be a sales pitch and after a year and a half of my own research, I figured there was likely little they could tell me that I already didn't know. Boy was I wrong!!!!! Bay Area College Planners helped me with my daughters search to get into a highly credible nursing college. They showed us a list of colleges in the US that had direct nursing programs that you can graduate from in 4 years with a BSN. Almost all colleges now make you wait to your junior year to see if you got into their nursing program. In California it takes on average 5-6 years to get a BSN in almost all the schools with a nursing program. This is commen out of state also. Mr. Benz gave us sound financial advise and even did the FAFSA application for us. We were also directed to scholarships and my daughter was assisted with her personal statement which she used for many of her college applications in addition to several scholarships. Jenna received 5 scholarships and 11 college acceptances. I believe this was in large part due to the encouragement and support we received from the team at Bay Area College Planners. I moved my daughter to Samford University in Birmingham Alabama last week and would like to thank Bay Area College Planners. They made it possible for Jenna to get into an amazing private college known for their school of health professions. I have had friend's use other college planning services and they spent more and received a lot less service. Gerna Benz helped us through the whole process and eliminated the stress both myself and my daughter were feeling with the overwhelming college process. I highly recommend the services Bay Area College Planners offer, it will save you both financially and emotionally. read more

Bay Area College Planners, specifically Mr. Gerna Benz who has been a "God send" helping us to navigate through our son's college planning. Gerna was always available and right by our side advising us through each college offer letter. The scholarships and different types of financial aid were very foreign to us and Gerna helped us to understand the "college lingo" so to speak helping us to make the best decision for our son and our finances. Without Gerna's expertise, we would never have received the financial aid that we did. There are too many complexities to the applicant systems and requirements that require knowledge and experience of an industry expert. I believe every college bound student and their families should seek the help of an expert to make the best decision. And Gerna is the Best!!! read more

Bay Area College Planners are responsible for helping our daughter get into Harvard's master's program. They helped us negotiate the FAFSA during the first 4 years of college, and find a great school with an excellent drama department. This enabled her to have the confidence and faith to audition for Harvard and Brown and NYU in her search for a fantastic experience in a program that is connected to an innovative theater. We know getting into Harvard's Advanced Theater Training Program takes acting talent, but without Gerna's support and his faith in possibilities in which my husband and I had no experience, we wouldn't have known how to encourage our daughter's dreams. Not only did Gerna patiently talk us through some extremely stressful times, as we worried that our family financial situation would impact our daughter's opportunities, he coached Katie to keep her dreams intact, and to pursue her interests. Our experience with Bay Area College Planners changed the trajectory of our daughter's life. We will forever be grateful to Gerna and the staff. read more

Hi Gerna; No I will not need a FAFSA for Rhiannon for next year. She will graduate with honors with her BFA in Dance from CSU Long Beach in May. 3 for 3 thanks for all your help, I got my money back within few quarters of the boys being at UC Davis. The boys are doing OK. David is back from Boston currently working as a teacher/naturalist at a CYO camp in Occidental. Michael is still in LA doing the LA hustle, has a steady gig at a medical practice and is continually auditioning, involved in plays filming and writing stuff. He has done some TV and still works on projects with Mario. Roz and I can't thank you enough for how much easier you made the college process for our family. Take Care, All The Best Jerry L read more

Bay Area College Planners far exceeded our expectations, and the results prove it ! Their expert team supported us(novices) every step of the way over the past 2 years, and guided us to great success beyond belief in areas of multiple college acceptances and the whole financial aid process. We are absolutely thrilled about the outcome, and recommend that you look no further than the specialists at Bay Area College Planners. They kept us on track and motivated, and skillfully helped us navigate the wilderness of the entire college application process. They truly cared about our success, and worked diligently and professionally to help get us across the goal line. Our student and the entire family feels like we won the lottery, and we couldn't have done it without BACP ! We wish you great success. read more

Gerna Benz from Bay Area College Planning has become a part of our family. Being a single mom of two teenagers planning for college and making sure I am keeping up with all the requirements is so overwhelming. Gerna has guided my daughter through high school, college applications and financial aide. At any time when I have been confused and overwhelmed he is always there to help understand and to make sure all deadlines are met. I am so grateful to him and he is now helping my son succeed along the same path. read more

I met Gerna about a year ago. My son was going to be a senior and we were overwhelmed with the process of applications, financial aid, completing the FAFSA, etc. Gerna and his team were amazing through the whole process. He always returned my calls and answered my emails immediately. I have 2 other sons that will be heading off to college in the coming years and I look forward to Gerna being a part of the process. read more

I joined bay area college planners when I was in 8th grade and I never regretted the experience and my parents didn't regret the cost. It is a great program for college preparation and would recommend to anyone in highschool. read more