When applying to undergraduate programs, I worked with numerous college admissions counselors that…read moretended to induce, rather than alleviate, the stress associated with the application process. They would place me on a strict schedule based on the number of sessions I purchased and were so caught up in writing what they thought college admissions boards would want to read that I ended up submitting personal statements that were not so personal. With that said, Sean is not your typical college admissions counselor. He treated me like an actual person, not just a paycheck. At our first session, Sean took the time to simply talk to me and figure out what drove me to this particular career path. He then helped me channel my passion into an eloquent, interesting general personal statement that was later tailored to four different graduate programs. In working with Sean, I did not get just a personal statement, I got complete application support. He gave me his cellphone number and encouraged me to text him with any questions between sessions. He was always quick to respond and would also text me to check-in on my progress. This type of regular communication allowed us to get the small details out of the way and focus on the more important aspects of each application during our face-to-face meetings. Applying to graduate school is overwhelming, but Sean made the process nearly stress-free. I believe his genuine interest in my success was key to writing a personal statement that stood out in a pile of cookie cutter essays. It feels so good to say that I was ACCEPTED TO ALL four graduate programs I applied to and will be attending my dream school starting this fall. Next time I need support on any type of professional application, I will not hesitate to contact Sean and you should too!

I used AAC to help me get into the extremely competitive MBA program at SMU. After being out of…read moreschool for a few years, I was really overwhelmed, but Devan helped me evaluate my strengths and weaknesses and was able to make sure I understood the admissions process. He helped me with my professional resume and essay, as well as with GRE prep. He is not only very intelligent but is great at very quickly understanding what areas someone needs help in. I only applied to one school and Devan made sure that was the school I got into. He was motivational and logical throughout the entire process. I am extremely glad that I chose to work with this company rather than any others. I would definitely recommend them to others!

Ryan is jovial and fun in conversations. He will tell you that he knows the right things to say to…read morecolleges to get them to assist you with financial assistance. He knows the buzz words, he says. He's a great salesman. So, you might be tempted to pay the $1700 up front fee and the $40/month to receive a generalized newsletter in an email. You may do this thinking that it will all be worth it when he helps you negotiate the college costs in the end, because that is ultimately why you have hired him, right? But, in truth what you will receive for over $2500 in total is a plastic file folder box with files in it where you can keep the information from colleges. (This should cost around $20 if you purchase it yourself at Staples.) You will also receive monthly newsletters. If you want, you will be able to pay extra to receive a Myers Briggs test from a woman in his office. She is very nice and will talk to your kid about possible school choices. (The Myers Briggs test is available online for free, by the way.) Then, he will file your FAFSA for you, but might be a few days (or weeks) late in doing so. He will use generic passwords, the same ones he uses for his other clients. He will ask you not to change the passwords because it's easier for him if your password is the same as all of his clients. Finally, if your kid gets into their dream college (ranked in the top 15 universities in the nation), and are ready to make a decision, you might reach out to Ryan to ask for all of the negotiation help that he promised to deliver. Unfortunately, you will receive a very generic form letter with no school information or details. The letter starts out with something like, "While we appreciate the offer you gave to us, we would like for more aid in scholarships or grants..." There are no buzz words or inside knowledge. In the form letter you will find brackets that will say [insert details here] and you will find yourself doing much of the work that you have been paying for an expert to do. The generic letter might not help one bit and the esteemed university might tell you that you do not qualify for financial aid or assistance, despite a significant cut in income. When you ask Ryan for help with this, you will probably receive a response email that states something like, "Wow. This is great information for me to know. I had no idea this university wouldn't help out first year students. I have other clients interested in this university as well." Then the email will end with something like, "So thanks for this information. Wish it all worked out better for you." And, after all is said and done, you might feel very, very stupid for paying this nice salesman over $2500 for promises he did not deliver. But hey, you will still have a file box, a bunch of electronic newsletters, and he got to learn something from you about a university. And no, he will not refund you for the items he promised but did not deliver.

I attended one of the free workshops and was surprised by how little I knew about college aid,…read morealthough we already had 3 children in college! The workshop was recommended by a friend who used Mr. Thomson to help his daughter with securing a leading private school for a fraction of the cost of a state school. The information given at the workshop was helpful and if you have kids in high school you are sure to learn something new that will be helpful with the college application process. We found this company a little too late.

Great help in sorting problems to make them goals. Regained control of my life to be able to work…read moreon myself and help others. Will continue with her through the years!

From the owner: I specialize in helping adolescents and adults find the meaning in the messiness that happens in…read morelife, thorough individual therapy and life coaching services. Particular problem areas include Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, career dissatisfaction, and difficulties with goal development, planning, and goal achievement. My therapeutic modalities include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and family systems.

Caprice was invaluable in helping our family navigate all the options for our High School kid and…read moreultimately decide on the path that gives her the best options moving forward. We now feel 100% happy with our college/future plans and I think it saved us a LOT of unnecessary stress and time to have her expert opinion tailored to our specific situation and needs. I can now rest easy knowing that I have researched all avenues and have a solid plan! Don't hesitate to book Caprice for a call or services if you are unsure of what your child's options are. It could save you a lot of time, money, and sleepless nights like it did for me!

Caprice is wonderful. She is patient when tutoring. She is also thorough when it comes to career…read moreand college counseling. Caprice has shown my child careers she did not know existed (nuclear medicine). My girl is always excited after a session with Caprice talking about careers and colleges. Thank you Caprice!

It might be a great camp, but the registration process was so poor that although we were told we…read morehad a spot at camp, we didn't. After figuring out the complexities of summer camps, I went in person at 10am on the first day of camp registration. I waited in line for 30 minutes. When my registration information was collected I was told that my child got into camp. A week later I was called and told that my child was on a huge wait list and that they didn't get into camp. Of course this meant it was too late. All the other sessions of the camp were full and I'd booked the rest of the summer. I am really disappointed. They are doing nothing about it other than "fixing thing for next year".

All 3 of my daughters have gone to this camp over the past 10 years. The staff is the best. The…read moreunique setting and experience is something they talk about all year. They always beg to go back the next summer. Could not recommend more.

Not to be confused with The Prince Revue, which is an all-male strip show featuring the likes of…read moreme, Tatum and McConaughey, and we dance to When Doves Cry and Kiss and all sorts of other Princely Prince songs. TAFKAPFTW. Who doesn't love the Princeton Review? But it's not actually based in Princeton apparently? Or at least maybe for this region, it's based right here in this mall, just seconds from UT campus. Pretty interesting. Pretty cool actually since it's basically on campus. It closes earlier than the rest of them though so most of the times I've been here I haven't been able to check it out. Anyway it's more Barbie's thing than mine because she went to the Ivy League and is actually proud of it, whereas I went to Oxford and am indifferent to it at best.

Update 5/26/11: my daughter just finished her first year at a top Ivy League university. I…read moreguarantee the Princeton Review, which upped her score considerably, was a big part of her getting into a class with a 9% acceptance rate. Not to mention, the university offered her super financial aid, so it ended up being very, very affordable. Our investment in the PR course ended up paying off in a huge way. Original review from Feb 2010: My kid took the SAT prep course, and it made a substantial difference in her score. I'd bought several test prep books that helped a little, but there is something about the in-person experience that really makes the info sink in, so this is absolutely worth the time and effort. It's expensive, so look online for promotional codes which can save some money. It does involve homework, so be sure to budget time appropriately. The only caveat is their system for the essay - though she's a particularly skilled writer, she followed the PR instructions to the letter for this test section (instead of doing her usual thing) - and it actually cost her points. If we did it again, I'd tell her to ignore them on the essay bits but pay close attention for the rest. Overall, we enthusiastically recommend Princeton Review.

I absolutely love my tutor! I looked everywhere for a good GRE Tutor in Austin after moving here…read morefor a period of time and nothing compared to Tutor Me Education. The tutors were extremely qualified and very professional. Not to mention, my score significantly improved! After trying many private and tutoring companies I can confidently say that Tutor Me Education is the go to tutoring service in Austin, Texas!

From the owner: Our business specializes in private tutoring and test-preparation by expert and experienced tutors…read more In addition to K-12, college, and graduate subjects, we provide college counseling, MCAT, LSAT, DAT, SAT, ACT, ISEE, SSAT test-prep as well.

TLDR: Austin GMAT review + Application Consultant services are top tier. Scored in the 82%…read morepercentile and got accepted to 3/3 programs I applied too with scholarships. I highly recommend Austin GMAT review for all your business school needs. I took the GMAT prep course with Dr Amar and he is one of the best instructors I've had. He breaks the test down barney style and covers everything you need to know. Every question I found on a practice test and the real test is derived from concepts he taught. I ended up taking the course twice, as the first time I wasn't able put adequate effort into studying, because I was still in my undergraduate program. Be forewarned, if you do not do all of the homework's and periodically review previous concepts throughout the course you will be in for a rude awakening when you take the GMAT. Everything you need to know is in the course, but its your job to retain it. Dr. Amar was nice enough to allow me to repeat the course a second time and I ended up taking the executive assessment where I scored a 155 (82% percentile). In regards to the application consultant services provided by Elaine. I can't recommend her enough. I was on a tight schedule to apply to two programs within a couple weeks and she was able to fit me in. She spent countless hours helping me brainstorm for the essays, reviewing them, and editing them. The finished products were amazing. I routinely had conversations with her late into the night and she made her self available to me whenever possible. She was able to completely redo my resume for me and was able to identify things I didn't even think about putting on there. She also helped me with all of the short answer questions on the applications, how to enter my work experience and extra curriculars. As a veteran, I used ServiceToSchool to apply to my undergraduate program, and while my ambassador was awesome, there was definitely a stark difference in the ability to provide information about the programs. Elaine's experience with different programs was invaluable, since she's helped so many students apply to these programs, she was able to tell me things that I was not previously aware of, such as different opportunities and in depth knowledge about the cultures/career outcomes etc. Elaine's interview preparation was on point as well. She essentially nailed 95% of the questions that were going to be in the interview and helped me prepare my answers to them. The ones she didn't tell me verbatim were just slight deviations from what I prepped for and were easy to answer. Elaine's consultant services are truly all encompassing, whatever your needs or questions she will go above and beyond to help. I can't thank the Austin GMAT team enough. In conclusion, with Dr Amar's & Elaine's help I was able to get accepted to all the programs I applied too, (2x top 20, 1x top 10) with 50% scholarships.

Austin GMAT Review was instrumental in my test taking and MBA applications journey…read more Dr. Amar has a detailed and proven methodology for attacking the GMAT and he is able to provide succinct and clear strategies for the entire host of questions that one might see on the test. He always made himself available for me to discuss any questions or address any concerns I had, which was an invaluable resource. Elaine was amazing during my applications process. Whether it was her advice on how to present myself during interviews, her ability to understand my goals and aspirations for my essays, or her steadying hand during the tough parts of the process, she was always able to go above and beyond for me. Ultimately, the thing that I really believe sets Dr. Amar and Elaine apart from anyone else is that they truly do care about the person behind the test and applications. I could not have been more impressed with their work and the results speak for themselves as I was accepted into three M7 programs. I strongly recommend Austin GMAT Review to anyone looking for MBA test and applications counseling.