Finding a college advisor was difficult as you don't know what you'll get until you pay a huge…read moreamount of money and have valuable time spent. We focused on businesses where the owner was the advisor and learned the questions to ask that would align with our kid's needs. The problem with the first college advisor I contacted was he pushed the need to do research and gave online options. My son already won a competition researching articles for an idea he had and didn't feel the need to do an online version. He wasn't able to find a hands-on opportunity so he didn't want to go with someone who thought online research was the only path to success. James, the business owner and current sole advisor of Academic & Career Mentors, worked with my son's interests and advised on an individual basis rather than making him into a cookie cutter applicant. Before meeting James, we hired someone who had ~150 five star reviews on Google and over a decade experience as a scholarship reader at a top UC. Though there were red flags in our interaction, I mistakenly trusted the reviews/his background. He had a structured program, but time was moved along without effective guidance. His limited feedback was superficial and generic: add numbers and buzz words and cut down the word count. He gave the go ahead for essays that needed a lot more work. My son was frustrated by the lack of depth in his responses. When I voiced my concern, he suggested to my kid that he worked better without parent involvement. After ~1.5 months/6 meetings, the guy still didn't know my son's profile. With push back, I received half of my money back, probably to lessen the likelihood of me writing a bad review as I had detailed what was poorly done/not done at each meeting. For my son, James was much more effective/efficient with the meetings. He reviewed a couple of essays each time with more thoughtful detailed feedback and guidance for revisions. He spent time thinking through how to make the story, evidence, and connection stronger. He met with my son 1-2x/week which I don't think many advisors would do that frequently. He was accessible via email for quick questions and was timely in responding. I did interview another person while interviewing James. My son felt the other person was very personable and easy to talk to. However, after a lot of questioning about how he would handle essays, I sensed there would be limited in-depth analysis as well. To meet our desire, he was going to pay an essay reader (English major) to spend ~1-2 hrs on the PIQs and possibly 1-2 hrs on the common app to give more detail feedback. This led me to hire James as he seemed more invested (would give more effort, time, depth of feedback, comprehensive help, ie help with supportive essays as well, and wasn't as much on the clock). After getting to know my son and reading the PIQs he had drafted, James recommended to switch to another PIQ to allow better explanation of "the why" in my son's motives/ decisions. He worked with my son on the content, message, and ease of understanding as a reader. My son found him to be helpful in brainstorming ideas on how to tell his story and in finding programs that were specific to a school to give more evidence as to why he wanted to go to "x" school. James is a very analytical and fast thinker. As you are talking, he is searching his computer for more specific supported answers. He was also receptive to feedback when I read an essay and felt it didn't help my son stand out enough. He helped my son complete his applications on time. We've only heard back from one school (he felt it was a target school for him) so far that my son applied early action to, and he was accepted. Even with hiring James for help with applications to the UCs and 2 in-state private schools, my son had others, including his English teacher, read his essays for more feedback and because he applied to 5 out-of-state competitive private schools on his own. (James' fee structure/advising model has changed for 2026 though so you might not be able to pay for x number of schools anymore). He wrote and rewrote each of his essays multiple times. So to us, not only is James professional and ethical in his business, he is also very dedicated and proactive. He advises with the care of individuals (young people) in mind.

James is a master of the UC transfer process. After my son had a disappointing first semester at…read moreSDSU, James mapped out a plan for him to enroll in City College and work toward a transfer. His mentorship and expert advice led to my son being accepted at nearly every top UC, including UCLA, UCSD, and UCI. He ultimately chose UC Berkeley, a result I didn't think was possible just a year ago. I highly recommend James to any family navigating the UC college system.

Ivy College Prep helped me get accepted to my dream school, USC! If you are looking for academic or…read morecollege counseling, I highly recommend Ivy College Prep as your number one choice. Not only does Ralph Becker prepare you for college applications, but he also continues to guide and mentor even after graduating college. Mr. Becker works extremely hard for the students, but you must also be willing to put in the hard work to get the results you want. Mr. Becker will help you write eloquently, but be prepared to write a lot! If you want help for college, contact Mr. Becker ASAP!

Ralph Becker is excellent!!! He helped my son get into his first choice university. Ralph provided…read morethe motivation and inspiration that my son needed. I did not have to nag my son as much as I expected and was so pleased with the outcome. Essentially, Ralph saved our relationship while helping us through the grueling college application process. I highly recommend Ivy College Prep. Money well spent.

We've been with Tutoring Club for a little over two months now, and it's been great for us. The…read morestaff is always friendly and just really nice to be around. Director Tim is awesome too. Tim is super flexible and easy to work with. My favorite part is the weekly progress updates. It's nice seeing how things are moving along without having to guess. Overall, it's just been a really good experience.

I was skeptical of this place at first. After having the consultation and did a lot of answers and…read morequestions with Tim, I felt more comfortable to have my son at this place for tutoring session. He has been doing great at this place. I will continue to have my son there as long he is does well. Great and friendly staff.

My son dreamed of NYU Tisch Film and we knew we needed help in the applicaton process. Jen at Great…read moreExpectations recommended the perfect fit. Sajel Oelerich made the college application process so seamless and SO much easier. From the moment my son first spoke with her, he knew that Sajel was the key to getting into his dream school. Her patience, advice, demeanor and enthusiasm were beyond incredible. She gently pushed him and helped him to see how much more he could bring to his applications. He looked forward to his sessions and after each one he came out more energized, more excited and SO much less stressed out. He got into his dream school! Thank you so much Sajel and thank you Great Expectations! -Deb S.

We had a terrible experience with this group. I would have told the owner director had she ever…read morechecked in during the process. We did not even use all of the hours.

This tutoring center is fantastic! My son did their summer book club program.The tutors are great,…read morethe staff is super friendly and accommodating. They were easy to communicate with and flexible with a crazy summer schedule. I highly recommend this program if you are wanting to keep your child engaged and learning in a positive, low key environment.

C2 Education helped me a lot with both my schoolwork and SAT preparation. The tutors were really…read moresupportive and explained difficult topics in a way that was easier for me to understand. Whenever I struggled with homework or certain subjects, they took the time to help me work through the problems step by step.

Great people, and my son appreciated doing business with them. They are big supporters of our…read morecommunity and the schools in the area.

I took a Career exploration in healthcare and dentistry through Elite. The system is easy to follow…read moreand organized which helped me to communicate with instructors easily. The courses provided various knowledges rated to the healthcare.