I worked with Cat Ho through mbaMission, and she genuinely shaped how I thought about my…read moreapplication, not just the essays themselves, but the whole strategy and how I was presenting myself. From the start, she was easy to talk to in a way that mattered. I didn't feel like I had to show up with everything figured out. She gave me room to think out loud, but she also kept things organized and was always flexible around scheduling, which honestly saved me more than once during a hectic few months. The thing that surprised me most was how much she was able to pull out of my own background. Experiences I'd written off as ordinary, she'd push back on, asking questions until something real surfaced. That's how themes like curiosity and cross-cultural perspective ended up at the center of my story, rather than just footnotes. It's genuinely hard to see that stuff in yourself, and she had a knack for it. She was patient throughout the whole process, never making me feel rushed, but she also didn't sugarcoat things. If something wasn't landing, she'd say so, and then immediately tell me why and what to try instead. That combination of honesty and direction was exactly what I needed. Her turnaround times were fast, which kept things moving during a stretch where deadlines were tight. And the feedback never felt generic; it was always specific to what I was actually trying to say. By the end, Cat felt less like an editor and more like a thought partner. She helped me see my own story more clearly, and that made the whole process feel a lot less overwhelming.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Cat Ho at mbaMission was an exceptional, empathetic, and knowledgeable MBA admissions consultant…read morewho guided me through every step of the application process. From the start, Cat was enthusiastic to understand my personal and professional story. From the intro call up until the last essay, I felt at ease sharing about my upbringing and motivations as if I was catching up with a childhood friend. This comfort helped me express an authentic version of myself through my essays that I was proud to submit. My test scores and GPA would not be considered a standout profile by the numbers, however, she had faith in my story and patiently supported me through countless rounds of deliberations on which schools to apply to when I didn't get the test scores I wanted. Before working with Cat, I spoke with several MBA consultants who were skeptical of my post-MBA goal of moving to Asia. In contrast, Cat was both encouraging and realistic. She supported my aspirations while helping me develop clear contingency plans, allowing me to pursue ambitious goals with confidence and a practical path forward. Cat always provided honest and constructive feedback on my essays. She pushed me to articulate my desire in my essays and interviews about why I needed an MBA, especially the granular details about why my goals and the experience offered at the school were a perfect fit. During our resume reviews, Cat was meticulous with the structure and each word in my resume. It was easily the best resume I've ever had. Cat was punctual throughout the entire application process. She always provided her feedback in a timely manner and made it a priority scheduling the mock interviews. With Cat's expertise and guidance, I was accepted into the University of Michigan's Ross MBA program with $60K in merit scholarships. I was so ecstatic to be accepted that the scholarship money came as a big surprise. I fully believe that Cat is the reason I had such a positive result with Ross. I am extremely grateful for Cat's guidance, and I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking to achieve their dream of enrolling in an MBA program.

Loved the personalized and professional service for my child! The team truly took the time to…read moreunderstand my child's strengths and goals, providing thoughtful guidance every step of the way. We felt supported throughout the process, and the experience exceeded our expectations. Thank you!

Both of my sons have been attending for close to 4 years now. They have SO much fun at school every…read moresingle day. They are always making a nice craft, and learning so much. My 5 year old is ready for kinder in the fall, all thanks to them. They do awesome STEM lessons with the kids, and we love getting pictures and videos of them daily. It makes me smile seeing how much fun they have. HIGHLY recommend them!

Clean space, great management, quality educators. My 1 and 2 year old are soooo happy here, and…read morethey have learned so much too. 10 out of 10 recommend!

I studied at Shillington NYC. I can't thank my teachers and the institute enough​ for what they…read morehave given me. It is truly a major accomplishment for Shillington to come up with an incredibly effective and life-changing program that is on par with other four-year college degrees. I was recently invited for interviews at 5 different design graduate programs, and the majority of my portfolio pieces submitted for the application had been projects done at Shillington. Getting this graduate program success wouldn't have been possible without Shillington, my teachers, and Andrew Shillington who dedicate their time to help all the students in making their future! The advice and recommendations I got at Shillington will always be valuable to me as I move forward to another chapter of my life.

Plain and simple, Shillington changed my life in the best way possible…read more I always loved art and creative "stuff", but never thought I could make my passion into a career. After graduating college with a BS in Advertising from Syracuse University, I got a job in NYC at an ad agency as an account exec. While it was an incredible place to work, I felt that something was missing. I realized that the best part of my days were when I got to sit with my creative team or go to brainstorms. It became clear that I needed to go with my gut and try something new. I looked into every single program in New York (and some outside of the city) and found generally only two options, neither of which would work for me. The first was a 2-3 year graduate program at a university like NYU, Parsons, FIT, etc which were way too costly and too big of a time commitment. The second option was one-off classes for continuing education, which seemed more for people who felt like dabbling in an interest of theirs on the side. Not intense enough for me. Then, I found Shillington and I thought...this honestly must not be real. I hadn't seen anything like it. It was literally everything I wanted to learn... in only three months. Turns out it is very real and was hands down the best decision I have ever made in my life. I will not sit here and say it was a walk in the park. It was definitely hard work, but the more you push yourself, the more likely you are to graduate with a portfolio that looks like you went to school for four years. The teachers, all practicing graphic designers, are some of the most incredible people I have ever met. They are talented designers and more importantly, they are passionate about teaching in a way that will help you develop your own style. I can easily say I learned more from my Shillington teachers in 3 months than I ever did from any of my professors in college. The course is set up perfectly so that even if you have never touched a Mac in your life, you can succeed. After having no experience with Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator, I am now sitting in front of a massive Mac desktop as a Graphic Designer for an awesome ad agency in NYC working on cool brands like Nike, BMW, LG, Hennessy, and more. Somebody smack me!!!! If it isn't clear already, Shillington is unbelievable and I do not think there is anything out there like it. DO IT!

I worked with Melanie to improve my accent. It wasn't your average English language program…read more Melanie took the time to analyze MY slips of the accent which minimized the time for improvement. Melanie took into consideration my language background and the sounds I am used to hearing and making. She was able to be technical with me when we needed to get technical, and she was focusing on results as opposed to the classification of sounds and short and long vowels. As for results, I am noticing a significant positive change in my oral communication skills. I am now able to pick up the subtle changes in vowels and consonants. Perhaps, this is very personal, but it meant a lot to me. I always had a hard time in clubs and bars where people would ask me about my accent right away. As soon as I said a few words. I felt that people were immediately making assumptions about me being foreign or unsophisticated. After working with Melanie, a miracle happened. Nobody asked me about where I was from, at all!!! Two guys even thought I grew up in Pennsylvania. It was the biggest compliment for me and Melanie. Again, if you are doing business in New York or somewhere in the states and have a hard time with your business communication, I highly recommend that you work with Mel. It's an investment and not an expense.

I came into my session with Melanie knowing my value but struggling to say it clearly. Within an…read morehour she helped me narrow my focus to the people I'm best equipped to serve, health and wellness coaches, and craft a 30-second pitch that finally lands. She went above and beyond her time to make sure I had the tools I needed for success. If you need clarity and confidence in how you present your work, I can't recommend Melanie enough.

Writopea's August 2023 summer camp has been hit by a large number of Covid cases. Staff at the camp…read morewere discouraged from wearing masks, despite widespread reporting of a new strain of Covid which is resistant to existing vaccines. Once Covid cases occurred, neither staff nor campers were told until news had already spread. Covid sufferers are isolated on site,but not sent home. Once Covid became prevalent at the camp, there was no Covid testing. The overall impression is that full-time Writopea employees put part-time staff and campers at risk, withheld information and discouraged part-time staff from exercising their own judgement with regard to personal safety. This shows either a lack of judgement, putting money ahead of the safety of staff and campers, or both.​

My 7 year old son loves going here. For his age, we were surprised how much he accomplished in his…read morewriting camps and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of writing.

Does it take a rocket scientist to run a camp? Nope…read more But when a rocket scientist* runs a camp, is the camp fantastic? Yes -- at least when it comes to Launch. (This is a review for the summer camp only, not the tutoring, which we've not tried.) Summer camp is, as previously noted, the bomb diggity. Our 10-year old and 6-year old both loved their two weeks there, loved all the STEM-y, fabulous projects they made: a copycat Operator game, gyroscope, perpetual motion device, magnetic art board, lava lamp, magic eight ball, pinball machine, marble maze, etc, etc, etc... Over the course of two weeks the projects were different each day and they were excited to show them off. It's clear that a lot of thought went into the programming. If there were even more emphasis on explaining the why and how scientific concepts behind all of these fun projects, the parents at least would love it even more. Campers are also introduced to Scratch, a baby programming app developed by MIT. The kids aren't using C++ / Java, but they do manipulate discrete strings of text (in colloquial English) to create games. Campers bring their own nut-free lunches, which they eat outdoors at the park whenever the weather permits. COVID precautions are thorough: There's a self-reported health screen every morning, a temperature check, and everyone remains masked indoors. Only nitpick: Campers don't get a lot of opportunities to run around at the park, which can feed into the doughy, weak, out-of-shape stereotype of math and science nerds. If my kids could play tag and run through a fountain at a playground on a 96F day, they'd be even happier campers. :) *Scott, the founder and owner, is literally a former rocket scientist, a.k.a. aerospace engineer! Wow!

I found Launch Math via Mommy Poppins and what a great find I must say! My daughter was having…read moresome difficulties in Math so like any concerned parent, I found her some support. I loved the fact that there was no guessing what areas they would assist her, they completed a thorough assessment which detailed her areas of strength and weakness. Not only was I impressed, so was her teacher. My daughter has been attending for one month but she has made some remarkable progress. She really connects with her tutor and loves to show off what she has learned to her brother. They have great math games and even set the students up with a computer program to use at home. I am so grateful for finding this gem!

We had a fantastic experience. My kids walked in feeling intimidated by math and within 2 sessions,…read morethey were more confident and they looked forward to going to Mathnasium. Amazing!