Elaine is a world-class advisor--thoughtful, capable, compassionate, and responsive…read more She worked with our twins for several years as we navigated the stress and uncertainty of the college process--where to apply, how to think about value, and how to strike the right balance between reach, target, and safety schools. The process today is daunting. With Ivies accepting just 3-5% of applicants and UC schools also extremely competitive, it's too risky to go it alone and hope for the best. Elaine dedicated an extraordinary amount of time and care guiding our kids through every step. No matter the situation, her advice was always thoughtful and transparent. She responded quickly to every question, usually the same day or within 24 hours. Of course, no advisor can work miracles if a student isn't already committed and putting in the effort--but for motivated students, even the strongest ones, her guidance is invaluable. She also helps set realistic expectations for both kids and parents, which is just as important as anything else. Now the results are in. Both of our kids are strong IB students who were active in music and leadership programs. While the Ivies ultimately proved too far a stretch (despite their qualifications), they were accepted to several top UC and state schools, as well as USC, LMU, and others. Our daughter has chosen UC Berkeley, where she also received a significant merit scholarship--something we were especially grateful for given the cost of college today. Our son was also offered spots at UC Berkeley and UCSD, but has USC Thornton in his sights. If you have a child entering or already in high school, I highly recommend starting with Elaine for an initial consultation. Our whole family--especially our kids--is grateful for her guidance, which led to outstanding options at some of the top public and private universities in the country. We couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome and look forward to the next chapter with twins in college.

My daughter and I often joke that Elaine came to us from on high just when we needed her most! We…read morehad no idea how to navigate the college application process, but with Elaine's excellent help (she is calms, clear, organized and inspiring) we were able to make it! My daughter ended up getting into her first-choice school and Elaine's amazing help made that possible. But more than what school she got into it was just wonderful having Elaine to guide us and bounce ideas off of throughout the process. It's not easy out there and there is no one right decision - through it all Elaine made us feel like we had a strong guide on our side.

PLEASE NOTE! A WORD OF CAUTION FOR POTENTIAL CLIENTS: Barbara talks a lot about how much your…read morechild's story means in their applications, but her actions while editing my child's essays speak volumes about her capabilities and false pretenses about loving students. When my child would come to her with heartfelt essays about her experiences and hopes for the future, Barbara would brutally slash up my child's essays until they were bare boned. No story, no flair, no emotion, nothing. Not to mention Barbara also told my child that her essays were "terrible" or that she should not apply at all. Those same essays, without any edits, got her into incredibly competitive schools in and out of state. She also edits the essays in FRONT of my child right before they meet. She wouldn't spend time to thoroughly edit the essays beforehand despite asking for them a week in advance. To top it all off, Barabra is phenomenally bad at making good on her scheduling appointments and will force you to sign a multi-thousand dollar contract, to lock you in. She has made appointments with my child multiple times and then proceeded to cancel last minute because she double booked, or would force my child to wait.

The college process is truly daunting. Barbara helped us to break it down into manageable steps,…read moreworking with my twins from their sophomore year in high school through to the end of the application process. Notable points for twins: she works with each child separately, drawing out their specific interests and talents with regular one-on-one meetings. If they don't really know what they are interested in or they are interested in many different things (normal for a teenager!) she helps them figure it out so that by senior year they have a real portfolio of volunteer and community activities, internships, research projects and leadership experiences that they can use to clarify their interests and to get into excellent colleges! She is very honest and direct, while at the same time enjoying the kids' unique strengths and opportunities for laughs that come along the way. She helps them pick out schools that fit their characters and helps them streamline the process as much as is humanly possible for such a high-stakes venture. Thanks so much, Barbara!

With the Shelter in Place, everyone has had to adapt and it hasn't always been pretty. But Hali and…read morethe teachers' ability to ramp up this quickly is truly remarkable. Online learning is tough in the best of times (I have been an instructional designer and professional trainer and know this from experience)! Ms Angela is superb in managing the class especially with kids this young (5 and 7 yr old). She is not only super adaptable but she's been able to keep them on task and engaged too. Again, speaking from professional experience, this is not easy to do especially in a format that's new to everyone. We previously switched to the San Ramon location and are so glad we came back! The kids can't wait for regular classes to resume and I can't wait to let the pros take over again :) The only negative at this location is that the parking can be tricky but overall worth the hassle.

We absolutely love Hali and her team. From day one, they've been welcoming, accommodating and very…read moreflexible. I loved the Aloha Mind Math concept of having children learn how to use their left and right brain. I've been practicing meditation and visualization for years. I'm passionate about understanding the subconscious mind, so when I found Aloha, I knew this was something I wanted my daughter to learn early in life. My daughter loves the small classes and teachers. She loves seeing all her friends in class, and it keeps her motivated to do her homework on weekends, even though she hates homework in general. Haha. She loves that she can go at her own pace as well, which is great because it builds her confidence. Her teachers are all great...effective, kind, yet stern. We hope to continue with Aloha Mind Math for years to come!

Theresa Rezentes is "magic!" My daughter was quite resistant to the idea of tutoring at first, but…read moreTheresa was able to help her so much that after just two months, she said, "I used to not like reading at all, but now I don't just like it, I LOVE it! Theresa must have some kind of magic, because I hated reading and she turned me into a BOOKWORM!"

I wanted to take a moment to leave a quick review. I reached out to in regards to counseling…read moreservices for my daughter. Unfortunately, she was not taking new students at the time, but the fact that she took the time to call me back and spent her personal time on the phone, giving me some basic information with absolutely no upside for herself speaks volumes. If she will give her time to a parent, who is not her client I can only imagine how dedicated she is to the students she works with. Not only that, but she was a wealth of information in a short amount of time. Thank you for your time, it was truly appreciated.

We have just completed our second tour with Michelle and once again had a superb experience. She…read moreprovided great counsel starting at freshman year regarding what classes to take to improve GPA, summer enrichment programs to consider and how to round out experiences in order to make a compelling application come senior year. Her methodology and cadence for deliverables is very thought out and based on her depth of knowledge. It helped keep our student on track with a timeline and game plan. Everything she does is very purposeful. Our student got into his top target school and had many other options. She holds the kids accountable, is a straight shooter and is pleasant to work with, both for students and parents. She's a pro.

Amazing new charter school in Berkeley! Finally, an alternative to BUSD Public schools... with its…read morevision and philosophy REALM has its head and heart in the right place! REALM = Revolutionary Education And Learning Movement. They have a 6-8 grade middle school and a 9-12 grade high school (currently enrolling just 6th & 7th grade & 9th & 10th grades). Located on the corner of Addison and 8th st in West Berkeley, off University. MISSION: to cultivate resiliency, develop critical thinking skills, advance knowledge through rigorous studies, and equip students to serve our communities and the world in the 21st century. Realm Charter School will serve diverse urban students in grades 6-12 using a student-centered model that features project-based learning, an emphasis on technology, research and action on concerns in the community and activities that develop emotional resiliency. VISION: to increase academic achievement and social responsibility by creating authentic and challenging learning environments based on four central program elements: (1) project-based learning, (2) immersive technologies, (3) mindfulness in education (Transformative Life Skills), and (4) participatory action research. We seek to develop in each student the ability and passion to work wisely and creatively in order to become life-long learners with the skills necessary to contribute to the betterment of humankind. This will be accomplished by immersing our teachers and students in authentic and virtual learning environments that require collaboration, inquiry, critical thinking, ingenuity, imagination, and active problem-solving. PHILOSOPHY: REALM is designed to be a project-based, technology-rich learning environment that promotes critical and socially responsive perspectives. This means that students will learn to think about the world as a set of interconnected systems that can be affected through rigorous studies and action. Students will navigate and create complex information networks, virtual worlds, and immersive learning environments by utilizing emerging technologies. Moreover, through culturally relevant instruction and curricula, students will recognize and own their ability to shape our world and to better humanity. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Victor Díaz, President, Jabari Mahiri, Vice-President Tracey Sheer, Board Chair, Christyna Serrano, Secretary, Nancy Williams, Chris Knaus, Becca Prager

I hated the school it's so small to be a high shop the are no school teams and they have like one…read moresecurity guard named Greg he's hella cool with all the students tho. And the way the school looks is so bad it's ugly different color walls and there is big rats in the bushes I hated that place but only two teacher M.Reynaga and Ms.Ale where good teachers that's about it

The beauty of working with Audrey is that you have a expert guide advising your child on the…read morecomplex college journey who is 100% invested in their success - but who doesn't have the emotional involvement of a parent. It keeps the whole process less stressful and highly productive. Audrey is a calm, knowledgeable and encouraging presence throughout and my daughter felt she was in excellent hands (we all did). My daughter got into her first choice college too, so we are thrilled! Highly recommend Audrey!

I cannot recommend Audrey enough, she is patient, takes a keen interest in her students and a…read morewealth of knowledge. Having been through the college application process once before , we knew what we wanted to look for in a college counselor the second time around and were so happy with our decision. She gets to actually know her students, cares and respects the decisions they make and works with them very collaboratively. My son always looked forward to his meetings with her and came back motivated and energized to do the tasks on hand. We had so many great choices when it came to narrowing down our options- my son was accepted to all UC's, got a full ride to the top LAC, and many acceptances and scholarship offers from highly selective private colleges. Bear in mind class of 2022 was faced with so many challenges! Without Audrey's coaching and insight, I do not think we would have been where we are right now.

We had an excellent experience with StrivePath. Sunny and Jenny gave great advice and counsel as…read moreour son was navigating college football recruiting. With Jenny being a former college athlete, she provided insight and helped us with messaging/approach across the different coaches our son interacted with during the process. They were also diligent and we could tell they genuinely cared about our son. StrivePath was worth every dollar we spent--this company is really professional in its approach but more importantly personable. I give them my highest recommendation.