First, Ariel is a fantastic person to work with. She is kindhearted, professional, considerate, and…read moreempathetic. She understands the delicacy of students' stories and helps them communicate them in an impactful and personally inspiring way. She is a highly responsible communicator and an expert on all aspects of the admissions process. She was quick to answer my queries about ANYTHING related to admissions (even outside of the essay-writing process) and was massively helpful regarding interview questions. I could not recommend Ariel enough. My child was accepted to multiple colleges (T5) and with likely letters thanks to the strength of her writing, and she definitely helped her accomplish this.

Thank you to Ariel and the Golden Ticket team for helping so much with the college application…read moreprocess! This is such a difficult time for families, and her expert guidance was supportive every step of the way. As a former Stanford Admissions officer, Ariel was the perfect person to answer all of my most intricate questions about college applications. She has been helping students get into their dream schools for over 10 years now, and it shows in her professionalism, attention to detail, strategic guidance, and thoughtful feedback on everything from personal essays to building my extracurricular profile. Most helpful was Ariel's assistance crafting the personal statements. There were SO many, but with the support of the Golden Ticket team it was much more manageable. I wouldn't be where I am today without the help of Golden Ticket. Very thankful for the outstanding support!!

Without question, engaging Scott was the most valuable educational investment I made to support my…read morechild. It's not cheap, but the outcome is extraordinary. The impact Scott had on my son went well beyond college essay preparation/production. Pre-Scott, my son could barely write a coherent sentence and through the magic of Scott's teaching methodology and in a relatively short timeframe, the improvement was dramatic. The counsel, candid discussions, and direction Scott provided paid huge dividends in the classroom and in daily written communication (emails, texts). My son became a more confident writer and student which of course, carried over to everyday life. As he heads-off to college in the fall (UCLA), I'm forever grateful to Scott for the life-changing role he played in preparing my son for the next chapter and beyond.

Scott worked with my daughter during her senior year to help with her college applications and…read moreessays. He guided us through the entire process and went above and beyond on the deadline days. Scott helped my daughter think through her experiences and interests and figure out how to apply them to all the different application prompts and questions. He was dependable and present in all of their sessions to make sure the work got done. My daughter really struggles with deadlines and time management and Scott was really patient and gave a lot of good advice and guidance. In the end she was admitted to her top choice. We were very happy to work with Scott and would be happy to work with him again in the future.

I had an amazing experience working with Gourdy. He helped raise my ACT score a ton and was super…read morehelpful with all my college essays, from private schools to UCs. He really knows what he's doing and made the whole process way less stressful. He was also a big reason I got into UC Berkeley, which I'm super grateful for. On top of that, he's really knowledgeable but also funny, so sessions never felt boring. Definitely recommend if you want someone who actually makes a difference.

Gordy is an exceptional college counselor! He kept my son on tack and met all the deadlines even…read morewhen we had limited time. He was encouraging and used virtual services effectively. I also liked how he created google folders and made the whole process of essays and tasks easy and even fun! I would highly recommend Gordy!

If you have a teenager preparing for college, I strongly encourage you to look into the services of…read moreJessica Brenner, and her partner, Lisa Josefik. What could have been an incredibly stressful senior year, has been instead a beautiful memory made. What Jessica, and Lisa did to help my grandson, and me from start to finish of the college application process is amazing. I never realized the complexity that went into this process, as I never had to do this for my children. The guidance, structure, and encouragement from them was invaluable. As a parent/grandparent this process can be extremely frustrating when it comes to making sure the SA's are completed, or that they are studying for the SAT test, etc. To our teenager we are just nagging them. Being able to hand that over to Jessica, and/or Lisa, who are so knowledgeable and understanding of what it takes to successfully complete this process made this entire experience much more exciting and enjoyable for my grandson and myself. They gave him structure, and progress goals that he followed. When he started his senior year he was all ready to submit all of his applications while his classmates were just starting to do what he had been doing during the summer. He actually received his first acceptance letter before many classmates had even submitted an application. Jessica and Lisa would tell him, "Tristan, all this hard work is going to be so worth it once you start receiving your acceptance letters." When his first letter came, he was so excited he could hardly stand it. Tristan has been accepted to eight colleges, including his number one choice. Thank you, thank you Jessica and Lisa for all you did for us and all the other families and kids you work with. You truly make a difference!

Jessica Brenner walked our daughter through the application process with absolute precision…read more From preparation for SAT/ACT, essay guidance and appropriate school choices, Jessica created a timeline that was manageable and stress free. We believe that Jessica's help enabled our daughter to gain admission to better schools than her peers, who had similar qualifications. We highly recommend Jessica to any family in this super competitive environment.

My son worked with Alex on his post-graduate schools and doctoral program applications, and working…read morewith Alex made huge difference. He was extremely knowledgeable about the process and easy to access at any time. My son accepted to a fully funded program.I highly recommend Alex if anyone looking for a coach to help with their writing . Thank you Alex!! I m grateful for your dedication and availability

Dr. Blum worked with my son on his college personal statement. Coached him over 5 sessions on how…read moreto organize, edit, transition and finish his statement. What we really appreciated was Dr. Blum did not write or direct the paper. He helped my son through the writing process. Strategies my son will use long past college. Highly recommend his services.

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.

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.

There are truly no words that fully convey what Michaela did for my daughter during her high school…read moreyears. She stared working with Michaela early on as a writing instructor and coach. She helped my daughter with her entries for numerous writing competitions, including the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, for which she won gold and silver medals over multiple years. She then helped with college essays and planning. I cannot recommend her highly enough! She became an advisor and artistic guide. My daughter's high school fulfilling writing journey was truly made possible with Michaela's support and guidance!

Michaela is great with my 6th and 8th graders who have been working with her this year, including…read moreon my 8th grader's high school applications. They genuinely enjoy the sessions with her (and they're not usually the type to want to do anything "extra"). Michaela makes it fun and not intimidating which is key for my kids and probably a lot of other younger students out there. Our family is so glad to have found Michaela!

I have worked with Luke for the past 4 years during community college as a nontraditional transfer…read morestudent looking to get into an elite university. Luke is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE in his craft. My personal statement was so killer, I was able to receive a full tuition scholarship from a top university in California. He utilizes your time efficiently, and really helps you pick topics that will stand out with admissions. I plan to use Luke when I apply to medical school because he is just SO good at making your 1 paragraph about nonsense into 3 solid sentences that blow your mind. I have learned so much over the years from Luke I was even able to give a presentation about essay writing to my community college based on the skills he had taught me. Even if you have to pay out of pocket yourself like I did for Luke, I'm tell you now... ITS WORTH IT. Balancing academics and extra curricular is hard, but Luke holds you accountable and makes the application process a breeze. Even the style of writing I've learned from Luke will help me in future endeavors for years to come. Luke, I am so fortunate to have met you and I have a feeling I wouldn't be in the amazing position I am right now without your application guidance. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the work and time you put into me as a student and getting to know me on a personal level. 10/10 would recommend to everyone.

They've built an amazing team of consultants and tutors who really cared about my child as a…read moreperson, not just as a client or just for high scores and admission. He really enjoyed his interaction with their staff. And we notice his much improved confidence and maturity. Thanks!