Collegewise Reviews 618

CollegeWise and my advisor Ali Springer helped me throughout the entire college application process, from setting up the application, to writing the essays and activity list, to even interviews. Ms. Springer was very attentive and helpful throughout the process and helped me get into a highly prestigious university. She provided very thorough and detailed help, which was very important because me and my family did not know anything about the college application process. I would highly recommend CollegeWise and Ms. Springer to any college applicant trying for ambitious colleges.

I cannot recommend Collegewise and my counselor, Ali Springer, highly enough! From the very first meeting, her kindness and professionalism put me at ease, making the stressful college admissions process feel far more manageable. She answered every single one of my questions with patience and clarity, ensuring I always felt informed and confident in my decisions.
What truly set Collegewise apart was their expert advice, which gave me a major advantage over my peers. Thanks to their guidance, I was able to craft a compelling application, choose the right schools, and approach college with confidence. Their insights were invaluable, and I can genuinely say that I wouldn’t have been as prepared or successful without them.
If you're looking for a college counselor who is knowledgeable and genuinely invested in your success, then Collegewise is the place. They are a game-changer in the admissions process!

Collegewise is the best! They helped me tremendously in the college application process, being by my side every step of the way. Not only did they help with research, helping find what college was the best fit, essays, resumes, activity section and general navigation of application sites, they also helped me balance by school work with applications. Ali Springer was my advisor and the BEST I could ask for.

Jordan was an absolute joy to work with throughout this process. He not only kept our daughter in line with what needed to be done, but he also kept us in line as well. He worked with us from Junior year where he was integral in helping to finalize activities and classes. He also helped us to create her college list and organize our college visits in the spring. He was on top of everything as it related to getting her applications and essays complete in the fall of her senior year and further helped with an SAT tutor recommendation when the one she used did not give the results she wanted. Jordan was patient, available when we needed him, and very knowledgeable about the options available for someone with her profile. She ended up selecting a school we weren't even aware of at the beginning of this process, but that ended up being an exceptional fit for her. We are so thankful to Jordan for all of the support he provided to our family!

We had a wonderful experience with Caitlin and the team at Collegewise. My daughter was in capable and supportive hands throughout the harrowing process of choosing universities to apply to, navigating applications and essays, and making a final choice. This is not easy for a high school senior and it's _way_ more stressful for this generation than it ever has been before. It's stressful for parents too, but with Caitlin's help it was a happy process and it felt like an important and meaningful milestone instead of a sequence of chores. We had lots of questions and Caitlin was always available with wonderful advice and support. It really was a pleasure and an opportunity to reflect on this important point in my daughter's life.

Thank you SO much Caitlin, you are amazing and this has been a great partnership. We appreciate all of the work you put into the process and I couldn't be happier with the support and wisdom you shared with us each step of the way. My daughter says you helped her to understand what she truly wants out of college. She says you always had answers to her questions, that you were always easy to talk to, and she was able to get answers when she needed them. She says she was also at ease throughout the application process and "not stressed", which I think is pretty incredible.

I can highly recommend Collegewise! This is the right way to navigate and celebrate the transition from high school to university.

I can’t say enough great things about Nichelle and the entire team at Collegewise. From start to finish, the process was seamless, supportive, and deeply personalized. The structured systems and clear timelines helped take the overwhelm out of the college application journey; but what truly set the experience apart was Nichelle’s incredible ability to connect with our son, Aksel, and to listen to "all of us". She took in our worries, our questions, and our hopes, and consistently delivered with empathy, expertise, and results.

With warmth, insight, and encouragement, Nichelle built a relationship rooted in trust. She helped Aksel see and believe in his own strengths, guiding him to express them with confidence across essays, resumes, and interviews. She broke down what initially felt like a mountain of work into manageable steps, making each milestone feel like a meaningful achievement.

Whether it was navigating strategically evaluating college fit or scholarship research, Nichelle walked alongside Aksel every step of the way. Thanks to her support, he was accepted to over twelve colleges and is now headed to Virginia Tech to study engineering.

We are so proud of him, and so grateful for Nichelle and Collegewise for helping him get here. With heartfelt joy, thank you!

We have for the most part wrapped up our journey with Collegewise (our counselor was Christopher Logan) and we are very thankful that we had the Collegewise team behind us on this wild ride. Christopher was a great personality match for our very independent daughter. She would listen to him readily whereas if us parents said the same thing (like to take a 4th year of language) she would not have done so as easily as when he suggested it. He helped her to choose classes, identify her major, find her unique message to share, recommended colleges strong in that major (in fact the one she ultimately selected he convinced me not to eliminate from the list since he said that students uniquely love it there), suggested some opportunities, and weighed in at decision-making time. I would describe him as direct, confident, and knowledgeable, and professional. He was exactly the personality we needed for our strong-willed daughter - she listened to him enthusiastically and he gained her trust immediately. I signed up with Collegewise rather hastily -- I was pleased to learn that our package covered tutoring for the ACT or SAT or just plain tutoring and I also learned that it did not cover any financial aspects of counseling. We were thrilled with the outcome of this process in this ridiculously selective year with our child being admitted to her original ivy league choice college as well as several other highly selective options. Ultimately, having prioritized her interests during the process she ended up choosing a different top-ranking university from the one we were originally thinking to Early Decision (ED) to. Thanks to Christopher and Collegewise, we were prepared for such last-minute change of plans (not to ED). I can say that Christopher's influence has made a large, exciting impact on our daughter's future trajectory including her major and her school of choice. We really didn't understand this process much before we started this journey and it would have just been too daunting and nerve-wracking to navigate it on our own. Because we would've just followed what my daughter said she wanted in terms of schools, we would probably have never even applied to the college she ended up choosing (because she really changed her thinking during this process). Our family is happy to recommend Collegewise and Christopher as a counselor, even if it had not turned out so spectacularly with college choices because he helped our daughter identify a great starting place (major) to begin exploring what she wants to do in her career.

We are beyond grateful for the incredible support and guidance Mica received from Ally S. at Collegewise throughout her entire college admissions journey. From the very beginning, Ally brought structure, insight, and a calm presence to what can otherwise be an overwhelming process. She not only helped Mica stay on track to meet early admission deadlines, but also proactively guided her through junior year—recommending specific activities and academic choices that would strengthen her profile for competitive engineering programs.

One of the most valuable parts of working with Ally was her ability to look beyond the obvious. When it came time to build a college list, she introduced us to several schools we hadn’t even considered—each one a thoughtful match based on Mica’s strengths, goals, and personality. In the end, Mica chose a university that is a perfect fit for her academically, socially, and emotionally—something we couldn’t have discovered without Ally’s expertise and personalized approach.

Ally was more than a college advisor—she was a strategic partner, a cheerleader, and a steady hand through every step. We truly believe that Mica’s success and excitement about her next chapter are in large part thanks to Ally and Collegewise. We can’t recommend her enough to any family navigating this process!

We had the pleasure of working with Jordan Kanarek as our College Consultant at Collegewise for both of our children, beginning in the spring of their sophomore years. Jordan provided thoughtful, strategic guidance throughout the entire college admissions journey—from identifying best-fit schools to helping them craft compelling narratives that reflected each child’s strengths, passions, and aspirations. He helped identify internships, provided expert support through countless essay revisions, and ensured every application was meticulously prepared and submitted on time. Jordan kept us well-informed along the way, striking the perfect balance of engaging both students and parents with professionalism, empathy, and clarity. His genuine investment in our children’s success was unmatched—whether it was motivating them through setbacks or surprising them with a thoughtful gesture, like an ice cream delivery after a tough college decision. Thanks in large part to Jordan’s support, our son is thriving at USC, and our daughter was recently admitted to Vanderbilt, one of the most competitive schools in the country. We’ve recommended Jordan to many families, and they’ve all been equally impressed. We are deeply grateful for his partnership, expertise, and unwavering encouragement during one of the most important chapters in our children’s lives.

For us, Jordan provided the right level of engagement. With our son, this meant pushing him in areas that needed prompting. As parents, Jordan helped us see things from a different perspective, which was invaluable throughout the process. That is why Jordan’s role has been so helpful.

The end result was that our son came to his own observations on characteristics like cost, liberal arts education, and related trade-offs.

Even though we had been through the application process previously with our first son, Jordan was just the right fit.

It's easy to think that all college counseling is broadly the same. We very quickly learned that there are college counselors...and then there are transformative college admissions mentors like Rebecca Putter. From the start, we were impressed with Rebecca's organization, ability to communicate sophisticated aspects of the college admissions process in layperson terms, and her dedicated drive to build genuine rapport with not only our daughter, but with us as parents. The countless number of times Rebecca went above and beyond to ensure that we were all aware of deadlines, action items that needed completing, and the importance of remaining 'calm' through the process proved incredibly valuable. She was always available if we had questions and maintained a professional and patient demeanor throughout all of our interactions via e-meeting, phone, and email. Though her primary role was to empower our daughter to self-advocate and learn the skills necessary to independently manage much of the college admissions' labyrinth, she also worked tirelessly to ensure everyone in our family felt as though they played a vital role as a contributor to our daughter's application process over time. To say we couldn't have done this without Rebecca would be a significant understatement...we literally wouldn't have known where to start and how to navigate the nuanced world of college admissions. To boot, we would have been far too stressed throughout the process to be supportive in a positive way that made a difference to our daughter. Rebecca allowed for us to not be 'the bad guy' when it came to the taskmaster role...and she simply knows how to work so well and in a developmentally appropriate manner with adolescents -- so she didn't have to be 'the bad guy' either. Our daughter loved working with Rebecca and felt as though she had an ally from whom she was both learning and receiving constant support during a stressful period of time. Most importantly, our daughter was offered admission to her top choice of university (and has since committed) and we are all over the moon at the outcome of trusting Rebecca with a decision that was so important to all of us. Things couldn't have gone better and we would absolutely recommend Rebecca without any reservations to any family looking for college admissions' support. She is already working with our 10th grade daughter and we will absolutely solicit her support for our other two children when the time comes. THANK YOU, REBECCA!

Rebecca did a really great job of helping me build my college list and resume, write my essays, and make a decision from the 11 colleges I got accepted into with her help!

I worked with Amy McGinniss during my college application season and she was beyond helpful during the entire process. She helped me with research, deadlines, essays, and most importantly she took the time to actually get to know me. Beyond just being my college counselor, she was someone I could rely on whenever I felt stressed or overwhelmed. I highly recommend working with her because she will help you with your applications, but also with other aspects in life!

We had a wonderful experience working with Jessica Strange during my daughter’s college application journey. Thanks to her expert guidance and support, my daughter was accepted into her dream school!

What stood out most was her ability to communicate effectively with teenagers—she built a strong rapport with my daughter, making the process much less stressful and more engaging. She is incredibly well-organized, always on top of deadlines and requirements, and provided clear, actionable advice at every step.

As a parent, I also appreciated how well she understood our expectations and concerns. She kept us informed throughout the process and made sure our voices were heard while still empowering our daughter to take ownership of her applications.

We were so impressed that I’ve already recommended her to one of my closest friends. I highly recommend Jessica Strange to any family navigating the college admissions process!

Kate Strzelecki is a compassionate counselor and cares for her students. She did a great job guiding my daughter through the college process. She puts her energy for the students and helping with their independency.

Mary Finn has been wonderful. She really helped focus our son's story to be personal and impactful. Very knowledgeable about what each college is looking for and what to emphasize in the applications.

Working with college wise has made my college admissions journey so much easier! Kaila Brown, my advisor has been so kind and helpful through the stress and i am so grateful for her!! I definitely recommend College Wise (and Kaila) if anyone was considering it!!!

I was a senior in high school and found Collegewise very helpful in writing my college applications. My counselor Mary Finn was phenomenal and she really helped me feel confident in my applications. Her friendly and encouraging manner helped ease my anxiety while completing my applications. I cannot thank her enough in helping me get accepted to all of my dream Universities of California. My only problem now is finding which UC I should choose! Highly recommend her and the program for those who are scared about the application process like I was.

We had been working with a different counselor for most of my daughter Nadia’s high school years, but a few months before the summer leading into senior year, that counselor unfortunately left the company. We were pretty stressed, it’s such a crucial time, and I wasn’t sure how a new counselor would be able to step in. But from the moment we met Christopher Logan, everything changed for the better.

Christopher took the time to truly get to know Nadia, not just her accomplishments on paper, but who she is as a person. From the start, Christopher tapped into her strengths and values, and helped her reflect that authentically in her applications.

What stood out to me most was how Christopher guided Nadia in a way that helped her take full ownership of her process. Nadia wasn’t just completing tasks, she was proud of the work she was doing and truly understood how to tell her story. I watched her grow more confident and independent throughout the process, which was so special to witness as a parent.

The college application process is stressful for any family, but Christopher brought consistency, encouragement, and a sense of calm to it all. Thanks to Christopher’s guidance, Nadia was accepted to most of the schools she applied to, including her top choices.

I’m so grateful for the role Christopher played during such an important time in Nadia’s life. Their dedication and care made all the difference.

Right from the beginning the company was very organized and structured in their approach. They assigned a counselor named Joel Ontiveros after understanding our needs and requirements. Joel was simply fantastic with my son. My son tends does not easily take to people, but he immediately hit it off with Joel. He would look forward to his meetings with Joel. Joel did a great job understanding my son's goals and requirements from a university. He came up with a very effective plan to apply to a mix of universities which included some premier universities with low acceptance rates and also universities that were easier to get into as safety schools. The best part of the whole experience was the guidance that my son received with his college essays. Joel did a great job with setting reasonable deadlines and prodding my son to meet those deadlines. His team gave extensive feedback on the essays. In the end my son got into almost all the universities that he had applied including two of his dream schools. We are so happy with the results. And it would not have been possible without Joel's help.