Praise

“Amy was a life saver through the college application process.  She met regularly with my son and kept him completely organized through every step of his applying to college.  She talked extensively with him about his interests and together they drew up a great list of schools that he was excited about.  She had insights on the testing process — which tests to take, when in the year to take them, and how to prepare for them.  Working with Amy took out much of the stress of going through the college application process for both my son and for me and my husband.

I have 3 more kids to get into college, and I intend to keep Amy busy through all of it.  Encouraging, professional, approachable, and insightful — exactly the qualities we were looking for in a college counselor.”

-Julie, Mother of Vanderbilt and Northwestern University students

“Amy Reardon is the best. She is fun to work with and provides a stress-free environment for students to create their best work. Thanks to Amy keeping me on top of my deadlines, as well as providing some levity with college-football talk, I have been accepted to my top choice, USC. Thanks so much, Amy. I couldn’t have done without you!”

-Gabriel, Mission San Jose High School, USC

“Amy did a wonderful job finding appropriate colleges for our son to apply to, keeping him on task, walking him through the CA State applications, and going over his essays with him numerous times.  He liked her and trusted her so completely that she was able to help him in ways that we couldn’t.  Without Amy, he wouldn’t have ended up with so many good options.”

-Audrey, Mom of Willamette University Football Player

“Amy walked me through each and every step of the college application process, from narrowing down my college list to writing essays and filling out applications. She turned an overwhelming and stressful process into a straightforward and exciting one. I don’t know what I would have done without her!”

-Ciara, Mission San Jose High School, USC

“Amy’s help was invaluable to my son. I really appreciate her patience and demeanor. Her style really helped my son to open up and share his aspirations for college and majors. As a parent, I was relieved that he had someone he can confide in through this very stressful process. Amy’s candor, knowledge and realistic advice give our family a good assessment of the direction we can take. The personal college page she set up was very beneficial for him as it kept him organized about college applications and all the essay prompts he needed to complete. Amy was a gift!”

-Risha, Mother of UC Davis Engineering Student

“Amy has been of tremendous influence and service to both of my daughters, Kathleen and Monica.

I could easily write a book on the ways that Amy inspired and guided my daughters through the process that ultimately led both of them (2 years apart) to attend UC Berkeley. However, I’ll attempt to spare the reader a tome.

My daughters are two very different young women, two years apart in age. My oldest has a chronic illness, which greatly influenced her options. Amy adapted to the role of coaching a student with a disability with grace. Amy’s relaxed yet enthusiastic input helped Kathleen fine-tune her essays to tell her story in a productive manner, and she was accepted to virtually every school she applied to.

Two years later, I recall Monica, my youngest, returning from her first discussion with Amy, aglow with enthusiasm. With Amy’s guidance, Monica completed all of her applications ahead of time, and was accepted at all but one school she applied to, any one of which she’d have been pleased to attend.

One of Amy’s special traits is the ease with which she builds relationships and communicates effectively with young adults. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and she’s fun to talk to, but she’s also firm, focused and good at keeping a student on task in the midst of the chaos of a busy school year. The pressure on high achieving students is intense, and far greater than most of us parents ever experienced while applying to colleges. Amy dilutes the pressure, and helps break the process into bite-sized pieces. Not only does she provide a guiding hand to overwhelmed students, but having her on the family “team” lessened the stress for all of us.

My husband and I, as well as my daughters, all recommend her highly.”

-Florence, Mother of UC Berkeley Daughters

“I have no idea how I could have gotten through the college application process without Amy. I began working with Amy as a rising junior, starting with a preconceived vision of attending a big university. She helped keep me on track through all the various deadlines and greatly reduced the stress of standardized testing and junior year. As a rising senior, I found myself reassessing my priorities and decided a small liberal arts college would be a better fit, including the possibility of playing a Varsity sport. Amy was very supportive of my change in heart and provided invaluable guidance in connecting with coaches and appropriate campuses. Amy helped me craft the right blend of academics and athletics in my applications, and I was thrilled to ultimately get recruited/accepted to my dream school.”

Naomi, Menlo-Atherton High School,  Pomona College Basketball Player