Testimonials

Read below to find out more about our successful students!

“When I met Marilu, I was struggling to get more financial aid for college. She helped me look for outside scholarships which I was extremely grateful for because I had no idea where to start looking. Meeting with Marilu, I learned a lot in terms of how to search for scholarships, and how to better my resume, including making my LinkedIn more attractive. Thanks to her guidance, I found an AT&T Externship during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also helped me find additional resources, which I used to gain even more experience. I would definitely recommend Marilu because she understands my needs and genuinely wants you to succeed. You are in good hands! She is now guiding my younger sister through the college admissions process.”

- Jacky, Syracuse University ‘21

“With Marilu's helpful skills, I learned how to efficiently apply for scholarships and master’s applications. Her guidance led me to successfully be admitted to Carnegie Mellon University with a full tuition scholarship for my Masters in Mobile and IoT Engineering. The strategic advice she provided showed me how to cater my applications according to my goals and increase my chances of being admitted.”

- Gabriella, Carnegie Mellon University ‘23

Student #1 Profile

  • GPA/ACT Score: 4.5/35 (Valedictorian)

  • Academic Rigour: Mix of AP Classes & Local College Courses

  • Major(s): Computer Science

  • Gender/Race: Male, Hispanic-American/South American

  • Economic Background: Low/Middle-Income

  • Additional Notes: Immigrant, First-Gen College Student

  • Extracurriculars (EC’s): Viola Player in State Orchestra, Math Team Champion, some local volunteering, and manager at fast food restaurant. Student had no research experience, but excelled in the computer programming & math classes taken at the local state college.

Case Studies

Services Offered

The student signed up towards the middle of their Senior year with only one a few state schools they were interested in, and no idea how to pay for them. Some of the services offered include the following:

  • Encouragement: Although the student had good academic stats, they did not see their own potential to be competitive at top schools. I identified their brilliant potential and encouraged them to pursue admissions at top universities.

  • College List: As the student was interested in STEM, but had only looked at local schools, I recommended 15-20 universities across the U.S. specific to the student's interest. Through a conversation, we narrowed that down to 5 match schools, and 1 Reach, the student would have the most success in applying my strategies.

  • Essay Editing: The student and I brainstormed about pivotal moments in their life, and they settled on their immigration story, language learning, and work experience. With my guidance, the story combined a narrative of early childhood and cultural experiences that told the story of their life and where they will go next.

  • Resume: As the student's academic extracurriculars were limited and mostly focused on professional work, I leveraged their years of working experience to showcase a diligent work ethic. I restructured their resume and tailored each description to be impactful during an admissions officer's first read-through.

Admissions Result:

🎉 Full Ride to Harvard University🎉

*Strategy and results vary per client as I offer 100% personalized guidance.*

Student #2 Profile

  • GPA/ACT Score: 4.3/33

  • Academic Rigour: 10+ AP Classes

  • Major(s): Psychology, Biology, Pre-Med, Religion, Business

  • Gender/Race: Male, Indian-American/South Asian

  • Economic Background: Middle/High-Income

  • Additional Notes: First-Generation American

  • Extracurriculars (EC’s): Most EC’s consisted of science and religion-focused leadership. Student had no research experience but did have a volunteer service and major-specific passion project.

Case Studies

Student #3 Profile

  • GPA/SAT Scores: 3.9/1320

  • Academic Rigour: 9 AP Classes

  • Major(s): Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Anthropology

  • Gender/Race: Female, Half-Hispanic/Half-Southern European

  • Economic Background: Low-Income

  • Country/State: PA, USA

  • Additional Notes: Death of a parent at a young age.

  • Extracurriculars (EC’s): Captain of Softball & Tennis teams, Student Council President all 4 years, Weekly Volunteering, and a part-time job at a daycare center.

Services Offered

The student signed up towards the end of their junior year and they were unsure about admissions strategies, the various deadlines, majors, and opportunities available to them. Some of the services offered include the following:

  • Choosing a major: I started by helping him pick a major. To do this, I completed a  comprehensive review of the student's entire academic and extracurricular history. I then recommended a major leveraging his strengths and goals.

  • College List: As the student was open to universities that had both strong STEM and humanities course work anywhere in the US, I recommended 15 universities specific to the student's interest and additional preferences. Through a conversation, we narrowed that down to 5 match schools, the student would have the most success in applying my strategies.

  • Essay Editing: The student and I brainstormed about impactful experiences in their life, and they settled on daily tea time with their family. With my guidance, the story combined philosophical and cultural experiences the student learned during tea time. This essay took ~10 edits until it was perfect and within the word count.

  • Resume: As the student's extracurriculars were mainly religion and business-oriented, we worked on a passion project that encapsulated all of that. I then restructured his resume and tailored each description to be impactful during an admissions officer's first read-through.

Admissions Result:

Accepted to 🎉Carnegie Mellon University, Early Decision 1🎉

*Strategy and results vary per client as I offer 100% personalized guidance.*

Services Offered

The student signed up towards the beginning of their senior year. They started writing their essay but had no clear guidance on an effective strategy or how to reach their goals. Some of the services offered include the following:

  • Choosing a major: I started by helping her pick a major. To do this, I completed a  comprehensive review of the student's entire academic and extracurricular history. I then recommended a major leveraging her strengths and goals.

  • College List: As the student was open to universities in the midwest/northeast, I recommended 15 universities specific to the student's interest and additional preferences. Through a conversation, we narrowed that down to the 7-10 match and reach schools the student wanted to focus on.

  • Essay Editing: The student and I brainstormed about impactful experiences in their life, and she settled on telling the story of one of her parent's passing. With my guidance, this story was told through the lens of a young child and eventually a teenager. This essay took ~10 edits until it was perfect and within the word count.

  • Resume: As the student had multiple leadership positions, I restructured her resume and tailored each description to be impactful during a first read-through. 

  • Common Application Guidance: Went page by page and step by step with the student on correctly and strategically completing the Common Application.

  • Scholarship Search: Created a spreadsheet with 30+ scholarships tailored to the student's specific demographic. This tailored scholarship research included lesser-known scholarships she would have a good chance of winning. I also edited all her scholarship essays. This helped her win over $150k.

  • Weighing Options: When she was choosing between schools, I helped her way the pros and cons as it relates to her goals, future career, and financial aid options among other factors. 

Admissions Result:

🎉 Won over $150k in scholarships and accepted to her dream university: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 🎉
Also accepted to: University of Maryland, College Park & Rutgers University

*Strategy and results vary per client as I offer 100% personalized guidance.*

Our Students Accepted To:

  • Adelphi University

  • Alfred University

  • Barnard College

  • Bentley University

  • California Polytechnic State University

  • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

  • California State University, Northridge

  • Carnegie Mellon University

  • Centenary University

  • Clark Atlanta University

  • Cornell University

  • Curry College

  • Emerson College

  • Endicott College

  • Fisher College

  • Fordham University

  • Georgia State University

  • Harvard University

  • Hofstra University

  • Howard University

  • Iowa State University 

  • Ithaca College

  • Kean University

  • Le Moyne College

  • Lincoln University

  • Loyola Marymount University

  • Loyola University Chicago

  • Michigan State University

  • Montclair State University

  • Moravian University

  • Mount Saint Mary College

  • NewU University

  • New York University

  • Northeastern University

  • Ohio State University

  • Pace University

  • Purdue University

  • Quinnipiac University

  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  • Rider University

  • Rutgers - New Brunswick

  • Saint Joseph University

  • San Diego State University

  • Sarah Lawrence College

  • Seton Hall University

  • Shepherd University

  • Siena College

  • Simmons University

  • St. John's University

  • Stonehill College

  • Stony Brook University

  • SUNY Brockport

  • SUNY Buffalo State University

  • SUNY Cortland

  • SUNY Oswego 

  • Syracuse University

  • Technological University Dublin

  • Temple University

  • Texas A&M University

  • The New School

  • The Pennsylvania State University

  • The University of Texas at Austin

  • Tulane University

  • University at Albany

  • University of California, Davis

  • University of California, Irvine

  • University of California, Los Angeles

  • University of California Berkeley

  • University of California Merced

  • University of California Santa Cruz 

  • University of Central Florida

  • University of Florida

  • University of Maryland, College Park

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • University of Miami

  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities

  • University of New Haven

  • University of North Carolina Wilmington

  • University of North Florida

  • University of Oxford

  • University of San Francisco

  • University of Southern California

  • University of South Florida

  • University of Tampa

  • University of Tennessee

  • University of the Pacific

  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

  • Utica University

  • Vermont State University

  • Virginia Tech

  • Wellesley College

  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Our Students Accepted Admissions Letters:

  • Carnegie Mellon University

  • UMichigan, Ann Arbor

  • UWisconsin

  • UMaryland, College Park

  • CMU

  • Harvard

  • NYU Acceptance Letter

    New York University

  • Tulane University

    Tulane University

  • Howard University

    Howard University