Parent Testimonials

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RM, Two kids (2 years apart): UCLA, UC Berkeley 

We’ve had 2 kids work with Karen as a college counselor. There was an immediate connection after the first Zoom meeting for both kids! 

Karen listened (and listened some more) and helped identify areas where our children could improve - and she followed through, ensuring our children’s efforts were focused and effective. BUT…. she also made our children accountable and active participants throughout their college application progress.

We are so lucky knowing Karen is looking out for our children’s best interests. We recommend Karen to all parents for their sons' or daughters' college coaching needs.

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HH, UC Berkeley

We are so grateful for Karen’s unlimited support and inspiration to my daughter throughout her college application journey. Karen is patient, highly knowledgeable, and consistently available to address parent and student concerns. Without Karen’s constant support and guidance–whether that be for essays, motivation, or general mindset, my daughter couldn’t have made it into her dream school. 

Waiting for college decisions in March was a nerve-wracking month, a time during which Karen kept in touch with my daughter all the time. Though my daughter thought it was the end of the world getting waitlisted at some schools, Karen consistently assured her that there were more decisions to come, and helped my daughter get through the toughest month in her life. This means so much to my daughter and our family. I highly recommend Karen as a college counselor! She is the best!  

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HC, Father of Twin Students, UC Irvine, The New School

Karen was phenomenal! She was able to immediately relate to and build trust with my twins, even with their completely divergent personalities, skill sets, and interests. Her keen knowledge of what admissions officers are looking for, ability to draw out the best from each individual, and command of the crazy and oftentimes convoluted application process were instrumental in helping both my son and daughter gain acceptance into their first choice schools, among many others. She took the stress out of the process for both parents and kids, and was an immense pleasure to work with!

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FD, Child at University of Chicago

I highly recommend Karen as a college counselor. Through my interactions with various counselors, Karen’s exceptional qualities have truly stood out, and I would like to share three examples that impressed me the most.

Firstly, Karen’s practice of publishing zoom meeting reports summarizing current activities, plans, and action items proved invaluable in keeping me informed about my child’s college application progress. Her detailed reports gave me confidence that the application would be completed on time. This was especially helpful since children often provide limited information to their parents.

Secondly, Karen’s deep understanding of college admission requirements allowed her to identify areas where my child could improve to better align with standards. She created an actionable plan and diligently followed through, ensuring my child’s efforts were focused and effective.

Lastly, Karen’s resourcefulness was remarkable. Many seniors are unsure about their career paths and my child was no exception. This uncertainty made it challenging for my child to select an appropriate major for his college applications. When my child expressed an interest in law, Karen not only directed him to relevant web resources but also utilized her extensive network to connect my child with a young law professional. Through these arranged meetings, my child gained invaluable insights into the life of a lawyer, which helped him make a more informed decision about his future aspirations.

In conclusion, it has been a privilege working with Karen. Her exceptional abilities as a college counselor, dedication, and resourcefulness have greatly influenced my child’s college application journey. I wholeheartedly recommend her to any student or parent seeking guidance during this critical phase.

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DY, Parent of two student clients (3 years apart)
who are now attending Brown and Yale

It is said four events in one’s life are most stressful:

• Loss of loved ones

• Marriage/Family and Divorce 

• Buying/Selling a house and moving

• Starting a new job

I am here to tell you about a 5th one:

COLLEGE APPLICATION and ADMISSION PROCESS!!
BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE !!!!

As parents of two teenagers with completely different interests and myriad of amazing colleges to review and learn about, in addition to ensuring optimal high school performance and a desirable college match in an extremely competitive environment, we were overwhelmed!!!!

THEN, we had the privilege of working with Ms. Karen Gee, an exceptional individual with an immense breadth and depth of knowledge and experience pertaining to college application process that surpassed all our expectations.

Through her guidance, calm demeanor, and supportive personality, she empowered my children to independently study all range of suitable colleges, to express their own viewpoints and secure a position at their top choice colleges. SHE REMOVED THE STRESS of this intense process from our family and made it a pleasant journey for all of us. The children were each offered an Ivy League School admission that was a perfect fit for them, and where they flourished and were happy.

The bonds she made with our children and all of us as a family have remained strong even now years later. We are forever grateful!

She has a great mind, beautiful soul and a kind and honest heart. Any parent or student lucky enough to be working with Ms. Gee should know that they have a giant ally on their side and are very blessed to have her.

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YL, daughter at csu fullerton

Our family is extremely pleased with the college coaching experience provided by Karen Gee. Her intimate knowledge of the application process and ability to effectively communicate with our student and us empowered our family to make the best decisions regarding our daughter’s college applications. Karen made this traditionally stressful process a manageable and peaceful one for our household. 

To us, Karen’s greatest strength is the connection she made with our student and how that translated into a tailored management approach. Karen worked with our daughter to break the process down into reasonably-sized tasks that kept her motivated, despite her busy schedule. Karen responded quickly to questions and clearly communicated answers, agreed-upon expectations, and pending decisions to be made between meetings. Karen’s customized approach ensured our student stayed positive and on track. We highly recommend reaching out to Karen for your college coaching needs.

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NS, Son at University of Michigan

Karen did an amazing job on many levels, and I would highly recommend her. She has tremendous expertise and experience with college apps, a positive, engaging attitude, and is a joy to work with. She has many superpowers!

She does her best to find interesting aspects of students that set them apart from the crowd. Beyond finding content, Karen excels at motivating students by keeping the atmosphere relaxed and upbeat, but always on task with clear expectations for when she needs drafts and final documents (given a school’s deadline). The essay-writing process was as pleasant as it could have possibly been from the student’s perspective. And when it was time for Karen to take a close look at the entire application for every typo or awkward phrase, Karen had an eagle eye for even the tiniest mistake—which was very helpful. The entire packet then goes off to the college.

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HY, Son at Boston University

I honestly don't know what would have happened with my son's college application process if Karen hadn't been with us every step of the way. 

Karen's compassionate and positive approach worked wonders with my son. She provided quick responses to his questions, and addressed his concerns calmly and clearly. Karen became the gracious auntie to my son, and he trusted her completely. 

Karen's extensive knowledge about the application process and the colleges at various levels eased our anxiety and broadened our horizon. At the end, my son was happily accepted to a college that we had thought was beyond his reach.

I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to all parents who want the best possible outcome for their sons' or daughters' college coaching needs.

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SL, Daughter at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

Karen 具有惊人的沟通技巧。无论学生什么样的个性, 她都可以轻松与学生建立信任和良 好的沟通关系。 学生愿意与她分享他们的想法。 作为家长和学生之间的桥梁, Karen 做得 非常出色。 她帮助父母了解孩子的想法和目标, 减轻他们的很多压力。此外, Karen 非常有 条理, 每次和学生的会议之后, 都提供详细的报告总结 。Karen给出的建议和反馈, 使家 长能够很好地支持他们的孩子实现他们的目标。

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WS, Son at New York University (NYU)

Karen 亲切幽默, 善于沟通,我和孩子都非常喜欢她。她尤其善于发掘孩子的特点, 在大学申请中凸现孩子自己的独特之处, 打动人心。非常幸运有 Karen 同行于升学之路, 不仅收获了梦校, 而且让成长中的孩子更深入地去了解自己, 相信自己, 爱自己！

Read more about what students had to say about Coach Karen…