You will probably recall, Maxene, the tremendous anxiety that Jane and I had about the college application process for Olivia.... Your calm reassurance and positive attitude was a real blessing during that time, and we very much appreciate it. And I further believe that Olivia’s essay was the highlight of her application. You not only extracted and distilled Olivia’s true voice, but helped her make connections that resulted in what to my mind was an enormously powerful piece of writing. Thank you for that. And be looking for Olivia’s younger sister, who will be working with you this spring.

~JT, Greenwich, CT

My husband and I both cried when we read Laura's essay. It is fabulous! Thanks for helping her with the application process. We are thrilled with her essay and thrilled that she likes working with you.

~CJ, Wilton, CT.

Thank you SO VERY, VERY ,VERY much!!!!
You were terrific in the completely wonderful ways that you worked with Matt! .... Matt is so much happier, and confident, having gone through this process with you. The self-reflection, and thought needed for the essays have helped tremendously in preparing Matt for the college application process. ...And his essays are wonderful!...You are exceptionally wonderful. ....We will contact you again in 3 years when my daughter is going through this process. Until then, we will not hesitate to recommend you to anyone. What a gift you have! ...What a gift YOU ARE!!!!
Most Sincerely,

~CG, Stamford, CT

Dearest Maxene,
Thanks so very much for all you have done for my family. You are an amazingly warm and gifted woman and we are all the better for meeting you. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and you shed light upon situations that have had me in knots for a very long time. God bless you and yours today & always. I’ll always remember your kindness…I look forward to dealing with you when my sophomore gets to this stage. You’re tops!

~MZ, Wilton, CT

I wish you could have been in our house when the acceptance letter from Colgate arrived. It was pure joy and such a relief to be done on December 13th.... And…the school’s admission director wrote a wonderful note about how impressed they were with her application.

~JWG, Wilton, CT

Dear UU,
The envelope season has made my son a very happy person. As you may recall, I was concerned about his uneven high school grades and how his story would be greeted by admissions officers. Consequently, I required him to visit an extensive list of schools and he came up with a long list for colleges he thought he would be happy attending. He applied to 16 schools; results include 12 acceptances, 3 rejections and one waitlist. While he did not apply for financial aid, he received "enticement money" from 5 schools. Needless to say, he has once again had the opportunity to say, "Mom, you worry too much."

I am convinced that the key to his success was his essays. As was the case with his older brother, your writing process helped him create an essay that was both reflective of who he is and would be like no other. Both boys' essays were on target and completely different, as are they. Once again, the fall writing season transpired without any tense parent/student incidents. He always came home enthused about how the essay seemed to "magically" evolve. I knew the writing would progress, but little did I know that you and he would have music in common and that he would come home and say, "Maxene's the coolest adult I have ever met." That was a bonus!

Once again, I thank you for what you do to help kids find their voice and become proud of themselves in a way they would not have expected. I trust you are hearing from many other happy students.

~LS, Stamford, CT

Dear UU
In psychology we observe master therapists conduct sessions in rooms with a one-way mirror. Watching you thru this transcript has the same feel. What amazing gifts you are sharing with these students!!! Astounding.

~RW, Westport, CT

I have never seen my son so focused on any writing assignment or, for that matter, school related activity since he began preschool at age three. I decided early on in this exercise that I would be a bystander and leave it to you and him to complete the necessary essays for the college applications.

Dropping him off for the first session at your house, it was clear he was nervous and unsure of what he was in for. Each time he returned from a session, he was more and more excited about the final product. It was amazing to see the excitement and enthusiasm he felt for the essay. He loved the content; he was proud of the message he was sending.  Although I know you helped polish the final product (grammatically), he never once said it was not his thoughts and ideas. At the end of the day, he is convinced that his essay helped differentiate him from other students and gave him the edge to get into six schools, including his first choice!

I would strongly recommend your services to my friends and family, and will have my daughter meet with you when she is ready to apply to college next year. Thanks for making the college application process a lot easier and less frustrating for parents."

~RS, Darien, CT

“Of all the things that I’ve done as a parent to help Benjamin get into the college of his choice—calling you was the best!!! His whole attitude toward the essay has changed. He is excited about it and totally enjoying writing it. Thank you SO much!” (Admitted to BRANDEIS, early decision.)

~AL, White Plains, NY

“I had to let you know Patrick got into all six of the schools he applied to: UColorado @ Boulder, UVM, Lasalle, Stonehill, St. Anselm, not to mention Early Action to St. Michael’s! What a confidence builder that has been to my LD-ADD son—to go to from worrying whether he’d get into any colleges at all to deciding which one he wants to go to. You were absolutely wonderful!”

~LM, Stamford, CT

Dear UU:
Thank you. I've been dying to read this! There are no surprises in the content. What I am astounded by is Will's willingness to get this down on paper. Such maturity and introspection. This from the child who was told his writing was horrible by his 4th grade teacher who couldn't see beyond the spelling errors. Whatever you did worked beautifully. Whether or not it gets him into the college of his choice, I will cherish this piece forever.

~CL, Fairfield, CT

“There is no doubt in my mind that the college essays that my son wrote under your supervision and incredible guidance got him an early decision acceptance into Dickinson College. From the first family meeting with you, we all knew we had a perfect match! There was never a time that he did not enthusiastically bound into the car and to your home. He was mesmerized by your writing process and in the end certainly reaped the reward. He will continue to work with you I am sure during his college years and in two years’ time, my younger son will begin the college process and once again, you will find us at your doorstep!”

~DM, Greenwich, CT