Parent Testimonials

Eileen is meticulous, patient and responsible. She is good at letting student clarify his personality, strengths and weaknesses, and academic interests through effective communication, and match them with the appropriate school and professional direction. Through this process, my son has established goals, built confidence, and established clear timetables and to do lists. When discussing problems with him, she is very good at listening. When problems are discovered, she is always gentle but firm to correct them in time to ensure that he is on the right track. She patiently guided and established full trust with my son, helping him through the most difficult time. Regardless of the result, we are very grateful to Eileen!

Galen, a parent from China

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and wonderful guidance during [our daughter’s] college application. Your understanding of the process, seamless interactions with her and incredible patience keeping [our daughter] focused and on track were exactly what she needed. We really appreciate all your help

We are very very proud of [our daughter] and we know that thanks to your help, she will be able to accomplish goals that otherwise would have been almost impossible.

Our most sincere thank you!

Lourdes and Adrian, parents from Fairfax, VA

“I can't recommend Eileen highly enough to help any family through this stressful time. She supported our whole family through the process and was essential to us all remaining sane throughout. She opened my child's eyes to new possibilities and opportunities during high school, and encouraged him to take advantage of them, a process which certainly strengthened his applications. She made sure that deadlines were met, meaning that it was one less thing for me to be annoying about. She provided encouragement and support to my son, yet also held him to a high standard. The framework Eileen provides for navigating the college application process is very helpful and takes a lot of the stress off both parents and children. Her knowledge of colleges and programs is vast, and she is always happy to research programs with which she's not familiar. I would certainly recommend Eileen to other families embarking on the college application process.”

Marie, a parent from Santa Barbara

“We are so deeply grateful for everything that you have done to help Lucia grow. She’s focused, sharp, driven, and ready, and the coaching you have provided to her has been a huge part of that. As for us, you have been so encouraging and available throughout these past few years. You’re always willing to meet, talk, or help, and we have benefited greatly from your wisdom. Thank you! We will gladly mention ThinkYes to others.”

Ximena, a parent from West Lafayette, IN

I highly recommend Eileen to assist your family to navigate the quagmire of getting into college. She played an essential role in keeping our family sane. She is passionate about her field and clients, has years of experience and immeasurable knowledge. Like anything important, there is more to the college application process than meets the eye. Eileen not only knows what needs to be done, but how to do it and does not let anything slip through the cracks. Her expertise kicked in early as she guided our son through digging deep and drawing out of him an understanding of where he was in life, how he got there, what his passions are, how he envisioned his future, and what he needed to do to fill in the gaps before the application process started. She setup unique timelines, task lists, and examples online so that our son could keep track of everything in one application and always knew what was expected of him. It was easy for me to check to see what needed to get done, so I could help him manage his tasks without being the task master. She was extremely responsive and provided guidance on essay writing that was invaluable. She was able to make my son realize he had experiences to draw on and helped him write essays and put applications together that clearly communicated to colleges who he is. Having Eileen on our side has proved worthwhile as thus far he has been waitlisted at one school and accepted to all the other schools he applied to including reach schools. We are eternally grateful to Eileen.

Liz, a parent from Goleta, CA

“Thank you so much for your support and guidance of our daughter.  You worked with her to clarify her (changing) intentions with college and then provided an incredibly useful framework for her to navigate the college application process.  We have been delighted and felt incredibly supported with this process.” 

Lisa, a parent from Santa Barbara, CA

“Eileen was highly recommended to us and it was a struggle to get our daughter to accept working with a counselor, but we could not have chosen a more efficient, knowledgable and qualified person. Eileen is extremely competent in the overwhelming and complicated process of college admission, very meticulous and organized to the smallest details. Since the first meeting, it was very clear that our daughter had to try her best which pushed her to work hard at everything she did. Eileen is not only competent but also very connected to counselors that she reaches out to when she needs information and is open to connect to current college students or their parents to get feedback on specific programs that she might not be familiar with. If there is something she does not know she will find information quickly. When I met Eileen I realized that the stressful college process was very clearly mapped out with a calendar of due dates and guidelines that provided a huge relief for our daughter and for us as well. Our daughter did not know what she wanted to major in, what type of college she wanted to apply, Eileen helped her develop her interest and choice of colleges by listening carefully to her ideas and needs. Her suggestions and advice were priceless. It was a tremendous asset for us to have someone guide our family and teenage daughter through the process and keep us informed of the progress.”

MarieElena, parent from Santa Barbara, CA

“We are very grateful to get to know Eileen and her college application expertise and to have her being a sparring partner for our oldest son during his college selection and application process. Not only is she very knowledgeable about the programs that different colleges offer, their strengths and weaknesses, their main selection criteria. Eileen is also very systematic in how she worked with our son, pushed his thinking, triggered new ideas and challenged ingoing assumptions. She is a very caring person who clearly goes the extra mile to support students. You can quickly sense her passion for helping the student identifying the relevant set of colleges, thinking through a real application strategy and then never letting go on the quality of the essays and answers to specific college questions. It has been much more than “just” a college application support. Eileen got the best out of our son, while never making a decision for him. He had to own the content and the process, but she was the challenger and the one who pushed his imagination. A great experience that we will certainly want to repeat for the younger siblings.”

Claudia, parent from Shanghai and Switzerland

“We are lucky to know Eileen and her wonderful family for many years and we know how energetic, positive and dedicated Eileen is to everything she does. We were not familiar at all with the college application experience in the US so we knew from the beginning we were going to need help. We were extremely fortunate that Eileen was able to guide our daughter through this demanding experience. Eileen has a way to connect and communicate with young adults that keeps them motivated and at the same time she is very honest and transparent with them about the work that will be required from them to meet the goals that they are setting for themselves. Our daughter is well organized and likes to work independently, and she found the perfect partner in Eileen, improving her self confidence and giving her very practical advise on how to get better organized and on writing the many essays that were required.

Even though the college application process required a lot of work and some difficult decisions, with Eileen's help our daughter was able to complete it and we are delighted with the results. Our second daughter will definitely be working with Eileen in her college application starting soon!!”

Adrian & Lourdes, parents from Fairfax, VA

"I am so happy that we used your services! It was really a no-stress thing for us, and it was great to see that our son got into quite a few schools and had some choices. One of his friends who had a 36 ACT and really high GPA didn’t get in anywhere at all, but was waitlisted. He finally got into two schools that were not his top choices but it has been a really stressful couple of months for his family. Having you help our son pick schools was fantastic! We didn’t have to have any fights about getting things done and turned in on time!” 

Kim, a parent from Santa Barbara, CA

We are so grateful for your guidance over the past few years.  We couldn’t have done this without you.  [Our daughter] has really grown under your guidance.  Thank you for everything.

Julie, a parent from Goleta, CA

We learned of ThinkYes Consulting through an individual who shared Eileen’s business card with us. We interviewed and chose to work with Eileen online rather than pursing a local consultant. Watching our son’s eyes light up when he met Eileen in person after the process was over—and seeing how at ease he was opening up with her, which isn’t always true for him—warmed my heart and just reminded me how glad we are for the serendipity of that business card.”

Marion, a parent from Lexington, Kentucky

Recent headlines [re: FBI investigation of a massive college admissions scandal] make John/I appreciate your integrity and commitment to your students even more.

Scott, a parent from Santa Barbara

I’m sure you are hearing this from lots of clients, but we’re very glad Max is working with a college counselor who does things the right way. Thank you. 

Lou, a parent from Lexington, Kentucky

Eileen was wonderful working with my son from the beginning stages of the college application process all the way to the end. Early on, she  was a comfortable sounding board for him to develop essay ideas and later, she helped him refine and proofread. She kept him to a schedule that was manageable, and did it with good humor and gentle cajoling. More than any one thing, she helped relieve so much pressure on him by guiding him through the process, and by relieving pressure on him, she relieved pressure on us.  She is a wonderful and talented woman who knows very well how to connect with teenagers, without being heavy handed. She is highly organized and effective in the way she approaches the daunting task of getting college applications finished on time. The biggest compliment I can give  is that my son absolutely looked forward to every single meeting with her and at the end of the process, he was accepted into his first choice college. 

Paul, a parent from Santa Barbara, CA

I am so thankful for your work and patience with John balanced with your insight and talent. The acceptance letters keep coming and he will have choices after touring this spring break. I will recommend you to all who ask:)

Lori, a parent from Santa Barbara, CA

Why would we need to hire a College Counselor? 
My first thought: to get to College, what is important is, the GPA, the academic rigorous classes taken, the SAT/ACT scores and those extra-curricular activities that were part of our teenager’s life over the last 3 years. With all that, preparing and submitting college applications, writing a few essays couldn’t be such a big deal. 
My second thought: I learned a bit more about the process and quickly felt a little overwhelmed. In particular with the thought that I needed to help my son to prepare his best application(s) possible and that it would bring on unavoidable stress and tensions. Life was difficult enough without it and it might just be too much and bring negativity, anger, frustration to our relationship, right before he was going to leave the home. It would be some of his last memories of interacting intensively with us, his parents. 
My third thought: Ok then, what can I do to make this process easier, more positive for all of us? And that’s when we met Eileen.
I will jump to my last thought: Best decision ever. 

Here is why: College applications are complicated, they are not all the same, they have different deadlines, requirements. Even completing on-line forms is not straight forward: for example, college classes taken during High School are not always reported and accounted for the same way. And the more you read, the more it seems to be “mumbo jumbo” and you wonder, “what if I am doing it incorrectly?". And…there are those college essays. My son had been proud to show his independence early on (and it was a good thing), but he was not ready or mature enough to ask back for help or willing to let us review, edit his essays or have an opinion about them. Somehow, Eileen was very good at communicating and connecting with him. He trusted her and valued her input. Writing essays was not his forte, nor did he like doing it, but he wanted them to represent who he was, his achievements and all his potential. He is ambitious and sees himself with a bright future. But it is hard to for him add the building blocks to get there. Eileen was able to help him put his ideas together so that they gave a truthful idea of who he is as a student and as a person. And sometimes, it was done in 50 words, sometimes, 500 words. She did not write the essays for him. These were HIS essays, HIS words, HIS ideas. But she guided him through the analysis process of what to write, how to write it, the grammatical construction, the logical development of the idea, the introduction and conclusion. All skills that will continue to be important for his future, but here, we are just focused on all his applications. It takes a lot of patience and talent to be able to work with the teenage mind, to make it cooperate and work constructively. Eileen has the experience and the passion for it. It was clear very early on that she loves what she does. And she is good at it. I am grateful we met her. It was a perfect match for working with my son. She does not promise results. There is one thing for sure though, his applications were the best they could have been, based on his academics, all his achievements and his limitations. He did not have a perfect track record or CV. But today, we are the proud parents of a motivated and enthusiastic student in Computer Science at Trinity College in Ireland. He is ready for this new chapter in his life and advancing towards his future. Hiring Eileen was the best decision we made to help him get there and worth every penny.

Catherine, a parent from Santa Barbara

"Eileen has guided us through the college application process with great skill, enthusiasm and energy. She helped our daughter Sophie choose direction, select appropriate schools as well as with the application process itself. She was very good at maximizing the chances that our daughter would be admitted to the chosen schools. She knows what triggers colleges in an application and is very sharp and thorough in preparing and reviewing the required materials. She’s never focused on the limitations but always sees the possibilities, aiming high but being realistic.

Being immigrants from The Netherlands we were not familiar with the college application process at all. As parents with full-time demanding jobs we weren’t sure how to get it done properly and in time. Eileen turned out to be the perfect match for us. She is a driving force and because of her broad knowledge base she is always able to open up new angles and provide new insights that would help our daughter make the right choices and that would help us understand the process and what we could do to help.

Needless to say that with the expert help of Eileen our daughter’s application process was successful. She is starting with Biological Science at VA Tech in the fall of 2018 after finishing her gap year."

Els & Koos, parents from Oakton, VA

"When our son met with Eileen she pushed him further than we ever could, or than he would have pushed himself. She takes a holistic approach to applying to colleges: getting to know our son, together they created a storyline, which helps college admissions readers know him (think elevator pitch). After sorting through which colleges make sense for him comes execution and she organized a timeline and followed up with him weekly. As parents we could encourage from the sidelines without having to also be the coach, and this made for a much more peaceful home.

Eileen had helped two of our family friends (both got into and went to USC), and personally interacts with admissions officers around the country. But once we saw how much the process would grow him in confidence and direction, we saw benefit beyond producing specific college acceptance and went for it."

Dan, a parent from Goleta, CA

"Eileen has a special gift as a college consultant bringing out the best in the student and us, as parents.

Our son started out during the first meeting unclear about what he wanted to do in college and where he would best fit for his undergraduate studies. Eileen used a very effective socratic method as well as other tools that helped him reflect upon who he was and where he wanted to go. By the end he knew himself better and was able to articulate his aspirations effectively on the college applications.

Both my husband and I were very involved in the process, and we found Eileen to be a wonderful partner in the process of working with our family on applications. In particular she is an excellent editor. She asked useful questions that helped our son figure out what was missing in the essays. By the end we all felt that the essays and applications reflected his unique personality and qualifications.

Our family asked a lot of questions about specific colleges and Eileen either knew the answers or quickly found answers to all our questions as they arose. She navigates the black box of college admissions processes with agility. That was a huge value and we felt that she provided an invaluable service well worth the fee.

Eileen had a good strategic sense, great instincts and useful guidance throughout the many-facetted admissions process. II was a fun to work with Eileen because of her can-do energy. This was particularly important for our son when he felt overwhelmed at times with the magnitude of the work required to apply to top schools. She was always a positive force, which we very much appreciated as a family, and with her help he really accomplished amazingly beautiful applications to a full range of colleges and universities."

Cathie, a parent from Santa Barbara, CA

“We can not say enough about Eileen and how grateful we are for all of the guidance, support and expertise she has provided our son and our family during this very stressful college application process. Eileen is a true professional and it is very obvious that she loves what she does, and does it very well.  We are on the east coast, and Eileen is on the West coast.  When we first started this process we weren’t sure how this would work.  It has been seamless!  Through Skyping and telephone calls, it feels like she is sitting right there with us!  Eileen has such contagious energy, and always has a smile on her face.  It feels like you are talking to a good friend! Looking back, we can not imagine going through this process with anyone else!!  We feel very lucky! Thank you, Eileen!"

Ellen & Greg, parents from Wellesley, MA

"The reason we hired you was that the other consultants we spoke with either told us our daughter was magnificent or they told us that her scores were not good enough for the colleges she wanted to attend. Your approach was to present the facts but also a path to try make her dreams happen, if she was willing to do the work. And, you followed through by really pushing her on standardized testing, giving her resources, setting expectations, and insisting that she make improvements to her essays. You are by nature an immensely positive person and having you for our daughter to talk with was invaluable. Somehow, you were able to make a personal connection. We so appreciate your work with our daughter. Thank you."

Parents of a Santa Barbara High School student, Santa Barbara, CA

"I want to thank you so much for all of your help on Connor's application. He submitted it last night:) I think it is an excellent application and I think you helped so much in getting him focused and keeping him on track. I feel very confident that all of the essays are far, far better than they would have been without your assistance.”

 Nancy, a parent from Vienna, VA

"Richard and I wanted to thank you very much for guiding our daughter through the college application process. Since neither he nor I have grown up in the American system of higher education we were really not able to help Franziska at all in this process and we are extremely grateful that she had you as a competent advisor."

                                                                                    Corneila, a parent from Santa Barbara

"Eileen is amazing! She knows the college game inside and out. Working with our son, she helped him map out his entire four years of high school in advance. He has understood, from the very beginning of high school, what he needs to achieve to get into the college of his choice. He has internalized it, and now as he chooses courses each year, he thinks strategically about how they fit into the plan he and Eileen developed. She explained early on that community service is a component of a good college-application resume, so he pushed forward with renewed energy to complete a project for the local middle school and, in the process, earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Eileen is articulate, quick-witted, very accomplished personally, and the mother of two exceptionally successful young men who were admitted to world-class universities. Best of all, she speaks respectfully with young people, never speaking down to them, but helping them to see that they are capable of much more than what they might think."

Scott and Geneé, parents from Irvine, CA

"Two are the aspects behind our decision to chose a college consultant. The first was to have an outsider to play the role of the task master to keep up with the crazy pace of college admission hoops: SAT,ACT, research schools, visit schools, pick a major, write essays, assemble resumes, line up letters of reference, etc. The second was the industry insider role to educate both parents and students in their quest to sift through the inundation of data associated with college admissions -- scholarships, financial aid, early decision, early action, large schools, big schools, majors, minors, and sports. Applying to college today is really a new and more complex game than in the past. Eileen's style is to work directly with the student, but keep the parents in the loop. Her enthusiasm and spirit was contagious enough to keep our daughter on track. It gets crazy when the applications are due, and it was great to have her in our corner."

Valentina and Paul, parents from Santa Barbara, CA

 

"Our family is very grateful for all your expertise, guidance and most of all for helping our son in the daunting process of college application. With your professional help we were able to accomplish all the steps of the Common App, essays, activities list, etc. We enjoyed very much talking to you and getting to know THINK YES!"

Liliana, parent from Johns Creek, GA

"Eileen has worked with our students in finding appropriate colleges to apply to. She went above and beyond in order to help them with successful applications. The students liked her so much and thought she was really helpful. She has a big heart with great passion. She always put students' interest first and goes the extra mile to help them -- we really appreciate it. Students receive warm and friendly help from her at any time. She is a great person and our long-term business partner and life-long friend. It's our honor to work with her again."

Hiway Consulting (an agency that assists Chinese nationals attend high school in the US)

"Eileen guided my twin sons during the college application process and the entire family had a great experience. As one of my sons put it “the college application process was not as stressful as everyone described it”. Eileen tailored and guided each twin according to their unique needs and interests. It was wonderful as a parent not having to worry about application deadlines, essays and pushing teenagers. Eileen was organized and methodic during the process, while still being supportive and encouraging the boys to do their best. Even though I was not involved in the details of the application process, thanks to Eileen’s communications I knew the status of the process."

Diana, a parent from Springfield, VA