Testimonials

Mae,

I wanted to thank you and wish you a very happy new year.  We are grateful to have had your guidance throughout this challenging time.  As the acceptances continue to come in, I say every day, “so fortunate to have Mae”.  Have a happy new year, filled with joy, happiness and good health. We look forward to connecting with you again next year as our little one, Isabella becomes a rising senior.  You are as they say the G.O.A.T!

Best,

Regina

My son came into the home stretch of the college search process two weeks ago when he pushed the accept offer button on one of the 10 schools where he was accepted. The whole experience has been eye opening. My expectations and perceptions of what schools offer and how easy or hard they are to be accepted into have completely changed over this past year.

We worked with Mae though the whole process and I would like to take the time to share how that experience informed my son's search. Mae is a college guidance counselor. As a teacher, for over 25 years I have considered my job to be about "guiding" students to knowledge as opposed to showing it to them. Mae works as a guide. She never told Sam what to do. She never told him where to apply, although she made fantastic suggestions.  Rather, she guided him to create a list that was personal to him. She never told him what to write,  she guided him in his writing, making suggestions such that his applications truly reflected him instead of something that was being projected upon him. She was invaluable in helping him to navigate the Common App and Naviance.  She has been his enthusiastic mentor, his cheering squad, and his voice of reason. She has been all of these things to me as well, making a challenging and emotional process so much easier.

If you want a college counselor who will help your student or child find the school where they will truly fit you should talk to Mae. Her no nonsense, direct approach is informed by years of experience in placing kids from all over the world - all over the world. She knows schools, she knows kids, and she understands the system. We cannot recommend anyone more highly. Thank you Mae!

- Kirby

Thank you again for all the help you gave me in guiding me towards the right school. Without your knowledge of the area, I would have never looked at Drew, now I am going to be attending their fall semester! As you said, they have a fantastic ability to work with students with special needs, I have nothing but praise for the people I have met there so far.  

- Nick

As my 1st semester of college comes to a close, I can’t thank you enough for helping me get here! I have loved the Swarthmore community and I can’t wait for what’s to come. I’ve loved all of my courses and people are nothing but helpful on this campus. I’m so grateful to be a Swattie and to have all of the opportunities present. I am intending to be a biology and dance double major, however nothing is set in stone :) I hope all is well with you! Thank you again and again!

- Lia

I really want to thank you for all of your help with my college search and application process. There was so much involved with it that I couldn't have made it without your guidance and direction, from essay advice to deciding on which colleges to look at and everything else in between. You were the light that helped show me the way through all the complexities of college applications and bring out the best in myself so I could get where I wanted to be. And for that, I feel extremely grateful that I'm now at Carnegie Mellon University.

- Katherine

I decided that I am going to Michigan and will be doing the program where I stay on campus an extra year to get my masters as well. I will also be staying in the women in science and engineering dorms to give me a community at such a large school. Thank you for everything you have done to help me get into one of my dream schools. 

-Alyssa

Thank you so much for coming to my dinner last night. You have meant so much to me as a mentor and friend over the past five years, and I am glad that we were able to get together before I start on my next journey. You are an amazing and inspirational person, with an inspiring life story. I am proud to count you among my friends. Thank your for the bracelet you gave me it is absolutely lovely and your company at dinner was-as always-exceptional.

 Thank you again for everything. I will sure to send you my latest pictures of falcons and temples along the way!

- Emma

This is a very belated thank you for helping Sean and then Emma with their college searches. Sean took your advice and is studying Sports Communications at Marist College. Great News - he loves the school saying he feels more at home there than he ever did at this former school! The support is wonderful and the professors are excellent. Emma was accepted at Boston College, University of Virginia and Villanova and is waiting on others. We can't wait for you to work with our 16 year old daughter who is very artsy and will be taking a different route.

- Francis

Hi Mae!

We can’t thank you enough for your support, expertise, time, patience, insight, warmth, and kindness throughout the college application process! You are incredibly talented and wonderful at what you do! How lucky we are to have had your guidance and encouragement throughout this process! You took the stress out of something that felt quite daunting (and added joy to the process)! Thank you, thank you, thank you, wonderful soul! You are the best!

-Merry

On behalf of our entire family, I would like to thank you for all your support and assistance as we have worked through many of the educational goals and dreams with our children. You have truly been a gift to us and we are grateful to have you in our lives.

- Marilyn

At SVA's annual film festival, called The Dusty's, Jesse won best editor, best director and runner up for best film. Needless to say, we were/are thrilled and so is he. All the winners had to give acceptance speeches and he was very gracious, funny and generous. He is living in NYC in the Lower East Side, has a wonderful network of fellow filmmakers, photographers, artists who help each other out and party hard together. So a very happy ending (and beginning) for Jesse and we thank you again for everything you did for him.... recognizing his unique qualities and steering him towards SVA. We would love to send you his award winning film.

- Marty

Dr. Sakharov believes that "your life is your own sculpture." 

She helps students to develop the "artist within" and to create the lives they were meant to live.