Collegewise Reviews 618

TrustScore 5 out of 5

4.9

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 138 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the staff for their helpfulness and positive attitude, making interactions pleasant and productive. The service provided is frequently highlighted as exceptional, with many people appreciating the personalized and understanding approach. Reviewers are particularly impressed with the efficiency and ease of their overall user experience, often noting the quick response times and the smooth process. However, some customers also noted that while the service helped with organization and deadlines, the strategic advice on school selection was sometimes lacking. A few other people also felt that a counselor focused too much on weaknesses, leaving their child feeling discouraged.

What people talk about most

Staff

Users describe positive interactions with staff. Customers consistently praise the staff for being helpful,... See more

Service

Customers had positive experiences with service, finding it reliable, supportive, and helpful throughout the... See more

User experience

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of the user experience. Many customers found the support invaluable for... See more

Customer service

People report positive experiences with customer service. Customers consistently praise the helpfulness and... See more

Application

Consumers find the application process to be a positive experience. Many reviewers highlight the invaluable... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We had the pleasure to work with Jessica Strange who partnered with our son on his journey to college. Not only he landed in a school of his dream, but Jessica made this journey so much less daunting... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Hi! I'm an incoming freshman at UNC Chapel Hill as an Assured Admit to Kenan-Flagler, all of which has been made possible through Collegewise. My counselor, Aaron Going, is one of the most proactive p... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I worked with counselor Judy Lee for three years. She was nothing but helpful, and tried her very best at a time when I, myself, wasn't sure what I was interested in studying. She recommended schools... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We began working with Collegewise a few months ago. While there was a small hiccup at the start, we were quickly connected with Shannon Frankel, the Customer Success Manager. She put us at ease. Thoug... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Educational consultant

Written by the company

Founded in 1999, Collegewise is on a mission to help students access the transformative power of higher education. As the largest private college counseling company in the United States, Collegewise leverages the power of more than 70 admissions experts to help students identify the best possible fit of a university they can flourish in while also bringing fun into the college application process. Over the last 25 years, Collegewise experts have studied the changing landscape, identified the stressors and pain points of the whole process, and designed an approach to give more than 30,000 students the right information and tools to help guide them toward college. Collegewise prides itself on how much experience its counselors have (they hire and train the top talent in the space) and the tools they offer students and this approach has brought incredibly happy successes with their students, which is why 9 out of 10 families recommend Collegewise to their friends.


Contact info

4.9

Excellent

TrustScore 5 out of 5

618 reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Jessica Strange of Collegewise

Jessica Strange's insight and advice helped my daughter clinch a $100K merit scholarship and honors college admission at her first choice university.

Two other admissions advising companies plugged my daughter's stats and activities into a formula to create a profile that best satisfied their predictive admissions algorithm. Their attempts to create a profile that would "stand out" erased EVERYTHING that makes her unique and resulted in a generic "stand out" application. Crazy! And neither was willing (or able) to provide the help with course descriptions, guidance counselor rec, school profile and Common App that I needed as a homeschool parent. Jessica came through with ALL of those things, in under the time we had paid for. She was completely focused on what we needed. Engaging Jessica and Collegewise FIRST would have saved a lot of money and the stress of having to figure out what was really going on with the others--while time was ticking.

Jessica was kind and encouraging. She put our schedule needs ahead of her own. She was very knowledgeable of admissions in general and of the niche of homeschool applications in particular. Her final key insights of what to emphasize in the essays and how to arrange the additional information section of the Common App made all the difference. Worth every penny of the fee!

Forever grateful.

9 September 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful review. We are thrilled to hear about your daughter’s success and so glad that Jessica’s expertise and support made such a difference in your family’s journey. Stories like yours remind us why we do what we do! We will be sure to share your kind words with Jessica and the rest of our team!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Michael Cohen Rocks

Our tutor, Michael Cohen, is excellent! The absolute best! He prepped our kids for the ACT while also giving them helpful tools for their AP classes. Knowledgeable and easy to talk to, Michael brings calm to a hectic year. The kids love him and we’re so grateful to have been connected.

1 December 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you for sharing this wonderful feedback about Michael. We are delighted to hear how much your kids enjoyed working with him and how his guidance made such a difference during a busy year. We will be sure to pass along your kind words!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Incredible Tutor - Patricia Hatcher

My tutor, Patricia, was the most kind, understanding, and helpful person I would have hoped to match with. She was such a help for ACT prep and successfully helped me raise my score. She made me feel comfortable to make mistakes, learn from them, and ultimately get my scores where I was hoping. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for tutoring as she is such a knowledgeable person and fills the lesson with such a positive environment.

31 May 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

We're thrilled to hear how much of a difference Patricia made in your ACT prep journey. Her ability to create a supportive, positive learning environment is something we deeply value, and it’s wonderful to know she helped you reach your goals while making you feel confident along the way. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with her!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Repeat Customer

We've used Collegewise twice and both of my kids got into their first-choice schools. My oldest had Brenna Heintz as her counselor, and she got into NYU. My middle daughter had Ali Springer as her counselor, and she got into her first choice AND second choice school (Marist Italy and a deferred admission to Boston University). Both Brenna and Ali really helped guide my kids through a very overwhelming process and allowed them to let their true selves shine in their personal statements. We are so grateful to Brenna and Ali for all of their sage advice and guidance! Even though their primary contact was with the student, they both did a good job of keeping the parents in the loop. I don't think Brenna is there any more but we'd totally use Ali again in the future... great experience!

1 September 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We’re thrilled to hear that both of your daughters had such positive outcomes and even more so that they felt supported and seen throughout the process! We would be honored to support your family again in the future!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

College Wise helped me not only write…

College Wise helped me not only write essays but make a plan that included colleges that were of high quality and based around what I wanted to focus on going into my college career. My Counselor Andrew Disney was all around a great person to work with and helped me decide on where I wanted to go.

25 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

I am so glad that Andrew was able to guide you through the college admissions process! Wishing you the best of luck on your college journey!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Thank you Ali

I can’t say enough good things about Ali Springer at Collegewise. This was my first experience sending a child to college, and I truly had no idea where to begin. From the very start, Ali was an absolute lifesaver — guiding both me and my daughter through every step of the process with patience, expertise, and unwavering support.

Her deep knowledge of the college application process, combined with her ability to truly understand and connect with my daughter, made what could have been a stressful experience feel exciting and manageable. She celebrated every milestone with us, kept us organized, and helped my daughter feel confident in her decisions.

Thanks to Ali, what I thought would be overwhelming turned into an incredibly positive journey — and we ended up with results we couldn’t have imagined at the beginning. She is, without a doubt, the very best you can get.

23 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. I'm so glad that Ali's guidance made the process feel positive, personal, and empowering for both you and your daughter. Wishing your daughter all the best in this exciting next chapter!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Wainganga College of Engineering &…

Wainganga College of Engineering & Management, Dongargaon, Nagpur. It is the best college in Nagpur and Maharashtra state. It is well developed college in all respects.100% internship placed in different company.

21 July 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Collegewise helped me choose which colleges to…

Collegewise helped me choose which colleges to apply to and helped me make my applications much better. I especially wanted to mention Ian Parker, my counselor who really helped me narrow down where to apply and how to maximize my chances of getting in. He was very nice, effective, and honestly just cool.

18 September 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you for your kind words! Ian will especially be thrilled to hear them. Congratulations on your achievements - we are wishing you the best of luck on your college journey!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Selecting a college admission experience

Selecting a college admission consultant is an important step. After a lot of research and interviews, we decided to go with CollegeWise. Our decision was made considering the reputation and good reviews. Also our interview with Manjot Garcha helped clarify our decision and her guidance and support is really appreciated.

18 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you so much for your review. We’re honored that you chose Collegewise after such careful consideration, and we’re especially glad to hear that Manjot’s guidance made a positive impression on your family. We look forward to continuing to support your student on their college journey!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Sarah Turner

Sarah Turner was amazing and helped my daughter get into her dream school!

6 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Yay - congratulations on your daughters wonderful achievement! We're so happy that Sarah was able to guide your family through the journey.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Anita has been an excellent coach!!

Anita has been an excellent coach to my son Anshuman. She was a very patient and professional counselor. She spent sufficient time with my son & us to understand what was his interests & recommended a successful path for next steps to get the first choice of college for my son. She was an expert in the UC admissions process & guided us step by step through the process. She also gave us sufficient confidence as parents and guided my son throughout high school and the admissions to ensure he reached his goal of Mechanical Engineering in UCR. Thank you Anita for all your guidance!!

4 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you for sharing your kind words! We’re so glad to hear that Anita’s guidance and expertise helped Anshuman reach his goal of studying Mechanical Engineering at UCR. It means a lot to know you felt supported and confident throughout the process. We’re proud to have been part of your family’s journey!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Game Changing Counselor

We are incredibly grateful to have found Aaron as my son's college counselor. He has been the perfect fit from the start! He is extremely skilled at connecting with my son. He knows how to encourage and engage him while still being firm with what needs to be done. Aaron truly wants the best for him, which is evident in every piece of advice and feedback that he gives. Aaron has really mastered this overwhelming process, and we are so thankful for his guidance and this Collegewise experience!

1 July 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you so much for sharing this! We’re thrilled to hear that Aaron has been such a great fit and has made this process feel more manageable for you and your son. Wishing your family all the best in the exciting months ahead!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Really great people

Really great people! They work with you every step of the way to streamline your college application process. Without it, I probably would've gotten lost at the first steps.

30 June 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

I'm glad the Collegewise team was able to help you throughout the application process! Thank you so much for your review!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Nikayla Loy was super helpful!

Nikayla Loy was super helpful in all aspects of the college application process. She really helped me brainstorm and take deep dives into the essays and guided me in the right direction to be way ahead of the curve. She helped me represent the best version of myself on my applications to the colleges. I highly recommend Nikayla and experienced the best results from her guidance!

30 June 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

I am so happy that Nikayla was able to help you in the college application process! She will be thrilled to hear your kind words. Wishing you the best of luck on your journey!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Unhelpful First Meeting with Collegewise

We recently had our first meeting with a counselor from Collegewise. Unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing. The counselor appeared visibly tired from the start and didn’t seem very engaged during the session. While we discussed my daughter’s background and accomplishments, he seemed to focus mainly on pointing out her weaknesses—saying things like she didn’t have enough awards and that she was behind compared to others.

If so, we were expecting the counselor to try to encourage her and help figure out the best solution given her circumstances.

By the end of the meeting, my daughter felt completely discouraged. When she tried to schedule a follow-up session, the counselor mentioned he was very busy and had almost canceled this meeting. It felt like he wasn’t interested in working with her further.

Right after the meeting, my daughter broke down in tears and said she never wanted to speak with him again. The experience was so negative.

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Follow-up from collegewise's reply
Probably, my husband's name is in your file.

26 June 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Follow-up on "Probably, my husband's name is in your file.":

Please kindly send us an email with your husband’s name to marketing@collegewise.com so we can reach out directly. Based on the limited information here, we are not able to identify your family. We would love to connect with you and improve your experience. Thank you!

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Hello, WonKyoung Kim, we would love to reach out to address and improve your experience, but we do not have a customer record that matches your name. We encourage you to contact your Program Advisor because this is not the kind of interaction we ever want a student or family to have, and we truly regret that this meeting caused such distress. Please know that what you’ve described is not typical of the care, encouragement, and expertise we strive to deliver in every interaction. Our goal is always to support students with empathy and guidance, helping them build confidence and find their unique path. We encourage you to contact us so we can help reassess your situation and ensure a positive experience moving forward. We take this feedback seriously and are committed to supporting your daughter along her college journey.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We engaged Jordan Kanarek because our…

We engaged Jordan Kanarek because our son attended one of Jordan’s Collegewise webinars and said: “I want to work with him.” Once they started working together, they hit it off right away.

A good college counselor needs to step beyond the basic elements of a year’s and school’s application process. Jordan adds those layers of advice, and he especially focuses on understanding each applicant’s unique characteristics, and the best strategies to present those strengths to the schools’ admissions officials.

For the student/applicant, he excels at keeping the student on track, understanding when a student needs encouragement, or even recalibration (which is inevitable). He figures out students optimal organization process, helps build the right college lists, gives direction and guidance, and does not waiver from his firm deadlines.

Far more than a counselor, Jordan became something akin to a life and career coach.

He is someone your child will trust; someone who will build a student’s confidence; someone who will offer perspective before and after applications are submitted; and someone who will make them laugh and even sometimes enjoy the otherwise grueling application process.

17 August 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this thoughtful review. It means a lot to hear that your son felt a connection with Jordan right from the start and that their work together made such a meaningful impact during the college application process!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Support

Nichelle was so sweet and supportive throughout the whole college application process! I felt like I could really trust in her opinion and confide in her, and that she was always looking out for me and genuinely cared about my well-being and preferences. She made the whole thing so much less stressful than it would've been if I had tried to do it on my own. Overall, a great experience!

29 May 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

That is so great to hear, I am glad that you felt heard and less stressed! Wishing you the best of luck on your college journey!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Ali Springer was amazing!

Ali Springer was amazing!

We searched for a company to help our graduating senior apply to college and found Collegewise. From the beginning it was clear that we made the right choice. They kindly, expertly and gently lead us through the application process. They did an amazing job keeping us on track and made the otherwise application process painless! Ali was amazing and was kind and encouraging but also set realistic expectations. Could not thank Ali and the whole collegewise team enough. Look no further for a company that cares as much about your kid as you do!

31 May 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

I’m so glad Ali was able to help your family navigate the application process with ease. We really appreciate your kind words!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Melissa Royal was a great companion and…

Melissa Royal was a great companion and resource, helping me through the crazy college application experience and allowing me to remain unstressed and on top of deadlines throughout an extremely busy senior year. Melissa played a key role in helping me get into my top choice college.

Through this experience, I learned many valuable skills like time management, being able to manage a large amount of work over a long period of time, and widening my own perspective. When I initially started drafting my college essays, my viewpoint of what my personal statement was very narrow and Melissa helped me discover how even small experiences can have a huge impact and be worth writing about.

During the whole process, she was very responsive and had a plethora of resources on how to write college essays. This on-timeliness and detailed resources allowed me to excel in both schoolwork and my college applications.

Overall, Melissa was a very flexible and understanding counselor and I would highly recommend her to anyone else hoping for structure during the college application season.

13 December 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Congratulations on your achievements!! That is amazing to hear. We are so glad that Melissa was able to help guide you through the college admissions process!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Wasn't too sure what to expect but....

Wasnt too sure what to expect, but great value and totally worth it. Anita D was our point person and she was fantastic. Will do this again for my other college bound students.

1 September 2024
Unprompted review
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Reply from Collegewise

Thank you so much for your positive feedback! We can't wait to work with your family again.

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