When you think about college counseling, you usually think of getting your child into a top school – Ivy League, top 20, etc. If you think your child will go to a state university or community college, then you don’t think you need a college counselor. I had the same feeling, but now I have a different opinion.

Life does not always turn out as you planned. There are peaks, but valleys, too. During the hard times, as a parent, you might hit a wall and feel desperate about not being able to cheer your own child up. At that time, Dr. M appears, we had a talk.

I told her I thought my daughter would go to a state college, a community college, and wouldn’t need a counselor to do it. Dr. M insisted that her life coaching program could make a difference. I still remember her telling me that a student with a 3.5 GPA can also go to a good school. She suggested we try to work together to help my child get stronger. Her encouragement enlightened me, and so I thought: if I’m not sure I can guide my daughter by myself, why don’t I trust Dr. M.? It turned out to be the best decision I have ever made in the last four years.

With Dr. M’s help, my daughter became a strong young woman with passion and life wisdom. I strongly recommend Dr. M’s life coaching program. If you want to see a quantitative result, here you are. My daughter did get into her top 20 schools. This was far beyond what we originally imagined. Thank you so much Dr. M!

Here are some more of my observations about Dr. M’s life-coaching college planning style….

1. Dr. M tailored the program for my daughter. Not only academic difficulties, also extra curriculum. Dr. M listened to my daughter’s voice and stimulated her passions. And she patiently discussed all the pro/cons. The way Dr. M inspired my daughter and focused her interests was very efficient. For example, even though my daughter was unhappy with a summer camp job they’d picked out together, Dr. M helped her find a better fit without blaming her.
2. Dr. M helped my daughter become more mature  in an efficient way. One time she went to Tahoe to play with her friends and missed the deadline to turn in an essay draft. Dr. M emailed firmly to tell her she’d missed the timeline for her edits. My daughter was not mad, but after that she was very cooperative and did a great job. It’s hard for mothers to draw this clear boundary, but Dr. M trains kids to be responsible and to communicate – which are the most important characters of adulthood.
3. Dr. M allows kids to learn from their failures and cheers them up so they can move forward. As a parent, I got scared of a grade C. I even thought that a C would end my daughter’s chances for top schools. But Dr. M never blames; instead, she gives kids solutions, like online resource or tutor, which helps kids boost their confidence and energy. Even when kids are moody, she shows them meditation skills. With her professional skills, you won’t miss signs of mental illness (if there are any).
4. Dr. M is very organized and project-oriented. Parents always get a copy of the meeting updates. This really helps parents, because even if kids don’t want to talk, you still can get updates.
5. Dr. M is an expert in the whole application process. She guided my daughter from both a big-picture and detail-oriented perspective. She is very knowledgeable of majors and rankings. This expertise precisely helped my daughter to apply for target/reach/safety schools.