“Katherine is the best choice for a college counselor in the Denver area. We used her services for 2023 college admissions in the fall. Prior to using Katherine, we used another counselor for my elder daughter. During the past 3 years, I have interviewed and spoken on the phone with most of the major players who provide college counseling services in the Denver metro area.
What differentiates Katherine is that she truly limits the students she assists each year to a low and manageable finite number. In my experience, the other college counselors try and sign up as many students as possible or claim they have client cut-offs in the 60 -80-student range. These student numbers are high, and the amount of individual attention is limited. Again, I say this from experience as I have used some of the services of a well-known “heavy hitter” type counselor.
The result of Katherine’s model allows for far more individual attention and support than is the industry standard. She holds students responsible with very regular meetings, and she follows up and holds students accountable. This leaves almost no room to stray off the rails and get lost. From a parental point of view, her business model is reassuring and comprehensive.
My advice is that if your child can use high-caliber services with a little hand-holding, good encouragement, and regular follow-up, then you should use Katherine. Finally, a word of caution, Katherine actually fills up quickly each year, so you need to be proactive and hire her early in the process. I found this out the hard way with my first child.”
Parent of a student at CU Boulder
“I want to thank Katherine for helping Gina with her college planning and application process. As a business owner I don’t have a lot of time so I need to hire professionals. It lifted quite a burden off of my shoulders to be able to hire a team who already knew the ropes and who could identify where to apply and just as importantly, which places that were not a “good fit” for my daughter, Gina. Katherine helped Gina every step of the way, and she was able to secure merit aid to 7 colleges, which greatly expanded her college choices. Gina is a Freshman now and she is happy and confident that she chose the correct school. This is probably the best money I have ever spent as a parent. Thank you so much for your help.”
Parent of a Student at the University of Utah
“Dear Katherine, I am not sure how we can ever thank you for all of your time and patience that you shared with such care with Amy. Having that final count down of ‘Amy at 5PM you will pick a college,’ was a terrific idea and I am currently using that technique in other areas of her life.”
The West Family, Student at University of Arkansas
“Hi Katherine, Heather had a great trip to Boston this week, with orientation at Northeastern and several days of skating with her new team. So far everything is looking great, and we wanted to thank you especially for helping Heather to achieve her objectives of finding a great school where she will feel at home and also the opportunity to keep skating competitively. I know this wasn’t easy, but all the work the two of you did really paid off in the end. I guess the take home message is that if you can define what you want, you can get there.”
Bob, Parent of a Student at Northeastern University
“Dear Katherine, Thank you so much for everything you did for me during my college search. I truly couldn’t have done it without you. You were extremely helpful through the entire journey and I cannot thank you enough. I will definitely keep in touch! Thanks again for everything.”
Zach, Student at Syracuse University
“Katherine worked with both my daughters, as they navigated through the college application process. My oldest daughter will be a junior at the University of San Diego, and my youngest just graduated from high school and will attend Loyola Marymount University in the fall. It was great to have Katherine helping them during a challenging and often exhausting process. What I appreciate about Katherine is her ability to work with different kids; she adjusts to the needs of each individual and caters to their strengths and supports their weaknesses. Senior year is filled with demands and destractions, but Katherine is able to keep her students on task and focused. She helped my girls prioritize and meet deadlines. If you asked them about Katherine, I think they would agree that the best part was her ability to help them explore interests and eventually narrow down schools that met their criteria and excited them. For me, the best part about having Katherine in our corner was that I NEVER EVER had to nag my kids about the college process. Katherine did it all. She kept them on track and checked in with them regularly. Her work allowed more breathing room between me and my girls, which is worth more than money can buy!”
Lisa, Parent of Students at the University of San Diego and Loyola Marymount University
“Katherine’s help throughout the college application process has been phenomenal. From narrowing down a list of schools that I liked, to writing a heap of supplemental essays, her support was extremely valuable. When I started the application process, my list of schools was poor. Thankfully, Katherine pointed out that I had few safety/target schools and helped me choose schools that would actually be a good fit. Next, she motivated me to write my Common Application essay over the summer. I was worried about this essay, given its importance (the Common App essay is sent to almost every college you apply to), but she helped me finish it well in advance. I was proud of the essay and ready to begin my supplementals by early August of my senior year. She helped me stay well ahead of all of my deadlines, and she was quick to provide feedback on my supplemental essays. I applied to 11 schools, many of which had multiple essays, so her help was much appreciated. Her experience with the college essay writing was plain to see. Katherine offered wonderful insights, from big-idea brainstorming to crucial wording changes. Beyond essay writing, her experience was also helpful in my outlook toward the application process (College Mindset is an apt name!). She helped manage my expectations, and most significantly, eased the stress of the process.”
Carson, student at Princeton University
“If you are considering options for help with the college process, look no further. Katherine was an incredibly helpful resource for our daughter, my wife, and me. Through independent conversations between Ellie and Katherine, Ellie was able to explore a variety of possible schools and areas of study and find the right fit. Once Ellie and Katherine narrowed the list of possible schools together, with our input, all of our minds were at ease through the application process. We knew that Katherine was helping Ellie through the process, and that they were on top of all of the deadlines and requirements. This was even more helpful this year as we all navigated virtual college visits and other extenuating circumstances in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Katherine was able to help us all feel in control. Moreover, Katherine’s knowledge, help, and encouragement related to scholarship and grant applications was able to help us save tens of thousands of dollars.”
Parent of a student at Tufts University
“I felt my time with Katherine was extremely valuable and beneficial for my journey to college. She was very knowledgeable about the application process, and it was reassuring to have someone who was able to easily answer all of my questions. She put me at ease several times throughout my senior year, whether I was stressed editing another draft of my Common App essay, or I felt the pressure of deadlines rapidly approaching, Katherine was always able to guide me. Katherine was a mentor and a friend to me my senior year, as well as my college counselor, and she made me feel confident and excited about the opportunities that I received. She was understanding, empathic, and continued to help me after acceptances and check in throughout my freshman year of college. I cannot say enough positives about all that Katherine has done for me, and I am grateful to have had her as my college counselor my junior and senior year.”
Chloe, Student at UCLA
“For me, working with Katherine was essential to the college application process. I was filled with anxieties and questions my junior year around where I wanted to apply, what I wanted to do, how to even apply and write college essays, and I just had no idea what was out there and how to approach this process. Katherine not only helped me with every step of the process, but helped me get excited about the possibilities I now had at my disposal. Through her help, I was able to identify my strengths and passions, which not only helped me write my essays, but helped me understand myself better as a person. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Katherine and thanks to her help I am happily attending the perfect school for me!”
Eleanor, Student at Purdue University
“Katherine, Thanks for assisting Makenzie in her search. I just got back from moving her in at Knox and it was very exciting! My youngest has 7 years, but I hope to use your services at that time to help with her search! Thanks again for all the great advice and support throughout this process.”
Shae, Mom of a Student at Knox College
“Having Katherine assist me throughout the college application process was a massive help, as I would have never had as clear a path through as she helped me create. From the first step of choosing potential colleges to crafting essays that showed who I was, I felt I was able to gain confidence about where I wanted to go and what to study, where I was originally uncertain. There were so many opportunities and deadlines I would have missed or rushed otherwise, and having someone to keep me on track removed so much stress from an intimidating process.”
Brody, University of Colorado, Boulder
“If you are stressing and lost on what to do for college, you’re in the right place. Katherine was a lifesaver for me! I met her at the beginning of my Junior year of high school having no idea where I wanted to go to school and what options were available. From beginning to end, she makes this process very simple for you if you are willing to put in the work. She will guide you on what to do and how to do it. If you put in one hour before every meeting the process is super simple and becomes almost stress free. The most help you get from Katherine is with the college essays, which is the most important part of any application. That will make or break a student getting into school. She is very professional and knows exactly what schools are looking for in an essay. She will sit down and brainstorm with you until there is a solid essay to hand in. Katherine is very well informed and has years of experience doing this. She knows the process like the back of her hand. I honestly don’t think I could have done it without her. She was a saving grace for me in this process.“
