"First Choice helped me through every step of the college application process: choosing the range of schools that fit my goals and helped my odds, combining my disparate activities into a cohesive and compelling narrative, and preparing me so that I felt confident and poised in all of my college interviews. Thanks to First Choice, I got into my dream school! Also, Bruce was always available to help; there was never any sense that he had only a certain amount of time to spend on me. His and Michele’s generosity and kindness was genuine and a comfort during the stressful application process."
I.G.M., Student from South Carolina
Matriculated: Harvard
Offered full scholarships at Wake Forest and UNC.
Admitted to Duke, Dartmouth, MIT, and many others.
Offered full scholarships at Wake Forest and UNC.
Admitted to Duke, Dartmouth, MIT, and many others.
"Thank you for all your guidance and especially for the list of things to do after submitting applications; it really helped out!! I got an offer from a top D1 school (Columbia). It was a very, very tough decision, but I am putting all my efforts towards MIT and hoping to hear from them soon. Thank you so much again for our mock interview session. The MIT interview went very well, and I felt I was much more prepared because of your advice. I will be recommending First Choice to my high school friends and soccer teammates."
His parents add: "Thank you for helping our son shine like a star!!"
His parents add: "Thank you for helping our son shine like a star!!"
M.C., Student from New Jersey
Matriculated: Harvard
Admitted to MIT and many other colleges during Regular Decision.
Admitted to MIT and many other colleges during Regular Decision.
"I know my mom has already told you this, but tonight I received an acceptance letter from MIT! While we're celebrating, I really want to thank you for being so open and helpful during the application process and beyond (I needed that last-minute pep talk). I am truly lucky to have had such support. If you are around this summer, I'd love to see you at my graduation party! Thanks again, you've helped me out more than you know."
L.S., Student from Massachusetts
Matriculated: MIT
"To be honest, when my son and I starting working with First Choice, I was somewhat skeptical. Having helped two (much older) daughters get into elite undergraduate and graduate schools and having read extensively about the admissions process today for my two high school boys, I thought I knew pretty much all that was necessary. In addition, I spoke with several college guidance counselors and so-called 'experts' in the field. Well, now I can say I was mistaken. First Choice added many insights and valuable suggestions to the process, both before applying and after the applications were submitted. My family is most grateful for their help and would definitely recommend their services."
T.R., Parent from New Jersey
Son matriculated: UVA
"Using First Choice for college counseling was one of the best decisions I have ever made. They provided me with all of the assistance that I needed to have a completely stress-free experience while even enjoying the process. I was admitted to my top school and even got into a special program, because First Choice helped me to build a strong resume and present my extracurriculars in the best possible light."
Her mom adds: "Thanks for making it so easy. We'll be back in touch with you for our younger kids soon."
Her mom adds: "Thanks for making it so easy. We'll be back in touch with you for our younger kids soon."
R.F., Student from New Jersey
Matriculated: University of Maryland's Scholars Program
Admitted to Wisconsin, Penn State, Pitt, and others.
Admitted to Wisconsin, Penn State, Pitt, and others.
"Thank you for all your great advice!! And thank you for taking the time to provide the email wording we could send to the coach. The meeting with the RU coach went really well, and our son just got a call from NJIT's coach. Wow!! He got accepted to the RU Business School today, which is a big deal for him. So much to learn about and consider, and I'm sure we'll have lots of questions. It is nice to feel so happy after such a tough road. It's just amazing how it has worked out so positively. Yes, we are in shock. We really appreciate your insights, advice, and encouragement."
P.C., Parent of Recruited Student-Athlete from New Jersey
Matriculated: Rutgers
Their son was admitted to multiple colleges with D3 and D1 soccer programs and ultimately chose to attend Rutgers as a recruited soccer player.
Their son was admitted to multiple colleges with D3 and D1 soccer programs and ultimately chose to attend Rutgers as a recruited soccer player.
"I've spoken to at least a half dozen college admissions advisors in the past year, but my conversation with First Choice was the most helpful by far. Bruce was very patient and explained things in great detail. His depth of knowledge about the college admissions process was quite impressive, and I never once had the feeling he was just trying to sell us on his services. I have four pages of detailed notes from our hour-long conversation, yet in the end, Bruce said he felt it would be better to refer us to another counselor who would have more specialized expertise for our situation. That told me a lot. He could have ended our phone conference earlier, or shrugged his way through it, but instead he gave us many pointers, graciously and authentically. Very impressed!"
Barbara O., Parent of Home-schooled Student
Although we have worked with home-schooled students in the past, we didn't feel we could provide our usual world-class service in this situation, which had other unique factors. In these rare cases, we feel potential clients would be better served by another counselor and are happy to provide appropriate referrals. In the end, meeting the student's needs is always our highest priority.
"After our son was deferred by his early action college, we contacted First Choice for guidance in his application process. They provided thoughtful and expert advice, despite it being very close to the regular application deadline. Their valuable input included vetting the list of potential colleges. Along with their in-depth knowledge of many colleges, First Choice showed us how to interpret Naviance scatter plots to estimate the probability of acceptance based upon our high school's track record of placing students at each college. This provided much needed reassurance that my son was applying to the right mix of probable, target, and stretch schools. They also provided invaluable help framing my son's narrative and then giving tangible advice on how to persuasively weave it into essays for each college. First Choice helped reduce the uncertainty during what would otherwise have been an extremely stressful time for our family."
C.G., Parent from New Jersey
Son matriculated: Northeastern
"We used First Choice for help with college admissions for our son. First Choice provided exceptional mentoring and advice to enable optimal decision making. Their attention to detail and deep experience is of great value when one makes a choice of colleges and applies for admissions. The admission process can be quite onerous, and First Choice was able to bring out the best in our son's essay writing, Common Application, UC Application, etc.
First Choice tailors their advice to your needs--from selection of your major to the list of universities where to apply. Their counselors are very accessible and diligent in their work. I highly recommend First Choice's services to aspiring college students and their families."
V.H., Parent of STEM student from New Jersey
Matriculated: UT Austin
Their son was admitted to multiple colleges and ultimately chose University of Texas (UT Austin) to major in molecular biology.
Their son was admitted to multiple colleges and ultimately chose University of Texas (UT Austin) to major in molecular biology.
"Thank you again! First Choice's advice has the great value to ensure a smooth college application process with a very satisfying result. We especially appreciated the help First Choice provided in three very important areas:
- The insight and methodology to assess the relative probability of success (or risk of failure) for each college. This provided our decision-making process with a solid, rational foundation.
- A detailed assessment of the relevance of various extracurricular activities to college admission, and maximizing the impact of our daughter's STEM competitions, dancing, and art (including help preparing artistic supplements).
- Guidance on the mission and preferences of various key universities. These insights helped us determine which university was the best fit for our daughter and helped maximize her chance of admission.
Y.X., Parent from New Jersey
Daughter matriculated: Columbia University (Early Decision)
"As the parents of a child living overseas who desired to play soccer at a US college, the journey was made so much easier with the help from First Choice. Even through a prolonged spell of sickness, First Choice helped my son through the process and set him on the right track to achieve his goal. They are super knowledgable and very well-prepared to help prospective students living overseas. I really liked the thoroughness and in-depth research that they did to narrow down the list of potential colleges, search for appropriate soccer ID camps and plan routes for college visits, for example. The great advice on the writing portion of college applications and communication with college soccer coaches was first class. First Choice was always available, any time of day or night, and we felt they were just as committed to our son's success as we are as parents. Thank you for all of your support and guidance."
A.M., Parent of Recruited Student-Athlete from Germany
Matriculated: Occidental College
Their son was admitted to multiple colleges with D3 and D1 soccer programs and ultimately chose to play at Occidental, a competitive D3 program, where he is excelling both in the classroom and on the soccer field.
Their son was admitted to multiple colleges with D3 and D1 soccer programs and ultimately chose to play at Occidental, a competitive D3 program, where he is excelling both in the classroom and on the soccer field.
"There are not enough words to convey my gratitude for First Choice and the impeccable guidance I received in my quest to attend graduate school. I contacted First Choice knowing the odds were against me, but after the first of many conversations, I slowly gained confidence that a graduate program could be a possibility for me. Many thanks to First Choice for their hard work, patience, kindness and graciousness in taking the time to counsel, explain, and enlighten me on how to showcase and present my best self for my graduate school applications. First Choice provided incredible insight into what to expect on my journey and gave me the tools I needed to be accepted into graduate school along with valuable information that will undoubtedly enhance my future. Their attention to detail, quick response time, and deep understanding of my background proved invaluable as evidenced by the many acceptances I received. I will be forever grateful for their professionalism, work ethic, integrity, and humility; moreover, I am especially grateful and will forever cherish my relationship with Mr. Epstein, who took the time to give life lessons and advice that were both welcome and needed. I reminded him many times, 'I would not be here without you.' Mr. Epstein, please know that I am very appreciative for all your help and guidance! Your unbelievable thoughtfulness, extraordinary accommodations, unquestionable concern, and remarkable consideration to take me on as a student will always be remembered. Thanks for believing and having faith in me. I highly recommend First Choice as the undeniable best college counseling service anywhere. Thanks again for helping me reach my dreams."
B.A., Grad School Applicant from University of Houston
Matriculated: Fully funded PhD program at Rice University
Admitted to five Masters of Finance programs, including Cornell, BU, and UT Austin before ultimately choosing Rice for his PhD,
Admitted to five Masters of Finance programs, including Cornell, BU, and UT Austin before ultimately choosing Rice for his PhD,
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