Testimonials

Working with School First was an absolute pleasure. We were trying to find the right fit for our children and Linda was patient, kind, and an advocate for our family. She took time to get to know each of our kids and checked in regularly as we were going through the process. In what can often be a stressful experience, Linda made us feel like she really knew our family and I know she provided this same level of attention to the other families she worked with. Thank you Linda!

We are so lucky to have had Linda to guide us through our admissions experience. Linda stood apart from her peers with her ability to help us and our son feel comfortable so that we could turn our attention to the important work of understanding him and his educational needs. Linda went above and beyond what was expected to make sure our son was seen and appreciated.

Linda was such a delight to work with. Her desire to get to know our children and her intuition really stood out. Linda was able to understand the unique priorities for each of our children and help us determine a realistic list of schools. We appreciated Linda’s knowledge and experience regarding the schools. Her support and responsiveness in every aspect of the process was invaluable to our family. Linda’s candor, kindness and strategic thinking was incredibly helpful from start to acceptance; We can’t recommend Linda enough!

I feel so very fortunate that Ms. Wilkinson was present to assist me in every step of my application journey. When I began the complex process of applying to boarding school, I felt stressed and worried over the possibility of receiving zero acceptances. Thankfully, as I worked with Ms. Wilkinson, she built up my confidence in my ability and ensured that I expressed my best and most genuine self to admission officers. With her guidance, I enrolled in my top-choice school!

Our family was fortunate to have Melissa guide us through school options and their unique qualities as we prepared to relocate from Hong Kong to the Bay Area. With her prior experience on school admissions teams, Melissa possesses an excellent understanding of the entire application process and offers valuable insights into the diverse range of Bay Area schools. Beyond her expertise, she is a delight to work with—approachable, professional, and dedicated. We highly recommend Melissa to any family seeking expert support in navigating school choices and the admissions journey.

I couldn't imagine anyone better to help guide me and my kids through the private school application maze than Wendy. Her experience and knowledge of that world is unparalleled, and she gave me great candid and helpful advice every step of the way. We ended up enrolling in our top choice schools! I can't recommend Wendy more highly to anyone who is applying to schools in the DMV.

Emily was consistently warm, attentive, energetic, compassionate, and caring. She took time to get to know my son and genuinely cared about what would be best for him. She gave us informed advice and was 100% correct in her assessments of what schools would be best. I was struck by the time and energy Emily put into her work for others’ children! She helped my son prepare by facilitating his writing, interview skills, and self-knowledge. Her whole-child approach made the process far less intimidating. Emily was also patient with me and my emotions. I highly recommend her professionally and personally.

We had the good fortune to work with Emily twice, as she guided both our daughters through the high school application process. Emily was wonderful with both, despite their differing personalities and interests. She is calm, cheerful, accurate, informed, responsive, and smart! She guides families toward good choices without being overbearing and connects with kids, making them feel heard and in control. She provides the right level of structure for both parents and students. When we were anxious or uncertain, she gave us the answers—and emotional support. Both girls got into their first-choice schools, Branson and CPS. We’re so grateful.

Wendy was a godsend. Her reputable experience as an admissions officer helped us to decode the mystery of what each school is really looking for. She helped us to match schools based on what we were looking for as a family and most importantly for our neurodivergent son. The journey was honest and not once did we feel like we were being guided to her best connections. She was our advocate and after seven rejections in one year on our own, we secured two acceptances with her expert consultancy. She is THE BEST! Our son is finally in the right learning environment where he will thrive academically and socially.