My students have been accepted to:













Reviews
K. Page
Class of 2026
Accepted to:
Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, UCLA, Berkeley, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, University of Toronto, Duke, University of Florida, Florida State University
Kristen’s guidance was extremely useful when it came to navigating the college process. She was able to help with all aspects of my application, from brainstorming essay ideas to editing short responses to preparing for interviews. Her feedback was meticulous and it was clear she cared about her students beyond their applications. I believe her advice absolutely played a role in the decisions I received.
L. Song
UNC-Chapel Hill, Class of 2026
Accepted to:
Villanova University UNC-Chapel Hill New York University University of Virginia Case Western Reserve University College of William and Mary
I loved working with Kristen. For me, her genuine friendliness and moral support she offered made the whole college app process so much easier. I especially loved the way Kristen provided feedback on my essays--even while editing my mistakes, she did so in a way that was positive and supportive. She'd also word her edits in small, manageable chunks. I never felt overwhelmed or discouraged after receiving her feedback! Even after I received my decisions, Kristen continued to check in on me, offering words of advice and encouragement. I felt as though she went beyond the lens of "college applications" and genuinely cared about me as a person. I definitely, hands-down, could not have done this without her guidance!
Kristen L.
University of Rochester, Class of 2026
Accepted to:
University of Pennsylvania
Kristen is not only a very kind and lovely person but she also gets back to you very quickly. Her critiques are helpful and informative but aren't harsh. If you want someone who will be open about your writing for a fair price I would choose her!
J. Rojas
Texas A&M University, Class of 2026
This is one of the best resources I used all throughout my college application journey. Kristen is a great help and she couldn’t have done any better with the college essay and college planning help.
A. Lim
Full-ride to UC Berkeley with the Regents' and Chancellor's Scholarship, Class of 2026
Accepted to:
UCLA, Colgate, Wellesley, NYU
Kristen is SO wonderful! The admissions process can be overwhelming, but Kristen has your back. She reviewed both my main common app essay and supplemental essays and provided wonderful constructive feedback.
Leila C.
Trinity College Dublin & Columbia University Dual BA, Class of 2026
Preparing for an interview can be quite daunting, but Kristen's assistance helped me feel confident going into mine. Our mock interview was very realistic, and afterwards we went over what went well + what could be improved, which helped me gauge what to specifically work on to put my best foot forward. We even went over the allotted time so that she could ensure everything was covered. Her advice was extremely helpful and encouraging!
Brian M.
UCLA, Class of 2026
The college interview preparation services offered by Kristen at College Lead are extremely professional and customized. Kristen took the time to fully understand my academic and activities history and taught me to play to my strengths in an interview. She conducts a realistic mock interview covering various angles and possibilities for the questions I may confront. Kristen offered valuable and detailed constructive criticism and helped me construct an answer to the difficult "Tell Me About Yourself" question. Through my work with Kristen, I developed interview confidence and was thrilled with my interview results!
Faith A.
Stanford REA Admit
Class of 2025
The college admissions process is very intimidating and throughout it all I’ve seen so many people try to profit off the fact that teens want to go to college. Kristen is different. She has gotten time to know me as a person and even actively leads a Slack and Youtube channel to provide free resources to students. While reviewing my essays, Kristen is honest and gives great advice on how to capture my voice. Rather than thinking what an admission officer wants to read, Kristen works with you to find and exemplify what makes you unique.
Z. Lin
Harvard REA Admit
Class of 2025
Meeting with Kristen gave me countless insights into the college admissions process. She expertly streamlined my essays and helped me craft compelling and meaningful conclusions to my personal narratives.
Milo
Class of 2025
Accepted to:
USC Viterbi School of Engineering, UC Berkeley (Computer Science), Case Western Reserve, Boston University
I didn't really have a counselor who cared about my college admissions process, so I had to do most of the research during the college admissions process until I met Kristen. She is someone who will deliver what is expected and more. Her 30-minute meetings are worth hours of research and time dedicated to this admissions process. In one meeting, we finished 4 minutes early and she e-mailed me to send her an additional essay that she could review for free. It's not often that you come across someone so considerate and generous. I truly believe College Lead is a worthwhile investment!!
Amina
Class of 2025
Accepted to:
UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Drexel ($48k scholarship), RIT Combined Accelerated Pathways (bachelor’s and a master’s degree)
When my family heard of the news of my acceptance, we were extremely happy. It was my second year, trying to get into universities. I’ve worked with many college advisors, but Kristen is the best. She is a demanding teacher that will help you craft the best essay possible. Kristen helped me to advertise and highlight my strong sides. I’ve gained an insight into what the admission committee would want to see in a prospective applicant. I would 100% recommend Kristen to everyone.
M. Mendez
Class of 2025
Accepted to:
University of Florida, Fordham, Colorado College, UT Austin
Before I started working with Kristen I had a rough draft that didn't have much clarity Kristen helped me craft an essay that I felt confident in and helped create a meaningful conclusion. Kristen helped me start to finish with my Common application and by the time it was time to submit my applications I had felt confident in my application and essays.
Daniel Maskovsky
HS Senior, Class of 2021
The services provided by College Lead where extremely helpful and beneficial during my college application process. Not only did Kristen review my essays thoroughly, but she also provided helpful feedback my email and in person video calls. I would highly recommend the services provided by College Lead in order to put the best foot forward when applying to colleges.
S. Lee
Northwestern
Class of 2024
From the get-go, Kristen helped me to become focused on college right away and set up a game plan with me to give me the best possible shot at what I wanted. She is especially diligent as an accountability partner, conducting progress checks in the middle of the week and making sure that I was staying on task giving 100% effort into whatever I was doing. As a prospective music major, she was instrumental in preparing me for the auditions process, providing me practice tips and audition tips, and also was extremely knowledgeable about many different schools and their respective qualities, which helped me to narrow down my list to a select few colleges. Without her help, I would not have been able to see such positive returns from my applications, and I will always be grateful not only for the work which we were able to accomplish together but also the fun we had and the bond we built along the way.
F. Lyn
Music major
Class of 2024
Even though I was excited to start writing my college essays, I was struggling to find a good starting point. I was recommended to Kristen through a friend, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to help me! Not only is she smart and focused, but she is also very sweet, funny, and understanding. She helped me get my thoughts onto paper and walked me through different ways to brainstorm ideas on what to write for my UC essays. She made the writing portion for my College Applications so much clearer and easy to navigate. I am happy with how my essays turned out, and I would 100% recommend Kristen to anyone who would need help to get started, or even to double-check grammar.