首先感谢STEPHEN和ELLEN给我的帮助。我们认识超过5年了，从美高申请的时候就帮助我，直到美本ED拿到Columbia的录取。

我最大的体会是 – 从容不迫！在2019年的暑假，我的Personal Statement就几乎修改完成了，STEPHEN帮我修改了17版；其他要申请的文书也写完了，就是在修改过程中。所以我不觉得申请大学对我有什么压力。STEPHEN给我改文书效率高，我早晨醒来就能收到他的回复。我的SAT成绩在G10就有了不错的分数，G11就是再考一次，看看是否可以考到高分。ELLEN和我家长让我很早就准备了。 与STEPHEN相识很久，所以他对我很了解，知道我的strength和weakness；就有针对性的指导我。他会经常提醒我，不仅要文章漂亮，还要有深刻的自己的思想，同时别忘了我要申请的大学的特点。总之，大家给我很多建议。我们在一起讨论，会触碰很多想法，然后再选出我有感觉，可以写出东西的经历。

还有一点，我觉得申请中，要多主动地做事情，主动地考虑；我是认为申请大学是我自己的事情，我要去哪个大学，哪个专业我自己决定，我主动了解我喜欢的大学，也会去访问大学，给大学发邮件询问我的问题，等等；所有我了解的信息、资料等，对我申请这些学校很有帮助。我也没计划申请太多的学校，我清楚我想要什么。

总之，任何事情必须早、早、早、早、早准备，就可以尝试不同的机会。

As a university professor and associate dean, I wasn't sure how much help my daughter would really need with her college applications. She was at the top of her class in a public high school, excelled at several extracurricular activities, and was a very good (essay) writer. In addition, I thought that with my academic background, I would be easily able to provide her any guidance she needed. However, after much thought, we decided to seek Michael Goran's help - if only to have him serve as a sounding board for her college essays. While, in all honesty, we went in as skeptics about the usefulness of the college counseling process, we were very pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out to be. Michael was wonderful; he would touch base with her every week and go meticulously over every essay she had sent him for his comments. She found his comments and discussion extremely helpful; she is convinced that Michael's input really sharpened the focus of her essays and made them much more compelling. In the end, even we were surprised at how well my daughter did - she got into nearly 90% of the 15-16 colleges she applied to, and the list included a half dozen Ivy League colleges. Michael's contribution to my daughter's success in college applications was invaluable.

The work I did with Michael changed my life. If it weren't for Michael, my chances of getting into Wharton would have been hazardously slim. I began working with him late spring of my junior year and, oh-boy, did he open my eyes to the fierce competition. Although I had excellent grades, thrived in many extra-curricular activities, and engaged in many hours of community-service, Michael gave me the bad news that there are kids all around America doing the same thing-plus more. Yet, he also gave me the good news that there was hope.

Michael helped me develop strategies that highlighted my strengths and unique characteristics that top schools look for. What I really liked about the whole program was that Michael exploited the months before applications were due to perfect my essays and applications. He guided me in making a timetable of the deadlines for all my prospective colleges and made sure that I adhered to those deadlines. It all paid off when I received my Early Decision acceptance letter to Wharton. Thanks Michael!

Dear Michael,

After waiting on pins and needles for decision letters to arrive in the past few months, it was finally over with a big triumph.

Being accepted by so many great schools, Steve had every right to feel like a rock star yesterday. Needless to say, I am the proudest mom ever..... While I am still beyond myself right now, I know there is something I need to do first — to write you this note.

Words couldn't begin to describe the gratitude Steve and I owe you. This result he never could have achieved without the professional and invaluable guidance that you offered. Thank you from bottom of my heart for everything you have done for Steve.

I think I need to give myself a pat on shoulder too for finding and trusting you for helping Steve with his college process.

Best regards,

Lilly ~~~~
( on cloud nine )

I'll bet you thought applying to colleges is hard. Well, it is. But if you're applying to BS/MD programs, you can basically kiss your life goodbye for six months. All the applications (especially the essays) were giving me nightmares — I never thought I'd be able to find a college counselor who could cater to my specific needs. Thank God I found Michael. Michael and I started working right away: after he helped me crank out my EA Caltech application, we worked like crazy toward the December 1 and January 1 deadlines. Michael gave me invaluable advice on how to write great essays and even gave me tips on how to excel during the interview process.

Thanks to Michael, I was offered admission to undergraduate and BS/MD programs that I thought were way above my league — BS/MD programs at Ivy Leagues and tier 1 medical schools. Michael gave me the confidence I needed to apply to these super-competitive programs!!!

For me, the college application process was frustrating and complex. Each college seemed to have a selection of arbitrary rules designed to make would-be applicants pull their hair out. Knowing that the stakes could not be higher, I decided to enlist the help of Michael . Immediately, Michael was able to lay out a simple, intuitive plan that would enable me to present the best possible application to top-tier colleges such as Cornell, Brown, Amherst, Princeton, and more. Crucially, he was able to offer insights and advice during the difficult essay-writing process. Michael made possible my ED acceptance to Cornell University. Needless to say, I couldn't be more pleased.

OGMOMGOGMOGMOGMOGMGOMGOMGOMGOMGMOGM WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW IM STILL IN COMPLETE SHOCK. PRINCETONNNN!!!!!!!!!! i opened. And then it said CONGRATS WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW AODHASLIDHASLDHASIL I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. AGHGHGHGHGHGHGGHGHGHGH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!! TALK TO YOU SOOON!!

My husband and I are very dedicated to our only child, Mark. When we started looking into the college selection process we had no experience with the college application system and quickly realized that it was very difficult to know what each college was looking for. This was especially true when applying to colleges that were in another area of the country.

Mark was first in his class academically throughout his high school career. It seemed like it should be easy to go from a great high school to an even greater college. We realized how important this was to make the right decision for his final education before joining the workforce with a lifetime career.

When we found Mr. Goran's website and decided to hire him, little did we know that it would become the best decision we could have made for Mark's future plan. Mr. Goran's passion for the individual and working knowledge of the application process make the plan a reality. He tailored his approach to Mark's specific needs, wishes and personality, rather than handing out a "pre-packaged" plan. The best part was that Mr. Goran could not have been more on target. He understood that Mark needed weekly communication and set clear goals to keep him on task. This took away the pressure of having to be a nagging parent in order to get things done. As parents, we are grateful that Mr. Goran could be here for Mark and help him to make all the right choices.

Mark was accepted by Cornell University , with the Dean's Scholarship. We could not have been happier! We strongly recommend that all parents look into Mr. Goran's college preparation program and start early with your child's college plan.

I'm just going to put it bluntly: Michael singlehandedly saved me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

When you begin to work with Michael, he doesn't simply get to know you by what you've accomplished and what test scores you've received. Michael truly gets to know you as a person. When I began working with him, I prattled on mindlessly about becoming a doctor and attending a 6-year medical program. However, Michael seemed to know that it wasn't the right path for me. Michael was the one who brought Penn to my attention, who convinced me to apply, and who suggested that I keep my options open in case I change my mind about locking myself into a rigorous medical school at a mediocre college. To make a long story short, I had an enlightening, choir-of-angels-singing moment when I realized that maybe Michael knew me better than I knew myself, and maybe medicine wasn't for me. I'm not saying this to scare anyone into thinking that Michael will make you doubt everything that you've ever dreamt for yourself. But, in my case, I looked at my future through na?ve eyes and needed his fresh outlook. The process that each student goes through with Michael not only got me into an incredible university that seems to fit me flawlessly, but it made me reevaluate and realize who I am as a person and what I want in my life. That understanding of myself, to me, is worth just as much, if not more, as my Penn acceptance letter. My family and I agree that Michael was the best investment we've ever made and I cannot stress that enough. It's an investment in your future. We cannot wait until my younger brother begins working with Michael. Thanks for everything!!