Sierra Admissions -

Blake Rubach

I cannot recommend Sierra Admissions highly enough! Their team of dedicated advisors and editors went above and beyond to help me achieve my academic goals. With their expert guidance and meticulous editing, I was able to craft compelling essays that not only got me into my dream school but also secured a scholarship.

From the very first consultation, I was impressed by their professionalism and personalized approach. They took the time to understand my strengths, aspirations, and unique experiences, which was reflected in the personalized feedback and edits they provided on my essays. Their constructive criticism and attention to detail greatly improved the clarity, coherence, and impact of my writing.

What sets Sierra Admissions apart is their commitment to excellence and genuine interest in helping students succeed. They provided invaluable insights into the college application process, helped me showcase my strengths effectively, and instilled confidence in my abilities. I truly believe that their support was instrumental in my success, and I am incredibly grateful for their guidance every step of the way.

If you're looking for a reliable and effective college advisory company that will go the extra mile to help you reach your academic goals, look no further than Sierra Admissions. Thank you for helping me turn my dreams into reality!

Amy Treacy

My daughter worked with Ben on her college application and we are all thrilled with the outcome. Ben was integral to a decision made about the topic of my daughter's common app essay (topic selection) and I personally believe that this change to topic had great impact on her outcomes. We were excited for our daughter to be accepted into almost every school to which she applied but especially happy with her acceptances to Vanderbilt, UVA, Notre Dame, BC, Villanova and Georgia Tech. She is still undecided as to her destination but we can't thank Sierra Admissions enough for their sound advice and support through this process.

T A

As a parent, I came into today's elite college application process with my eyes wide open. I had read several books on the process and had begun discussing the process with my daughter in middle school. As a family, we realized that today's college admissions is totally different from our experience and the entire process has become increasingly opaque, stressful and competitive. Having done a lot of research, I was a bit skeptical of admission consultants. However, we wanted to keep an open mind so we engaged with several consultants for interviews, including some well known companies. Some tried to scare us. Some knew way less than we did and hadn't done some of the research that was widely available in books by authors like Jeff Selingo or easily accessible on internet forums. Some were exceptionally good writers but did not have any insider experience at elite admissions.

When we talked with Alex and Ben, we immediately realized that Sierra was the advisory firm for us. Alex and Ben do not try to scare you. They take a very practical, low stress approach and my daughter was immediately impressed. This first impression proved to correct over the next 18 months. She genuinely looked forward to her conversations with Ben and Irena. She understood their advice and understood the reasons behind it. Sierra isn't going to try to make you into something you're not or something you don't want to be. Instead, they're going to paint the best picture of you possible on each and every application.

I don't want to discuss too much of their process, but I found it to be invaluable. For example, Ben made some excellent suggestions on a project for my daughter that would highlight her interest. My daughter had already embarked on a different project that we had come up with her sophomore year, but what Ben suggested made a difference because it highlighted her impact on her local community in a way that aligned to her particular interest and was done in a very unique way. That's the kind of insight that you cannot get from just reading books and forums.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, is how Sierra structured my daughter's various essays and supplemental essays, videos, portfolios, etc. I would have taken a totally different approach if we had gone it alone and I think that would have negatively impacted her applications. This is where Sierra's insider knowledge really helps. They structure the entire application to emphasize and highlight all the various outstanding characteristics of each student.

At the end of the day, however, it's all about results. My daughter has very good "stats" and leadership activities, but she goes to a small, semi-rural public school. It is in no way a "feeder" school. She's not a recruited athlete, has zero legacy at Ivy League schools, is not an underrepresented minority or a first generation applicant. She didn't win a national competition or get published in some elite scientific journal. She didn't cure cancer or publish a novel.

With Ben's steady guidance and her total dedication to the process (this is key), she gained acceptance to three Ivy League schools, including one of her top choices! She was also accepted to several Top 30 colleges, some with amazing merit scholarships. After all the horror stories I had read about great applicants having door after door closed on them, after four years of worry about this hard working child not realizing her dreams, it all worked out. I seriously doubt she would have received these results without Sierra. I also doubt she would have received these results without working her butt off during the process. (No consultant is going to be able to produce outstanding results if a student doesn't put in the work.)

So, what's the bottom line? We will soon be engaging Sierra for my son. That should tell you how we feel about Ben and Alex. We fully trust them with this process.

Thomas So

This review is for Kylie in specific. My sister worked with Kylie on a tight timeline and Kylie was able to help us execute the admissions strategy. It's not easy working with teens. But I've been pretty involved in the process and can tell Kylie is the ideal mentor! I'm proud to say my sister will be attending Cal next fall!