Private Counseling
As America’s premier college consultants, our counseling team offers private counseling starting as early as 7th grade for those students who want ongoing, personalized, comprehensive access.
Private College Admissions Counseling for Grades 7-12 Includes:
Develop an organized and effective application strategy that leverages your academic and extracurricular experience to stand out.
- Personalized Admissions Report: Evaluation of a student’s background in academic, personal, & extracurricular areas
- Built-in tutoring hours: Flexible support for test prep, executive functioning, and academic skill-building when students need it most.
- Reading list and vocabulary program: Geared towards standardized test prep
- Personalized Testing Schedule: Year-by-year strategy for standardized testing
- Customized Guidance: Course planning, extracurricular choices, and summer plans
- Academic Niche: Support in articulating and developing an academic edge
- Application Strategy: Crafting a final college list for early and regular admission
- College Applications: Assistance with the Common Application – essays, activity sheet, awards and background information
- Interview Prep: Alumni and on-campus
- Dedicated, Personalized Access to a Counselor
Take it from our students and parents:
Liz, we can’t thank you enough for your support for H and our family over the last two years. Your guidance as well as all the resources from Top Tier were invaluable in helping H to navigate the process and stay focused on achieving his dream to attend Dartmouth in the fall. We are so excited for his next chapter and so grateful for your counsel throughout the journey!
Thanks again for all your efforts. It’s been a lot of work, and your guidance/assistance was absolutely critical… Again, most importantly, thank you. We very much appreciate your steady/persistent hand throughout the process. Rice, here we come!
Maria, I want to thank you for all the coaching that you’ve been giving L. Your emails are impressive and L is lucky to have you on her team. Your guidance is invaluable and she appreciates all the interesting suggestions. Most of all, she enjoys working with you.
I wanted to reach out and say thank you. Your guidance during the past few years has transformed me academically and personally. Thanks to you, I’m able to look back on my resume and high school career with pride. I love Colgate; I stepped onto campus and experienced so much relief because it felt like home. I am incredibly grateful for everything you have advised me on. Thank you!
I can’t imagine going through this process without you! You have the right combination of strategy, knowledge, creativity, and humor. I think S and I grew through this process as you helped open our eyes and expand our thinking in many ways. We are confident that S put her best self forward through her applications.
Thank you again for all your help with R over the last five years. This result would not have been possible without you. Your guidance, encouragement, and reminders to get things done made a true difference. R is where he wants to be – a great liberal arts school with a unique business program. You helped him identify an interesting academic niche, take actions to demonstrate the genuineness of that academic interest, and help package R and his application in a way that was compelling. You also helped us understand the college admissions landscape so much better and how the system works. We avoided making mistakes because of your advice – which was YUUGGE as your senator Bernie would say.
I really appreciated you having an opinion and giving us your best advice. From my perspective, even though there may be times a client disagrees – I feel that an advisor needs to give the client their best advice based on their experience, let them consider that advice, and then allow them to make a decision. I always felt you did that. Your advice caused us to think and we made better decisions than we would have without you on our team. Looking back – I know we made the right decision hiring you and for that I am thankful.
In closing, I want to again say that this outcome would never have happened without your help. I know that in my heart and I want to thank you for all you have done the past five years. You told us what you would do and you delivered on that. At the end of the day, you were simply … spectacular.”
A huge thank you for helping L navigate through this strange yet incredible school year! Your tips, ideas, guidance and thoughts are framing L’s time to ensure its spent in better, more effective ways.
Thank you so much for ALL that you have done to help S get into her first-choice college!! She has been over the moon since finding out! What an incredible program TTA has. She really was not confident that she would get in. I think that was for sure a defense mechanism. She was happy to hear that she got into Fordham just because she felt like she was at least in a school only to find out an hour later that she was accepted to Miami! You have had such patience throughout the ever-changing process but at the same time such a positive push when necessary. S has been through so much during high school so this is such a very happy outcome! Thank you again! It has been such a pleasure working with you!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU ANITA!!! I would not be here without your constant support and love!!
I just wanted to let you know that I have been officially accepted to Yale!! Thank you so much for all the support and guidance along the way! I truly could not have done this without you! Thank you so so much for everything!
ACCEPTED!!!! Thank you so so so much for your help throughout this process; I would not be here without you!
I wanted to take this time to thank you for all the hard work and dedication these past years. I learned a lot from you not just about college but about hard work and dedication. You saw my capabilities and pushed me to become not just a better student but an honorable member of society that sought to help underrepresented groups and fight for gender equality. You helped me find a passion and be true to my thoughts and beliefs. Thank you!
Anita, thank you for all of your guidance and help with M over these past few years; we could have never of done this without you! What I personally enjoyed most in working with you was M being “ahead of the curve.” Thanks to you, M was in front of the college admissions process from the start including all of the preparation along the way. Never once was she playing catch up and now she’s in a great place! Thank you!
I just wanted to let you know that I got into Dartmouth! Thank you so, so much for everything you have helped me with in this process, and I am extremely grateful for your guidance and help.
Just wanted to drop a quick thank you. We couldn’t be more excited for H about Vanderbilt and were very impressed with how her CV came together with your guidance. We couldn’t have done this without your help. Thank you.
I got into Georgetown! Thank you so much for all of your help! Yesterday made all the work worth it.
Kristen, thank you for all you’ve done for P! I have shared TTA’s info with friends and recently I went on for 20 minutes straight raving about you and talking about how they must look at it as an investment. I told them it is important to start early to build the “spikes” and really find ways to stand out from the crowd. I will happily be a reference for you any time.
Thank you so much for the review and feedback! I got into Yale and Harvard! I’m SO excited!
Thank you so much for everything you helped me do these past 4 years. It has paid off in such a big way!
I’m officially a Jumbo; Tufts here I come! I’m very excited. Thank you for all of your help through the whole process!
Thank you so much for helping me along the admissions process path. You have been immensely helpful and made the process so much easier and seamless!
Just wanted to thank you for being such an incredible advisor and mentor for N! We appreciate all of your hard work, thoughtful guidance, and enthusiasm over the past few years. N was ecstatic about her acceptance to Cornell yesterday and was doing the happy dance while grinning from ear to ear 😄. She can’t wait to join E there next year! Thanks again for everything. We really appreciate it!!!
I visited Harvard and Stanford during the admitted students’ weekend. I loved them both and it was a difficult decision to choose. I accepted Stanford and that’s where I hope to be in the fall! Thank you so much for all your help and guidance during this entire process. I could not have done this without your help and your making the application process so organized.
Just want to say: we love you! From the personalized admissions report you sent, we feel your true love, your intensive care, and your full support!
Kristen – Thank you for your support these last 2 extraordinary years. We came to trust you, rely on you, and follow your guidance. We feel fortunate. I also think B gained self-confidence and curiosity in discovering her activities – which will carry her into BC.
She’s officially IN at West Point! Thank you so much for helping her find her passion. She is more confident and happier than I ever imagined. I feel your reading list… years ago… helped her find knowledge that inspired her to learn. I am a math person and lack the words to express my gratitude for your guidance, communication and caring approach to T’s future. I would have never seen this path for her and you gave her both the knowledge and support to find an inspiring future of growth, challenge and personal fulfillment. These gifts surpass all the riches in the world.
Liz, thanks a lot for your prompt feedback to H. She is full of energy and hope since we spoke – like she has found a treasure she was searching for.
E graduated from Yale this weekend, and I wanted to thank you for all of your help. He had a good run there the last few years. He is headed to Stanford in the fall to pursue his PhD in Environmental Engineering.
We wanted to say a HUGE thank you for being such a rockstar counselor for L these past few years. You’ve been fantastic! You helped L blossom as a student by pointing out her strengths and pushing her to explore new things. Above all, your patience dealing with us was legendary!
Honestly, we owe you a huge debt of gratitude for keeping us parents sane, too. Your knowledge about college admissions calmed our anxieties whenever we spoke to you. Your advice has become the gospel truth in our house. Whenever a college or a school decision popped up, it was always ‘What does Eliza say?’
Thanks again for being such a fantastic counselor and cheerleader for L. We can’t thank you enough for everything!
I am excited to let you know that I was accepted into Stanford last night. I can’t thank you enough for everything that you’ve done for me throughout this process. I can tell you pour your heart and soul into your job and I really respect that. Your dedication and hard work are what made this possible for me.
I just wanted to drop you a quick update and say a big thank you again for all of your guidance and support in high school. Your program added tremendous value to my life, not just for college admissions, but in teaching me how to be ambitious, strategic, and proactive. We still joke about going “above and beyond” at home all the time – it has become a mantra!
UChicago was a fantastic time; you can practically push yourself infinitely hard there if you want to, and I learned a lot. I just started my PhD at Yale a year ago, fully funded! I just happened to be reading over an old high school essay for nostalgia and was reminded of how much workshopping you all did with me to make me a better writer and personal brander. Those skills have become some of my biggest strengths, and I can’t thank you enough for it.
I hope Top Tier Admissions is going well and that you’re still teaching lots of other kids not only how to get into college, but all the long-term life lessons and skills that come with that!
I have great news! I GOT INTO STANFORD and have just committed to it. A HUGE thanks for all your help this past year. Since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamt of studying at Stanford as an undergrad. Despite odds, little did she know her dreams would come true!! I also got into UPenn and Cornell!
On behalf of all of us, I want to thank you for all of your help, support, advice, motivation and empathy this past year and a half. We could not have done it without you! Your guidance was invaluable as well as your continual support and optimism.
Kristen, T is the first Ivy kid from his school EVER! We are beyond excited for him. We also know that without finding you, none of this would have been possible! The excitement in the community for T has been unreal! Cornell, here he comes!
Maria, 24 hours after the news, I still can’t quite believe it! PRINCETON! Wow, what a rush of emotions! I am so happy for L; thank you again for all your amazing help! We could never have gotten here without you. I am so happy we had you to guide us these four years! It has been a real pleasure topped off by an amazing result and we really appreciate it so much!! You have been the perfect college advisor and we could not be more appreciative of all your hard work. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for all of your help in preparing my college applications. I am thrilled to let you know that I just received my acceptance to Harvard.
Our entire family wanted to take a minute to thank you for all that you have done for H over the past four years. We are truly indebted to you for your help and mentorship and are forever in your debt for what you have helped H achieve.
I GOT ACCEPTED TO UMIAMI!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! So many happy tears right now. Thank you so, so, so much for all of your help, I am forever grateful
Just wanted to let you know that I got into Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, and UPenn’s Life Science & Management program!! So thankful for all of these amazing options!
Thank you from our family for all that you have done for N during the past four years. We are truly indebted to you for your help and mentorship. We are forever in your debt for all that you have helped N achieve.
It’s official!!! I received my acceptance to Middlebury today and I’m super excited. Thank you so much for guiding me through this process. I would not have been able to do it without you. I think Middlebury is going to be a great fit for me over the next four years!
Thank you so, so much for all of the help, advice, and patience – lots of patience – these past four years. It’s difficult to say with words how much you’ve guided me on my journey as a student and as a scholar. Although I only saw your face on a tiny Zoom screen, every meeting with you was – as my dad has said countless times – a comforting balm.
I know I wasn’t always the most organized or responsive student, but you have definitely been one of my favorite teachers. As I move into college and beyond, I’ll be sure to take with me all the skills you’ve helped me develop, from time management to class participation and everything in between!
Right after R received his early acceptance to Harvard, he went in to see people at the Crimson who celebrated with him. We want to thank you for your guidance and patience in leading all of us, and especially Graham, through this process. It has just started to sink in and he is already really excited about HRO and the Crimson, and looking at potential classes and majors.
Kristen, I have the utmost respect for you and your guidance. As the years go on, you will get a tremendous number of referrals from me. We really appreciate all of your advice and support through this process.
Thank you so much for your role in this process with John and our family. It has allowed me to really ENJOY the process and him, to be curious and excited, not nagging. I could not be more grateful!
Thanks Maria. It is definitely amazing. I’m sure you can tell how ecstatic she is!! Thank you for the wonderful guidance, help and support you have given her for the last couple of years. I don’t think we could have made it through without it!
Eliza has been tremendously helpful to H and our family over the last several years. She has always been patient and thoughtful in explaining the college process to us. We are incredibly grateful to have her helping us and guiding us through this process.
It was good to chat with you in regards to R’s senior plan! It’s an exciting time and it’s neat to see all his hard work being implemented to make the best college app possible. I really do appreciate all you have done for R. We have both learned so much in the process. T. (my wife, his mom!) and I have seen so much personal growth in R. during the process and that has warmed our hearts so much!
Thanks Maria. It is definitely amazing. I’m sure you can tell how ecstatic she is!! Thank you for the wonderful guidance, help and support you have given her for the last couple of years. I don’t think we could have made it through without it!
Eliza, we cannot say enough how much we appreciate all you have done for B. You have not only set her up well for college applications you have set up a series of experiences that have broadly expanded her horizons, challenged her and helped her develop as a person. It has been incredible to see unfold.
We couldn’t have done it without you. Your advice, guidance, and counsel was worth its weight in gold.
I can’t tell you how delighted we are. We have researched and interviewed a series of folks and no one has impressed us or offered such depth in L’s areas of interest. I feel more relaxed already.
I got into Brown!! I’m SOO excited! I can’t thank you enough for all your amazing guidance and support over the past 4 years. This is really a dream come true for me. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’m going to go celebrate!
Princeton! I got in! No words to express how I feel right now. All I can say is thank you for everything. There is no way for me to express my gratitude for all the support you’ve given me in the past 4+ years. My mom said it takes a village for something like this to happen, and everything we’ve done together leading up to today has been invaluable. I’m truly humbled to be able to share this moment with you, and thank you for every second you invested in me.
Anita, Thank you so much! Your guidance and support throughout the years have meant the world. P is profoundly thankful for everything; she reached out to you immediately upon receiving the email. Your influence will be remembered always.
Nellie, thank you so much for everything! You’ve removed so much of the stress from the application process and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you again, so very much for your tremendous guidance and support during this very stressful process!
We are thrilled and super grateful to you for all your guidance and support!!! She was crying so hard when she got the email, she was overwhelmed with joy and relief. From the beginning, it seemed like Dickinson was probably the best fit for her. I was pleasantly surprised by the scholarship as well but it was the personalized acceptance letter that highlighted a line from her main essay that meant the most to me as a parent. It made me feel like they really see and appreciate her for who she is.
I got into Stern! Thank you so much for your help for the last few years; I couldn’t have done it without your guidance.
Kristen, thank you so much for your time yesterday. I always enjoy talking to you, and appreciate how transparent and direct you are in our conversations. I find it very beneficial, and always leave our calls feeling more confident about the process as a whole.
As B has made her final decision, we would like to express our gratitude to you for not only guiding her and K to get into their dream schools, but also for helping them build a lifelong love for learning. We are very grateful to have worked with you over the years and cannot thank you enough for your help! I can’t believe they’ll both be at Harvard!
Thank you for this, Maria! Your guidance has made this an altogether positive experience for H. It’s evident at school, too, where the climate has been pretty grim. One of his classmates—as well as his perplexed teachers—have noted that he seems too calm for a senior at this point in the application process. This is all to say that you’ve been an absolute gift!
We are SO happy he was accepted in Babson! Thank you, Kristen, you definitely made a big difference!!!
I want to express my gratitude to you for everything that you did for H during her admissions journey. We are all thrilled at her acceptance into UVA. It is a great achievement for H, one that would not have been possible without you. You helped her tremendously and were a wonderful coach to her. H did the work, of course, but the strategy and training to get her ready was all from you. You enabled her to shine in this process. For me, it was a blessing to have you guide H through the admissions process; to know she was in good hands with you and that whatever happened, you would ensure that H would get the best possible outcome. I am grateful to you for that. Thank you!
You are our hero, Anita! What can we say other than… thank you, we couldn’t have done this without you! The news is still sinking in, we are all just so happy!
We are so proud and happy for B to get to go to his first-choice school… Thank goodness! We are SO relieved. Thank you for all your patience and help!
What a great day it has been! J got into Yale today, I was so relieved and overcome with joy. Thank you so, so much for your guidance along the way and for being there for us. I don’t know how we could have come this far without you!
K committed to Stanford last weekend. She had some hesitations before which I guessed was because of the connections she has already built with Caltech. Stanford has been K’s dream school for a long time. Being able to start her next chapter at Stanford is truly a grand ending to her high school career. We were lucky to have you helping her get through the application process and are grateful for all of your guidance and encouragement. Looking back, we are amazed that it was a journey full of pleasant memories, and much of the credit goes to you.
On behalf of all four of us, I’d like to express our deep gratitude to both of you, and other members of your team who have helped L along the way. We really appreciate all your help in the past several years. You not only helped L get into Cornell, but also helped lay a solid foundation for her future success. We will forever remember you and be grateful.
I am still so shell shocked from yesterday. I have hung up his acceptance letter on the wall you see when walking into our house 😄 His friends are taking him out tonight to celebrate. It means the world to us. It couldn’t have happened without you. I will never be able to thank you enough. Thank you so much Eliza!
I was accepted into Harvard early in one of its most competitive years and am beyond elated! I started working with M early in high school, and she helped me find activities that both reflected my passions and aligned with the qualities that colleges are looking for. She coached me in making strategic choices about how I approach the college application process and how I package myself as a candidate. I want to thank you for your help and for making sure I was prepared every step of the way!
I am happy to share that both H and J were accepted to U Chicago ED today! They are both thrilled, and have already sent in their confirmation forms and joined the FB Group for Class of 2025! Thank you both so much for your support and encouragement, and the seemingly continual rounds of revisions on their essays and activity lists, and so on. You helped them clarify their thinking and articulate their unique perspectives, and it was very helpful to think through the strategy of their college lists with you. I am also thrilled for H and J, and very happy that we will not be finalizing supplements over winter break but truly relaxing for the first time in a while.
I wanted to let you know that I just got good news from Brown. Thank you so much for all your support this year.
J is doing well at UC Berkeley as a sophomore, all thanks to Dr. Willmott’s fabulous support. We’re hoping to now register L to work with her.
Liz,thank you very much! We are thrilled beyond words with all of her acceptances, especially SMU! It was a very stressful last couple of weeks. We are very thankful for all of your guidance over the last two years. You were always there to encourage M and keep her focused. There were ups and downs with grades and test scores, but you always gave M the confidence to continue moving ahead. We are certain that the extra classes, CHOP work, gardening, and solid essays helped M stand out to the admission teams. It was a lot of work, but M is better prepared for college and beyond. Thank you!
Top tier was instrumental in bringing out my innate qualities and helping me build a plan to stand out among other competitive candidates. My original approach would have made me seem like just another applicant. Starting out early with a plan pre-freshman year was instrumental in helping me find my path. I couldn’t have gotten into Duke Early Decision without the help of Michele and Top Tier who were with me every step of the way.
She is going to NYU!!! Thank you so much for your patience and support over the last 2 years. It was been a long and interesting road, which has concluded with a very happy ending. Your guidance, which was always delivered in a positive way, was also reflective of realistic outcomes, and it was critical to her finding a great school which matched her interests and personality. Thank you again!
WOW!! I LOVE all the information! I’ve read through all of it and just WOW. Rarely do I like to commit to long term contracts, but I’m so glad I took the plunge, and S had so many wonderful things to say about TTA. I know K is in very capable and creative hands.
Thank you so much! Hopefully it’s good news. Regardless, you’ve helped me so much through this entire process and I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for me!
Nellie, thank you for all your help! This process has been a grind but you have helped me immensely.
We are thrilled with everything Q has managed to accomplish in the last two years. Q did the work, but your thoughtful guidance, expert knowledge, and constant reassurance along the way have helped Q tremendously. We are forever grateful. I remember our first meeting thinking to myself, “Oh no, Q is doomed.” She did not have a great GPA, did not have good test scores, did not have a passion, wasn’t planning to play a sport in college, wasn’t a musician, didn’t have a job, wasn’t on student government, and the list went on! This transformation has been unbelievable!
We thought you might enjoy seeing R at the end of one chapter that you helped make possible. He graduated from Penn summa cum laude with double majors and a minor and received recognition for four prizes / grants / fellowships. What he achieved was way above and beyond our expectations. He has attributed on many occasions his academic success to the rigors you put him through in the college application process. Our heart-felt gratitude, always.
I GOT IN!!!!!!! Thank you so much for all of the help with everything throughout the whole process! I cannot wait for my first semester in Miami! Thank you for everything!
Phew! That reg. form was long and unexpected but I really loved and valued all of the questions. It was actually really amazing and touching that TTA takes so much time to get to know my child. This intake form is an affirmation of your work and provided me a small intro into what I can expect through the entire process. Really looking forward to working with you!
Kristen has been absolutely amazing and I’m 99% sure H would not have gotten into Brown without her amazing support and counseling. And now, R seems to be off to a great start and it’s impressive what he has already accomplished working with Kristen!
I am so happy we decided to engage Top Tier for freshman year, I see the benefits clearly!
I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support throughout high school. During those challenging times when I doubted I’d make it through, your guidance and encouragement were instrumental in keeping me on track. You not only helped me persevere but also guided me to shift my focus from the immediate struggles in high school to a broader perspective on my future. This change in mindset has been transformative. Moreover, your guidance in selecting Babson College as my destination has been a game-changer. It’s not just the perfect fit for me; it’s where I’ve found true happiness and a sense of belonging. Babson epitomizes entrepreneurship, and I can confidently say I’ve never felt more at home. The best part is the vibrant community of like-minded individuals who surround me, serving as a constant source of inspiration. These connections have blossomed into friendships that are not only kind but also enriching. I want to extend my deepest appreciation for your role in my journey, and I look forward to the exciting opportunities and growth that lie ahead. Thank you for being an instrumental part of my success and happiness.
Kristen, T and I are immensely grateful for your planning, guidance, and support over this journey for F. Your insight, patience, professionalism, encouragement, and more importantly, your genuine love, spurred Bobby to reach his dream. You are truly a dream facilitator! Bobby has committed to attend Princeton in the Fall; a new chapter is waiting for him and he’s thrilled. T and I believe our relationship with Top Tier, and in particular, with you, will also continue. We’ll wholeheartedly recommend you and Top Tier to our friends and connections without any reservations.
Thank you so much for all your support in guiding R through this challenging process- we are thrilled and she is beyond excited to attend Dartmouth!
And WOW! I only just had a chance to read both reports. There is so much insight, we will be digesting it in waves. THANK YOU! We are grateful for your expertise and really look forward to working with you.
You pushed me to work hard and to do things I never would have thought to do without your guidance and help. As a big part of my life for my high school career, I can confidently say that I’m so thankful for all your help and you made all the work I did for college worth it. Your guidance and sympathy over the past 4 years has been unmatched and I’m so grateful to have worked with you and not anyone else. I appreciate all you’ve done for me during high school and wouldn’t do it any other way.
Thank you again for your support throughout the past four years. I really couldn’t have done without your guidance and wisdom and am thrilled to have gotten in early to Stanford, one of the hardest schools in the country.
Michele, thank you so much for all your support and your help. I am IN ED at Cornell! I am so grateful to have worked with you. You have been a sort of third-parent over these years and have guided me through the rocky obstacles of the college admissions process. You have set me up for success in my future and, for that, I thank you so much.
Kristen, I am happy to hear you were able to connect with the P family. They are a wonderful family and great people. You have been such an incredible resource and advocate for K and now R, and we couldn’t think of a better fit to guide their family and children through the college application process.
He’s over the moon, as are we. Once again, huge, huge thanks for all your help. Great outcome, and I know he greatly appreciated working with you.
Thank you so much for guiding K over the past three years. It has been a journey. Your guidance really made a difference in K’s academic preparation, profile buildup, and final applications. Thank you again.

















