“We had searched for the college counselor since my daughter's sophomore year. We tried a few individual college counselors and college counseling companies. However none of those programs fits Catherine's needs since she planned to pursue arts and visual design major, very unique from the normal STEM or Arts majors. In the November of her junior year, we met Harriet after referral by two other counselors. We immediately realized she is the one who can help Catherine. We enrolled into her consulting program right away wishing that we knew her earlier.

Harriet provided us a spreadsheet of the colleges with the quality arts programs with the program analysis, requirements, deadlines, etc. She suggested Catherine to research the university, the department and the program online. After she discussed a few times with my daughter about her interests, strength and the findings on college programs, they nailed down to a list of colleges to work on, as well as the early action choice. Harriet knows those programs well and a lot of times the key contacts. She suggested and facilitated Catherine to write to the faculty and visit the colleges. This is a very efficient approach to let the admission staff and program faculties to learn about Catherine's capability, personality and career pursuits. This hugely increased the chance for the colleges to consider Catherine as a real person in a 360-degree view. During the last few months of application process, she put in a lot of time meeting Catherine in person and online. Harriet brainstormed with Catherine about the essay topics, handpicked the artwork for portfolios varied by colleges, reviewed Catherine's essays and the art work descriptions for a few round, and proofread the filled application forms online. This process is critical to make the application collateral on time, accurate, unique and eye-catching.

Fortunately, with Harriet's counseling, Catherine was accepted to her early action choice, an ivy league schools, with an outstanding visual arts design program. She was so excited and really looked into her college life.

We strongly recommend Harriet's college counseling services.”

Qiming H.

Princeton

“Quite simply, we could not have gotten through the college application process without Caillie!! She was able to help my son refine his list of schools for Fine Art and Music Production programs uniquely tailored to his creative interests and passions. She worked collaboratively with him throughout the entire process helping him with essays, portfolios and creative samples to present a cohesive, organized body of work to each school. Ultimately, she gave him the tools necessary to fully realize his artistic vision and potential. Most importantly, however, the combination of Caillie’s professionalism and warmth made the process run very smoothly for both my son and myself. She was incredibly supportive and positive giving my son the encouragement and reinforcement he needed to get through the process with a minimal amount of stress. Thank You Caillie!!”

Therese S.
University of California Los Angeles

“While Harriet would be quick to caution that past performance is no guarantee of future results, I testify that Harriet can look at your student’s body of creative and academic work, interests, personality and peeves, and direct them into programs that will accept them, challenge them and most importantly, fit them. She has current knowledge of creative careers, what schools are doing and what the admissions officers are looking for. She will evaluate your student’s work without parental prejudice, then she will listen, advise, push and promote. Harriet is not for slackers, she works hard but she doesn’t do the work. Organized, working to a plan, Harriet will help you and your student through the maze and you will come out the other end relieved, exhausted, and, if you are like my son and we, his parents, thrilled, delighted and excited at what the future now holds.”

Meg G.

University of Southern California

“It was a true pleasure working with Harriet to assist my son finding and applying the most suitable college for an Industrial Design major. Thanks to Harriet's expertise in the field of arts and college counseling, my son managed to get accepted by all 10 colleges he applied including Syracuse, Purdue, University of Illinois Champaign, Ohio State, Drexel and others. Although I believe my son is talented in art, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the level of success without Harriet's support in areas of research, art piece selection and description writing, portfolio preparation, presentation, essay writing and much more. Harriet was easy to work with, knowledgeable, experienced as well as professional. She was also effective in connecting and motivating my son so he can feel very comfortable working closely with Harriet during the entire application process. Harriet's help was invaluable and we're very grateful to have the chance to work with her! “

David H.

Rochester Institute of Technology

“The process of finding, selecting, and applying to the right college was an enormous task that almost seemed impossible for my wife and I. Double that challenge with two kids entering college the same year. However, it came as a wonderful relief to find someone as friendly, and knowledgeable in the media arts as Harriet Katz to help our son navigate the complexities of the application and portfolio requirements for each school. We couldn’t be happier when our son was accepted in ALL his top choice schools. Now we can relax!”

Russell Brown & Jan Davis

UCLA, Design Media Arts

“Harriet took our son under her wing as if he were her own. She truly got to know him so she could advise and motivate him in a deeply personal way. More than a college counselor, Harriet became a mentor and friend, challenging our son to read about specific directors and artists he didn’t know and broadening his horizons. She provided advice on summer programs, and even on his independent film projects in high school, knowing that these experiences would shape him personally, as well as strengthen his college portfolio.

Her guidance and experience proved invaluable as our son explored a wider variety of college film programs with Harriet than he could have found on his own. She never told him what he should do or be, but made sure he was fully aware of his options and the requirements of each school. When Andrew initially answered college essay prompts the way he thought the college “wanted” him to, Harriet instead encouraged him to find his own voice.

Harriet’s role as mentor and coach made our son’s college application process efficient in ways that we as parents never could have achieved. Harriet was able to share insights about each program’s strengths and unique attributes so that he could focus his energy where and when it would matter most. After many months of working with Harriet through in-person and phone conversations, essay reading and seemingly endless checklists (which thankfully, we parents did not have to manage), our son was offered early acceptance at his first choice school. We are thrilled for our son and ever grateful to Harriet for having helped him navigate a complex and stressful process while keeping our family harmony intact!”

Sue S.

New York University - Film

“I can’t imagine how much of a nightmare the college application process would have been for me without Caillie. She is able to give her personal advice on what specific colleges are looking for right off the top of her head. I think the most valuable part about working with Caillie is that she’s much more informed about the colleges I applied for than any school counselor has ever been. Caillie gave me the confidence and the knowledge to know when to play it safe and when to take a risk during writing and while applying. Thanks to her, I got into my first choice college early decision. ”

Gabriel

Chapman University - Dodge College of Film

“I can’t thank you enough for all of your guidance and support over the last year. You have been such a pleasure to work with and your input has been incredibly valuable all along the way. You helped J. to identify which schools to visit, you advised him to try the UCLA Summer Institute, and then helped him through all the critical decisions about where to apply. He always left his meetings with you feeling calm and confident. What a gift! Your direction about his portfolio was insightful and encouraging, and you skillfully guided him so he could showcase his true creativity and talent. You also helped him to crystallize what type of program he was really looking for and which schools would be the best match for his interests. I always assumed we’d be able to figure this out on our own, but I was definitely wrong. We could not have made it through the last six months without your help!”

Susie S.

UCLA - Design Media Arts

“Harriet performed an absolutely stunning job in determining the colleges and programs best fit to my personal interests, academic record and portfolio. She offered invaluable feedback for my portfolio both in content and presentation. She is not afraid to give constructive criticism; her honest reflections drastically improved the quality of my portfolio. I confidently submitted my USC application knowing it was 100 times better than it could have been had I not had access to her diligent guidance and insight. Her determination and persistence to help me produce and present my best possible portfolio and application was invaluable. I was accepted by USC, my dream school and top choice and will be studying Media Arts and Production in the School of Cinematic Arts.”

Eric L.

USC - School of Cinematic Arts