Thanks HS2 Academy for helping my child get into the ideal colleges and helping us achieve our goals as parents in coming to America. My child attends Troy and had straight As, so we believed a college advising service was not necessary for us since he should have no problem getting into a top notch college on his own. Furthermore, there are many such college counseling services that seem exaggerated and fake, so we had a negative image.
However, three years ago, after hearing Ann Lee’s and Ms. Chiang’s Tuesday radio show introducing current college admissions situation, I realized that my initial ideas were not up to date. It seems that top notch colleges have very high expectations for extracurricular activities, especially for Asian students. After visiting many different college advising institutions, we were touched by Ann Lee’s and Ms. Chiang extensive knowledge and sincere desire to help students.
In the past three years, under Ann Lee’s passionate guidance, my child not only fully understood the key to getting to a top college; but also gained much personal development, clarity in his future educational pursuits, and a deep understanding of society. During this period, he also completed 200 volunteer hours at a hospital, service to the community, and developed his leadership skills and talents (created and produced his own music CD). He even took initiative to seek internship opportunities which landed positions at three top universities throughout three summers. During this process, he learned many valuable skills; taking opportunities into his own hands, writing his personal statement, gaining interview skills, and how to market himself. Most importantly, he nurtured his inner spirit to help society. These foundational skills and ethics will give him a fruitful future. HS2 Academy is not only a necessity for academic guidance, but also serves as a communication bridge between students and parents. Parents’ opinions and advice may better reach their children with the help of counselors, especially during the rebellious teenage years of a child.
Even though I am happy that my child has entered an ideal college, I cannot help but feel regret for other parents. Many students of similar educational caliber and family background were only able to enter UC Berkeley or like-level colleges because they did not seek professional college admissions counseling. One can say that this is unfair to the students who do not have college admissions counselors; but then again, what parent would not want to give the best to their children? I want to thank HS2 Academy again for their active guidance and my wife’s support, resulting in a change in my original stubborn ideas.
– Father of HS2 Student, April 11, 2011
PARENT TESTIMONY, APRIL 2011