Testimonials from Parents of Lia's Clients

“Whether it is your first child heading to college or your last, it is always a stressful time. Your child is in the midst of their senior year in high school and there is a lot of activity.  And of course, emotions are running high on all fronts.  So how do you, as a parent, get your child focused on college prep activities with all the high school senior distractions?    

I highly recommend that you enlist the services of Lia Levitt. I hired Lia for both of my girls, Lauren and Mattea. Lia gently, but confidently, directed Lauren and Mattea in the steps needed to position them for acceptance into the best college or university for them. She assisted with the completion of online forms. She walked them through important considerations in terms of how many and which schools to apply to. Lia was a master in helping Lauren and Mattea frame and write their college essay – a much needed, but dreaded, component of applying to schools. 

I can go on and on about the expert services that Lia offers. But it is just as important that I share how Lia connects with the students. She has a communication style that is effortless, sincere, and invigorating. Lia connects with her clients in the first moment they meet. Your child will look forward to meeting with her as she puts them at ease and instills confidence that together they will succeed. 

As old adage goes “the proof is in the pudding.” Lauren is a thriving junior Psychology Major at Endicott College, already looking into Grad schools (we will be calling Lia again) and Mattea was just accepted to UConn Storrs in the School of Business."

"I wanted to take a moment to write a recommendation for Lia Jill.  The college process can be a harrowing time not only for the HS graduate but also for the parents and that is where Lia comes in.  First off, she did an outstanding job of connecting with our son.  She makes it a point to identify areas of interest and commonality to build a bond as well as trust.  

She is exceptionally organized, taking a very chaotic process with numerous deadlines and requirements keeping both the student and parents on task.  We were able to finish 10 applications all early or on time which I personally never thought would happen.  

Finally, she is an exceptional writer (sadly that did not spill over to me...sorry Lia) and not just your 'garden variety' subjects.  More specifically she was able to really define him in multiple different essays (to the tune of 15+ based on each college and their requirements) subject matter that was really important to him.  This really motivated him to work collaboratively with her to accurately capture who he is as a person outside of just his academics. 

 So for these reasons, if this is the type of College Consultant you are looking for I would recommend Lia, feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions!"

"The college selection process comes at you fast and can be extremely overwhelming, especially for those of us going through the process for the first time.  I knew from the get go that I would need help not only for my own peace of mind, but for the sake of my relationship with my future HS graduate.  Never once did I have to edit an essay or worry that a deadline would be missed.  For us, outside of completing the FASFA requirements and arranging college visits we were 100% hands off the entire application process.    Lia and her team were instrumental in helping our daughter narrow down her top options based on field of study, type of school (campus setting, size, etc.) as well as what was deemed a "safety" school versus a "reach" school based on her academic resume.   Lia knows the timelines and the process inside and out, saving me so much worry and stress.  When I was stressed that we had not visited enough schools prior to the application process she talked me off the ledge and assured me we were right on target and she was absolutely right.    Our daughter was accepted to all but one school (where she was deferred) to which she applied.  Of those schools at which she was accepted, she received sizable merit packages to several of them.  We are now in the final selection process and she has narrowed it down to her self-appointed top three options.  We could not be more pleased with the entire process and the fact that the scheduling and accountability was 100% our daughter's responsibility.  The whole experience was just what we wanted to ensure she was driving the process and taking ownership of her future versus us influencing her with our own personal bias."

 “I am a busy mom trying to juggle running a business, serving as the Chairman of the Board of Education in my town and raising three children, one with profound special needs.  When my eldest daughter started the college search process and all that goes with it, the amount of time and effort required was truly overwhelming. When asking the advice of a friend whose daughter just went through the process, she recommended Lia Levitt.

I am a dot the I’s and cross the T’s sort and am very anxious!  I want everything done yesterday. Upon my first meetings with Lia, she calmed my nerves around the process. If she can calm me down, she can literally calm down ANYONE! She set realistic goals from when we begin looking for colleges, shuffling through majors that interested my daughter Morgan and a timeline of when we all agreed to complete each step. Lia worked with Morgan on standardized test prep differently than other courses I’d heard friends purchase for their kids. She not only taught content, but gave Morgan strategies to manage her time and any day of test anxiety. We saw real results in her scores once Lia got her on a regular prep schedule.

Lia helped my daughter connect with someone from her dream school, which built both of our confidences and helped Morgan learn skills I know will help her as she continues to grows into adulthood. She prepped her for college interviews and gave her honest feedback she’d never listen to from other adults. Lia also reviewed and critiqued all her many required essay’s, which alone is invaluable. Having Lia in our corner allowed us to submit Early Action applications to all schools we applied to and to complete the Common App with ease. We truly feel Morgan had the best college essay ever, which still makes me cry every time I read it!

We truly bonded with Lia and are friends to this day long after all of the acceptances and very generous financial awards came rolling in! Lia was available for us constantly to answer questions, check in with Morgan about her school activities, prom dress shopping and anything that mattered to her. She responded immediately to me when I worried and often spent many late nights calling to calm me down. I really believe she always had the best interest of our family at heart and cares about my daughter thriving in college and beyond. We not only got into the college of Morgan’s dreams, but also 9 other schools. When my son is ready to start the process, Lia is the first person I’ll call!!”

"If you need someone to help your child reach out and grab their greatest potential then Lia is there for them. I am a busy working mom that try’s to be there for her children during the good times and the difficult times. The beginning of senior year  can be a tough one for both the child and the parent. We have a very intelligent child that is good at a lot of things and is in the top percentile of her class but, struggled with the college essay. Although, she was writing her college essay as part of her  English assignment at school she was not happy with the out come of the essays she had written.

Sure the teacher at school was helping her write an essay but, neither of them were very happy with them - since the essay topic had been changed several times. She had mentioned that they just didn’t meet her high expectations of what she wanted her essay should say to the college admissions. I was not sure if it was just the stress of whole ideal and wasn’t sure how it was going to get completed and we were running out of time. By some miracle I met Lia - she was heaven sent. Once our daughter started  working with Lia she was finally at easy and was able to create an amazing essay. She was passionate about the essay and was finally excited about applying to the schools of her choice. Thanks to Lia our daughter was able to find the confidence she needed  in this stressful situation and was able to shine!  Thank you, Lia! Your time and support have given our daughter a gift of a lifetime!
Grateful Mom"

“I think the best way to sum up our experience with Lia is from my son’s own words.  He said 'everyone tells you the college process is so stressful, I wasn’t stressed at all, and that was all because of Lia!’ My son suffers from anxiety , before we engaged Lia the stress level over the process was extremely high and affecting our relationship with our boy!  He wasn’t motivated, seemed overwhelmed as to where to start (as did I to be honest) and I didn’t know where to turn! We were well into his senior year before we even started. I truly believed we wouldn’t get a single application done as he hadn’t even started the college essay!   

Then along came Lia. After my first meeting with her, I knew that she would be able to help ease this process but I really didn’t know the extent or the impact she would have. Every time my son had his calls with Lia I could hear much laughter, he would always tell us how productive the calls were and he seemed so content and happy about his progress. I did not get involved at all with the process (apart from handing over my credit card for applications ). Every deadline was met, not one task slipped through the tracks, Lia’s process is calculated and precise and she keeps the kids on track.! How I have no idea!! But by the magic of Lia she does!  Lia is fully invested in your child, she truly cares and really gets to know them.  I highly recommend Lia and her team. Best money and decision I made!  So grateful that we found her!”

“For me, this was a stress free experience. I did little more than proofread essays which I think gave my daughter the autonomy she needed. For my daughter, it provided a confidant-someone she could be honest with and someone who could be honest with her about her goals, school choice, essays, etc. This process was one where I needed to leave it to a professional to provide sound guidance and advice without being blinded or influenced because this was my child. It also kept the experience largely positive-there was no family discord, just solid professional advice and a tested path to completion. 

I was extremely satisfied from start to finish. As mentioned, my daughter immediately felt supported and reassured. That feeling continued throughout the application process. Once the acceptances started rolling in, my daughter felt accomplished and proud. She was accepted to 5 schools and into their animal science programs, when available. She also received merit scholarships to 3 of the 5 colleges and was awarded $23,500/yr (merit and grants) from the school she has chosen to attend. 

College has changed so much since I attended. I felt ill prepared to provide my daughter with the time and expertise required to adequately advise and support my daughter through the college application process. I am grateful I took the advice of other parents who were similarly situated and engaged Academic Architect to help my daughter through the college research and application process. I cannot recommend the team or the value the team brings to this important stage in a child's life enough. While I am not looking to rush through college, we look forward to working with Academic Architect again once we are ready to embark on the graduate school journey.”

"I reached out to Lia after talking with some friends who had worked with her in the past. I was not sure what to expect. The college admissions process was underway, but so far, we were navigating on our own. “After all” I thought, “I’m a mom, I’ve got this!” I clearly did not. One thing I would love to tell people is that as parents, we are so close to this process and there are many emotions that come into play on our side. It can cloud the process and in some cases it can add stress to what should be a wonderful time of year for a teen and his or her parents. Lia worked with our daughter on her essay and all of her college applications. Stepping back, taking time to work with her as an individual and not putting her into a box that is the graduating senior class of 2023.
We watched our daughter transform and could actually see stress leaving as nerves were replaced with motivation and excitement. Lia was always available, and her sessions were clear on objectives and efficient. She connected with our daughter and had such a positive impact. Once that last college application was submitted, Lia became excited to hear about what was next; was there for all the acceptances and questions along the way. Now that we are nearing the end and our daughter has chosen a school, Lia remains every bit available for consult when we need her. The only thing we will change for our second daughter is to engage with Lia much earlier in the process. Her knowledge and that of her team is absolutely astounding, and we feel so fortunate to have found this group. "

"I met Lia while attending a College Planning Workshop Event.  At the time my son was about to start the college planning process. I thought it was going to be an easy process to navigate, little did I understand. Lia explained how applying to schools was so much more than submitting an application and waiting for the decision.  

After the workshop I reached out to Lia to connect her with my son.  I let her know that he really felt he could do this on all on his own and didn’t need any help.  Reluctantly he agreed to meet Lia for an initial consultation.  After his initial meeting his first comment to me was “you never told me all she could do”.  He was sold!

The process was so smooth and un-nerving.  Lia worked closely with my son, and really took the time to connect with him, which wasn't an easy task!  He is external quiet and shy.  Lia navigated her way through, working with him on his SAT prep and the entire college application process.  The guidance counselors in school could never have spent the time and effort needed throughout the process.

I would highly recommend everyone use Lia.  It takes the stress and arguments out of parents and children to stay on top of all the work due.  My daughter is a sophomore and I will definitely be using Lia for her application process."

“We chose to work with Lia because she had a great reputation for helping kids navigate the college decision and admission process. She gets to know each kid personally and really understands what their goals and needs are and tailors her services to each kid.  Lia kept our family informed every step of the way. I still don’t know when she actually sleeps.  She provided assistance above and beyond what was agreed upon.  Omg! She handled every aspect of the process. My kids just memorized our credit card and she helped them get every application in. We did nothing.   

Lia is so positive. She boosted my son's self esteem and found the best college options for him. My daughter already had plenty of confidence yet Lia pushed her towards schools she hadn’t considered. Lia was able to get my kids into their perfect schools. Now my kids are both where they belong. She helped me navigate through my daughter being further than I planned. My daughter is flourishing. She also helped my son find a school we wouldn't have thought of. Lia is always available to us and I would recommend her to anyone!”

"It is my pleasure to recommend Lia for college counseling for any junior or senior high school student. Lia assisted my son with choosing his essay topic, worked on his writing style, and pushed him to his maximum potential until the essay was perfect for all the applications. 

With Lia's assistance in the college process, my son was accepted to his first choice school, during a highly competitive year of acceptances. Moreover, Lia is excellent in trying to find the right fit for a student in the college matching process, using a student's credentials, resume, and keeping all future goals in mind. 

Lia also helped my son by tutoring him in reading comprehension for the SAT, a job no other tutor was able to accomplish. She is patient, diligent, knowledgeable, and truly enjoys working with students."

“I had seen several social media posts from Lia about working with local kids. I wanted someone from the area. I had heard good things from other clients of hers. Lia works hard to make herself available to both the kids and the parents. It’s a juggling act for sure trying to manage that many kids but she does an excellent job trying to keep everyone on their own personal timeline. Lia helped us to understand many aspects of the process we didn’t have any experience with. She was also a great resource in assisting with guidance on many essay topics and editing. We felt confident that we weren’t going to miss any deadlines or cutoffs for the schools we had chosen. She is very organized and on top of things.  I think having a set timeline and regular meetings to keep my son on task made him feel at ease with the process, as much as one can.  

He now understands the need to follow through with everything he’s involved in. We were definitely chasing merit which was hard to come by this year. He was accepted almost everywhere he applied and received the highest merit and honors programs at many of the schools. We were pleased with what he received in this unprecedented and complex college application year. Lia helped us with a few follow up scholarship essay topics and managing a few supplemental scholarship questions. I would not hesitate to recommend Lia and her team to anyone. She is thorough and conscientious and really loves the kids.”

"My husband, Tom, and I are so grateful to Lia and her team for walking our son, Tommy, through this process. We anticipated it being so stressful but Lia made the journey smooth, easy and not stressful! I have nicknamed Lia the “teenage whisper” and I was absolutely shocked that Tommy would sit on zoom calls with Lia for over an hour and stay engaged! She also guided us on Tommy’s courseload for senior year - I wish we had met Lia sooner to help guide us earlier in the high school process. Tommy managed all of his zoom appointments and, together, he and Lia determined which standardized test would be best. Lia truly loves the children she works with and finds a way to connect with them. She really gets to know the student. Lia helps each child navigate the process and doesn’t just try to get clients in to the best schools for her own benefit. We have recommended Lia to many friends and will continue to do so. We are eternally grateful!"

"I was referred to Lia by a friend whose daughter had a great experience working with her. She helped her get accepted in to her dream college. Lia worked with both my son and daughter on all aspects of the college application process. She also discussed college options with them which helped both my children in deciding which colleges would fit their academic and personal needs. Lia made the entire college application process stress free for both my children and me. My daughter received a great package from her first choice school, Emmanuel, which brought her tuition from $55,154 to $18,654 because of scholarships and grants.  Thank you for all you do for the kids. I would highly recommend Lia."

"As an educator myself, I thought helping my children with the  essay and application process for college would be manageable. Well to say the least, it is anything but manageable. As I took on the feat with my first child, the process was beyond daunting. The stress and anxiety between my daughter and I made it a very stressful experience. By the time my second child was ready for college, I was recommended to call Lia Levitt for her services. I can't begin to tell you how easy this was. She is so knowledgeable about the process from beginning to end and most importantly she took on this task so calmly that it put all of us immediately at ease.

My son interacted positively with her immediately and surprisingly she pulled ideas out of him both for majors to topics for an essay literally in the first appointment. The entire process was completed quickly and all of us were very pleased with the results. He was accepted into Bentley University, which was his first choice school. A few years later Lia helped him with his resume and he landed an amazing internship.

Finally, my third child saw Lia for the college process and she is on the shy side and had no idea what she wanted to major in. Lia sat with her and discussed her interests and she was able to help her find a major.  Once again she was able to get my child to discuss their future plans and give them ideas to spark their interests. The ideas seem to just flow and I couldn't be more grateful.  She will be attending Quinnipiac University in the fall and also received quite a few scholarships. 

I highly recommend Lia Levitt from beginning the college applications to resume and interviewing strategies. Her expertise is top notch and her demeanor is calm and professional. I truly believe my children's' success is due to the help of Lia Levitt."

"I can’t recommend Lia enough..she is a wizard when it comes to the college process for those going through high school transitioning and applications.  She took my daughter Elle under her wing and we watched the miracle happen...8 out of 9 college acceptances and each one offering unbelievable scholarships. My husband and I thought there must be some mistake, but the letters kept coming in the mail...each one offering more than the other!!

Lia is truly worth her weight in gold and we will always be indebted to her for all she has done to help Elle. The whole process should start in junior year ideally to give both Lia and students time to bounce around ideas, critique and edit final decisions...But Lia, the teen whisperer/magician did this is less time!! To say that Lia applies her heart and soul to her students, is an understatement. 

Do yourself a favor and hire this woman...Folks,you’ll be doing yourself and your son/daughter the BIGGEST favor when hiring Lia for help with college!! She covers everything for college...even issues you never thought of...Highly recommend this lady!! It’s the best process not only for us adults, but it’s the stepping stones that our children need to confidently go out into the college world and succeed!” 

"For any friends who are wondering what to do about the college application process.  I’d like to make a recommendation for Lia Jill from Academic Architect.  I hired after failure after failure (not to mention $$$) with tutors.  First, her coaching totally turned my kid’s grades around, she started earning pretty much straight A’s (starting 2nd half sophomore year). Then, as is her specialty, she coached her through the college application process, from choosing which colleges to apply to, to crafting the perfect essay, to the application process.  It was a totally stress free process for me (I was pretty much hands off). As a result my kid so far had been accepted to every single college she applied to, plus SIGNIFICANT financial packages.  She can work anywhere in the country (via zoom or whatever). This is the best decision my family ever made!"

"Lia was a dedicated, thoughtful and insightful guide throughout our process for my daughter. Despite this being my 3rd kid to go through the college process - all my kids were different (and went to different schools). My daughter wanted objective help and loved that Lia Jill stepped her through the process and challenged her to think openly about her future, options and career path. Happy to report my daughter got her 1st acceptance today and with a merit scholarship. Thanks Lia. 🎉 So I would say the day hiring you was well worth it. 😘"

"Lia worked with our family in navigating the college application process and was extraordinary. She is highly organized and kept our teen right on track. She was able to remove the stress from our whole family and she communicated with our teen in a way we were unable to. She has an ability to create a safe space for kids and connects with them on a level much deeper than usually seen. I would highly recommend Lia if you are in need of college admissions guidance."

"Lia has work with both of my Children with their college searches. Two completely different people and she worked her magic with both. One she let lead and was her support when she needed her. Answering questions that I did not even know where to begin. The other needed a little more of a nudge and she kept him on task. I am so incredibly thankful she was able to help them find their way. My older one already has Lia in line for her resume when she graduates from college. A relationship was built that will carry on for many years!"

 “I can't thank you enough for responding to the Danbury parents FB page.  Finding you was like finding a four leaf clover.  My Senior daughter and I were fighting, we were stressed and we couldn't get out of each other's way when it came to the college application process.  You allayed our fears with your calming and reassuring demeanor and made the process a resounding success!  Your organization and warm personality were a welcome constant in this difficult Covid affected Senior year.  I hope you know the depth of our thanks goes beyond words and appreciation for my future JMU Duke! I am happy to be a reference to potential clients if needed.” 

"I just wanted to share this with anyone who has kids getting ready for college. Lia Jill worked with us when Madison went through the college application process. Madison applied to 13 schools and got into every single one! I can not say enough about Lia.  Make an appointment to meet with Lia and you will see why!  Best college guidance we could have asked for!"

"Lia helped my family navigate the college application process. Lia had a tremendous amount of insight to offer regarding the college admissions process. Lia easily connected with my children to build a partnership to help them make the most informed decision. I would highly recommend Lia to anyone with a child getting ready to go through this process. 

I will be using Lia this summer to work with my daughter and then finally for my fourth and youngest child. 

Lia's insight, knowledge, patience, and genuine commitment for your child’s best interest makes her truly special!"

"What a relief!  When my daughter was entering her senior year in high school, she was unclear about what she wanted to do with THE REST OF HER LIFE, and where to go to college. Enter Lia Levitt.  She met with my daughter on a weekly basis, and together they came up with a plan of career options and colleges to apply to.  She helped with the common application and they worked on it slowly so that it was not overwhelming.  

The high school guidance counselors are good, but they are overwhelmed, and Lia provided that personal touch that we were looking for.  She helped with the dreaded college essay, and with formulating a list of accomplishments that was useful in the application process. She was very good at keeping my daughter on task, in a way that only someone who is not the mom can do. . Her schedule is very accommodating (evenings and weekends), and she has numerous contacts that she can reach out to, both in the professional world and in the academic admissions arena.  She is so good, that I am going to schedule extra sessions with my younger daughter so that she can get an even better head start.  

My final thought on Lia:  Hire her!"