Endorsements

Graduate Students

Working with Stuart was enormously helpful to me as I navigated the graduate school admissions process. At the start of our time working together, I was considering multiple different types of programs and had a partial list of schools I was interested in. Stuart worked with me to refine my idea of what I wanted to focus on, suggested numerous schools that met my criteria that I hadn’t considered, provided invaluable context and expertise, and gave great feedback on my resume and essays. During the application process, his support and guidance helped me put my best foot forward. Now that I have accepted an offer of admission at my top choice school, I can confidently look back at my decisions up to this point, knowing that they were well-informed and matched to my needs.

M.G . admitted to Master of International Affairs , UC-San Diego

 

Parents

In 2018 we had just moved from India with a high-school junior son and had to adjust to a new culture, country and the education system. While we did our bit of coming to speed with the admissions process and related prep needed for getting into college in the US, little did we know of the gamut of complexities involved.  We met the school counselor, spoke to friends/colleagues, but found ourselves lost at times as we were still discovering new things every time.
We came across Stuart’s profile through an internet search. We were looking for help around the NJ area, someone who works with students who are brilliant, but may not have all the ammunition to be considered for the Ivy or Top 10 colleges due to some gap in either their GPA or scores or Extra-Curricular etc. We contacted Stuart and setup our first meeting, we felt a great connect instantly and from then on we became a team cheering for our son to get into the best college possible.
Stuart works very patiently, understanding the student, their family, their strengths and challenges and hand-holds throughout the process. With Stuart by our side, we felt strong as a team. He and our son bonded very well from day one. We had multiple meetings in person, exchanged tons of e-mails, shared our views, list of colleges, essay reviews, and what not. It was a thoroughly enriching and pleasant experience if we look back at all the discussions, many hour-long meetings and we are very satisfied with our son’s choice of college and the relentless support plus guidance offered by Stuart.
We highly recommend Stuart to high-school parents looking for support to engage with him as early as possible, so that he can provide the best help your child may need. It cannot be done in one or two interactions. It’s a process of engaging, listening, sharing, communicating and coming to a consensus as a team. We are thankful we didn’t chose any shortcuts.
RS, West Windsor, NJ
We found ourselves in a bit of a quandary in our son’s senior year of high school.  His school made some big promises about how they would shepherd him through the college application process. But we saw in November that the school wasn’t going to come through.  That left us scrambling to find a college advisor. 
We found a number of services through an online search, but some of them were already far too busy to take on a new client.  Most were insanely expensive.  None felt like a good fit, but the clock was ticking.
Friends of ours suggested Stuart Nachbar, having used his services for their own children.  We had him over to the house to discuss what services he could offer and what we specifically needed.  We immediately knew we had our guy.Stuart was immensely helpful overall in the college process, mostly by being a little helpful in a bunch of different areas.  He helped us in areas we didn’t know we needed help with.
Stuart took the time to get to know our son.  That helped him make a number of really good strategic suggestions.  We already had a list of colleges to apply to and Stuart helped us tweak it in intelligent ways.  From his experience having sent students to a bunch of universities over the years, he was able to offer his opinions on where our son would best fit in socially. 
Stuart’s strategic recommendations extended to college essays, as well.  Unlike college advisors who merely proofread essays, Stuart took a holistic approach, figuring out for each school how our son could use the various essays to communicate the points that made him a strong candidate.
On the business side, Stuart is a straight shooter.  He more than lives up to the contract and is someone who does not nickel and dime his clients.  Even though we started with him late in the season, he was always available when we needed him.
The reason one needs a college advisor is because the application process is one in which you don’t know what you don’t know.  Stuart knows.  We unequivocally recommend him as a college advisor who will tailor his services to what you need to get your child into the proper college.  He has been a pleasure to work with.
R&L R, West Windsor, NJ
Stuart really helped us focus and stay organized. We were able to identify schools, write essays, gather decision-making details, and apply in just weeks. My son started school 5 weeks after starting our school search. While I don’t recommend waiting until the final weeks as we did, I do highly recommend Stuart for guiding us through a complicated and often tricky process, for helping us identify the right questions to ask each school, for providing essay writing tips and for keeping us focused. Stuart’s direct questions to my son broke through where I couldn’t, helping us to zero in on select schools and potential majors. 
SP, Belle Mead, NJ

Both my granddaughter and grandson were accepted to their first choice in colleges with the capable assistance of Stuart Nachbar.   I recommend him highly: patient, knowledgeable,and good at motivating high school students to stretch themselves without stress.

CV, Philadelphia , PA

Writing an endorsement for Stuart was difficult because I felt like I could literally write a novel of praises! Stuart came highly recommended by a trusted friend, who had previously hired him for her grandson. My husband and I met with him at a local coffee shop and were extremely impressed with how knowledgeable and down-to-earth he was so we hired him on the spot! It didn’t take long to see his passion and dedication; He gives his clients 110%. He clearly loves what he does and has a tremendous understanding of the college application procedure and knows what specific college campuses have to offer. His gentle and kind nature is beyond measure. This was so important working with our daughter, who is shy and was overwhelmed by the process.

Stuart was instrumental at identifying a major that she had not considered (Food Science) by combining her love of health, nutrition and culinary skills along with her academic strengths. He then compiled a list of 8-10 “best fit” colleges for her/us based on her/our needs while eliminating those that were not a good fit. Stuart was in constant contact with our daughter during the entire journey of essay writing, college tours and interviews. The best thing about Stuart, however, was how much he believed in our daughter. He challenged her to think and step outside her comfort zone and he became her biggest fan; something, we feel, gave her a tremendous amount of confidence. We cannot thank Stuart enough for all of his hard work and continued support. 

LG-R, Doylestown, PA

I had no idea finding a college would be such a daunting task.  Once my son decided on an area of study we began trying to match him up with schools, but we had no idea where to begin. He was receiving a great deal of mail from colleges since taking the PSATs, but sifting through all the information was overwhelming.

Then we got hooked up with Stuart. He worked with my son and me to determine our preferences and came back almost immediately with a number of schools meeting our criteria. The search became more manageable and focused. Within no time Evan had visited a number of schools and had came up with his short list of schools to which he is now applying.

Stuart’s knowledge of the schools is impressive and his background lead us to ask important questions  neither of us had previously considered. Such things as campus life and services available on the weekends, transportation to and from campus, and the strength of the school’s alumni association became important questions for us. I am confident that, with Stuart’s assistance, whichever school Evan chooses,  it’ll be the right match!

JK, Freehold, NJ

Stuart was invaluable in pointing out alternative colleges that would be suitable for my daughter: gems of which we weren’t even aware. Equally important, he was able to able to identify schools that would be likely to offer grants and provided us with great scholarship sites that we wouldn’t have found on our own. 

To date my daughter has been admitted to five of her chosen schools, including a generous scholarship to pursue her interest in becoming in a physician’s assistant.

ER, Maplewood, NJ

We had numerous soccer scholarship offers from around the country for my daughter and were at a total loss as to what to do. Enter Stuart Nachbar. Stuart asked our daughter exactly what she wanted out of school and her future, then he went to work. He laid out our best options both financial and academically and helped guide my daughter to her best choice. She is currently a junior, succeeding at her sport and loves her school. Stuart saved us a great deal of money. But the most rewarding aspect is that, with his efforts, my daughter is in the perfect school for her.

SF, Huntington Beach, CA

AG, New York, NY

Education Writers

Stuart Nachbar at EducatedQuest drills down and provides invaluable insights on such critical issues as costs, career services, housing and alumni networking for individual schools that you won’t find in any other college guides. He extracts more out of his campus visits and research than any parents or students could possibly do on their own. EducatedQuest will be one of the most valuable and relevant sites for your college search.

Lynn O’Shaughnessy
Author | Blogger | Consultant | Speaker, The College Solution

EducatedQuest is one of my favorite “go to” blogs.  Stuart Nachbar does in-depth analysis that I don’t see in many other places.  He understands what parents and kids going through the process are concerned about and he backs up his opinions with real data and examples.  Bookmark EducatedQuest as a resource in your college search.

Wendy Nelson
Publisher, My Kids College Choice

Counselors

You are so generous with sharing your write-ups. You’re my new Fiske Guide!

Prilla O’Connell

Founder, When College Calls

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