Testimonials
I've worked in the private school sector for sixteen years and rarely seen students gravitate towards an educator the way they do toward Lee. He knows the intricacies of more colleges than anyone I've ever met. No matter the school, Lee was filled with knowledge on campus life, academics, majors, extra-curricular activities, and the special programs each school offered, knowledge that only comes from deep research. This is because Lee is passionate about his work, putting his heart and soul into everything he does, from giving students tips on how to master the SAT, to helping them find appropriate colleges, to writing letters of recommendation that were works of art. Lee took the time to know each student deeply, and along with his gifts as a writer, made one feel they knew a student deeply after reading his recommendation. Lee's thirst for knowledge and willingness to do anything to help students succeed inspired him to find unique art (glass blowing), film and architecture programs, as well as scholarship/grant opportunities. With all of this knowledge though, Lee remains one of the most humble and generous people I have ever met. Anything he learns, he is excited to share, and he is not afraid to ask questions, or admit there are things he does not know. It was a great pleasure to learn from him every day. Karen Elitzky (Director of College Advising, La Jolla Country Day)
Before I met Lee, I prided myself in the letters of recommendation I crafted for my students. Then I read Lee's letters… he tortured himself to compose a symphony of words that resonated. His letters were never trite, nor were they summaries of activities. Lee wrote about their passions and their fears. Their own mothers couldn't pack in the knowledge and love of these children as he did. My colleague knew the best contacts in admissions in any college. He was my go-to person when I couldn't connect with a college rep and he had their personal cell phone numbers! He performed miracles for students who were deferred or wait listed, making it his personal mission to help tip the scales in their favor. By example, this year, only one student moved off the waitlist at Princeton and it was Lee’s student. It takes special skill and social acumen to massage admissions and these are traits characteristic of Lee. I have worked twenty years in college guidance, all but one as department head. In all of these years I have never met a more qualified, devoted and loved colleague. Debbie Solomon (College Guidance Counselor, Yeshivah of Flatbush High School)
As someone who has worked in admissions, I was wll aware of how Lee was on top of everything. He has years of experience, and understands the ins and outs of admissions. He goes above and beyond for his students. He has met with us on Sundays, in the evenings, and has met for hours. He has responded to every question and email from me. A significant part of any college counselor’s job and any student’s application is the college counselor’s recommendation. Lee knows how to write recommendations which is one of the most critical aspects of an application. It is typically the first recommendation that is read and it sets the tone for the rest of the application. I have read literally thousands of college counselor recommendations and Lee’s recommendations for Kate and Gavin were two of the best I have ever read. He is a gifted writer who put his heart and soul into crafting letters that shed the best light on his students. He allowed me to read his recommendations for Kate and Gavin and I was stunned by their eloquence and his desire to put all that he could into pushing for their success. I have no doubt that his recommendations and advocacy were crucial to their acceptances at Stanford. Dr. Christine Andrews (Parent of Kate and Gavin Nelson, Stanford 2017)
Lee helped from start to finish including narrowing down to a great, practical list with a mix of the right kinds of schools as well as visit and application strategies that my ex and I would never have known the nuances of. He is great at talking with both kids and parents and an absolute wealth of information. Claudia Strauss (Parent of Charlie Bardey, Yale 2017)
Lee’s highly intelligent approach to college admissions was invaluable. His extensive experience and vast working knowledge of the college process were critical in helping our children navigate through both college selection and admissions. He spent a great deal of time, one on one, getting to know our children and, as a result, was exceptionally accurate in helping them choose schools that were the right fit for each. He was able to help them understand how to meaningfully express to the colleges who they are and how to present themselves favorably. He has an excellent understanding of what’s going on inside admissions offices and is able to demystify how they work. He understands what needs to be done if there are athletic or other talents that need to be considered. Finally, having Lee guide us through the college process was the best decision we could have made. He was able, somehow, to keep the whole family calm during this daunting process. His upbeat, positive, solutions-oriented approach made it actually pleasant! Our daughter is at GW and our son was admitted to Stanford and Princeton, thanks to his fantastic work. Nancy Scheinman (Parent of Cassie Scheinman,George Washington 2013 and William Scheinman, Princeton 2014)
But more than making a few spot-on predictions, Lee Levine was completely attentive, sympathetic and always there for us. In this super charged, difficult application environment, Lee helped us to navigate the way. -- Harry Reidler (Parent of Daniel Reidler, Columbia 2011 and Michael Reidler, NYU 2013)
Lee is a talented, caring and responsive college advisor. He guided Aaron and us through this twisted college application process, and helped us to do it with a minimum of stress and strain. Hey, it was actually kind of fun, and part of that came from knowing he was on top of the details in the application process. Lee took the time to meet with Aaron and us as much as we needed, and that gave us the feeling that he could present Aaron's merits to the application readers at the colleges in a convincing and sincere way. We're sure that's why Aaron did well in gaining admission to several highly competitive colleges in this highly competitive year. We feel very fortunate that Aaron was able to work with him. Steven Eidman (Parent of Aaron Eidman, Wesleyan 2012)
