Kate K.

Our family has worked with LiEr and Darran of Red Gateways for both of our childrens' college application seasons. They took the time we needed to give us an overall perspective on applying to college with our oldest, since we were new to the process. We decided after talking with them that an ala carte service, mostly for help with essays and managing application deadlines, etc. was best for our oldest since the course of study and several colleges had already been selected. We had their support and speedy communication from beginning to end. With our second, we all decided for a more robust full-meal-deal with Red Gateway. Our son participated in several super helpful sessions with the two of them during spring of his junior year to help figure out what his preferences were in terms of a school and studies. The daunting list of thousands of schools and majors became smaller and focused. We were able to schedule a summer college road trip based on their suggestions. They also led him and other students in summer college essay workshops which helped a great deal to get the ideas flowing and so fall of senior year was not such a crunch. Knowing what schools he wanted to apply to before heading into senior year was so fantastic! Of course, there were changes of adding schools, etc., but LiEr and Darran helped us talk through those decisions too. They helped give pointers for essays and discussed with us who would be the best teachers and mentors to ask for letters of recommendations, etc. Red Gateways equips, informs, and cheers you on, start to finish! As parents of current and former college grads, they know what is at stake, and they can help you see it all in perspective too! They are trustworthy, experienced, and wonderful to work with. All my thumbs are up!

Anita D.

Perhaps what I most appreciate about Carissa is that she’s not only been a good math tutor, but she gets along amazingly with my 15-year-old-grandson. He can be in a negative space when I pick him up from school, and he clearly perks up when he and Carissa are working together – I hear them laugh together often. There doesn’t seem to be any ‘superiority’ in the relationship although it’s clear that she’s won the respect of my grandson. Other things I also appreciate: she’s been highly reliable; she’s made every effort to accommodate and flex to meet our needs relative to schedules; she’s researched and recommended helpful resources; she’s been responsive when I’ve sent her messages; she’s been good about leeting us know if there a reason she needs to miss a session – and she always tries to make it up; she’s been willing to communicate with my grandson’s math teacher at school; and I should not fail to mention that I think her rates are quite reasonable. Carissa is able to be an effective tutor without standing on formality, and that not the impression I got from other math tutors I initially considered. I truly ENJOY seeing her every week, and I would highly recommend her to anyone!

Macy L.

My situation was unique. I had serious epileptic seizures during high school resulting in multiple brain surgeries and a long, challenging recovery. Matt entered my life during this time; I still had assignments to complete before graduation and an impending SAT exam, so I met with Matt twice a week and learned the essential concepts of writing and reading comprehension. While math was my strong suit, Matt helped me identify some earlier math concepts that needed refreshing. My initial SAT score prior to my relationship with Matt was 1260, but, after tutoring, I received a 1510 and was accepted by my school of choice for pre-med studies. I continue to meet with Matt two or three times per week during my undergraduate studies for more advanced writing strategies. I cannot imagine a better academic mentor than I have found with Matt.