Too Costly for Limited Gains

We were pretty let down by Solomonfor the $12K fee, we anticipated significantly more. It felt like they took a conservative approach and offered minimal assistance beyond what we could handle on our own. Let me outline the situation clearly; your experience might differ based on your specific circumstances.My son, of South Asian heritage, was ranked third nationally in public forum debate and was among the top five high school jazz saxophonists. He scored a 1570 on the SAT and maintained an unweighted GPA of 3.7 (weighted 4.1) from a reputable school. In December 2024, his school jazz band recorded at Abbey Road Studios with a seven-time Grammy winner.Initially, John Crowell assured us they would employ “strategic positioning” to enhance his admission chances, which sounded promising, especially with their strong Ivy League admission rates.However, when selecting schools, they pointed out his lower GPA and recommended institutions with about a 20% acceptance rate. More prestigious schools were labeled as ‘high risk’they wouldnt even consider applying to any of the top 15.The guidance counselor, Breanna Eschlemeier, suggested NYU Steinhardt for Early Decision because of his jazz background and also proposed applying to public policy programs as a backup.For example, the colleges recommended for a public policy major included Emory/Oxford, BU, Fordham, University of Wisconsin, Wake Forest, and George Washington (with the last two considered high risk). If we wanted to target different universities, we had to formally acknowledge that we chose not to follow Solomons advice and would pursue our own strategy.Breanna provided minimal feedback on his essay draftsoften just a few word changes. The “editorial team” offered negligible input, similar to what Grammarly might provide.While my son was accepted into NYU Jazz and is content, I dont attribute much of his success to Solomon. Admissions for jazz programs rely heavily on performance videos, music resumes, and live auditions with faculty members.Solomon offered scant guidance to boost his chances at more prestigious universities and even discouraged applying to them.Previously, we used IngeniusPrep for my daughter, which was more effective and cost less than half the price.A point to note: once you enroll, you cant downgrade your package. When we realized they werent very helpful and wanted to downgrade, it wasnt possible (this is buried in the fine print, so pay close attention).Hopefully, this is usefulevery students situation is unique, and the admissions field is competitive, but we had higher expectations.On a brighter side, our interactions with Solomon were always highly professional. Breanna was very pleasant and did help move my son’s application forward with timely reminders. I credit her for recommending Steinhardt, considering her NYU admissions experience.