What people are saying.
Deema meticulously reviewed my college essays with me and helped me brainstorm some of the most creative elements in my application. Her aid was particularly crucial when I wrote my UC essay on swimming. I remember I had challenges coming up with ideas to write about in my section on leadership, and she suggested that I redefine my perspective on leadership and to think outside of what a normal leader would be. I then was able to write a fantastic essay about how I positively impacted the team by supporting my swim-mate when he competed for his place on the Varsity Team. She also aided in creating a college list and recommended colleges that I believe were a great fit. While I was tempted to apply to many reach schools, she made sure that my list was diverse and that I had a good balance of safety, target and reach schools. She then helped me trim down my initially large list into a smaller pool to make the essay writing process easier and to hone in on schools that I really liked. Furthermore, she also helped me finish all my applications way ahead of time so as to not work up to the deadline. Andrew (student)
Working with Deema was a joy, both for my college-bound son and me. She simplified a complex and daunting process with warmth and confidence. One of the beautiful things about engaging Deema as a coach was getting to step back and let my son own the process of applying to college, without me having to lean on him. (No nagging or micromanaging!!!) Deema developed a feasible timeline and it worked. She broke the process down into manageable steps and held my son accountable in a gentle, yet effective way. She helped draw out his strengths, but made him do the work. While he grumbled a bit about writing essays in the summer, he was tremendously grateful during the fall semester when it came time to apply. He even thinks that her guidance helped him become a better writer in general. Well worth every penny!
—Rebecca Krisman
From the moment my son began working with Deema, he felt a level of comfort, attentiveness, and responsiveness from her. Her presence throughout the college application process eliminated a lot of stress for my son and me, and she guided and nudged him to consider many possibilities for himself. Her ability to listen and draw out things that a parent or a teacher couldn't have were not only an invaluable part of the process for applying for college, but also for assessing his accomplishment and defining his next chapter. She's a wonderful support to young people in this difficult and daunting process!
— Persis M. Karim
As my daughter was approaching her Junior year of High School, it became very apparent that the college search and application process that exists today is completely unrecognizable to what I had gone through myself as a teenager. College was a goal we had discussed as a family for years, and we had saved and planned to invest in our daughter’s future. Yet, when the time came, I was not at all prepared for the effort that is required to find the right fit for each student, nor the complexity of the college application process. Working with Deema’s gentle and supportive guidance, my daughter was immediately put at ease and took ownership of the task, which in itself was wonderful preparation for college. Deema provided advice on test preparation resources and research for my daughter to create her short list of schools to visit and apply to. Her extensive knowledge of schools was invaluable in helping to create a list of schools that my daughter felt qualified for and could see herself attending. In August, before my daughter’s Senior year, Deema set up a weekly schedule and broke down the steps and goals for my daughter to complete the applications and essays without being completely overwhelmed. In doing so, my daughter was able to submit all of her applications by Oct 1, well ahead of the deadlines set forth by all of the schools. As a parent, Deema guided me through the world of FAFSA and CSS Profiles required for financial aid. There is no doubt in my mind that had we not had the opportunity to work with Deema on this daunting task, my daughter would not have felt so confident about her college applications and the responses she received. I highly recommend Deema’s services without reservation to any family starting this journey.
— Erin McClun