#1 Ranked on Yelp | Best College Counseling in Los Angeles
With The Best Success Rate Nationwide
Since 2009, 96.5% of students who fully completed our college application packages were admitted to one or more of their top 3 choice colleges—even with below-average grades and test scores, as long as their grades and test scores weren't lower than the 25th percentile for admitted students. Because we don't steer our students towards easier 'top choices,' both high-achieving students and underdogs trust us. Our success stories include:










Why Gamble with Your Future?
Admissions officers don’t just read applications—they grade them. Therefore, in our initial consult, you'll be graded on an admissions rubric. Discover your true competitiveness for elite universities and scholarships. Fix vulnerabilities. Strengthen your candidacy. Change your odds, don't accept them.
Imagine having the answer key before the exam—your path to success is transparent and clear. No misguided decisions, wasted effort, stress, or burnout.
Expert Opinions Provided For:
A Historic Breakthrough
In 2012, we won development funding from the University of Southern California to develop results-oriented college counseling methodology. After innovating methods that ethically lifted students with lower grades and SAT/ACT scores into highly selective colleges—and gave all students a measurable advantage—we became the only independent college consultants USC has ever invited to present a series of workshops alongside its admissions office.
PERSONALIZED 1-ON-1 GUIDANCE
Our Services
✓ College Essays
✓ College Planning
✓ College Matching
✓ Major Selection
✓ Financial Aid Tips
Face-to-face coaching virtually.
Our Team
16 Years of Magic
In 2009, my business plan for College Zoom envisioned a team of former admissions officers driving our success. I quickly learned that admissions office pedigree isn't equivalent to impressive teaching or persuasive writing ability. As it turns out, a former admissions officer has yet to pass our first-round, skills test interview.
Guided by admissions directors, I studied their decisions after being awed by students who didn't satisfy their expressed standards yet still got accepted. After exhaustive research and statistical analysis, I identified the lowest competitive thresholds for key admission criteria, past which students truly became non-viable—but, above which they could still be accepted with below-average credentials. By reinterpreting the evaluation rubrics used by admissions offices with this data, I constructed a model that explained—and then accurately predicted—miracle acceptances, top student rejections, and all outcomes in between.
This unprecedented insight made our personalized admissions strategies highly actionable for any student. By using the answer key, we made the process of bridging their gaps clear and unambiguous. Our precise, targeted goals avoided burnout while leading families past unclear and inconsistent advice they'd gotten from official sources. We also perfected an entire college application writing methodology and system—covering essays and all application materials—for holistically maximizing evaluation scores. Our students surpassed those guided by more expensive competitors; we even achieved breakthroughs with students others deemed hopeless.
Nevertheless, our expertise is only as effective as a student's commitment to follow through. That's why our 96.5% success rate is powered equally by both our insight and our ability to mentor teenagers beyond the instincts of youth that lead to mediocrity. Our 16-year history of mentoring success is your success, and vice versa. We help students adopt the mindsets necessary to unlock their inner heroes and achieve standout successes in their own ways.
Beyond admissions coaching: we activate greater success in life.
Our entire service experience is designed for this higher purpose.
— David Reynaldo, Founder

A’Lira Underwood

David Reynaldo


Aisa Castro

Jackson Burgess

Adam Kronenberger

Wendy Liu

Ezra Li

Riley Darrough

Julia Haffie

Luryn John-Miller

Preston Walker

Griffin Damron

Adya Mohanty
The Perfect Bridge Between Generations
Rapport ⬩ Role-modeling ⬩ Trust ⬩ Skill

To uphold our highest standards, we're all in-house, W2 employees of College Zoom. We never outsource any part of your counseling to contractors. We have prioritized slow growth and promotion from within, valuing the perfection of our client experience and each employee's legacy over fast profits or rapid expansion.
Our Initial Consult Begins with Your Child's Measurements
Get scored on an admissions rubric. Fix gaps before you apply.
Initial consult fee: $600 per student. | Twin discount: $250 off.
Submit the form below to request more information and to schedule.