Above all else, working with Mr. Garth Robertson has paid dividends. I began working with him in the middle of my sophomore year. I had aspirations for a dream college, yet virtually no idea how to make my dreams reality. It was Mr. Robertson’s guidance that helped me realize and utilize my deeper talents in order to attain my goal of acceptance at Harvard. Mr. Robertson helped me through a variety of things, including planning my academic and extracurricular schedule, ironing out a study plan to help me stay focused, and above all else, helping revise my college essays. Though I consider myself a good essayist, college supplements are tricky, vague, and even rhetorical at times. It is absolutely essential to have a well-cultured mind read through your essays and provide suggestions. A Northwestern graduate and a natural book lover, Mr. Robertson has been exposed to the arts his entire life. Unlike the typical counselor, Mr. Robertson fully shares his talents with his clients by providing step-by-step ideas throughout the revision process, indicating both minor faults and issues with the main idea. Mr. Robertson, in a matter of 4 revisions, helped transform my essay from a lackluster work with good potential to a spirited expression of my psyche. I would confidently recommend Mr. Robertson’s services to all high schoolers who are serious about attending top notch schools.
- RD, Harvard University
There’s a level of specificity and care that Garth puts into each of his relationships which simply cannot be replicated. The most effective college essays for top-tier institutions move beyond descriptions of achievements and goals. They embody the applicant’s personality—quirks, passions, obsessions—all in 500 words or less. In these terms, and accepting that any competitive college essay be devoid of grammatical and typographical errors, a college counselor may seem useless—after all, a hired professional cannot possibly get to know a student well enough in such limited time to constructively assist in a full-fledged personality portrayal. But that’s just what Garth does, which is why I’ve never been able to just call him my college counselor, why I’ve never been comfortable interacting with him on merely a counselor/student level, and why the term “college counselor” represents such a rudimentary level of Garth’s services. Garth is a massive basketball junky so he will probably appreciate this analogy: up and coming NBA coach Mark Jackson of the Golden State Warriors once told ESPN that before he could coach his players, he had to get to know them, eat dinner with their families, understand their lives. Garth’s involvement in my application essays eclipsed the 20 time recycled word documents, inconceivably sassy comments, and corrections. It stretched to me, the nuances of my personality, and everything beyond academics and extra-curriculars that I initially found so difficult to put on paper. It’s incredibly difficult for me to imagine a college counselor genuinely craving to understand a client as well as Garth understood me, so consider this a testimony for a close friend.
- KW, Wake Forest University
If you haven’t met Garth yet, man, your life is missing the greatest person ever. Like his favorite word, Garth is awesome. He is, without a doubt, the best that IvyMax has; it’s no surprise they made him Chief Editor. I think I would’ve died midway through the application essay process without him. He gives incredibly creative ideas and will work so patiently and thoroughly with you, you feel like you’re his only student. (Unfortunately, you can’t be, because he’s so highly demanded.) After a while, you start to revere his comments like holy lines from the Bible—his suggestions are that amazing. To add to the goody package, this guy works during ungodly hours, holidays, and plane flights. He takes super good care of you, checking in with you and perfecting everything until the minute before submission. He’s a very talented cheerleader, too, so his moral support continues even after the application process. No matter how down you’re feeling, his optimism dissolves your raincloud better than the sun. Anyone who has the opportunity to receive his guidance is one of the luckiest students ever.
- JL, Yale University
When my mom first suggested that I seek a college counselor, I was a little hesitant. While the college application process definitely seemed daunting, I was unsure if seeking a counselor would be the most beneficial route for me. Questions like “What if we don’t click?” or “How will I manage to balance my heavy AP course-load and extracurriculars with counselor meetings?” ran through my mind more than once. When I met Mr. Garth Robertson, all of my worries and doubts faded away. His vast amounts of knowledge and expertise convinced me that I was in good hands, and his warm, attentive personality made him incredibly easy to work with. Mr. Robertson genuinely cares about each and every one of his students. During our sessions, Mr. Robertson constantly impressed me with his advice; he helped eradicate many college application myths and made me realize that the college application process is about self growth, not cut-throat competition. Under his guidance, I pushed myself beyond what I thought was possible, and learned to utilize my internal drive to search out opportunities that not only made me a stand out applicant, but also helped me find and further explore important interests and hobbies. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know Mr. Robertson — he is one of the people I look up to the most, and he has become an irreplaceable friend. I whole-heartedly recommend Mr. Robertson as a college counselor — it has been an honor and privilege working with him.
- YL, Duke University
Acceptance into the school of my dreams, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, would not have been possible without the care and guidance of Mr. Robertson. With the college process becoming increasingly competitive every year, a strong emphasis is placed on creating the perfect set of essays to complement my credentials. Prompts such as the page 217 essay of Penn’s application were hard to start, hard to write, and hard to perfect, and definitely would have been impossible to execute without Mr. Robertson helping me through the process. Mr. Robertson attentively corrected my Penn early decision essays more than 40 times, catching small errors such as both ‘gray’ and ‘grey’ written in different parts of the essay. I would receive emails in the early morning hours with further correction suggestions, proof that Mr. Robertson goes far above and beyond the average college application professional, that both edited my essay and also drove me to be a better writer. I am grateful that Mr. Robertson helped me create an application package that genuinely represented my personality and background in the best of light.
- JL, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton
I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of working with Mr. Robertson throughout my sophomore to senior years of high school. In addition to being a reliable counselor who advised me through the stresses of academic life, he thoroughly edited my applications for colleges and enrichment programs. His insightful suggestions and comments aided me in improving my writing tenfold, easing my acceptance into some very competitive places. What sets Mr. Robertson apart from the usual teacher is his genuine commitment to the success of his students. I could always count on Mr. Robertson to help me transform the mediocre to marvelous, even during last-minute rushes before deadlines. His upbeat personality and fantastic sense of humor also grounded me through difficult, SAT-filled times. I can confidently say that Mr. Robertson’s amazing guidance has played a huge role in bringing me to where I am now.
- KW, Dartmouth College
For anyone who knows Garth, he is amiable, personable, and extremely hardworking. Today’s college admissions is both highly competitive and convoluted; without an excellent mentor, one can easily become lost in the process. From day one, Garth has been there to guide me. From choosing next semester’s classes to asking how well I was balancing my extra-curriculars, Garth personalizes this process, building a plan based on the student instead of adjusting a vague one like many
companies do these days. He spends hours at times editing essays, reviewing applications, and giving sound advice. Above all, he is realistic and honest.
No words can express how thankful I am for Garth’s mentor-ship. He has truly changed my life. Now, I am sitting on an early acceptance to my top choice, the University of Chicago, with a generous merit scholarship. His tough-love advice really pays off in the end. I have also been accepted to every single school that I have heard back from, all due to Garth’s help. I highly recommend his services to anyone who many benefit from that extra boost to reach their dream college—I certainly did.
- JJ, University of Chicago
As a college consultant, Mr. Robertson has far exceeded my expectations. My first impression of him was that he genuinely cared about my (totally unnecessary) college paranoia. My second impression of him was that he really knew his stuff. Perhaps the reason that his students’ college acceptances are so successful is that he tries to fit the college to the student, rather than the other way around. It wasn’t until we started working on my essays, however, that he made me believe that I actually stood a chance to get into a college. Due to serious procrastination (despite Mr. Robertson’s constant admonitions), I ended up having way too much on my hands with too little time. Needless to say, I was pretty ready to just spew out some verbal diarrhea, slap it on Commonapp, hit the submit button, and call it a day. Mr. Robertson’s expectations, however, forced me to crank out fifth, sixth drafts of my essays. The day before the due date, he refused to sleep until I completed my work. Even after the essay season, he constantly reached out to me to follow up with deferral updates. Come March, April, May, and he was still there to help me decide my college. Mr. Robertson started out as my college counselor and eventually became an inspiration and a valuable friend. He certainly does way more than what’s on his “job description.”
- AC, Columbia University
Mr. Robertson truly cares for the well-being of all his students. He is devoted to working towards the success and happiness of each and every one of his students. Whenever you need his assistance, he is there ready to give his advice or lend a helping hand. I truly enjoyed working with Mr. Robertson and cannot thank him enough for all the effort and hours of hard work he put into helping me achieve my goals!
- EC, Harvard University
Garth is a great advisor, editor, and sounding board. He helps put the abstract values and ideas you have into real words. He guides in the analysis of ideas but never takes the words out of your mouth. His grammar and syntax is superb, and he’s very logical in approach. That makes him easy to follow and a pleasure to work with.
- AL, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton
Garth is surely among the most influential people in my life. In fact, when parents or students ask me for advice regarding the college process, the main tip I have is to work with him. Not any other college counselor. Garth. What stood out immediately when I first began working with Mr. Robertson was his professionalism. He is hardworking and organized, always ready for our meetings and never confusing me with anyone else despite all of his other students. As we began building my application he showed how knowledgeable he was about anything even remotely related to colleges and the admission process. I sent him so many emails asking about various minutiae that I would have annoyed myself, but Garth always gives me a full, detailed reply. It was when I began writing my college essays that Garth truly became my role model for hard work and excellence. He would work for hours revising my essays with me until I had a finished product that I was genuinely excited about. Even after he guided me to Northwestern he still remains a life friend who will always be there. I am excited to attend his alma mater and all I can say on behalf of my entire family and me is, “Thank you, Garth!”
- SL, Northwestern University
