PathIvy — Local services in Sammamish

As parents, we all make many important decisions regarding our children’s lives. From the moment they are born to the incredibly exciting and transformational time we are currently experiencing as they apply to and prepare to attend college, it is sometimes only in retrospect that we realize the true impact of those decisions. It is not hyperbole to say that choosing to seek the help of Vicky and her team at Path Ivy has been one of the most important and best decisions that our family has made regarding our twin daughters’ future. There is simply not enough room in an online review to articulate how much we value and appreciate the support, guidance, encouragement, and education that Vicky and her team have provided our daughters as they reach for their dreams and apply to some the top schools in the world.

This experience has far surpassed what we thought we were signing up for when we chose a college counselor. Vicky has offered so much wisdom and insight regarding not only the application process, but also our girls’ perspectives on their college careers. Some may view the application process as a simply a set of activities your kids need to accomplish. With the help of Vicky and her team, our family now understands that the entire process, from school selection, to drafting personal and thoughtful essays, to prepping for interviews and managing expectations around responses is a comprehensive endeavor requiring diligence and thoughtfulness. She has communicated clearly with our family throughout the process and always offers and an honest perspective. She has encouraged the best from our girls, they have grown under her guidance and have learned so much since the moment they began drafting their very first essays. Vicky and Path Ivy are more than basic service providers, they are guidance counselors, part-time therapists, and knowledgeable resources who apply their expertise and support in the most personal and effective way. And, as a parent, I think (maybe hope) we can all relate to how challenging it can be to motivate your kids to get something done. Path Ivy takes that off your hands. Because of the authentic relationship they create, our daughters want to make Vicky and their Francisco proud; they have become close through the process. I think that is reason the Vicky and Path Ivy standout, the support is so personalized, your family and the PI team become one team focused on a single cohesive goal, to create the best possible outcome for your kids. At the same time, we all learn and grow via the process. You must experience this with Path Ivy to fully understand their investment in your children’s future.

We are happy to speak to any parent about our experience with Path Ivy. Do not hesitate to ask for our contact info. We encourage you to engage Vicky and her team. Your children’s educational future will be the best of hands with Vicky and her team!

John and...

I think most of my credibility when recommending college counselors comes from how many I’ve tried out. Katie, from PathIvy, was the third counselor I had, but the first one I instantly clicked with. I remember feeling all my anxiety connected to college applications leave the room the first time I met with her. I liked that Katie’s emphasis was on what I was passionate about rather than what I needed to put in the CommonApp, and I was pleasantly surprised when, more often than not, she shared my passions too. I was always excited to meet with her, and I left all of our meetings inspired to continue working. I remember once telling my mom that “if all my friends stopped talking to me, I’d be fine as long as I could still talk to Katie”.

Even when college application season reached its peak, and she grew worried (and I’m sure a bit annoyed) with my tendency to procrastinate, Katie was always there to support me. She answered all of my long winded and panicked messages—striking an appropriate balance between reassuring and proactive—and made every effort to meet with me when I wanted her to. I was comfortable telling her many stories while trudging through personal and emotional essays, and never felt uneasy when I needed to show her my writing. As someone who is often stressed and already knew very little about applying to college, Katie was an integral and indispensable part of my junior and senior years.

I personally benefited even more from Katie, as she herself had spent time studying, researching, and teaching at my first choice, Columbia University, which I will be attending in the fall. Thus, I was able to get an intimate and well informed perspective from her about the school—helping me solidify that it was the correct choice for my next four years. And even after I had stopped meeting with her regularly, Katie was happy to schedule a Zoom meeting to talk about the uncertain political landscape regarding higher education—a context in which I valued her opinion greatly.

It has always been very clear that, first and foremost, Katie’s care is for her students, regardless of what specific job she was hired to do. For me, she was a counselor, a friend, a mentor, an advisor, a confidant and so much more. I am very appreciative of all she did for me and feel incredibly lucky that she was a part of my high school experience. I give Katie my strongest recommendation and know that any kid under her guidance is very lucky to have her.

Thank you to PathIvy, Vicky, and of course, Katie for...

My Experience with PathIvy has been so invaluable to my academic and personal journey. In particular I worked with Dr. Mike Brady, who went above and beyond to ensure my applications encapsulated who I am and what I value. Approaching this process as a transfer applicant, I was confused, felt unsupported, and did not know where to begin. There are so many technical anomalies when it comes to applying as a transfer and Mike sat diligently and patiently in uncovering every nuance that came with it. Not only that, but once it came time to begin the drafting process, he helped me self reflect in a way I had never done before. My essays felt like extensions of me, guided by his lifelong expertise. I was enthralled to look back and view my finished applications as each essay felt so authentic and this would not of been possible if it was not for Mike helping me incite deep reflections and extract ideas I never even considered. Mike went above and beyond spending countless overtime hours with me. He cared about my application just as much as I did, and brought a data driven, attention to detail approach that was so crucial in making sure my applications were perfect. It has been such an amazing experience working with Mike and the Pathivy team, my only regret is not hiring them sooner in my high school career. Even though I found them later in the process as a transfer, I can assure that the lessons Mike has taught me surrounding my writing, how I approach challenge, and how much the details matter, are things I will take with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Mike, and the PathIvy team, without you guys I can say confidently that the complications surrounding transfer applications would have left me unmotivated and hesitant to even send an application out. I know my full potential is in reach thanks to you!

For context, I was attending a large state school and was looking for more out of my undergraduate experience. With the help of PathIvy and Dr. Mike Brady I received acceptance to Georgetown University where I will be attending...