Former Students/ Parents
MY PREP 4 COLLEGE
(949) 463-3851
Judy Bailey College Planning
MARTHA DUQUE, Parent
I wanted to express my most heartfelt thank you for all the help you offered Monique in the preparation of her college apps. You provided her with a sense of calm, order, and comfort, which turned this process into a fun and exciting one for her. Thank you! I also have to say that your attention to detail blew me away! Even despite the limitations imposed by Covid, you didn't skip a beat! I was very impressed by your level of involvement and the quality of your feedback. You were instrumental in preserving the family harmony during these tough times!
MONIQUE DAVE, University of Texas @ Austin Class of 2025 (Corona del Mar High School)
I am writing to thank you for all of your help over the past couple of years and especially the last two months. I am so incredibly grateful to have had you as my college counselor. I would have been completely lost if I'd had to apply on my own. Thank you for taking the time to review each and every prompt and question on all 11 of my applications and helping me to fix every little mistake. Working with you has been wonderful and I am excited to head off to college next year. I will definitely let you know when I hear back. You are the best!
MELANIE WENK, Parent
COLBY WENK, Wisconsin Class of 2024 (Santa Margarita High School)
I have been meaning to email you and say thank you. Colby enjoyed working with you so much and it was off of your advice that he toured and applied to Indiana, Georgia and Wisconsin. You really got to know him and what he wanted from a college, it turned out those were his three favorite schools. We are so excited for him to be attending Wisconsin as a Direct Admit to the business school. I know he is going to have the college experience he dreamed of. You are so good at your job and I am so happy that four years ago we made the decision to start a working relationship with you.
LAURIE BENSON, Parent
WYATT BENSON, Princeton University Class of 2022 (Mater Dei High School)
Mrs. Bailey provided the very best guidance and support, helping Wyatt to become a competitive candidate for college admissions. We felt confident and secure from our first meeting and knew that her expertise was something that would greatly assist us in getting Wyatt into the right college for him. Each important component, including course planning, managing extracurricular activities, and knowing when to prepare for standardized tests, was overseen by Mrs. Bailey.
For recruited athletes and others applying Early, Mrs. Bailey provides the organization and information needed to take advantage of these opportunities. Throughout his college search journey, there were no surprises and Wyatt never felt rushed or unprepared. Mrs. Bailey was always available to answer questions and provide sound advice. When it was time to apply, Wyatt had a complete, comprehensive application package that gave a thorough representation of him as student, an athlete, and a person. It is with sincere gratitude that Wyatt and I thank her for sharing her expensive experience and strategies with us!
SAMANTHA SCHROFF, USC Class of 2019 (Newport Harbor High School)
As the college admissions process becomes increasingly more competitive and crazy-making, I cannot recommend Judy Bailey enough. From Day One as a freshman, Mrs. Bailey really took the time to understand what “made me tick,” allowing me to distinguish myself from my peers in my essays, interviews and resume. And speaking of resumes, Mrs. Bailey showed me how to slowly and steadily build my resume over the past four years; that resume was a valuable tool in not only the college application process, but also in supplementing scholarship applications.
Mrs. Bailey’s organizational skills, application deadlines matrix and expert advice reassured both me and my parents, allowing me to focus on the important things and prioritize my activities, which in turn, gave me time for myself and my family. I could always get ahold of Mrs. Bailey and she always had a prompt and informative answer to my questions. Through it all, Mrs. Bailey was always caring and would always ask me, “Are you getting enough sleep?” I owe Mrs. Bailey so much. She is a college planner extraordinaire and my three pieces of advice to future students are: (1) get signed up with Mrs. Bailey as soon as you possibly can in your freshman year (or maybe even as an eighth grader), (2) try to promptly follow all of Mrs. Bailey’s advice according to her Meeting Summary Worksheets, and (3) rest assured that you are in expert hands with Mrs. Bailey.
Thank you, Mrs. Bailey!!!
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JERRILYNN KLINE, Parent
KACIE KLINE, USC Class of 2018 (Corona del Mar High School)
Thank you so much for all of your assistance during Kacie’s college application process! Your many years of experience make you an incredible source of knowledge and wisdom, and we thank you for sharing that with us. There was never a question that you were unable to answer. Thank you for all of the updates, reminder emails and check lists to keep us on track. We appreciate your quick response to emails and your attention to details. Upon submission, Kacie’s essays and applications were as close to perfect as possible!
Thank you for getting to know Kacie, for understanding her strengths, talents and interests, and encouraging her to broaden her experiences and strengthen her resume. Thank you for helping her see how she stood out among her peers. Kacie is so appreciative of your assistance with her admission and scholarship interviews. The mock interview you did with Kacie allowed her to anticipate what questions might be asked, and practice her answers in a safe environment. Thank you for your advice, and for giving her the confidence to be successful during those interviews. I will miss our constant contact next year!
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AJ SANTA MARIA
Stanford University '16 (Corona del Mar High School)
"I cannot thank Mrs. Bailey enough for all of her help. Applying to college, studying for school, playing a sport, and juggling all of my other extracurricular activities while still having time for myself and my family was tough at times. But Mrs. Bailey really helped me through that with her expert advice, her organizational skills, and honestly, just her awesome understanding of the mad game we call “getting into college.” She really helped me determine which schools were best for me and assisted while I crafted my essays. At the same time, she guided me through that whole SAT/ACT nightmare (as I’m sure we’re all aware of-- or soon will be). And besides her excellent understanding of college, her warm personality, caring tone, and bowl of candy on her desk allowed me to catch my breath during such a crazy time. I also loved being able to get a hold of her whenever I had a question (I hope I didn’t bug her too much) and her consistent willingness to help me. This fall I will be attending Stanford University and along with the help from my family, friends, and teachers, I owe Mrs. Bailey so much. She is a marvelous counselor and I know she will help many
others in the future.
Thank you, Mrs. Bailey!"
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KATHRYN CONNER
Brown University '15 (Santa Margarita Catholic High School)
"Mrs. Bailey played the most pivotal role in my college admissions process. Not only did she help me with class scheduling, ACT preparation, and activity involvement throughout my high school years, but was also extremely helpful with my college athletic recruiting. She respected my hopes to play volleyball in college, and made every effort to find a college that fit my academic and athletic ability, as well as my personality. The best advice Mrs. Bailey ever gave me was her encouragement to join my high school Yearbook staff my sophomore year. Whether or not my decision to join Yearbook helped me get into the college of my dreams, I don’t know – but what I do know is that I now have a lifelong love for visual arts and graphic design that can only be attributed to Mrs. Bailey’s advice. She was truly able to build a personal relationship with me that really came in handy when she helped me with the brainstorming/editing of my college application essays. I was more than just another student to her, and knowing all my hard work actually mattered to someone was so important during such a stressful time. Because of her guidance, I have the opportunity to be a student-athlete at one of the top colleges in the nation. I am so thankful for all of her advice and guidance through the years – I couldn’t have done it without her!
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TESS HUY
Washington University '15 (UMEI Christian High School, Ontario, Canada)
"Judy Bailey was a fantastic college counselor. As a Canadian student, I knew little about applying to American universities, however, with Judy's help, the process became simple and much less stressful. Even though I was all the way across the continent, we were still able to communicate effectively through email and phone calls. Her knowledge on universities was abundant; she understood what I was looking for in a college and suggested universities that perfectly fit my descriptions of schools with strong programs in my area of study, etc. Basically, I wouldn't have been able to get into the schools that I got into without Judy's guidance."
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EVAN ZEPFEL
Harvard '12 (Corona del Mar HS)
Mrs. Bailey was the single most helpful person in the college admission process for me. She helped me choose where to send applications and brainstorm my essays. Once decisions came out and I learned that I had been waitlisted, she always remained positive and hopeful, and helped me do everything I could to get admitted and off the wait list. ezepfel@gmail.com
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ASHLEY KIRBY
UCLA '12 (Corona del Mar HS)
"Mrs. Bailey-
I just wanted to thank you for all of the support and help throughout this stressful process. I can't even explain how excited I am to be a bruin! I never would have thought that I would end up at UCLA and I attribute so much of that to your assistance. Starting out, the whole college process seemed so overwhelming, but you helped me to take one step at a time. UCLA gives me everything I want in a college and I can't wait to begin!"
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ALEX GORMLY
UC Berkeley '11 (Corona del Mar High School)
"The college process was an overwhelming and daunting process for me throughout high school. The combination of AP classes, SAT, ACT, AP exams, and community service is a lot to handle alone. However, with Mrs. Bailey’s help, I became much less stressed out and a lot more organized. She has so much experience with college planning, and is extremely helpful and knowledgeable in everything from tutors to test prep to athletic recruiting. She set me up with an amazing tutor, an incredible international community service program in Brazil, and gave me her suggestions on class and college choices. In the end, because of her guidance and my own hard work, I had my choice of a range of colleges to go to! She gave me confidence in my own college process and always managed to talk me through everything that came up. I am so thankful for her help, and I couldn’t have done it without her!"
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RAZVAN UNGUREANU
Rice '06 (Corona del Mar High School)
"I remember walking into Mrs. Bailey's office four years ago, a little confused, a bit uncertain, and terribly worried about college. I was troubled by the same questions every student faces during the fall of senior year. What are college applications all about? What should I write in my personal statement? Will I ever get in?
I remember walking out of Mrs. Bailey's office smiling, enthusiastic about college, and confident about the future. During my frequent returns to her office, Mrs. Bailey shared with me her vast knowledge about colleges, taught me what admission officers look for in the essays, and offered priceless advice about the application process, letters of recommendation and interviews. Several months later, in the spring, I got into the school of my dreams and I have been grateful for her help ever since."
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KINZIE KRAMER
UC Berkeley '08 (Corona del Mar High School)
"Mrs. Bailey was a huge help in the application process- she got me started early enough so that I never felt stressed, but late enough so that I could actually enjoy my junior and senior year without college applications being the only thing on my mind.
The whole application process was actually quite enjoyable because she made it fun and exciting thinking about the future. That is one of Mrs. Bailey's greatest attributes as a college counselor-- to make the highly stressful application process not seem so intense.
And lastly, Mrs. Bailey is incredibly knowledgeable. She knows TONS about basically ALL colleges, not just the UCs or Ivy League schools, which makes you confident that absolutely every option for college is made known and available to you."
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JEFF SMITH
UCLA '09 (San Clemente High School)
"The application process seemed overwhelming to me until Mrs. Bailey helped me break it down step by step and gave me the confidence that I could get it all done. The best thing that I did was come to see her early on in high school. She helped me select the right classes I needed to take and ultimately helped me get into a Division I water polo school."
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BEAU STOCKSTILL
Stanford '07 (Corona del Mar HS)
"Mrs. Bailey is an incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable college counselor. She was a tremendous help to me throughout the application and decision-making processes. She helped me find interesting topics for my personal statements and continually guided me through the revision process until I finally had compelling and engaging essays to send with my applications. She knows exactly what colleges are looking for, and she is a priceless resource throughout the process of contacting schools, filling out applications, writing essays, asking for and sending recommendations, and all of the other facets of the college application process. Most importantly, she was very positive and supportive throughout the process.
Stanford is hands down the best university in the nation and a great place to be. We have incredible academic strength as well as the nation's best and most successful athletic department, and best of all, you don't even have to leave sunny California. Classes are interesting and engaging, and all of them are taught by professors, with the larger classes having additional small discussion sections run by TAs. Palo Alto is a beautiful city with a fun downtown and a very pleasant and safe feel to it. Since property off campus is pretty expensive, you are guaranteed housing all four years, and most students live on campus, so the social scene on campus is always very active and fun. All in all, you really can't beat Stanford.
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JENNIFER BUNNEY
Tufts '08 (Laguna Beach High School)
"I had no idea where to start when first applying to colleges. Mrs. Bailey organized everything for me and helped me cope with the stress that accompanied the application process. She gave me a step-by-step plan that allowed me to meet all of my deadlines but not overwhelm me, and in the end succesfully helped me get accepted to my very first choice school. Mrs. Bailey helped me countless times in between our meetings and in my opinion, went way above and beyond the duty of a college counselor."