High School & College Admissions Counseling
College Admissions begins on your first day of high school. Every decision you make moving forward will influence your path to college!
FRESHMAN ADVANTAGE

We are so excited to help guide you on your journey throughout high school. Our goal is to get to know you well, help you to explore your academic and social interests, and encourage you to try new things beyond your comfort zone. We want you to be open to new ideas while striving to increase your ability and interest in areas you already enjoy. As we plan your academic path, we will help you build intellectual curiosity, develop your time management and study skills, and stress the importance of communication in one-on-one and group settings, especially with regard to your teachers and peers.
You can choose to enroll in Freshman Advantage Counseling Program for:
- 2 years (Grade: 9th-10th)
- 3 years (Grade: 9th-10th-11th)
- 4 years (Grade: 9th-10th-11th-12th)
SOPHOMORE EDGE

The Sophomore Edge is about exploration, planning, and commitment. It begins with better time management and study skills firmly in place as a carryover from the Freshman Advantage package. Now you and your counselor will focus on more intelligent decision-making techniques. Your counselor will provide expert-level academic support and help you plan your courses at school, in the summer, and online. This is also the year to begin planning for your standardized tests like the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Test, and AP Exams. Rounding out your Sophomore Edge program, we focus on leadership success and planning for a significant summer experience that allows you to develop your future interests, learn responsibility, and understand how to work as part of a team.
You can choose to enroll in Sophomore Edge Counseling Program for:
- 2 years (Grade: 10th-11th)
- 3 years (Grade: 10th-11th-12th)
JUNIOR DISTINCTION

The Junior Distinction program begins with a heightened emphasis on academic excellence and standardized testing needs with careful attention to your individual college goals. Your leadership success training will continue both within school hours and on your own time as you grow into a mature, contributing member of the community. As college application season draws near, we know how important it is for students to narrow their major choices, conduct in-depth research, schedule campus visits, and apply to summer internships.
Summer Internships
The process of identifying, selecting, and applying to summer internships is likely  more daunting  then college admissions. This is because internships are not raked or curated by one or a few sources like US News. Students and their parents are peppered with promotional materials of Summer Colleges, Exchange Programs, Volunteer experiences, and more. How to choose? Is pay as you go ok? Do colleges assign value to these?
As Insight we work to first identify your personality and how it plays with your academic interests in order to identify a subset of summer experiences that would be best suited for you. We think of the summer program/internships process as a mini-college admissions journey. You will secure teacher recommendations, you will write essays, and assemble and submit your completed applications. Insight will be there from start to finish to support you throughout the process.
- Junior Distinction Counseling Program is a 2-year program spread across 11th and 12th grade.
SENIOR INSIGHT

In the senior year, the scope of our program expands to include the full range of tasks associated with the complex and sometimes daunting process of applying to college. At Insight, we believe the process of applying to college holds intrinsic value in the form of self-reflection and values clarification. We work with our students not only as experts in producing polished applications, but as coaches at this critical juncture on the lifelong journey of learning about the world and one’s place within it. Experience has taught us that the most compelling applications emerge when students embrace the admissions process as an opportunity to know themselves more fully. In so doing, our students are also better prepared to meet the challenges of the college environment. Likewise, we are committed to identifying schools that are the best fit for each student’s educational and long-term goals.
We also specialize in:
- Athletic Admissions
- Visual and Performing Arts Admissions
- Combined Medical (BA/BS-MD) Admissions
- Combined Dental (BA/BS-DDS) Admissions
- Combined Pharmacy Admissions
- Medical School Admissions
- Law School Admissions
You can choose to enroll in our Admissions Insight Counseling Program (Live or Online) as follows:
- Silver package
- Gold package
- Platinum package
Schedule your 1-hour college planning session (Live or Online)
Our Workshops and Clinics (In-person or Online by Zoom)
We host more than 20 unique clinics and workshops (offered in-person or by Zoom for remote clients) for Insight counseling students and parents. These are led by our expert college counseling team.
Some of our past clinics include:
– Demystifying College Essays
– UC, Common, Coalition and Cal State Application Workshops
– Nail your College Interviews
– What to Expect in Admissions for Parents
– Financial Aid
– Cover Letter and Resume Workshop
– Managing your Social Media
– Demonstrating Talent: Portfolios
– Demonstrating Talent: Athletics
– Alternative Majors to Computer Science
– Major Decisions
– So, You Want to be a Doctor?
And many, many more!
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Insights into Honors College and Honors Program
May 5, 2023
So, you have heard great things about honors colleges and college honors programs. Now what? In this blog post, Insight Senior College Admissions Counselor Meilin Obinata will guide you through various factors to help you figure out if one of these w..
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Happy College Signing Day, Insight Class of 2023!
April 17, 2023
On May 1st, we celebrate our amazing Class of 2023! It has been our privilege as a team to work with the students and families that entrusted us during this process. We are so proud of all the hard work, resilience, creativity, and dedication shown b..
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Admitted! Which College Offer Should I Accept?
March 29, 2023
Congratulations! Around this time of the year, all of us at Team Insight have the privilege to share the joy of our students and families as they receive acceptance letters. Now comes the next big question: “which school should I go to?” ..
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Waitlist and Appeal – What Should You Do?
March 15, 2023
We always look forward to this time of year filled with excitement — the time when college decisions are released. It marks years of hard work and dedication. It also brings with it hope for the future and a new beginning. And while we celebrate ac..
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ChatGPT vs. Admissions Counselors: Can AI write a compelling college essay?
March 13, 2023
Will ChatGPT affect your college essay? Are you no longer just competing with your peers in school when applying to college but with artificial intelligence (AI) as well? The new AI-based writing tool, ChatGPT, has been in the headlines. From writin..
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Insights to the New Digital SAT
March 9, 2023
In early 2022, College Board announced their plan to launch a new, digital SAT. To many, the timing of this announcement does not come as a shock. During the Covid pandemic, millions of students lost access to testing centers for both the SAT and ACT..
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Parenting During College Admissions – Our Top Insights!
February 13, 2023
College admissions is a stressful time for the entire family. Seniors are anxious about starting a new chapter of their lives and leaving the comforts of home behind. Parents are equally worried about sending their children off into the world, hoping..
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Accepted, Deferred, or Denied: Understand Early Admissions Results
January 5, 2023
If you submitted your college application early back in October or November, late December and early January is usually a very exciting time for you as you are starting to hear back your early admissions results. Not sure when will you know yo..
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23 amazing years of Insight!
December 22, 2022
2022, another amazing year for Team Insight! We have been so blessed to share so many milestones and journeys with Insight’s students and families over the past 23 years. In 2022, our office is fully in-person, and we couldn’t be happier ..
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Top 3 College Admissions Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
November 29, 2022
Picture this. You are sitting in front of your computer, smiling as wide as you can. You hope the person at the other end of the video call can’t see you sweat. Your heart is pounding so hard that you can hear it through your headphones. Yes, t..
UPCOMING TEST
PREP CLASSES
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16June
SAT Advantage Session 1
Mon, Wed & Fri
Total 11 DaysCupertino
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10July
ACT July Boot Camp
Mon - Fri
Total 10 DaysCupertino
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17July
SAT July Boot Camp
Mon - Fri
Total 10 DaysCupertino
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31July
ACT August Boot Camp
Mon - Fri
Total 10 DaysCupertino
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16June
SAT Pinnacle Turbo-
July OptionWeekdays
21 Days!Cupertino
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16June
SAT Pinnacle Turbo-
August OptionWeekdays
21 Days!Cupertino
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31July
SAT August Boot Camp
Mon - Fri
Total 10 DaysCupertino
What Are Insight Students & Parents saying?
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“I liked the structured method by which Zach approached the whole admission process. First, there was research into colleges to make a list, ”
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“Priya was absolutely amazing to work with! We are thrilled that our son got into his top choice for college at LMU for the undergraduate bus”
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“Thank you so much for helping me formulate my thoughts into words and help me write my essays. I got into Ut Austin for biology – stil”
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“I just wanted to thank you again for your help during the college admission process. My family and I have been scrambling to figure out the ”
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“I really couldn’t have gotten to Harvard without you. In shock. Thank you x10000000000000! I have the best college counselor in the wo”
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“I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time out of your day to organize a meeting with me and help me in writing my summer program es”
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“I just got my SAT scores on Friday, and I am happy to let you know that I scored an 800 on both the Biology-M and Math II tests. Thank you s”
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“Our ACT instructor methods were so helpful and wonderful to have.”
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“Zach, thank you so much for helping me become a confident and successful writer”
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“We were extremely happy throughout the process – got much more than what we invested in Insight counseling.”