Care about Growth
Plan for Success

Educational Counseling Services

ABOUT US
We CARE deeply about students’ growth and believe in the power of planning for long-term SUCCESS. After years of counseling for admission applications, we realize that students need more than a checklist with tasks and action items. It is our honor to accompany students in exploring their passion, profession, vocation, mission, and even the purpose of life on their way to college.

From the admission people’s perspective, a holistic admission approach evaluates not just academic credentials, but also a student’s character, values, and willingness to contribute meaningfully to a community. It seeks individuals who embody curiosity, integrity, and a genuine openness to diverse perspectives.

Our mission is to inspire students to identify their values, strengths, and ambition, discover their unique identities, build their rewarding growth paths, gain practical experience with signature projects, showcase their characters through community engagement, and find their position in the world successfully. That is why our team respects each student’s uniqueness and provides individualized admissions experience for students to develop a personal vision for college & beyond.

our Services

1-ON-1 CONSULTING

1-ON-1 CONSULTING

For College Application (11-12G), by following our approach of major strategy and school selection, our students not only craft quality college applications, but also showcase their characters, values, and strengths with unforgettable stories. For College Planning (8-10G), beyond helping students with their course selection, activity planning, summer program, and major exploration, we empower them to make a detailed plan for their education, career, and growth. Additionally, we assist with private middle/high school admission, community college and international school transfer, and graduate school admission

STUDENT WORKSHOPS

STUDENT WORKSHOPS

In a group setting, students will gain intensive knowledge and skills about developing their major direction, writing compelling essays, and preparing for their dream colleges. To guide students to find their direction and vision for life, we offer the Life & Major Exploration Workshops mainly for 8th - 10th graders. To prepare students better for reflective writing for the summer programs and college applications, the former admission director will teach Essay Writing classes for both 10G (Personal Statement) and 11G (UC Personal Insight Questions and supplemental essays).

CAREER MENTORSHIP

CAREER MENTORSHIP

We emphasize human factors and the adaptability to the era of AI. By developing some interdisciplinary programs, such as Introduction to Business with Case Studies, we motivate students to explore multiple academic interests. Teaming with experienced tutors, mentors, and local non-profit organizations, we provide students with specific and individualized guidance for Academic Enrichment Programs, Research Projects, Community Engagement Projects, Internships & Part-time Jobs, Interest-Based Projects, and more, when they enter adulthood.

WHY Choose us

Caring for Growth

Discover their talents, passions, and perspectives, and develop their inner voice, confidence, and life skills

Planning for Success

Foster an expansive vision of their future and navigate students for long-term education and career success

Empowering for Impact

Align personal growth with social impact and inspire them to grow their careers through mentorship

our Team

She received UC Berkeley credentials in College Admissions & Career Planning and specializes in developing students' self-awareness, extracurriculars, and major direction, while supporting families in the whole process of applications.

Certified Counselor
Counselor for 8-10G

He worked on the college side for 10+ years for 5 schools, like Purdue University, UC Berkeley (M.E.T.), and Columbia College. With his 15+ years of counseling experience, he assists students with college selection, major strategies, and essay writing.

Former Admission Director
Counselor for 11-12G

To reduce parents' financial pressure, advisor will help our families understand the basics of need-based and merit-based scholarships, and lay out the roadmap to optimal college financial aid and scholarships, aligning with students' dream major/school.

Certified Financial Advisor

Testimonials

 Jing and Dennis have been exceptional partners from day one. They began by investing substantial time in mapping out our son’s entire application timeline—an effort that laid the groundwork for everything that followed. Although we engaged their services only at the start of the summer before his senior year, they demonstrated remarkable patience and skill in guiding him to articulate his true identity and passions. They conducted in‑depth interviews with my wife and me, ensuring our perspectives were seamlessly integrated into their coaching of my son. They helped him uncover his passion that he has been pursuing intuitively and weaved achievements and experiences into a cohesive, compelling story. For each application, they guided my son in responding to various questions using his authentic voice. Managing more than ten applications across Early Action and Regular Decision cycles is no small feat, yet Jing and Dennis executed flawless project management. When our son’s extracurricular commitments forced last‑minute rushes, they adjusted their schedule without hesitation, rigorously reviewing each submission to meet every deadline. After my son received several offers and could not decide, Jing and Dennis equipped him with a structured framework for evaluating each institution. Even after our son made his decision, they made themselves available for further counsel and offered him advice that is invaluable as he is preparing to transition to college life. After nearly twelve months of collaboration, our son emerges with profound clarity about who he is and where his true passions lie. He enters this next chapter confident, focused, and fully prepared, thanks entirely to the outstanding guidance of Jing and Dennis. 

Parent in Georgia

 In the middle of my sophomore year, I met C4S. I was amidst a state of confusion regarding what I wanted to do with my life and also how I was going to get into a solid college. With a lower GPA, I thought about giving up. Meeting Ms. Xiao opened my eyes to life and told me college isn’t just about academics, it’s about ME. The person I am and what I enjoy all contribute to my profile for college applications. Despite getting the basics, what sets Ms. Xiao and Dennis apart is what they can help you move forward beyond college. You don’t just get the suggestions for essays, you get mentors who nurture you into a better person. I was presented with opportunities and connections that blossomed my motivation for extracurriculars in high school and confidence in contributing to the local community that you couldn’t find anywhere else. 

Student in SF Bay Area: D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, Class of 2029 in Finance

 I started with C4S last year as an upcoming senior, and their guidance has been invaluable! Although I am not the best writer, Jing and Dennis took as much time as needed to help me brainstorm and write authentic and compelling essays that best portrayed my identity and passions. They asked challenging questions that helped me continually write better drafts. Throughout this process, both Jing and Dennis were always available, whether over text or Zoom. This was extremely helpful closer to big deadlines, giving me the chance to get some last-minute support, whether with essays or filling out applications! Overall, I could not recommend C4S more! 

Student in Georgia: College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Class of 2029

 这些天真是过得很恍惚，不知是梦还是现实！这个结果是我想都不敢想的，这一切都是与您们精心策划与全力支持分不开的，否则绝不可能有这样的收获的。在此表示衷心的感谢，希望有更多的学生得到你们的帮助，走进自己理想的学校！ 

Parent in Los Angeles: Princeton U - Class of 2027 in Political Science

 I started my college counseling journey with C4S at the beginning of my junior year. The counselors helped me improve my extracurricular activities and practice answering prompts for college essays. I learned to adjust my writing style to more storytelling to keep admissions officers interested in what I had to say, and I improved on quantifying what I had done in my extracurriculars to make them seem more appealing and impactful. Through using this service, I streamlined my application process, and I never felt completely overwhelmed or stressed. 

Student in Oklahoma: Boston College - Class of 2027 in Finance

 非常感谢您们的帮忙，非常专业也非常敬业，深表感谢，以后还有很多事情需要帮助，也希望能把您们推荐给大家，保持联系哦！ 

Parent in San Francisco Bay Area: UC Berkeley - Class of 2026 in Engineering

 I started my college consulting with C4S in February 2022, and the whole process lasted for about a year until I received the offer from USC on January 21st. Even though we had 16 hours of time difference, the counselors were always there to help, and we kept having weekly Zoom meetings to discuss my essays, activity list, college selections, etc. Most importantly, we chatted about society, education, and other social issues, which I would consider to be a more precious experience than simply modifying college application essays. Overall thank you for accompanying me throughout the whole application process and I really appreciated your help and advice. Looking forward to seeing you in LA! 

Student in China: USC - Class of 2027 in Journalism

 In all honesty, workshops are the most useful extracurricular classes I have ever taken. It stands out for its strategic insight, which no other class could offer. This course does not simply tell somebody how to use their time well, or how to get accepted into a good college. It is much more than that: it envelops essentially everything one will meet on their high school journey and serves much more purpose than a simple course. Personally speaking, it helped me focus my life. Before I took the course, my state of life was either doing nothing or doing a ton of things but still getting nothing done. After I took this course, I could actually identify the things I need to do, and get to doing those things on time. A valuable lesson I gained from this course is the necessity to get into a good college, and how to apply time and effort to successfully complete the “requirements” for a good college. This course essentially helped me clarify what I should work on, which is extremely helpful. Finally, this course can help with self-doubt and lack of self-esteem by allowing someone to have direction in their lives and also have a better understanding of themselves. 

Student San Francisco Bay Area: Life & Major Exploration workshops

 My favorite part of this course was creating the Odyssey Plan for my future, which lists out the general activities I would like to complete and how they connect to later years. It was one of the biggest takeaways of this course, along with learning about the steps to designing my life. This was something I had never experienced and creating the plan helped me envision what exactly I wanted to do. This course really helped me clarify my general direction in life, and answered many questions about professional career paths. It also taught me a lot about college applications and what lots of colleges are looking for. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in exploring career paths or deciding on majors! 

Student in San Francisco Bay Area: Life & Major Exploration workshops
  

Contact us

  • Sunnyvale, California, United States