"I have worked on Wall Street; I was on the trading floor at Bear Stearns the day it collapsed; I made a move to Tokyo and am adapting to life in the Orient. I am also getting married this year and in the midst of planning the wedding of my dreams. Yet hands down, the most nerve-wracking, midnight cold-sweating, stomach-aching time of my life was applying for college. I look back on this time now, and while it was the most stressful time of my life thus far, I do not regret one nano-second of agony, one more laborious re-edit of an essay, or the arduous task of ensuring every facet of my applications had the perfect presentation. I was accepted into the college of my dreams, had the four-year experience of my lifetime, and cannot concretely express the immensely wonderful, rocket launching impact my alma mater, Princeton University, has on my life. While I had the extracurriculars, the story, the grades, and the test scores, in order to get into to Princeton, I still needed guidance; I could not have done it on my own. In particular, I could not have done it without Jill.

Jill helped me to focus my essays so that my application reflected my personality and emphasized my strengths. She spent hours reading my applications, discussing them with me, and helping me fold myself into them, neatly, strongly, and successfully. In addition to ensuring I performed in the application process, she went out of her way to introduce me and connect me with people, alumni of relevant universities, who would answer my questions, advise me on the interview process, and maybe even write a personal recommendation on my behalf. I am thankful every day I went to Princeton and likewise, for Jill, for her skillful ability to keep my mother and me sane during this time, and mostly, for her investment and belief in me.

- Alicia Knapp Bonilla 2007
Princeton University

"Jill is wonderful! She has the ability to skillfully, intelligently, and marvelously guide a student and his/her parents through the maze known as “the college application process.” I found her guidance of particular importance since I had no personal knowledge of the US Higher Education System. Jill's in depth knowledge of the various colleges/universities and their requirements combined with an uncanny ability to match each student with suitable schools led my two children to receive acceptance letters from schools throughout the United States and Europe. Jill is a joy to work with!"

- Carina Gors

"It was not until our daughter's senior year of high school that I learned about Jill MacDougal. Jill was invaluable to Elizabeth with her resume and her essay. Jill recommended that she take the ACT test, and they worked together for weeks in preparation. Jill taught Elizabeth the information needed for this test and Elizabeth responded very well to her teaching. Her ACT scores were very good.

Jill offered another invaluable opportunity, a tea at her house when the S.M.U. admissions officer was in town; all of her SMU applicants had the opportunity to have a one-on-one visit with him. They were able to discuss their reasons for choosing S.M.U and state their case why they would be an asset to the school. We learned later this visit was the tipping point for Elizabeth's full admission to S.M.U. This opportunity would not have been available without Jill.

Jill has always put her students first. Her tutoring, encouragement and assistance to our daughter was invaluable; the counseling she gave us as parents was also a gift. I feel any student who has the opportunity to work with Jill MacDougal will greatly benefit from the experience."

- Sally Wood Keedy

"I am what you would call a procrastinator, so I put college applications off until the last minute. The University of Texas in Austin was always my dream school; however, I wasn’t in the top 10% and my SAT scores weren’t anything to rave about. I was desperate for help. Someone recommended Jill and I immediately made an appointment. I realized that she was possibly the most determined and efficient individual I had ever met. The scholarship application for UT was due in two days which meant that I had to submit the entire application right away. I was short two essays and had no idea how I would get it all done. We went through the application together and she helped me navigate and fill it out. I wrote two essays that night which I then sent to her for feedback. The next day we turned everything in. It was a miracle. No one thought I would be accepted; however, Jill was able to recognize my strong areas and focus on what I had accomplished. I will never forget reading my acceptance letter. Without Jill I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am now a Zeta at UT, studying art and experiencing the most incredible years of my life. "

- Elizabeth Lyons
University of Texas

"In our first meeting with Jill MacDougal she said, 'I eliminate the screaming.' That was enough to convince me knowing how competitive the college process had become and it is nearly as stressful for the parent as the child. However, Jill did much more than that while injecting levity and calm into the process. Jill eliminated the screaming, maintained the sanity and played an important role in getting both of my children into their top choice of university.

Jill recommended that Alicia apply early acceptance to at least one non-binding school. I’ll never forget Alicia stressing over her essays and saying in tears, “What if I don’t get into a single college or university?” When we got the acceptance from Boston College before Christmas, it made our holidays much brighter. While Jill was looking over Alicia’s work, she suggested she include one of her poems in her application to Princeton University to make her application stand out. She was accepted.

My son Austin also began working with Jill his junior year. For his senior year he chose to attend a Fine Arts Boarding School on the East Coast; when he came home for Winter break on December 20th, he had not applied anywhere! Fortunately Jill had had him write an essay the previous summer. Jill met with Austin during her Christmas holiday and on December 30th-- a day before the deadline for his applications; they completed all nine. Austin was accepted into nearly every school including his top choice NYU, where he is currently in the Tisch program."

- Deborah Knapp

"Without Jill I’m not sure I would have been able to get into Yale University. As I look back now, years after first working with Jill when I was a high-school junior, I have realized how special the role was that she played in helping launch me into my undergraduate education. I had the grades, the athletics, the aspirations – but Jill had the organization and the drive to make my goals a reality. From working with me on my SAT and ACT scores, to guiding my step-by-step through the application process, to pouring over my personal statements – and helping me them into quality pieces – Jill provided the patient and ongoing tutoring that made everything possible. Jill was there when I had questions, oftentimes late into the evenings, and was so gracious as to go above and beyond in working with me. More than a couple of times, when I was totally at a loss, I would give Jill a phone call, and she always came through.

Eventually, I was accepted at every school to which I applied, and I had the choice of attending Princeton, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth, UT, and several other top-notch schools. An outsider may easily consider that my success was due to my personal drive. This I did have, to be sure, but I strongly admit that nothing would have been possible without Jill. The level of engagement and personal interest she showed, the investment of her time and care into making me succeed made her the sine qua non of my post-secondary aspirations. More than any high-school teacher, guidance counselor, or friend, Jill MacDougal is to credit for my ability to understand, organize, and accomplish my college goals. Thank you, Jill!"

- Geoff Ellis
Yale University