Zenith Prep Academy Reviews 

I started working with my counselor, Sam Deery-Schmitt, in my junior year, and he went above and beyond throughout the whole process. Right from our first conversation, it was clear how invested he was in helping me succeed. He spent extra time helping me prepare additional applications and put together an academic and extracurricular plan built entirely around what I'm passionate about. The guidance he gave extended well beyond the applications themselves, setting me up for success once I get to college. His background in engineering and computer science made a real difference, too, since I could talk through my technical interests with him and he understood them. That understanding carried over into his feedback on anything technical I wrote for my applications, and his notes were always clear and easy to follow. I'd recommend Sam to any student looking for real, personalized guidance through the college application process.

Zenith has positively impacted me over the span of the last few years. My counselor, Mr. Sam Deery-Schmitt, has provided me actionable advice every month and introduced me to opportunities I would have never sought otherwise, such as essay writing competitions and research programs. He helped me gain a love of writing and research, as well as an interest in astronomy. I would like to thank him for all he has done for me.

We are now in our second year with Sam Deery-Schmitt, and we truly cannot express how grateful we are for the impact he has had on our son Rishi.

Sam has been warm, approachable, encouraging, and genuinely invested in Rishi's growth over the past 2 years. He understands Rishi's strengths and challenges, and helps him set clear goals.

Every session leaves Rishi energized. Rishi is always motivated to follow through on the tasks he and Sam discuss, and approaches each month with purpose. It is a direct reflection of the confidence and structure Sam has helped build in Rishi.

Sam is a mentor in the truest sense. His positive influence on Rishi has been consistent, meaningful, and something our whole family feels deeply.

Working with Zenith over the last two years has been an amazing experience. My counselor, Sam, provides invaluable strategic guidance and is highly knowledgeable, thorough, organized, and straight to the point. Sam is also incredibly kind, informative, and supportive, and I look forward to reaching my final goals with them!

Working with Sam has been an incredible experience. He genuinely cares about the students and families he works with and always takes the time to provide thoughtful, honest guidance. Throughout the process, Sam was always supportive, encouraging, and willing to answer any questions I had. His advice gave me confidence and helped me navigate the college admissions process with much less stress. I'm incredibly grateful for all of his help. It has truly been an absolute pleasure and honor working with him, and I couldn't recommend him more highly.

Zenith has been a wonderful experience for our family! We have been with Zenith for the last 3 years and our son is now entering high school. Sam Deery-Schmitt, has been amazing in giving us ideas and ways for him to pursue his passions even further. Without him, we wouldn't have known about over half of the programs Peter could be doing at his age. It has been an incredible tool for our family and we are looking forward to our youngest starting soon as well!

Sam Deery-Schmitt is my college counselor at Zenith. I am a rising junior, and he has been extremely helpful toward my growth as a student, both academically and mentally. He is very organized and encourages reflection and preparation. His guidance, advice, and feedback have been so valuable. Working with him has been a super cool experience!

We are having a great experience working with Stefan Waldschmidt from Zenith Prep Academy. Stefan truly took the time to get to know our son, helping him build a strong profile and work on various projects to strengthen his profile for college admissions. Stefan's guidance gave our son confidence to aim for top schools, and we are so grateful for the personalized support.

The ongoing extracurricular preparation guidance, and regular check-ins leading up to the application process helped a lot. Our counselor Jake was very caring, suggested different opportunities and supported the progress.

We have had a wonderful experience working with Zenith, and especially with Sam. Our child has followed a somewhat unusual educational path: partly homeschooled, highly curious, and often needing support that does not fit neatly into a standard school structure. As working parents, we wanted guidance from people who understood both advanced academics and the broader process of helping a young person grow into a strong, purposeful applicant over time. Zenith has been exactly that kind of partner.

What we have appreciated most is that Sam has taken the time to understand our child as a whole person. He has helped us think not just about courses and test scores, but about how to develop real interests, make thoughtful choices, and build a coherent path. Over time, interests that began more casually — including guitar and math — have become much deeper commitments with measurable successes and clear paths forward. Zenith helped us see how to support that growth in a way that felt authentic rather than forced and that has become a joy rather than a chore to our son.
Sam has also brought a level of domain knowledge that would have been very hard for us to replicate on our own. He has helped us identify resources, programs, outside classes, and online options that we simply would not have known about otherwise. He has also been invaluable in helping our son become more organized and intentional. With a mix of advanced academics, music, math, rowing, and other commitments, it would be easy for things to become scattered or overwhelming. Sam helped us think through priorities, balance, and planning so that our child could pursue ambitious goals while still keeping the overall picture manageable.

Zenith has also helped us navigate advanced coursework and a nontraditional schooling setup. They helped us identify resources, think through AP and college-level classes for a younger kid, and find support in areas like English and writing when our sonwas not enrolled in a regular program. For a student whose needs do not fit perfectly into a conventional school path, that kind of flexible, individualized guidance has been incredibly valuable.

Overall, Zenith has helped us move from simply trying to manage an unusual educational situation to feeling like we are building a thoughtful long-term path. Sam’s guidance has helped our child become more focused, more confident, and more intentional about his interests and goals. For families hoping to support a motivated student in becoming not just academically strong, but genuinely well-rounded child, prepared for future opportunities, I would highly recommend Zenith.

Zenith provided us with personalized and extremely important information that we wouldn't have had otherwise. They are very structured, which relieved so much stress. The counselor was an excellent communicator, and was punctual with reading emails and essays. There were a few crucial miscommunications, but the counselor was open to fixing them and getting back on the same page.

We started with Zenith over 16 months ago, and my daughter was initially paired with an amazing consultant. About nine months in, she moved on, and another strategist took over. While she was very kind, she ultimately was not the right fit for what my daughter needed.
After a couple of months, I reached out to Zenith to request a consultant who was a better match - someone who could be both caring and supportive while also providing structure, accountability, and guidance. The Family Success Specialist took the time to listen to my concerns and understand exactly what my daughter needed, and they matched her with Bec Brady.
Four months later, it feels as though Bec has been with us from the very beginning. She seamlessly picked up where we left off, quickly understood my daughter’s goals, and has consistently focused on what she needs while genuinely listening to her. Thanks to Bec’s guidance, my daughter is heading into her junior year with a strong and well-defined plan. She has already been accepted into two summer programs that were at the top of her list, and Bec has been instrumental in keeping her motivated, encouraged, and on track throughout the process.
We feel incredibly positive about the future and are confident that my daughter is well-positioned to gain admission to the school of her dreams. We are truly grateful for Bec’s dedication, expertise, and support.

Our assigned counselor Jayme took the time to know and understand the student well and tailor a plan to fit.
She was a strong guide, advocate and stayed positive through the process and encouraged the student was prepared not only for college apps but holistically developed as a person.

Lindsey is knowledgeable, practical, and very easy to work with. She quickly understands what students and parents are looking for and gives clear, helpful advice. Her suggestions are always based on the student’s own strengths and goals. We are very grateful for her support.

My counselor, Olivia Burd, was extremely helpful throughout my college process! She was always very quick to reply to emails about questions that I had and was incredibly easy to communicate with. I felt very supported by her and she was incredibly encouraging- I could tell she really wanted me to succeed. The resources and seminars were very informational and they were with us every step of the way. Zenith made the application process super easy and straightforward. Thank you!

I was not too happy. The initial consultation is done with someone who is skilled and after that we were connected with someone who didn't understand much about Engineering courses and options. It looks like the services are outsourced to keep their profit margins and hence dampening the customer experience.

Stefan Waldschmidt provided me with a truly unparalleled college admissions process, weaving together the milestones that had made up my life trajectory thus far into a clear narrative that was more deeply reflective of my character than anything I would have constructed on my own. With this incredible work, Stefan helped me to be admitted to my dream college, Cornell University. Not only is Stefan such an insightful individual and thus a great joy to work with, he is also the most skilled narrative-weaver and college admissions counselor I have ever encountered.

I had such a great experience with Zenith and Amethyst King. Throughout the college process, I felt supported by Zenith's bountiful resources and Amethyst's guiding hand. After every meeting with Amethyst, I felt reassured by her positive attitude during this stressful process. Whenever I had a question regarding AP classes, college strategies and general questions, she would always give me the best advice, and the constructive feedback she left on my college essays allowed for a thoughtful disccusion alleviating my essays. Overall I had such a positive experience and I definitely recommoned.

Shivani has been an absolutely fantastic mentor for my son, Aarush. For over three years, she has been his guide and life coach. The greatest gift she has given him is confidence; she helped him grow into someone who is ready to navigate future challenges and opportunities come his way.

Shivani always took the time to understand his strengths while persistently encouraging him to aim higher. When it came to college prep, she was incredibly proactive. She helped him identify great opportunities and build a strong resume tailored specifically for Animal Sciences programs.

Aarush trusts Shivani so much that her advice is practically gospel to him, which shows the incredible impact she’s had on his life. I strongly recommend working with Shivani. Not only will she help you reach your college goals, but she will also help your child grow into a more well-rounded person ready for life's next chapter.

Zenith offered very structured support and mentorship during my daughter's high school and college admissions. The college counselors were knowledgeable, approachable, and always willing to give detailed feedback on essays, extracurricular planning, and application strategy. I deeply appreciate their guidance and help my daughter stay confident.