“Working with Nicole was absolutely amazing! Coming from Spain, I had no idea on how American universities worked or where I wanted to go. Nicole helped me so much in the process of editing essays, and choosing universities. Thanks to her, I am in an amazing university that has helped me so much to grow as a person. Without her, I would have never even considered choosing Barnard College as an option. It was an amazing, helpful and resourceful experience!”

“Nicole a préparé deux de nos enfants, notre fille en 2016 qui, avec son bac franco-allemand a été prise dans plusieurs universités aux Etats-Unis et notre fils en 2022, qui avec son High School diploma, a été admis dans toutes les écoles qu’il avait demandé et a choisi l’ESCP Londres.
Nicole a été absolument formidable. Elle s’est complètement adaptée à la personnalité de nos enfants et a pu les accompagner d’une manière très professionnelle, proactive mais aussi très agréable. Elle a été complètement à leur écoute. Nos enfants ont été ravis, ils lui ont fait entièrement confiance dans le processus de sélection des écoles dans les systèmes européens et américains, ce qui peut parfois se révéler compliqué et stressant pour les adolescents et surtout pour nous, les parents. Je continuerai à recommander Nicole les yeux fermés.”

“Nicole has done outstanding work with my two sons. Nicole made the whole college process enjoyable, as she created a warm and caring relationship, guiding my sons through all the requirements in the college process. She encouraged them to have meaningful work experiences, as well as community service actvities. Nicole was an invaluable source of knowledge regarding US universities as well as European schools. She worked tirelessly reviewing my sons’ essays, preparing them for mock interviews, and reviewing and helping submit all applications. We could not have done it without Nicole’s help! Merci!”

“Our daughter was admitted to the Bachelor program at ESCP in London next year. We are all thrilled by this opportunity and couldn’t thank you enough for all the support you provided us. Clearly, without you we would have been nowhere.
Merci Nicole pour avoir si talentueusement guidé Alma, en si peu de temps, et à un moment où elle doutait tant d’elle. Mille merci!”

“Working with Nicole was absolutely amazing! Coming from Spain, I had no idea how American universities worked or where I wanted to go. Nicole helped me so much in the process of editing essays and choosing universities. Thanks to her, I am in an amazing university that has helped me so much to grow as a person. Without Nicole, I would have never even considered Barnard College as an option. It was an amazing, helpful and rewarding experience!”

“Working with Nicole was always a pleasure. She took all of my concerns and created a plan that felt approachable and attainable and listened carefully to my wants and needs to help shape my college path. I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up; thank you Nicole!”

“As a parent going through the college application process for the first time, and doing it from overseas with a daughter finishing high school in France, Nicole’s specific knowledge of the process, as well as of the different universities was invaluable. Nicole conducted online sessions with my daughter, and in my anxious moments I just picked up the phone and called her. I was rewarded with clear answers, wise advice and reassurance. Our good working relationship lent to my daughter getting into her first choice Ivy League university.”

“We are very grateful to Nicole for her expert guidance during our daughter’s college application process. Thrilled by the result, we are also delighted by the experience. Nicole has a true passion for teenagers, an extensive knowledge of the colleges, and a real understanding of the process. We came to Nicole after an unsuccessful, or slow start, with a first counselor – very competent, but with whom our daughter simply didn’t connect. Nicole and our daughter immediately established a strong connection. Totally involved, caring and demanding, Nicole helped our daughter reflect objectively on herself. She valued her desires and opinions, raised her confidence level and encouraged her to give the best of herself at each step of the process. Our daughter felt guided, supported and in charge. She will be attending her first choice college in September.”

“Nicole est une excellente conseillère d’orientation, mais surtout elle est profondément humaine.
Au-delà de tous les conseils techniques et pratiques, elle s’intéresse fondamentalement à l’enfant/ l’étudiant . J’ai l’impression qu’elle connait parfois notre fille mieux que nous sur certains aspects !
Elle est toujours calme et jamais stressée, donc c’est un bon équilibre avec les parents qui le sont plus comme moi….Le contact a été immédiatement bon avec notre fille et la confiance instinctive. C’est vraiment rassurant de savoir que Nicole est avec nous.”

“Nicole a été la conseillère d’orientation de mon fils de la seconde à la terminale. Ça a été une grande chance et une aide et un soutien énorme. Elle nous a donc suivi pas à pas du choix de ses matières en IB, au choix de son université, en passant par la rédaction des essais, les conseils pour savoir quelle université regarder en fonction des intérêts, des préférences mais aussi en répondant avec beaucoup de patience à mes nombreuses questions sur les différents systèmes universitaires (américain, canadien, français …). Très disponible, et à l’écoute de mon fils et de moi-même, Nicole a aussi tenu compte de notre situation financière pour nous conseiller. Elle a su rassurer mon fils (et moi) et lui rappeler les dates importantes pour tout faire et rendre à temps. Je me suis déchargée sur elle lors de ce processus inconnu et que je trouvais si compliqué. Si c’était à refaire, je le referai avec Nicole les yeux fermés. Merci Nicole!”

“Working with Nicole Zabotin was an absolute pleasure three times in a row for our family. She quickly adapted to the unique personalities of each child and guided each one with confidence through the college admissions process. All three were accepted to the universities of their dreams. Well done, Nicole!”

“I was a little bit scared to be working with a private college counselor at first, but Nicole took all that fear away in our first five minutes together. She is probably one of the nicest and warmest people out there, and I feel very fortunate to have worked with her. She provided great guidance through all the chaos of college applications, and meeting with her was always a pleasure rather than a burden. She quickly figured out who I was, and found the best schools for me, where I would be happy and engaged both academically and socially. Her skills and knowledge on the subject, as well as her organization, made the college search ten times easier and less stressful. Thanks to her, I will be attending Bowdoin College next year! Thank you Nicole!!”

“Nicole is truly and genuinely interested in the teenagers she works with: she really likes to be with them, talk to them, counsel them. She develops close and trustful relationships with them.
This mutual trust is key to her deep understanding of the students’ personalities and needs. This insight, combined with an extensive knowledge of colleges and universities, helps Nicole craft a list of colleges that really suit each student.
Her own experience in both the US and French education systems is a specific and highly valuable asset and benefit for non-US parents and children. She fully understands what her students don’t know – and what they are not even aware of not knowing. Nicole’s background and experience make her the perfect guide to successfully lead students through an unfamiliar and bewildering process. We enthusiastically recommend Nicole as a counselor.”

“Although the prospect of applying to universities initially freaked me out, Nicole made it feel like a breeze. Her genuine interest in who I was, not only a student, but as a person, made the experience stress-free and comfortable. This counterbalanced the stress coming from my family. It also helped us narrow down the search to schools that would best suit my personality, and not just my academic capabilities. Today, I thank Nicole for helping me achieve my academic and personal goals.”

“Nicole is an excellent college counselor, but above all, she is deeply human. Beyond all her practical and technical advice, she develops a profound interest in her students. I sometimes feel, in some respects, she even knows our daughter better than we do!
She is always calm, never stressed, and therefore provides a welcome counter balance to parents like me. Our daughter had an immediate connection with Nicole, and felt comfortable confiding in her from the very beginning. It is incredibly reassuring to have Nicole by our side.”

“For a father coming from far abroad and non-familiar with the complex system of American colleges, Nicole’s help was invaluable. She organized the college visits, registered us for the presentations and tours, scheduled appointments with the International Admission Representatives. But the incredible extra mile service is that she accepted to accompany us during the tour so that she could be closer to my son, as they only knew each other via online meetings and she wanted to get to know him better.
I highly recommend Nicole Zabotin for her availability, her ability to listen and solve all kinds of problems, her deep human side, and her extensive knowledge of colleges and of the system. We could not have found our way without her precious advice.”

“We are very grateful to Nicole for her expert guidance during our daughter’s college application process. Thrilled by the result, we are also delighted by the experience. Nicole has a true passion for teenagers, an extensive knowledge of the colleges, and a real understanding of the process. We came to Nicole after an unsuccessful, or slow start, with a first counselor – very competent, but with whom “le courant ne passait pas”/ our daughter simply didn’t connect. Nicole and our daughter immediately established a strong connection. Totally involved, caring and demanding, Nicole helped our daughter reflect objectively on herself. She valued her desires and opinions, raised her confidence level and encouraged her to give the best of herself at each step of the process. Our daughter felt guided, supported and in charge. She will be attending her first choice college in September.”

“Nicole has been a dream come true at a time that can be pretty nightmarish for most parents and students. She managed to transform stress into positive energy. Her patience is golden. Our daughter had excellent college acceptances. We were looking for a college counselor, we found a friend for life. Thank you from the bottom of our heart.”

“Thoughtful in her approach, Nicole focused on understanding our daughter, her strengths, her aspirations, and what was important to her. She then worked very closely with her while keeping us in the loop at all times. The connection went above and beyond the college application process. Nicole became our trusted advisor, not only through the application process, but through the wait for results and the registration decision.
I applaud her tailored strategy which delivered great results by giving our daughter so many real choices. We could not have done it without Nicole!”