Testimonials

Apply. Compete. Succeed.
Testimonials

As an award-winning independent educational consultant, ScholarEdge President Jason Lum has established himself as an expert in college and scholarship advising. He has worked with hundreds of students, school, universities, and companies. His clients include students from across the United States and East Asia, Fortune 500 companies, and scores of school districts. A sampling of the overwhelmingly positive feedback received in the last decade:

An indispensable lecture for students looking to compete and win in the scholarships sweepstakes.

~ Jimmy Ausemus, Financial Aid Counselor, UC Berkeley

Applying for college can be intimidating, confusing, and ultimately perplexing without an experienced guide. Your experience as a winner of multiple scholarships has helped me immeasurably. While I was applying for entrance to some of the most competitive institutions in the country, you took the time to read my work carefully, offered advice and suggestions, and met with me in person in order to coordinate an application strategy that proved extremely effective.

Thanks to your efforts, I went to Harvard, and the strategies you taught me have helped me to win a substantial scholarship. Thank you Jason!

~ E. Kim, Rochester, Harvard College

Jason worked with my two teenagers as they applied to college a few years ago and did an excellent job of advising them and serving as a third party expert in the college application process. My two teenagers were accepted to nearly every school that they applied to and are now very happy at Macalester College in St. Paul. I loved his work so much that we decided to write a book together about the college search process. I would highly recommend Jason to any college seeker and family who are serious about applying to the best colleges and universities in the country.

~ Dr. Nelson Soken, Sr. Manager, Medtronic, Inc.

When I began applying to colleges, the whole process seemed overwhelming. Thanks to your help, I was accepted at all my top four choices- Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford- and am currently happily attending Harvard. Thanks again!

~ Clarissa H., Harvard College

When it came to deciding about life for the years immediately after high school I knew that going outside the emotional dynamics of our family unit was going to be worth every bit of the fees paid.  We met Jason at a college planning seminar during our son’s sophomore year in high school.

 

Getting started with Jason meant starting with a list, a list of what to consider for schools.  Jason started the list and it was loftier than what I or my wife would have ever considered.  My son’s initial response was interesting, the ‘where do I see myself’ gears started turning.  The process forced answering the ‘whys’ of additions and subtractions to the list.  Too many students, not enough students, who teaches the classes, what is the community like, what about values, school traditions, what opportunities are really important, and what feel do the campuses really have, free from brochures, websites, and hype.  My son’s confidence began to grow through this process as he pictured or didn’t picture himself as part of a schools’ future. And during this time, my son was interacting with Jason via coffee shop meetings, e-mails, and occasional phone calls.  My wife and I interacted with Jason via e-mail wanting to keep only generally posted and encouraging our son to drive the frequency and types of interaction with Jason.

 

My son’s first pass on the essays was only middle-of-the-road, at best, and maybe less than satisfactory, in reality.  This is where Jason really stepped up the value added.  Edit out this, expand that, focus on these items, don’t be afraid to use a little more sophisticated or even more accurate wording.  Two rounds of feedback from Jason and not only were the essays outstanding, but my son’s voice was clear as a bell as one reads through the text.

 

Then, the e-mail from the number one school.  He was accepted and asked to look forward to a package.  Accepted is good!  Well the package was greatly anticipated and opened by my son when he got home from school ten or so days later. Letter one, you are accepted and we’d love to see you come. Letter two, you are offered a Board of Regents academic scholarship for $60,000.  Letter three, we’d like you to enter school as a “highest honors student”.  Clarifying what this means, the letter explains that it was harder to get this honor than the academic scholarship and will provide my son with priority dorm selection, priority class scheduling, and one honors class opportunity per semester.

 

We have our collective relationships with Jason to thank for getting us to where we are and the sky continues to be the limit.  I’m thinking pinball jackpot.

~ Dr. Jeffrey Allen

Jason's experience proves that students can obtain substantial amounts of free money, and thereby avoid the long-term pressures of high student debt.

~ Maritza Hernandez, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University

Jason, my wife Abigail and I attended your College Scholarship class -- we were so impressed that our high school sophomore Mathilde (age 15) and I attended your College Boot Camp class. We really enjoyed attending and learning together in College Boot Camp as dad and daughter. As a high school sophomore, Mathilde really felt this class gave her a head start. We felt it unraveled many of the mysteries of scholarship applications. It was nice to see both the applications and to learn about a wide variety of scholarships. We also enjoyed the national perspective and a comparison of many schools and their programs -- your personal stories kept us engaged. This class really takes a long-term view, right through graduate school, and touched upon many of our favorite schools. You really understand college finances, and the importance of AP classes for college admissions.

~ Michael Mouw, Director, Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Without your recommendation on great graduate programs, and without your guidance on how to express my motivation to impress the admission committees, I would never have been accepted by Columbia University, my dream school since the first time I came to US to study as an international student! I really appreciate the time and effort you took to read my work carefully, and offered me extremely helpful advice and suggestions. Additionally, I firmly believe that the strategies you taught me helped me stand out among other applicants to one of the most competitive institutions in the country. Thank you so much, Jason!!

S. Chen, Columbia University ~ S. Chen, Columbia University