Jeff Knox

We first called Jeff because he came highly recommended by a friend on the East Coast who had great experiences with him for her kids. We immediately liked him and thought that his style would be a good fit for our son. Our only concern was that being from California it would be difficult for Moxie to understand the special circumstances of a Bay Area-student, but Jeff quickly put those concerns to rest.

While not an easy process, Jeff helped our son get through it with as little pain as possible. He also did an amazing job helping us understand our role as parents and what would be beneficial (or not) during the process. When our son was rejected from his early decision “dream” school, he helped us understand the reasons and move on to submit many strong applications in the days to come.

Our son was accepted at many great institutions but waitlisted at the school he had come to love most. Jeff helped him handle the delicate dance of assuring the school that he was still very interested and motivated to attend without coming across too strong. Two days after decision day our son received a call from admissions at the school that waitlisted him. His screams and celebration when he hung up the phone as a an admitted student were worth all of the stress of the past year. We really could not have done it without Jeff and hope that he will consider helping our youngest navigate the process in two years.

We’ve been through two high school application processes, two high school careers, one pandemic, and two college application processes with Moxie and, quite simply, Jeff and his team are amazing at what they do. Our daughters are very different individuals, and Jeff took the time to get to know each one – their academic strengths and weaknesses, their personalities and their goals. Having a resource that knew our daughters (and our daughters looked forward to talking to) made some extremely stressful times a lot less stressful. From guidance on testing and recommendations and strategies for applying to consolation on rejections and navigating acceptances, Jeff was personable, approachable, available and knowledgeable.

Whether you need a third party to be “the heavy” in managing a to-do list, an essay tutor, a test tutor, an outside party to navigate tricky family dynamics or all of the above, Jeff and his team should be your first (and early!) call.

In the Beltway area, there is no shortage of college advisors available to assist teenagers and their families with the college admission process. In fact, when friends first recommended Jeff Knox to us, we were a bit skeptical. As well-educated and well-informed adults, we were sure we could advise our son through his college admission process. More out of curiosity than anything else, we set up an initial meeting with Jeff. We will always be grateful that we opted for that initial meeting.

Ultimately, Jeff guided both of our sons through their college admissions process. As in many other families, our boys had different aspirations for college and their future careers. Over the course of many meetings, Jeff helped each boy crystallize his goals for college. One of Jeff’s (many) great strengths is his ability to listen to teenagers. Both of our sons benefited greatly from Jeff’s gentle questioning as he encouraged them to define the types of academic programs and opportunities they were seeking. As the boys defined their path, he helped them manage every step of the application process, serving simultaneously as a cheerleader, a coach and (when needed) a taskmaster.

The college application process can be as stressful for parents as it is for the students. Jeff became a trusted advisor for us, helping us sift through the overwhelming amount of information and misinformation available about college admissions. Because one of our boys attended private school and the other public, we also faced different high school systems and approaches to college applications. Jeff helped us navigate both systems with ease.

Over the years, we have recommended Jeff Knox and his company to multiple friends. Perhaps even more significantly, our sons have recommended Jeff to their friends as well. While there may be a multitude of college advisors available for hire, we are confident that none brings a greater level of care and attention than Jeff.

Throughout the college application process, doubt and anxiety can run through one’s mind. Not only have Jeff and the team at Moxie been instrumental in helping me find and gain acceptance to the perfect school for me, but they have removed much of the stress from the process and highlighted what really matters in finding a school: not rank or perceived prestige, but a place where you know you will feel at home and a place where you can thrive. I am incredibly grateful to the Moxie team for their dedication and unrelenting support, and I wholeheartedly recommend Moxie to anyone starting their college journey.

If you are seeking a college consultant, Jeff Knox is extraordinary. He has worked with all three of our children in the college application process, across a five-year period. He helped each of our children – different in temperament, interests, strengths, and goals for college – obtain admission to one or more of their top schools. Jeff’s unique expertise in the college consulting area, coupled with his extremely high emotional intelligence, including his ability to get to know and understand each one of our children in depth, has made each of our three experiences excellent ones. Moreover, Jeff’s responsiveness, good humor, direct approach, and his ability to motivate (especially in the times of high stress) were noteworthy and added to the extremely positive experiences we had!

One of the best referrals I have received in a long time was the referral to Moxie College Counseling and Jeff Knox. Figuring out where to apply and the admissions process can be overwhelming. Jeff was there with us throughout the journey. He helped connect us with a great tutoring company that helped raise my daughter’s ACT score. Jeff helped my daughter think through what was important to her and the factors to determine which colleges to apply to. Jeff gave us honest and helpful feedback on what schools were a healthy reach and which were probably just a long shot. We identified working with him 8 great colleges she has applied to.

Jeff set up a project plan for our daughter and managed her through it while also keeping my husband and me involved, answering all our questions. He also helped my daughter fine tune her essay themes and gave her feedback after she wrote them. He also helped keep my daughter’s enthusiasm up and build her excitement for her next phase of the life journey. Jeff’s support has been amazing and such an asset to our family. Thanks again for everything you have done to make this process more exciting, less stressful and help achieve great outcomes as we hoped!

The help Moxie provided me was critical throughout my college process. Jeff Knox kept me organized and made sure I was aware of every single requirement and when I needed to complete it. He and his team provided me with constant and incredible support on each of my essays and made themselves available to me as much as I needed.

I cycled through four different school guidance counselors my senior year, making Jeff’s personalized support that much more integral to me. Finally, Jeff helped instill the confidence I needed in myself and showed me time and time again he truly cared about me and my aspirations.

I cannot overstate how important Moxie was in helping me get to my future home.

Engaging Jeff Knox was one of the best decisions we made in the college admissions process. He helped strengthen our daughter’s Common Application in ways we would have never considered, recommending additional submissions to give the schools a better feel for her potential, both academically and personally.

When her application to her top-ranked school was deferred to the regular cycle, Jeff was reassuring and warm, and immediately provided us with a thoughtful and effective plan for the next steps. Thanks to his counsel (and our daughter’s redoubled efforts), she was admitted to her first choice.

My four children have worked with Jeff Knox for several years now, and we simply all love him. He has made a difference in the kids’ and the parents’ life alike. Jeff has a contagious positive attitude to school decision-making and planning, a gift for his ability to understand all individual needs and finding appropriate viable solutions and answers.

I worked with Jeff Knox at Moxie to help me prepare my applications, and ultimately, I was accepted to my first-choice university. Jeff helped me brainstorm extracurricular activities and summer programs, choose my classes, narrow the schools to which I would apply, provide guidance for standardized testing and AP classes and exams, and review my applications and essays. I had a great rapport with Jeff, and I trusted him every step of the way. I was thrilled with my results, and Jeff was thrilled for me. Thanks, Jeff!