WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Testimonials
The best way we measure success is the satisfaction of our families. Here’s what parents and students have to say about working with Moxie. To read more, visit our Google Business page to read our 5-star reviews.
“Henry Mulzac has been invaluable in our high school search. Like many parents, we started the high school application process without much experience and quickly figured out we were behind the eight-ball.
After several family meetings, Henry quickly assessed the situation and helped us prioritize schools and develop a plan to complete all the applications and testing. He helped our son prep for interviews and helped guide his essay development. We got into a great school in Maryland and are grateful for Henry’s help.”
“Ian Lekus and the team at moxie were beyond helpful throughout my college process. I’m the oldest child so my family and I really went into the whole thing blind. He gave us so much piece of mind and I can’t imagine how stressful it would have been without his help. I have no regrets in my college decision and I’m optimistic in what the next 4 years hold, and I don’t think I’d been able to do it without his extensive knowledge and support. My parents are definitely using him for my brother in 2 years!”
“What we valued most about Jeff Knox was that he met each of our boys where they were, worked with them in very different ways to help guide them through high school course selection, extracurriculars and summer opportunities as well as the college application process. They applied to college in very different environments relative to COVID and had very different goals, personalities and college preferences.
Jeff treated them as individuals without value judgment on those differences and guided them each through the ups and downs of the process to the perfect respective schools. We are so appreciative of his time, energy, effort, understanding, and expertise.
“As parents of an independent school senior, we were really happy to work with Jeff Knox and his team. Jeff understands the independent school environment and helped us navigate the process extremely well. He also had a style that matched that of our daughter; he was approachable and kind and, at the same time, had a way of fostering accountability.
Not an easy balance to strike!
And, with us parents, Jeff was a helpful sounding board throughout the entire process – someone who is up-to-date and very knowledgeable about this ever-shifting admissions landscape. In the end, our daughter got in early to her dream school! We feel fortunate about the outcome and also happy about the process and the way that our daughter was able to lead and bring her full self to the work.
We are very grateful for the terrific support we received from Jeff and the Moxie Team.”
“Thank you so much, with Elizabeth Smith’s help, my resume looks amazing! The formatting is perfect and looks incredibly professional. I learned a lot about resume development and really enjoyed working with you. I’m super excited to see where this takes me regarding my college admissions process.”
“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.”
“Working with James Barringer to develop my ideas and essays to their fullest potential was a blast. He is kind, patient, detail-oriented, and the perfect partner to bring the best out of my writing. Jeff, James, and the whole team at Moxie guide you through every step of the process, providing invaluable experience and insights while bringing joy to an often joyless process.”
“Our son learned from you and the application process the value of self-exploration and the importance of deciding how he spends his time. That’s something he will need to continue practicing through his life. We are also very thankful for your excellent guidance. You are a master of establishing trust and communicating so effectively with teens, and we as parents tremendously benefited from your insights.”
“Henry Mulzac was invaluable. He ensured our kids researched the schools they were interested in and helped them think critically about what they wanted from high school. That exercise helped them focus their search and ensured they were prepared, authentic, and thoughtful in their interviews. He also helped keep our kids on track with the application process, which made the year much less stressful for our entire family. Finally, because Henry has direct experience as an admissions officer, he was able to help guide us as parents as we interacted with the schools, ensuring we did not inadvertently sabotage our kids’ prospects by being overly neurotic.”
“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.”
“Working with Moxie immensely transformed my college search and application process. Kim Heffernan’s guidance was honestly what got me through this past fall; I went from an overly stressed student to a relaxed, prepared applicant. Kim helped me plan out when I would complete each part of my application, and without her organization, I’m not sure if I would’ve finished everything on time! The routine check-ins, through Zoom or email, kept me on the right track and eventually saved me from drowning in work at the beginning of January. Overall, her support and expertise made this experience significantly better than I ever could’ve imagined. I’ll never forget how sweet and genuinely excited the message she sent me was when I got into one of my top choices. Thank you, Kim!”
“Want to thank you and the team. [Our son] was accepted to every school where he competed his application including a special opportunity [to study in Ireland for his first semester]. Until he met with you and the team, he didn’t believe he would be accepted based on the intense competition in our area. It was working with your team that he built excitement and inspiration. We are thrilled that he had choices based on great coaching.”
“Thank you again for everything you’ve done to help us over the last couple years. It really has been that long, which is nuts. I’m humbled that [our son] gets to go to such a great school. We are very lucky to have benefitted from your experience and knowledge. I have no doubt he is at [his first choice college] because of the Moxie team, especially Jonny Malks!”
“Henry Mulzac has been invaluable in our high school search. Like many parents, we started the high school application process without much experience and quickly figured out we were behind the eight-ball. After several family meetings, Henry quickly assessed the situation and helped us prioritize schools and develop a plan to complete all the applications and testing. He helped our son prep for interviews and helped guide his essay development. We got into a great school in Maryland and are grateful for Henry’s help.”
“Henry Mulzac was a great resource for applying to private school. He knows the admissions process inside and out since he has sat on both sides of the table. He provided excellent answers to our questions, making us feel as comfortable as we could going through the process. Henry also did a wonderful job preparing our child for the interview.”
“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.”
“We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you for EVERYTHING you have helped [our son] and us with throughout this journey. Given this extremely difficult application year, [his] challenges and his goals, none of this would have been possible without your guidance, knowledge, wisdom, pep talk, and more.
We have learned so much from you and are truly grateful. You are doing great work for the younger generation and we can’t thank you enough.”
“Working with Moxie helped me navigate the crazy world of college applications, and I am so grateful for all the time and energy they put into supporting me through this crazy process!”
“Any young person who has the good fortune and privilege to work with you will thank their lucky stars – and grow in the process. All good luck and thank you for all that you did to guide our son.”
“Any family that is lucky enough to work with you as their child begins the journey of applying to college will immediately be grateful. Your ability to embrace each child and help them to map out own unique journey is an invaluable gift.”
“I just wanted to thank you for everything that you have done for me college-related and life-related. It made me so grateful and touched to see how much you really cared about me instead of just doing the bare minimum. It was so heartwarming that you called me when I got into Northwestern and all of the nice things you said about me.
I honestly do not think I could’ve done this process without you. Thank you again and I hope that you are ready to handle my sister who already wants to talk to you as a freshman in high school.”
“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.”
“We are thrilled, and we so appreciate all the help you gave him and us. You really did a fantastic job every step of the way and were so supportive of both him and us. You made the whole process easy, and we have no doubt your involvement helped lead to this outcome. Thank you so very much.”
“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.”
“Jeff Knox is a gem, and we could not imagine going through the college application process without his guidance and support.
Jeff helped both our sons and us parents think about the entire arc of upper school so that experiences and class work built upon each other. Jeff takes students very seriously while being extremely approachable, positive, creative, and excited about the college application process.
Moxie breaks down the many steps of the college application process to make it less overwhelming, helping alleviate a lot of the pressure that comes with multiple months, steps, and expectations. Moxie provides guidance in course selection, developing close relationships with teachers, attaining good letters of recommendation, testing preparation and schedules, as well essay writing. Jeff was fantastic in brainstorming interesting and relevant summer experiences, programs, and opportunities.
Jeff creates connections with parents but also close and trusting relationships with students. He brilliantly made the process student-centered with parental involvement rather than the reverse. He is a great listener, interested in finding the right environment where students will thrive and skillfully teasing out students’ passions, strengths, and areas of interest. Jeff has personally visited many colleges and therefore has firsthand knowledge about campuses and programs.
In areas where Jeff is not an expert, he has a large roster of specialist consultants on whom we can draw. For instance, our son was interested in visual arts and Jeff connected us with a wonderful specialist who recommended various art programs and gave our son direction to develop a compelling portfolio for his college application.
Jeff understands that college rankings matter but they are not everything and, therefore, will prioritize students’ interests, alerting them about fit, including positives and negatives, and helping to manage expectations and even the rejections that come with every successful process.”