TESTIMONIALS

TESTIMONIALS

SUCCESS STORIES FROM KEYSTONE EDUCATION
(FORMERLY PA COLLEGE PREP)

Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has helped countless students gain admission to prestigious universities in the United States including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, U.Penn, NYU, Princeton, Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, etc. Due to the privacy requests from some students, we cannot advertise all our successes. Below you will find the testimonials of those who are open and honest about the help that they have received. They testify to the validity and effectiveness of our college counseling program and test prep classes!

“Keystone Education offers many resources instrumental in advancing one’s scholastic interests. Instruction is of the highest quality, and the classroom environment is flexible enough to accommodate any student successfully. Me Gusta Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep)!”

HARVEY LIN, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA

“During my time spent at Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep), I was given the opportunities to form lasting and impactful relationships with mentors who helped me get where I am today. Anytime I struggled with a topic, my instructors demonstrated patience while they helped me tackle my obstacles. The ACT and SAT classes that I took in the Fall and Summer were extremely helpful because they gave me the confidence and the foundation I needed to succeed on these exams.”

MADELINE LEQUANG, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA, UCSD, UCI

“PA College Prep’s instructors are highly experienced and are very open to sharing their knowledge. They provided me with lots of helpful strategies and information that helped me excel on SATs. If you are looking for an SAT prep school, I highly recommend PA College Prep to everyone.”

EMILY JIANG, ACCEPTED INTO STANFORD, HARVARD, PRINCETON

“Thanks to PA College Prep and Kelly (director) for all the help and support. I have finished the college application process with lots of great options.”

ALICIA ZHU, ACCEPTED INTO HARVARD, YALE, MIT, BROWN, USC

“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) feels like home. The teachers, staff, and students are extremely friendly and you won’t be afraid to ask for help. With their abundance of practice tests and hard work from your end, you’re guaranteed improvements.”

LAWRENCE MAO, ACCEPTED INTO JOHNS HOPKINS, UC BERKELEY, UCLA, UCSD

“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) is a great institution. All of their classes that I attended, especially their SAT program, definitely prepared me for college. The instructors are experts that have extensive knowledge on the subjects they taught. Through their SAT program, I improved over 100 points because the content of the courses was detailed and the instructors always answered any questions I had. Additionally, the instructors were very helpful. Whenever I came across a problem, they were always there to guide me. PACP helped me get into great universities like UCLA, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine. Because of Keystone Education, not only was I able to perform my very best on the SAT, but they also helped me build a solid foundation that set me on the right path for my future.”

HAILIN YEH, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA, UCSD, UCI, SAT 1480

“From the start, Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has been very good to me. Though I only attended their ACT class, I have to thank the director, Kitty Yue, for her guidance and kindness. She was able to offer me classes when no other schools could provide me the ACT preparation I needed. Miss Kitty even gave me a free college counseling session, and because of that, I was able to better understand the college application process. My heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Miss Kitty!”

BEVERLY ZHEN, ACCEPTED INTO PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, SAT 2300, ACT 34

“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has been the one thing that has motivated me to pursue higher education. It would be impossible for me to be where I am now without learning the skills of test taking at PA, and I am forever grateful for this experience. I highly recommend Keystone Education if you want to get ahead in both SAT and the ACT scores because in the end I was able to earn a 2230 on the old SAT and a 35 on the ACT. I cannot stress the importance of this institute to my future, and I am extremely happy to be one of Keystone Education’s success stories. Go Bears!”

THOMAS HUO, ACCEPTED INTO UC BERKELEY, UCLA, ALL UC’S

“I knew one summer of SAT prep at Elite was not enough, so I begged my mom to let me attend Keystone Education ( formerly PA College Prep) for more practice. The practice tests that Keystone Education provided are unquestionably harder than the actual test, so when the real SAT came along, the test seemed a lot easier. I’m not a child prodigy, but Keystone Education did help me increase my score noticeably. With my improved SAT score, I was accepted by top UCs and I look forward to start college this September.”

JASMINE LI, ACCEPTED INTO UCSD, UCI HONORS PROGRAM, UCSB, UCR

“When I first came to the United States as a high school freshman, I had difficulty acclimating to the American school system. However, thanks to PA College Prep, I went from being an ESL student to gaining admission at MIT! PA College Prep’s ESL, Test Preparation, and College Counseling services have helped me get into the college of my dream! Thanks PA College Prep!”

SAM PAN, ACCEPTED INTO MIT

“During my time at Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep), I not only received excellent help from my mentor, but also felt a sense of security for my future. The encouragement and guidance I received from Mrs. Gunn, my mentor, and Ms. Kitty, the director, is why I was able to endure the turmoils of senior year and college application season. I was recently accepted into UC Berkeley with a Regent Scholarship as well as UCLA and UCSD. I just want to say how grateful I am for everything Ms. Kitty has done for me, and I would definitely recommend this place for college preparations.”

ZEYU MA, ACCEPTED INTO UC BERKELEY REGENTS SCHOLAR, UCLA, UCSD, SAT 1550

“Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) is the best learning institution that you can ever come across. I came to this school even though I’m from a different state because I couldn’t resist such a great opportunity to be educated by the teachers at Keystone Education. Ms. Kitty is an excellent director and always guides you to reach for your goals. The teachers are great as well. I’ve taken their SAT course and I really enjoyed every moment of it. There’s a lot of homework, but being challenged is key to performing better on the real SAT. I recently just earned an Air Force ROTC Scholarship and was accepted to all the colleges I’ve applied to so far. I attribute my success to all my Keystone teachers who helped me succeed. Without Keystone Education, I wouldn’t have had the same mindset when applying for college. Thank you, Keystone Education!”

JEFFREY LEE, ACCEPTED INTO AIRFORCE ROTC W/FULL SCHOLARSHIP, PENN STATE, VIRGINIA TECH, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, UCSC, PURDUE UNIVERSITY

”Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has played an undoubtedly significant role in my life. Not only did the encouraging teachers and staff support me through my elementary and middle school years, but they also helped me accomplish a goal that will shape the rest of my life – getting a 1550 on the SAT as a high school freshman. Thanks to Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) and its director, Kitty Yue, who has always kept an eye on my progress and guided my education, I can now use these next three years to refine the skills I have and pursue other interests. There is no doubt in my mind that wherever my future may lie, Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) has been and always will be there for me.”

GEORGE ZHANG, PERFECT ACT SCORE – 36, SAT 1550

” Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) is an incredible school to attend to raise your SAT and ACT scores. Not only are the teachers extremely well-qualified to teach the material, but they also genuinely want to see all their students succeed. Because of the relatively small class sizes, it is convenient to obtain one-on-one support from the instructors whenever needed. The classwork and homework are extremely helpful since they cover all aspects of the tests. The practice tests are amazing because they are more difficult than the real test which thoroughly prepared me for the SAT and ACT. I raised my score tremendously in only a few months; the results undoubtedly show how helpful Keystone Education (formerly PA College Prep) really is. 10/10. Would recommend.”

SCOTT CHEN, SAT 1560, ACT 34

“PA College Prep has been extremely helpful to me as I pursued my college ambitions. Not only did they help me to score high on my test, but they also provided invaluable college advice. Because of PA College Prep, I was accepted early admissions to Stanford University, and I am truly thankful for my experience there.”

KEVIN DIAU, ACCEPTED INTO STANFORD

“Thanks to PA College Prep and Kelly (director) for all the help and support. I have finished the college application process with lots of great options.”

JOANNE KOONG, ACCEPTED INTO HARVARD, COLUMBIA, YALE, PRINCETON, CORNELL...

“PA College Prep Academy has been the best place for academic excellence. Ever since I came to America during the fourth grade, I have been struggling with school. When I first came to PA College Prep Academy as a fifth grader, the staff at PA College Prep was exceptionally kind and passionate about helping me in every subject. No matter what questions I had, the PA College Prep staff addressed my concerns one by one, and helped me every step of the way.”

JIMMY LI, ACCEPTED INTO UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA CHAMPAIGN, UCSD, PURDUE

“PA College Prep is the best choice we have ever made. Kevin was trained not only academically but also in his personality. We have no words to describe our appreciation to your team effort and professional expertise.”

ANN PHAM, PA COLLEGE PREP PARENT

“The personalized care and monitoring of my son’s progress, and the individualized attention was a pleasant surprise – it was so wonderful to see. I walked away from the meetings with a renewed sense of comfort that he is in good hands – and that PA College Prep will provide the guidance and knowledge to prepare him for success on his SATs. PA College Prep helped instill the proper habits necessary for success with his college future. Again I thank you for your support in preparing my son for his academic journey.”

MILES PELLAZAR, PA COLLEGE PREP PARENT

“…When I took classes at PA College Prep, I felt that PA College Prep provided students with a very comfortable and challenging learning environment. The faculty not only helped us with the various subjects, but they also made themselves available to answer any of our questions about standardized tests and applying to college. As a student at PA College Prep, I always new that the faculty would be available to offer me guidance on academic issues ranging from chemistry review to paper revisions to college essay brainstorming.”

STEPHANIE LIN, 2012 RHODES SCHOLARSHIP WINNER, GRADUATED FROM MIT 2012

“With the help of PA College Prep, I was guided through the college application process and was confident in my choices each step of the way. From the beginning, I realized PACP doesn’t make decisions for you, they open up possibilities and opportunities for you to choose yourself. My college list is my own, but PACP’s help and suggestions, hours of looking at colleges and comparing them, questioning my purposes and why I would choose this school, produced a list that I am very happy with. In the writing process, again, I am able to state confidently that the work is my own. Yet, the editing, guidance, and effort that PACP put into perfecting these essays is what shaped them to really have impact. PACP helped turn my essay ideas into impactful tools used to strengthen my application. I am very grateful to PACP for helping me along this journey. I am very excited to be going to U Penn next year, especially into the Healthcare Management Program! Thank you again, PACP, for making this possible.”

SYDNEY LIU, U PENN NURSING AND HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

“…I chose to enroll at PA College Prep because I found out that they have a class specifically for students like me who were already close to their goal but needed just a little push and a bit of guidance to nudge them to the 2300-2400 range. I felt that PA College Prep really helped me prepare well for the SAT because of the engaging and effective teachers I had for my classes… through these experiences and those two months I spent at PA College Prep, I was able to achieve my goal of getting a perfect score on the SAT.”

LYDIA WANG, SAT 2400

“I started to take PSAT preparatory classes at PA College Prep during my freshman year. These classes really helped me to lay a solid foundation to achieve my high SAT score in the beginning of my junior year, allowing me more spare time for my science research. PA College Prep’s staff is not only very knowledgeable but also friendly and easy to work with, and their test preparation and college counseling services are excellent. With Chris’ effective one-on-one counseling, my college application quickly stood out from the crowd. It really made my college application process much smoother and less stressful. I highly recommended PA College Prep to everyone and suggest starting college preparation early.”

AILEEN WANG, ACCEPTED INTO STANFORD, COLUMBIA, CALTECH

“…PA College Prep has really embraced me with open arms and has helped me a lot both inside and outside of the classroom. I feel that I have made lifelong connections with PA College Prep teachers and students alike. Yet what surprised me most about PA College Prep is that even though I no longer attend classes there, I still maintain a very close bond with teachers and keep in contact with director Kelly Chu. She even offered me a small scholarship! PA College Prep is more than an academy: it’s a family. I truly appreciate that.”

KEVIN NGUYEN, ACCEPTED INTO USC

“I really admire the warm and friendly environment that PA College Prep brings. I felt comfortable asking my teachers questions despite how ridiculous or “dumb” it may have been. The staff were extremely supportive and were overall crucial to my academic success. One tip I’d like to give to those worried about college admissions is to simply relax. If you’ve worked hard throughout your high school career, then it’ll all pay off at the end!”

ANDREW LIN, ACCEPTED TO ALL UC'S, REGENT'S SCHOLARSHIP AT UCLA

“…Miss Kitty is very understanding and offers all of the help her students need in order to succeed and get into college. Through PA College Prep, I was able to work with Kitty’s career and academic advisers to see which college campus would be the right fit for me. I have received after school tutoring in Trig/Pre-Calc and Algebra II, as well as tutoring for the SAT/ACT tests.

I owe much of my academic successes to Miss Kitty and PA College Prep — because of all of the help that I’ve received from Kitty, my tutors, and my career advisers, I am now a motivated and diligent student at the University of California, San Diego.”

JANET YUEN, ACCEPTED TO UCSD

“With expert instructors and a myriad of preparatory materials available, PA College Prep is sure to improve one’s test scores. Indeed, a lack of improvement is quite impossible when one is given such quality instruction!”

LEO LIN, ACCEPTED INTO BERKELEY AND ALL UC'S

“My name is Isaac Cai. I came to PA College Prep in March of 2015. Upon taking my SAT diagnostic test, my score was 930. In 4 weeks, with the help of the teachers on the grammar and the verbal portion of the test, my score increased dramatically – from 930 to 1890! I’m very thankful and happy to have come to PA College Prep; they have helped me improve immensely. I am so grateful for what PA College Prep has done for me.

Thanks, PA College Prep!”

ISAAC CAI, ACCEPTED INTO MIT

“My name is Huting Lin. I was a junior in high school when I started the SAT class in PA College Prep in September for 9 weeks. I was able to increase my SAT score by 300 points and I got a 2230 on my final SAT. Miss Kitty, the director, told me to take the ACT and I got a 35 out of 36. It was equivalent to 2340 on the SAT.

The teachers at PA College Prep really helped me out a lot, especially on my essays and the grammar part. They helped me to understand my mistakes and the concepts instead of memorizing them. The staff there are very helpful and friendly. I was very glad that I came to PA College Prep to prepare for my SAT!

Thanks, PA College Prep, for helping me achieve my goals.”

HUTING LIN, ACCEPTED INTO HARVEY MUDD, CLAREMONT COLLEGE

“My time at PA College Prep was one of the best experiences I was offered. From meeting new people to bonding with friends, I learned so much from my time at PA College Prep. The teachers truly inspired me to do better in school and helped me throughout the years. They allowed me to realize my weaknesses in writing and my writing skills have transformed over the years.”

RYAN TIET, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA, USC, UCSD

“My experience at PA College Prep has been delightful. The tutors offer great insights and offer students many tricks and shortcuts that are important to know. They walk you through each problem that you got wrong and provide detailed explanations on how to solve it. You are able to sense that they truly want you to improve, succeed, and flourish.”

MARIA SALOOM, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA, UCD

“What may seem like a small learning institution by Shakey’s Pizza is PA College Prep. However, my experiences here highlight something else; this is a home that welcomes everybody. From the teaching/tutoring staff, to the disheveled yet diligent students, there is an excellent structure and focus on practice and feedback. Waking up early and spending hours learning the SAT and Personal Insight Questions is what me, my siblings, and others should expect here: hardcore studying. I would like to thank my parents, Miss Kitty, the rest of the staff at PA, and my friends who were with me on this rough and windy road to college.”

JOSHUA ZHOU, ACCEPTED INTO UCSD, UCSB

“PA College Prep is a very helpful institution that has improved my SAT score and guided me through the college application process. PA provided me with the resources I needed in order to learn, and the staff and teachers are friendly and hospitable. I learned a lot of skills and tips that helped me in both English and Math.”

DYLAN ZHOU, ACCEPTED INTO UCSD, UCSB

“PA College Prep has honestly been such an amazing and helpful experience! I have been able to expand my knowledge and learn helpful techniques and skills that not only help me with the SAT, but also with my education as a whole. A big thank you to the staff, teachers, and Miss Kitty who are so kind, caring, and helpful; they always motivate and push me to meet and exceed all of my goals.”

ANDY VU, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA, UCSD

TESTIMONIALS

STUDENT’S SPOTLIGHT

ALLISON TO

Accepted to Stanford, Cornell, USC, Northwestern

JASON YEN

Accepted to UC Berkeley, UCI, UCSD

JEFFREY LEE

Accepted to Airforce ROTC w/Scholarship, Penn State

BRENDAN SAM

Accepted to UCLA, UCSD, UCI

ALEXIS HUYNH

Accepted to MIT, USC, UC Berkeley

BRIAN LUU

Accepted to UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCI

LINDA LIN

Accepted to Johns Hopkins, UCLA, USC

ALICIA ZHU

Accepted to Harvard, Yale, MIT, Brown, USC

EMILY CHEN

Accepted to Stanford, Harvard, Princeton

THOMAS HUO

Accepted to UC Berkeley, ACT 35

LEO LIN

Accepted to UC Berkeley and UCLA

ISAAC CAI

Accepted to Stanford, Harvard, PrincetonAccepted to MIT, 4 Year Full Scholarship

ANDREW LIN

Accepted to UC Berkeley, Regent’s Scholarship at UCLA

DUSTIN LIN

Accepted to Boston College, Early Acceptance

ZEYU MA

SAT 1550, Accepted to UC Berkeley Regents Scholar

BEVERLY ZHEN

Accepted to Princeton University

LAWRENCE MAO

Accepted to Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UCLA, SAT 1560

TESTIMONIALS

STUDENT’S COMMENTS

HARVEY LIN, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA

MADELINE LEQUANG, ACCEPTED INTO UCLA, UCSD, UCI

EMILY JIANG, ACCEPTED INTO STANFORD, HARVARD, PRINCETON

“Thanks to PA College Prep and Kelly (director) for all the help and support. I have finished the college application process with lots of great options.”