STUDENT ACCEPTANCES

TESTIMONIALS

“The best investment we could have made in our daughter’s college admissions process.”

Our family believes hiring Denise Karp was the best investment we could have made in our daughter’s college admissions process.

Our daughter had worked very hard to earn good grades, have solid test scores, earn extracurricular accomplishments, etc. However, we quickly learned that there were a lot of other students who had done similarly; the competition for admissions into highly selective schools is tough. Our daughter was accepted into her first choice, Top Tier school & we believe that Denise helped make that happen.

We are very fortunate to have a stellar college counseling department at my daughter’s high school. They supported her in unique & essential ways. Even with this, we felt that Denise filled a niche that we as a family needed. First, Denise helped BOTH us as parents & our daughter. We parents had numerous questions throughout the process where we needed expert guidance that wouldn’t have been appropriate to bother our daughter’s counselor. Denise always responded quickly, with candid, supportive & specific answers. 

More importantly, Denise gave our daughter what she needed as she took ownership of her own admissions journey. Denise encouraged & supported her, but also held her accountable to deadlines. Denise guided our daughter in how to best present her unique journey, personality & mix of strengths to colleges. She taught our daughter what colleges are looking for in her numerous essays so that she was able to write them most effectively.  

One thing that especially impressed us is that Denise responded on our daughter’s timetable. Our daughter was essentially busy from 7a-9p with school & extracurriculars. This meant that she wrote her essays & applications very late into the evenings &/or on weekends. Denise was always there for her when she needed her. Our daughter was initially hesitant about working with someone. However, as time went by our daughter wanted Denise’s feedback & valued her support. This is a tremendous testimony!

Ultimately Denise was the caring, ethical, professional, & knowledgeable resource that our daughter needed as she made her colleges admissions journey. In the end, this enabled us to just be the supportive parents that we desired to be in this stressful process. - Tim H.

“She made me the biggest fish coming from the smallest pond”

It is not often that a student is accepted into all but one of the universities they apply to, especially if they applied to 14. To put my experience and Denise’s expertise into perspective, I come from a small town school with 80 students in my graduating class, which is rarely the accepted applicant pool for well-known universities. However, Denise turned this implausible dream into a reality. Unfamiliar with the college process, guidance through every step was a requirement for my family and I. Denise’s pristine, user-friendly, and accessible platform is not only custom to each one of her students, but it is flawless in ensuring every deadline is met and every concern is mitigated, even if you have 34 supplemental essays on your plate…She took into account every single factor I gave light to. She shifted her time, tasks, and plans each time my availability, desires, or doubts changed. She is remarkable. In truth, the reason we were able to reach such success was for the greatest reason I loved working with Denise, which was the unbreakable trust we built during the process. From the initial meeting that was riddled with worry about whether to live in a city or the suburbs, whether to be in a warm climate, at a large university, having Greek life, sport spirit, or any other indicator responsible for senior stress, she has always been able to interpret and convert my separated thoughts into a solution that instantly changed my pessimistic perspective to an optimistic outlook. She was always providing me with more opportunities even though my background and location proved I was limited in my chances of admission. She never limited my potential, and no matter who you are or which universities you wish to apply to, I promise Denise will open up your mind to new ones you never knew existed and support you endlessly along the way. After months of the constant indecisive battle I faced deciding where to accept, it was again Denise who truly made me realize where I belong, and most importantly, made me realize why. Out of all the students that applied to Northeastern at my school, my application was the only one accepted, and for everything that has led me to the journey I plan to embark on these next four years, I have Denise to thank. Not only was this the year Northeastern’s applicant pool reached its largest number of applications (>96,000), but it was also the year their acceptance rate was half the percent of Rice University, a percent lower than MIT, and the same as Harvard. I could not have done it without Denise. Thank you for everything and more.
Ashlyn
Northeastern University

“Amazing with my senior!”

Denise has been amazing with my senior! I really don’t know where we would be without her helping us navigate the college process. She really gets to know your child and helps find schools that best fit your child and their goals! -Debbie F.

“We are so happy she got into her first choice!”

My daughter worked with Denise with her college applications and we are so happy she got into her first choice! Denise is very knowledgeable on this process and provides support at any given time and knows all of the answers! We are so thankful for her guidance! - Kim L

“I will certainly be reaching back out when it’s time for my boys”

Denise was amazing! She is very patient and intentional and helped my daughter complete all of her college applications- I didn’t do a thing. This helped preserve our relationship during her senior year since I didn’t have to nag her during the process. She was accepted into every college she applied to (one waitlist that we thought was a long shot), including her dream school, Clemson! My child is a very busy student and Denise worked with her schedule to advise her. They often met on Sunday nights, after volleyball games, and really whenever it met my daughter’s needs. We will be using her again when it is time for my sons to apply to college. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience! We have had an amazing college application experience with so many positive results! -Sally R

“As a mom, I appreciated Denise’s calm”

Really enjoyed working with Denise!  She reviewed essays in a timely manner, and she is extremely knowledgeable about how to navigate the college application process for the 15 schools my daughter applied to.  She could assess whether to use test scores or not, whether to apply early admission or wait for better scores and apply regular.  In the end, my daughter got in to 12/15 schools (including one where she waited for better test scores and got in regular decision).  As a mom, I appreciated Denise’s calm in the middle of our stormy fall semester getting everything in on time. - Holly R

“Supportive, sensitive and set firm expectations”

Denise Karp was amazing in helping my grandson through the entire application process.  She was supportive, and sensitive, set firm expectations and goals, and he got into the college he chose!!! We highly recommend Denise. -Penny P

“Got accepted to UT. Thank you so much for all your help!”

Hi Denise, I just got the email from UT Austin today and GOT ACCEPTED into public health!!! Thank you so much for all your help!- Janhavi

“Denise worked with each of my children in a way that worked for them”

The process of picking a college and navigating the process is hard enough with one but with twins going in different directions, it could have been overwhelming. Denise was there to discuss the positives and negatives of every college and was super responsive.  We also appreciated that she set realistic expectations. More importantly, she worked with each of my children in a way that worked for them. Ultimately, she provided the guidance that would result in acceptance to their 1st choice schools. 

Thank you- Kim & Ernie H

“She was a great resource which took the stress off of me”

Denise did a phenomenal job working with my son on his college search. She helped him identify schools and stay on track with essays and applications. She was a great resource which took the stress off of me! -Doug M

“We highly recommend Big Fish on Campus”

Denise made this anxiety-producing and difficult process a breeze! She helped us find schools that would best fit our daughter, and she worked with our daughter on all aspects of the application. With Denise's expertise, our daughter had to make a difficult choice, as she got into all the schools she applied to, most with merit scholarships as well! We were so impressed with Denise, that the aspect of doing this again for our second child is no longer scary. We highly recommend Big Fish on Campus! -Robyn K

“Incredibly helpful, essential, supportive, invested and encouraging”

Denise has been incredibly helpful and essential during my college application process. Everything from deciding which schools to apply to, to writing college essays was made so much easier with Denise’s guidance. Not only did she offer me experienced and detailed advice, but she was also incredibly supportive, invested, and encouraging during the process. I owe so much to her and would definitely recommend her to anyone else who’s starting the college application process!- Lexie

“Her guidance was an essential part of my success”

Denise is there to guide you through whichever stages of the college admissions process you may be struggling with. Her services aren’t just for those totally unfamiliar with how the process works, but rather she adapts to help you with whatever parts you specifically find yourself needing help with. I found her expertise on what college admissions officers are looking for specifically invaluable when it came time to write my common app essay as well as all my supplemental essays. As the college admissions cycle becomes more and more competitive, the essays are truly one of the most important pieces of your application so I know Denise’s guidance in crafting these essays was an essential part of my success. I, personally, went to Denise with an exact plan for my future and she helped strengthen my application around this goal. For example, she helped me find a research opportunity which was a key component of the extracurricular section of my application. Because of Denise, I am attending one of the top public universities in the nation. Go Blue! - Sophia

“Thank you so much for helping me”

Hey! Thank you so much for helping me with my essays and details on my applications this summer. - Adam

“Top notch… I couldn’t recommend her any more highly!”

My experience with Ms. Karp was top notch! I really appreciate the times I could connect with her and her efforts in listening, sharing and comprehending me.I could not recommend her any more highly! - Millya N.

“Highly recommend- My daughter enjoyed working with Denise immensely”

I highly recommend Denise Karp as a college consultant from Big Fish on Campus. My daughter is a senior this year and we started the college process a bit late compared to others. When we started to do the research, it was beyond overwhelming, and we realized that we were going to need help from someone with experience. The process of finding someone was overwhelming as well. We started with a different company and submitted a deposit and they did not respond when they were going to, and it was a major headache. Denise came highly recommended and the process from the moment we signed on with her to the end was very smooth and efficient. She mostly worked with my daughter which I liked. She was available very promptly. My daughter enjoyed working with her immensely. Denise is a very hard worker and definitely went above and beyond our expectations. Our daughter was accepted at all schools that she applied for and received generous scholarships. She will be attending her college of choice fall of 2023. It was well worth having a college consultant. I highly recommend Denise Karp. - MB Kelly.

“Strongly recommend Big Fish on Campus and Denise”

My family loved working with Denise. She assisted us in finding the right schools for my son to apply to and then helped him get into his first choice. Denise was always available and assisted in all aspects of the application process. We considered her a part of our family and truly believe she was as excited as we were when our son Matthew got into Wake Forest. I would strongly recommend Big Fish on Campus and Denise for any family looking for someone to help during the college selection/application process - B.Postman.

“We can’t thank you enough”

I highly recommend Denise Karp, Big Fish on Campus's services to help relieve the stress of navigating the college selection and navigation process. If your child needs expert and honest guidance, they will get it from Denise. Denise will help you and your child every step of the way. As a Mom, I am forever grateful for her valuable assistance/contribution in helping (me) and my two twin daughters find the right college "fit" for them. The technology tools available through Big Fish on Campus coupled with Denise's sound insight and advice was effective, efficient, and successful. So, here we go... two of my daughter's going to college in the fall (Northeastern University and MCC!) All the best to all. Thank you so much - Denise. We can’t thank you enough for your outstanding support and work to help them through this journey.
You are amazing.- Amy W.

“Highly recommend- Super responsive and quick”

Denise provided useful feedback and great editing for my daughter's college essay. She was also super responsive and quick. Highly recommend.- Marci P.

“I’ll always remember what you did for me”

Hey, Miss Denise, I know I've said it quite a lot, but I still want to say it once again. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to work with you and I will always remember what you did for me. - Dan G.

“The best!”

Denise, thank you so much! I appreciate all the help you have given me with my college search and applications. You are the best! - Bella K.

“Rutgers satisfied everything he wanted and he’s now loving it!”

My son is a freshman at Rutgers University. Initially, he was not sure where he wanted to go. He was told by guidance to find a certain amount of safe, reach and target schools. We set out to visit some but he had no idea what he was looking for in each school. Denise sent me lists of things to look for when seeing each school to make it less overwhelming. This helped a great deal as there were now things to consider. She made it so much easier this way training us to think differently. We talked through each of his acceptances and which ones to visit. Denise helped us continue to narrow his choices to find the right fit. Rutgers satisfied everything he wanted and he’s now loving it! - Debbi P.

“Thank you for pulling me through this difficult time in my life”

Dear Denise: Thank you for pulling me through this difficult time in my life. I now have a better understanding as to what I am supposed to be doing as a helpful parent to my child. Thanks again! - Jan P.

“It’s a great feeling when someone like you is in our corner”

We appreciate you being there for us and Jessica the whole school year. It has been a trying year for us but it’s a great feeling when someone like you is in our corner. - Michael P