What distinguishes Nancy from the rest of the field in this crowded marketplace and increasingly competitive and arduous process is her ability to really hone in on my son’s needs beyond what was needed for the application. It was her ability to prepare him mentally for what was ahead and keeping him confident, positive and hopeful throughout. She helped him reduce stress and refocus his energy on what he was truly passionate about. She guided him and strengthened his ability to own his narrative.

--parent, Boston University

Nancy brought a solid wisdom, humanity and compassion to a college process that can sometimes feel demoralizing for kids. Through his work with her, our son learned to trust his own voice as a writer. He spontaneously turned to her for support and guidance when confused, and received high-fives when there were victories. This powerful relationship was exactly what he and we needed during this process.

--parent, Vanderbilt University and Packer Collegiate

Our son first began working with Nancy for his High School ISEE/SSAT tutoring. He re-engaged with Nancy for his SAT tutoring and college application process.

It was particularly remarkable to us, how Nancy re-connected with our son, at this new developmental stage and they resumed their relationship flawlessly. Her ability to intellectually and emotionally meet him where he now was, to value and respect his individuality and his interests, was extraordinary.

Her keen understanding of high school students and the stress and anxiety that often accompanies the college application process, coupled with her bandwidth of knowledge of specific schools/majors, within colleges/universities, the nuances of the common app essay, supplemental essays, activities sheet, and much more, provided our son with a level of support, calm, consistency and confidence, during a complicated process.

By creating spreadsheets and shared Google docs, Nancy kept our son accountable in meeting numerous deadlines, thereby empowering him to own the process, which significantly reduced his stress and anxiety.

Nancy is also an incredible collaborator and was always respectful of our son’s in school college counselor’s recommendations and opinions. This approach resulted in our son submitting the strongest applications possible.

--parent, University of Pennsylvania & Fieldston

Simply put, Nancy is amazing, and I have no doubt that without her, we would not have ended up in such a positive position.

We are from the UK, so unfamiliar with the process of the US college applications, but Nancy guided us effortlessly through, the whole way. She has incredible knowledge and professionalism, but more importantly is a lovely person who is a pleasure to work with.

She undoubtedly had our son’s best interests at heart and as well as a great set of essays; he would say he’s improved as a writer through his time working with her.

We will always be incredibly grateful for all her support. Go Wildcats!

--parent, Northwestern University & Highgate School

When someone comes into your life who is truly gifted at what they do, at precisely the right time you need her, you can’t help but feel utterly grateful.  That is how I feel about Nancy Davenport.

A good friend recommended Nancy to me when my eldest daughter was in 11th grade.  With her strategies and tips, Nancy helped our daughter bump her ACT score from a 32 to a 34, with a super score of 35.  I realize that two points might not sound like much, but it is very difficult to bump an ACT score from the low 30’s to the mid 30’s and when you’re applying to top colleges; especially within the competitive NYC pool of candidates, those few points can really make a difference.

Someone who can help you kid achieve her/his test-score goals is invaluable, but I actually believe Nancy’s greatest strength is helping a child craft a personal statement. Our daughter is an excellent writer, but Nancy was able to push her and used the right prompts to help her hone in on a central core and then wrap all of her ideas around this core, creating an exceptionally insightful, creative and beautifully written personal statement.  With Nancy’s wisdom and experience, we know our daughter reached her fullest potential.

--parent, Princeton University and The Brearley School

Nancy is incredible, and we are grateful for her support with the often stressful and demanding college application process. She is thoughtful and kind and readily established a rapport with our son. She is well-versed in all aspects of the application and can skillfully help with anything and everything from extracurricular guidance to essay brainstorming to test prep to the overall college search. Our son says that “she’s extremely helpful, logical, super nice, and knows what she’s doing and how the process works.”

We are thrilled with the outcome of our son’s college story and credit Nancy for her instrumental part in his success.

--parent, University of Chicago and Riverdale Country School

Working with Nancy was the best decision our family made to guide us through the college process. She is uniquely skilled at getting to know each of her students and tailors her approach to help them reach their full potential.

Nancy’s style is the perfect combination of patience and understanding with just the right amount of structure built in. Her expectations are also realistic which allows her students to feel successful every step of the way.

For our son, Nancy helped us through the entire college process. From generating an initial list of schools, to tutoring him for the ACTs, and then guiding him through the writing of his common app essay and each and every supplement. She laid out a manageable timeline, was always reachable and responded immediately to any and all of our questions.  My son was thrilled with his final ACT score, his common app essay (and all his supplements) and was admitted early decision to his first choice school. We could not have hoped for a better experience!

--parent, Emory University and Trevor Day School

Nancy got our daughter excited to write her college essays!  She actually looked forward to her weekly essay writing sessions. Nancy’s extremely calm, upbeat demeanor was quite soothing to an otherwise angst-ridden process.  Her creative yet collaborative style constantly challenged our daughter to take ownership, develop and methodically fine-tune all of her creative ideas.  Nancy was always on time for the sessions, available and responsive to any questions or concerns, and was quite flexible with ever-changing schedules.  She constantly provided the right amount of positive reinforcement to keep my daughter motivated and on track with all deadlines.  The essay writing aspect of the application process was never an issue. My daughter was so fortunate to have had the chance to work closely with Nancy!

--parent, Washington University, St. Louis & Fieldston

We were very fortunate to have been introduced to Nancy through an NYC friend who had used her services. It was one of the best decisions we made as a family – Nancy was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and “wise,” and a great coach overall for our high school junior daughter, who was navigating the challenges of college admissions.

Nancy provided expert essay writing support for our daughter, enabling her to find her words, voice, and story to craft an impactful narrative that showed her true self. We were incredibly impressed, as well, with Nancy’s ability to “connect” with what I assume is a typically stressed high schooler,  guiding the writing process while maintaining our daughter’s sense of sanity. Nancy’s focus on keeping kids on track and aligned with deadlines, being available to them through flexible scheduling, and providing some extra advice on college choices was all very much appreciated.

I would finally add for families outside NYC, that Nancy’s support for us was all provided remotely (vs. in person) and that arrangement worked perfectly.  Thank you again, Nancy.

--parent, Columbia University

Nancy was instrumental in helping our son get accepted into his top choice university.

We have a bright, opinionated child who has wide range of interests. On the other hand, he is not very disciplined and lacks both organization and time management skill for college applications. As the deadline loomed closer and closer, we grew more and more anxious. Miraculously, Nancy was able to win our son’s trust and find a way to communicate with him more effectively than we did regarding college applications. With a light and magical touch, she helped our son to find his unique and persuasive voice in crafting his personal essays.

Nancy also guided him in school selection and to make sure he met all the requirements in a timely manner. Nancy was very encouraging and patient with our son. She was always prompt in answering whatever questions or concerns we might have and kept us well informed. We could not have done it without her. Thank you, Nancy!

--parent, University of Chicago & Stuyvesant

Nancy came highly recommended to us by three different friends whose kids all had very different learning styles & temperaments. Nancy’s ability to connect with my son and pretty much immediately understand his learning style was incredible. I interviewed a few different people knowing that my son would need to be able to connect with his ISEE/SSAT tutor if they were about to embark on  6-9 months of one-on-one weekly tutoring. Nancy endeared herself to my sporty, social, anti-reader son in a way that made him respect her greatly. He often reported that the way she explained math & verbal problems “just makes perfect sense.” She used creative exercises and workbooks to both challenge my son and humor him, thereby making this High School application process tolerable. Their sessions even helped him in 8th grade math as some of the material intersected.

Nancy was also extremely receptive to conversations with us regarding our son’s progress and we were always on the same page regarding when to back off slightly and when to hold him more accountable. Nancy ultimately helped our son raise his stanines 2-3 points in all 4 sections. This completely opened the door to being able to apply to top tier NYC High Schools with a degree of confidence. However, as parents, what was of even greater importance to us was that our son remained as emotionally intact as possible during this competitive & rigorous process. He did! And again, we attribute this wholly to Nancy. She was a mental coach as well as an ISEE/SSAT coach. She was so in tune with the greater picture of who our child is as a student and as a 14 year old boy. I cannot say enough about our experience and have already reserved Nancy for our two daughters (8 & 11)!!!

--parent, Ethical Culture Fieldston

Nancy is a gem and a joy to work with. She’s extremely skilled at helping navigate the college application process. Nancy helped our daughter achieve her ACT goals and polish her essays. Nancy would offer different learning concepts that maximized our daughter’s potential and constantly shared words of encouragement during a stressful application process. We enthusiastically recommend Nancy!

--parent, Cornell University

Nancy has worked with three of my children to prepare for the ISEEs.  She has an ability to understand what motivates each child and to teach them accordingly, and is excellent at  prioritizing among the required sections and skills. Nancy also has a great feel for the timing and flow of test preparation.  With each of my children she felt that they needed a slightly different program. Most recently, we started preparing earlier but worked very slowly and consistently.  With my other daughter, Nancy recommended a shorter, more intense approach.  Nancy spends the time getting to know the kids and the family in order to determine how to approach the ISEE exam. She is direct, honest and calming when delivering her recommendations. Finally, Nancy is efficient and has excellent judgement.  I never felt that she was pushing us to invest more in this process than we needed.

All three of my children saw significant improvement in their scores; in one case the improvements were dramatic.  While no child likes test prep, Nancy makes sure that everyone – parents and kids – keep the test in perspective, that everyone maintains a sense of humor about the process, and that you always feel as if you have a supportive partner.

— parent, Dwight-Englewood

We wouldn’t have made it through the past year without Nancy.  Not only did she help our son prepare for his ISEE and SHSAT, she became a relied upon and trusted resource to our whole family throughout the process.

Nancy understood our son immediately and was able to communicate with him in a way that not only taught him but also instilled him with confidence.  He looked forward to meeting with her and was comfortable reaching out on his own with questions. He commented often that he felt so lucky to work with her and didn’t get stressed when he didn’t understand something on a practice test because he knew Nancy would be able to explain it to him.

As a parent, this process can be overwhelming and Nancy helped us tremendously.  From providing reminders on when to sign up for tests, to giving us insight on which schools might be a good fit to providing tips and tricks that only someone with her years of experience can do.  We recommended Nancy to other friends and their immediate comment was “she gets our kid.”  There is nothing more valuable to a parent.

— parent, Brooklyn Friends

Working with Nancy was such a pleasure. She is extremely knowledgeable about the process, the prepping and the test taking. Not only she knows the material, but she knew exactly how to get through to our daughter making this process the most stress free and enjoyable possible for all. Our daughter never complained about having a session with Nancy, actually she ended up adding more time and frequency to her weekly meetings, making her final test results be amazing.

Nancy was always available to have a check in chat, discuss what needed to change and had realistic goals for our daughter ending in a complete success. Cannot say enough of how highly we recommend Nancy.

— parent, Trinity School

Nancy was an integral part of my college application experience who alleviated a lot of the anxiety surrounding the testing process and helped me to achieve the results I wanted. I started with Nancy at the beginning of my junior year in an effort to get a head start of sorts, and the weekly sessions were a productive structure that kept me on track. At one point, Nancy was able to pick up on a timing issue I wasn’t conscious of, and with her help I was able to readjust my test-taking strategy – raising my score by 400 points. Nancy is a knowledgeable, perceptive tutor, and a great mentor. I feel very lucky to have met her, and would recommend her to any of my friends.

--student, NYU & Bard Early College

Nancy was a lifesaver!

She helped our son study and strategize for SATs, the ACT and subject tests. Her experience with these tests — through previous students and her own experience actually taking them was invaluable. As she got to know him she even helped with his essay, never putting words in his mouth, but painstakingly having him find the most compelling way to express what he was trying to say.

It was a great relief to have Nancy be the human buffer in this volatile process!

--parent, University of Michigan & Fieldston

Nancy was first recommended to us as an SAT tutor for our oldest daughter several years ago. She was referred to as a “miracle worker,” a description that turned out to be particularly apt. Our daughter was looking at highly selective schools and knew that she needed to raise her SAT score in order to improve her chances of admission. With Nancy’s help, she did just that and was admitted to her first choice school. Over the years, Nancy also has worked with our other two children, who have very distinct personalities and learning styles. In each instance, Nancy was able to help them significantly improve their SAT scores. It is not only her ability to achieve excellent results, but also her calm demeanor and capacity to quickly adapt her teaching method to each child’s individual strengths and needs that truly sets Nancy apart. She made a process that can often be filled with anxiety and stress much more bearable. We would highly recommend her!

--parent, three Stanford University students

Nancy is an extremely talented writer with considerable depth in the college app essay-writing arena. She gives responsive and complete support throughout the college app process. She provides coaching and guidance on essay topics and gives honest and helpful feedback to her students. She is very patient and encourages her students to find their voice with their essay content. Her professionalism and can-do attitude make the daunting app effort easier. She is committed to each student and focuses on their unique story and approach. Those who work with her recognize the value she adds and appreciate her flexibility and dedication to her students.

--parent, University of Pennsylvania & Columbia Prep

Nancy Davenport is a shining star in the firmament of test prep tutors. My son has worked with Nancy on both the SAT and the AP World History tests. He is an excellent student at a competitive high school, but he (and we) had high hopes for his test results and so decided we needed help. Nancy fit the bill perfectly. In meeting Nancy, I was impressed by her no-nonsense approach and commitment to the task at hand as well as to the student as a person and his family. Nancy regimented and organized the arid and unpleasant task of preparing for standardized tests almost to the point that my son found it fun and interesting. In addition to technical test taking skills, Nancy provided support and a sounding board for both son and the family at large through the preparation process.

Nancy Davenport is a sincere person dedicated to and equipped for her mission, which is to liberate a student’s inner test taker and help them achieve the highest possible test results. I highly recommend Nancy to any family that is seeking to take on and excel at the battery of standard tests our kids confront today.

--parent, Horace Mann

My daughter worked with Nancy in preparation for the SSAT and ISEE. The rapport Nancy established with my daughter, along with all the exercises and study plans she provided, made for an unbeatable combination. Nancy brings a can-do attitude, sense of humor, understanding of the teenage psyche (and patience with it), and test expertise. These qualities supported my daughter to achieve great results.

-parent, Northfield Mount Hermon & the Cathedral School

It’s my pleasure to highly recommend Nancy as an SAT/ACT Tutor. Nancy brings a wonderful personality, kindness and energy along with practical and smart strategies to approach each type of problem on the test. Unlike some tutors who are just out of college, Nancy is an experienced and mature teacher; and being a mom herself, knew how to manage every kind of mood my child was in and still kept her focused and on track so their time together was productive. As important, she helped my daughter get to the point where she felt very prepared; helping to take the anxiety out of the test taking experience for all of us! In the end, my daughter improved 4 points on the ACT from her baseline diagnostic. And, Nancy made the whole process a positive learning experience giving my daughter test taking skills that she utilizes in her regular school tests as well. THANK YOU NANCY!

--parent, Bronx Science

Nancy has tutored my son for the SAT and raised his score, from an initial evaluation, by nearly 300 points. She is a godsend to stressed out juniors and their parents. Her firm, yet good-humored approach to test prep was just what my son needed. She is flexible and able to work around the demands of school work and extracurriculars. I highly recommend Nancy as a tutor for 11th graders embarking upon the battery of tests that seems to define junior year.

--parent, Columbia University & Collegiate

Nancy Davenport worked with my son for several months during his junior year of high school to prepare him for his SAT’s. Nancy is a remarkable educator and person. Beyond her vast knowledge of standardized tests, she has an ease and enthusiasm that enabled her to quickly connect with and inspire my son to achieve his maximum potential. Nancy’s expert skills and warm demeanor combined to create the perfect learning environment. My son’s score improved by just under 20 percentage points while working with Nancy.

--parent, Kenyon College & Calhoun

We cannot say enough about Nancy and her approach to learning. She spent time getting to know our daughter and understanding exactly what she needed to be successful through a very stressful time of college applications. Nancy’s suggestions helped our daughter decide between ACT/SAT testing as well as helping prepare for the actual test day.

It is easy to get caught up in the process and lose sight of what is best for your own child; Nancy definitely understands the pressure and was accessible when a question arose, even if it wasn’t during the tutoring session.

--parent, University of Wisconsin-Madison & Bard High School Early College

My daughter never was a fan of tutors, and the whole process of preparing for SAT’s was a dreaded endeavor…but we have to say the sun shined down on us when we hired Nancy Davenport, coach, tutor par excellence on this crazy path of getting our daughter up to speed for the SAT’s. She got her! Nancy has the special ability to communicate with teenagers, motivate them to see beyond their immediate desires and demands. She is a master balancer between discipline, inspiration and motivation. Nancy made our daughter accountable to herself and the process, which isn’t easy in a challenging teenager. Nancy was flexible, cheery and incredibly competent. She was equally successful, referring her on to other families, with totally different kids’ personalities and needs. Honestly, after she moved on, we were sad to no longer have her around!

--parent, Skidmore & Bronx Science

We would highly recommend Nancy as a tutor for the SATs and SAT 2s. Nancy knows exactly what to teach kids, is able to analyze areas of weakness, and expects kids to work very hard. Most importantly, she has a great sense of humor and attitude toward the studying. She makes the SAT a game to master and conquer. My daughter has told me on a number of occasions that she can’t believe how much fun she is having and her confidence has soared. Bravo, Nancy!

--parent, Boston University & Bard Early College