When I recommend Dara to a family, I know they are in very good hands. I’ve never had an unhappy family or student! We have worked together for ten years now, and I consider her the consummate professional - knowledgeable, intuitive and a great sense of the wider academic world. A wonderful investment in lifelong learning skills!

During the time of my most serious academic confusion my parents introduced me to Dara. At first I was apprehensive of having someone “baby” me through my high school work, but it became clear after one session that she truly wanted to see me grow as a student and wanted the best for me. Over the course of 4 years, Dara helped me fill educational gaps I had in reading and writing, due to my learning disability. Dara restructured my academic foundation to help me find success. Through my work with her, I gained a better understanding of my strengths and learned how to compensate for my weaknesses. It is clear that Dara has shaped me into a more well rounded and confident student. I used to stress so much about assignments. Whether I was in school or not, I constantly felt overwhelmed by what felt like a mountain of classwork to tackle. As a young adult, your world revolves around academics; if you aren’t confident in the classroom, it’s hard to be confident in real life. When I started doing well in class because of my work with Dara, I could see my worth as a person. I finally had clear evidence that I was smart and my challenges in the classroom didn’t mean that I was any less of a person. Dara played an instrumental role in my life in high school and I am incredibly thankful for all that she has done for me. As I look forward to entering college in the fall, it’s easy to see that Dara’s tutoring has prepared me for the challenges ahead.

As a first-generation college student, applying to college was an overwhelming, unfamiliar experience. I was fortunate to have met Dara who not only willingly reviewed what seemed like an endless amount of applications, but she helped calm and guide me along the way. Thanks to Dara I was able to get into Santa Clara University, which was a school that she had brought to my attention. I am grateful that I went there and to this day stay in touch with Dara as she has made a huge impact on my life. I recommended her to my sister and, unsurprisingly, my sister also had a great experience. I suggest you reach out to Dara and you’ll shortly see what I mean for yourself! Thank you Dara for going the extra mile and helping out my family and me. You are much appreciated! I used to stress so much about assignments. Whether I was in school or not, I constantly felt overwhelmed by what felt like a mountain of classwork to tackle. As a young adult, your world revolves around academics; if you aren’t confident in the classroom, it’s hard to be confident in real life. When I started doing well in class because of my work with Dara, I could see my worth as a person. I finally had clear evidence that I was smart and my challenges in the classroom didn’t mean that I was any less of a person. Dara played an instrumental role in my life in high school and I am incredibly thankful for all that she has done for me. As I look forward to entering college in the fall, it’s easy to see that Dara’s tutoring has prepared me for the challenges ahead.

I highly recommend Dara Berger as an excellent College Admission Essay Coach. Dara assisted our daughter with crafting her college application essay and was an invaluable resource during this six month process. The hardest part of the college admission essay process is knowing how to get started and Dara put my daughter on the right path. She was stumped as to what subject to write about, had some thoughts but no clear idea which topics would help reveal who she was or what was important to her. Using skilled and insightful questions, Dara helped her identify subjects to determine her best material for the essay. She helped her take very rough written ideas, through multiple drafts which resulted in a final polished essay (skills that served her well in college.) Dara is friendly, warm, collaborative, and was a master at motivating in order for work to be completed in a timely fashion to meet deadlines. She was encouraging and carefully helped our daughter discover her own strengths. She did not write her essay — it all came from our daughter, inspired by Dara’s calm and thoughtful support.

Dara and I began working together during my sophomore year of high school. She coached me diligently for 3 years on both my reading (speed and comprehension) and writing (essays, applications, and speeches) skills. The time that I spent learning from Dara was second to none! Through the process of countless revisions and red marked papers, she taught me the skills and strategies I needed to succeed in any academic and professional setting. What began as simple tutoring for two academic subjects, turned into a life-changing experience that propelled me into the next stage of my life. She helped me get into the top college of my choice, where I went on to graduate with a Bachelors and Masters degree in 5 years. The discipline I learned from her has helped me achieve in my professional life as well. Due to her patience and caring nature that she brought to every session, she has become a mentor and a lifelong friend! I would recommend Dara to anyone that is looking for coaching, tutoring, or simply the skills it takes to succeed!!

I started working with Dara during my junior year of high school, when I was struggling to write my thesis paper. Dara helped guide me through every step of the process, kept me focused, and was so patient with me as I struggled with assignments. The great thing about Dara is that she wants to help in any way possible, and is so committed to you and your learning process. She will even help you outside of sessions, such as finding sources or doing some extra research. Dara is always responsive, flexible, and accommodating. She is honestly one of the most hardworking people I know, and she’s passionate about helping her students. Now I’m graduating college and Dara and I have still stayed in touch 4 years later. Now she helps me with my job hunt and interview process, and is such a great resource. I know I can always look to her for real-world advice! Having her as a resource and a friend has been such a wonderful experience, and she has seen me through major growth and learning processes. I am so thankful for her help!

Our experience with Dara as a teacher, mentor and, ultimately, coach for our son has been a fulfilling journey. She worked regularly with our son for 3 years in high school to accept and effectively deal with the challenges of slow processing and learning issues. Her patience and motivation helped him establish frameworks and strategies to comprehend and then master a plan for learning any subject he studied. That foundation became a springboard for adding his own observations and ideas to produce better quality writing in all subjects (an especially challenging task for any of us!). Another noticeable product of our son’s time spent with Dara, was how consistently he improved his test-taking ability. Dara taught him how to find the intent of test questions and capably answer them. This skill ultimately lead to improved scores throughout all of the tests he was required to take in high school & for college prep. Her guidance was key to him being accepted by his top choices for college! Once in college, the skills and strategies he learned with Dara empowered our son to take on any learning and testing situation he encountered. He was successful in graduating and earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 5 years. Now that he is in the world of business, he still draws from the foundation that he & Dara built together. Dara has graciously continued to be available as a sounding board and coach for several unique situations. We highly recommend Dara for her sensitivity, brilliant mind, guidance and, especially, her patience!!