Moxie College Counseling

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 still 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. Our son landed at an amazing school and more importantly one that we believe will be a great fit and we are thrilled for him. We really could not have done it without Jeff and hope that he will consider helping our youngest navigate the process in 2 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.

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 relationship 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 of interest. Jeff 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, positives and negatives, and helping to manage expectations and rejections that come with every successful process.

Working with Moxie immensely transformed my college search and application process. Kim’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!

Jeff and his colleagues at Moxie have been extremely helpful during every step of my journey to and through Northwestern. Thank you!!!

One of the best decisions we ever made was hiring Jeff and his team at Moxie to help with our daughter's college admission process. Jeff is skilled, professional, and personable and welcomes all types of students. He uses a very organized and collaborative approach, where students are encouraged to take the lead, and Jeff serves as a coach. mentor. and cheerleader. As a parent, it was a huge time saver for us to outsource the college admissions process to Jeff and know that deadlines were being met. At the same time, we were included as much as we wanted to be and Jeff was available to answer questions or hear our concerns every step of the way. Most importantly, Jeff gave our daughter the confidence she needed to make her own decisions about her future. Jeff takes the time to really get to know his students and they can tell that he really cares about them. Students get to know themselves better through working with Jeff and take this self-awareness with them to college. I highly recommend Moxie College Counseling services - they are the best!

Jeff Knox is an extraordinarily gifted and experienced independent educational counselor. Warm and witty, Jeff brings more than a decade of working in college admissions counseling and planning to each family he meets. He keeps himself deeply immersed in both the ever-changing admissions landscape and the details of hundreds of colleges across the U.S. and beyond. Jeff then brings this knowledge to the particular student and parent in front of him, listening to them and helping them identify what they want most out of a college experience. From that, Jeff helps families craft a plan for the high school journey and the admissions process to find the right fit for that student. I’ve learned a ton from Jeff about college admissions over the seven years we worked together, and I offer Jeff and his team at Moxie College Counseling very strongest recommendation for families looking for a trusted guide on the logistically and emotionally complicated road to college.

Our family is extremely happy with Jeff and his team of professionals. I recommend him to everyone. If I could have given them more stars I would.