Client/Colleague Feedback
Switching College Counselors in the midst of the application process could have been confusing, however Mrs Ekman-Baur quickly got to know me very well. She also endured my indecisiveness and many rapid changes of interests and college choices and was extremely supportive and flexible at every step of the way. She also made tireless efforts to help me with my many college essays and to prepare me for interviews. Visiting her office was always a pleasure and I am grateful for having had her as my Counselor. Thank you!
Anna G.Going the extra mile! Karen is the whole package; she always supported our son from the beginning until the end. She was always available at any time for anything. She provided an external insight on his college choices and essays, which helped to stimulate fantastic essays and helped him choose excellent universities. We are thankful for all of her help!
Angelica V.I am very happy to announce that I have been accepted by LSE!!! [university of choice] Of course, I couldn’t have done this without your invaluable help on my personal statement, so I would like to express my deepest gratitude once again.
Max T.I have to say that I was wonderfully taken aback with the passion and dedication that Mrs. Ekman-Baur showed to us seniors when she came to LAS. Even though we were already beginning the college application process, she put all her time and energy into getting to know us and always found time to help us – because she REALLY cared. I was someone who entered the whole college process very nervous, but Mrs. Ekman-Baur, through her commitment and constant encouragement, gave me the confidence I needed to get where I am today.
Clara G.My family had the opportunity to work with Karen while trying to find the right colleges for our kids. Trying to break the code on the “college world” is an intimidating, non-intuitive process, and Karen helped us to decipher it all – from college selection to financing recommendations. Karen’s wealth of experience was invaluable, and we highly recommend her services to absolutely anyone looking towards higher education.
Pat T.Karen has been, from the first moment of assuming the role, an exceptional guidance counsellor. She was (and still is) full of ideas about how to improve the provision of guidance services [to students], not just in the strict area of college guidance, but also in the general area of career guidance.
Liam G.There are many things which most people do only once in their lives, and applying to college tends to be one. That means that you enter this maze with no experience and with little idea of how to go through it successfully. It was a good thing I had Mrs.
Ekman-Baur to guide me through all of the tedious process, helping me make the right choices, examining essay after essay, and making sure I looked as polished as possible. She was always ready to help at any time of the day, and I especially liked how she would help me reduce the number of words in an essay to the exact word limit when I was a tad above the limit without making it lose my style of writing or information. I loved every minute of that experience, and I’d recommend Mrs. Ekman-Baur to anyone.
Recommendation of Presentation “Overview of English-Language Higher Education Study Opportunities Worldwide” – Karen Ekman-Baur of StudyHorizons has given her very thoroughly researched presentation, “An Overview of English-Language Higher Education Study Opportunitites Worldwide” on two occasions at the American Library Karlsruhe. We are very grateful for her well-structured and very informative presentations that give an excellent overview of English-language university options worldwide. The questions from the audience are answered patiently and competently, and we are planning our next event with StudyHorizons in the near future.
Julia A.Thank you so much for all your help and support with my essays. You really helped me elevate my CommonApp essay, and I think the main reason I got into Penn [university of choice] was because of my essays; they likely also made up for my lacklustre test scores. . . . I sincerely hope you can continue to work with ASB to help us get more college acceptances.
Louis V.I really enjoyed working with Mrs. Ekman-Baur. As a non-American wanting to study in a U.S. college, it it not easy, especially when you are only starting the whole process in your senior year. My parents and I did not really know how the whole application process worked or even what universities I should apply to. Mrs. Ekman-Baur was of great assistance: She explained everything and helped me throughout the whole application process – always making sure I had done all the required tests (e.g. TOEFL, SAT, ACT) and that I had a complete and ‘good looking’ application. I applied to ten colleges, which I would surely not have done if she had not been there to support me. Working with Mrs. Ekman-Baur was very pleasant because she was always there to answer my questions and help me, and that always with a smile. I was accepted to far more universities that I thought I would be, which was great, but then came the most difficult part of all – making the final decision!
Annabelle L.Mrs. Ekman-Baur is an exceptionally gifted and devoted advisor. Her commitment to matching my aspirations with a range of top-flight courses of study allowed me to choose among world-class options for my future. She is dedicated to making sure her clients not only have the best information available to them, but also to ensuring they have the helping hand they need during the college and university application process.
Mark B.I was extremely impressed with how Karen built up the college/university guidance department [of ISS] from 2002-2008, taking it from minimal function to being a comprehensive system to inform, guide, and provide testing for students interested in pursuing tertiary education in various parts of the world.
Rebecca J-B.“The key to this entire college application procedure is to hold all the cards in your hand even before you are asked for them.” This was a solid piece of advice that Ms Ekman-Baur gave me as I was gearing up to apply for colleges. Having come from a different schooling system [India], I did not have much knowledge regarding the American university system, and it had seemed quite intimidating at the beginning. Thanks to Ms Ekman-Baur’s constant guidance and her rapport with my high school teachers, as well as the university counselors, she truly made my transition to college seamless and ridiculously easy. She is exceptionally knowledgeable regarding this matter and, more importantly, shows genuine desire and passion in helping her students attain their higher education goals. She is able to boil down the admissions procedures and criteria to the simplest level and lay it down in front of you one step at a time. As each student is unique, she can predict the next step for the individual student and also help you through it. Today, thanks to her tremendous support, guidance, and general positive spirit, I am a qualified Engineeer based in the greater Los Angeles area and a budding entrepreneur venturing into high-tech propulsion systems for the future of mankind. Ms Ekman-Baur is by far one of my favorite teachers/ counselors ever! .
Adithya N.Mrs. Ekman-Baur has excellent relationships with parents and has notable contacts both in the local community and in the wider world of international education. She gives excellent advice to individual students and has a long record of her charges being offered suitable university and college placements. Mrs. Ekman-Baur invariably has a fine rapport with young people, and the set of skills she has developed in such relationships, while based on long experience, are always exercised with a freshness and spontaneity to which students readily and enthusiastically respond.
John P.