Testimonials

"We began working with Luminus Prep during our son Aidan’s junior year at St. Albans School in Washington, DC, and continued with our daughter Heidi at Georgetown Visitation. Thanks to Lissa’s expert guidance, Aidan is now a rising junior at Boston College, and Heidi will begin at Duke University this fall—both were accepted to their top-choice schools.

What set Lissa apart was her ability to blend strategic insight with calm, focused execution. From building customized college lists to guiding us through testing timelines, extracurricular strategy, and in-person interview prep, she brought structure and clarity to a process that can easily feel overwhelming.

Equally important, Lissa was warm, responsive, and steady throughout. She balanced empathy with accountability, held our children to clear expectations, and helped them craft authentic essays that reflected who they truly are. Her ability to manage both student and parent emotions during such a high-stakes process was invaluable."

Lissa was an absolute dream to work with from start to finish. She guided our family in curating a thoughtful list of colleges and ultimately helped us find the best fit for our son. She was hands-on every step of the way, offering excellent advice, guidance, and unwavering support, always giving 110%.

Lissa encouraged our son to try different experiences so that he could learn from them, as well as include them to make his application more robust. She was flexible, realistic in managing our expectations, and at the same time fully supportive of our son’s first choice. The process felt seamless, and our son was so appreciative of her guidance and experience that he independently recommended her to his friends.

In the end, he was accepted to his first-choice school, and there is no doubt Lissa was instrumental in making that happen. We are truly fortunate to have worked with her and are forever grateful. We would enthusiastically recommend Lissa to anyone going through the college process.

"From our initial college list to pressing “Send” on the Common App, Lissa Steele was an ideal college counselor and advocate. All three of our children worked with her — two for college (UVA and Wake Forest) and one for boarding school (Taft).

Lissa has a sharp sense of what each school offers academically and socially, and she combines that with a deep understanding of each student’s needs. Her approach is both strategic and personal — helping students choose where to apply and serving as a hands-on partner throughout the entire process.

She was always available, no matter the hour, and connected with our kids in a way that was kind, direct, and effective. She kept things moving and allowed us to be supporters, not taskmasters. As one of our children said best: “Lissa is awesome!”"

"Lissa Steele helped my son successfully transfer from Bucknell to Brown University, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome. She was calm, purposeful, and accessible at all hours, providing thoughtful, strategic guidance throughout the entire process.

Lissa worked one-on-one with my son to build a clear, personalized transfer strategy from the ground up. Her team—comprised of experts and graduates from Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, and other top schools—was equally impressive and supportive.

We only wish we had found Luminus Prep sooner. Compared to our earlier, frustrating college experiences, this time felt supported, empowering, and focused. Lissa and her team exceeded our expectations at every step."

"The Towers family is proud to have partnered with Luminus Prep. Lissa and John guided both of our children through the college admissions process, helping each gain admission to their first-choice schools—Penn State and Brown.

John worked closely with our son on standardized testing, crafting a personalized schedule that balanced academics, athletics, and test prep. His ability to tailor instruction while maintaining high standards was essential to our son’s success.

Meanwhile, Lissa led the admissions strategy and essay work with calm precision—from brainstorming to final polish. Her insights helped keep the process low-stress, authentic, and effective.

Both Lissa and John were always available to our family, and we appreciated having trusted experts we could turn to throughout this high-pressure time."

"This essay brought me to tears… wow! Incredibly emotional to read.

Thank you, Lissa, for your expertise and for supporting Christopher’s journey so personally and thoughtfully."

"Lissa helped me out a ton throughout the entire college process. Whether it was picking the right type of college or helping me draft an authentic essay, she was there for it all.

With her diligent guidance, I was able to gain admission to many of the most competitive schools. I thank Lissa to this day for providing my family and me with an incredibly streamlined college process."

"We cannot thank you enough for all that you have done to assist and guide us with our college searches. Our two children, twins, getting into their first-choice schools of Brown University and Cornell University was truly amazing.

Even though they are superb students, applying from the ultra-competitive area of Fairfield County was challenging. Thank you for all your sage advice, including making sure their extracurricular activities were consistent with their areas of interest. You never discouraged them from applying to the most competitive schools, yet you made sure they put their best foot forward.

We are very grateful for your masterful advice."

"Lissa and John and their team were amazing. They helped both of our kids significantly improve their SAT/ACT scores through one-on-one, customized coaching. And most importantly, helped them find and get admitted to schools that were perfect fits for them academically, socially, and culturally. We could not be more pleased with the results. We strongly recommend Lissa and John if you are looking for high-performing, personalized college admission consulting."

"As a senior in high school, I worked with Luminus Prep to prepare for my SAT. I improved my score from a 1440 to a 1590. This improvement was a direct consequence of the help and tutoring I received here.

After my freshman year as a student athlete at a highly competitive school I wanted to change universities. I again enlisted the help of Luminus Prep. They knew exactly what schools wanted to hear and how to stand out as an applicant. Through their guidance I gained acceptance to Vanderbilt, UVA, Michigan, Cornell and UNC. I cannot thank them enough for their help and expertise, nor can I imagine a college counseling program better at placing students into elite universities"

"I worked with John and Lissa and the team at Luminus Prep to help my son Jack navigate the standardized test prep, admissions, and athletic recruiting process. They were a tremendous help, and Jack wound up with multiple top tier options. In the end, he decided to attend and play tennis at Georgetown - thank you for your help!"

"Lissa Steele and John Murphy were vital to the college process for my son Declan. Their admissions team helped every step of the way and provided sound feedback on his applications and essays. Declan also benefitted from their ACT prep program, and his scores increased substantially, which made a big difference. Lissa and John were always available to answer questions and guide us in the right direction. Thank you to Luminus Prep for helping us!"