About Us
Our Story
Dr. Li Barrett is the founder of the Academic Collaboration for Excellence (ACE) LLC. As a hard-working student in China with hefty ambitions, she dreamed of travelling to the United States to pursue her educational pursuits. However, the family’s economic conditions were limited, so she decided to secure a job, save some money and then apply to study in the United States. Similar to everyone who dreams of studying in the United States, she initiated a lengthy preparation process: TOEFL, GRE, and school choices. The process of studying abroad is undoubtedly challenging on many fronts. Dr. Zhang didn’t know the many facets of the process that needed to be completed. For assistance in this arduous process, she decided to seek the help of intermediary agencies. Because of her job at Beijing New Oriental School, the largest English training magnate in China, she had the opportunity to contact Beijing's major intermediary agencies. The consultant at each agency would present a very beautiful customer case and promotional materials, stating the company had clients admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and other premier institutions. When Dr. Zhang presented the agency with her academic background and work experience, all the consulting agencies in China stated she could only apply to universities that ranked below 100. Furthermore, a scholarship would not be possible. A scholarship would be very helpful, due to the very high cost of studying abroad. Dr. Zhang had conducted a tremendous amount of research on many American institutions and believed that she was the type of the student the US universities would want to attract. She remained optimistic and decided to pursue the application process without assistance from an agency. She applied to nine schools, received admission to four universities and secured an interview with Harvard University. Dr. Zhang was accepted by a top10 school, but chose to attend Boston University (BU). BU was a very good fit for her and the school offered a scholarship for two-thirds of the tuition. Dr. Zhang also applied for a doctoral degree herself and received a full scholarship. She completed her Ph.D. in less than four years, including the one-year she worked full-time at a consulting company, during her last year of the doctoral program.
Dr. Zhang has provided advice and assistance to students who would like to study abroad since 2008. In 2017, Dr. Zhang met her husband, Mr. Phil Barrett, the Town Supervisor of Clifton Park, who supported her career wholeheartedly. Mr. Barrett excels in college writing and takes pride in mentoring international students. They decided to establish their own consulting company, providing premier services for international students who would like to study abroad. Over the past few years, they have helped students gain acceptance to Columbia University, Duke University, Notre Dame University, Georgetown University, New York University, Boston University, Toronto University (Canada), London King’s College (UK), and many more. The students they have assisted study across North America and Europe. They now have experts advising students how to apply to universities in the U.S, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
In addition to college counseling, Dr. Li Zhang and Mr. Phil Barrett enjoy working with high school students. They conduct an interview with each student, analyze their academic record and assess the correct opportunity based on their future aspirations. Placement into a private school is also based on English language skills, personality and student preference. Dr. Zhang and Mr. Barrett have placed students in premier private high schools across the Northeast US.
