Dash Prep International New York · Tutoring & College Advising
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Meliora. Ever better — one student at a time.

Dash Prep International is a New York-based tutoring and college-advising practice. We work with students worldwide, and push each one past the score, essay, or doubt they walked in with.

SAT
+310
average points gained
ACT
+9
average points gained
Origin
40°42′N · 74°00′W
New York — & anywhere, over Zoom
01Approach
Our aim is simple: inspire confidence and prepare each student to the highest standard — so admissions committees see them at their best.

We don't just teach students to be better test-takers. We turn them into dauntless learners: people who think critically, master the material, and forge their own path.

Meliora means ever better. It's the principle our whole practice runs on. We don't measure students against the lowest common denominator; the only way to improve is to keep doing what you thought you couldn't.

Every lesson and every program is built around one student's needs — personal, specific, and transformative rather than transactional.

02Team
Arthur Dashan AD

Arthur Dashan

Founder · Master Test-Prep Tutor · College Advisor
Univ. of Rochester — Economics — magna cum laude — full scholarship

After working for several major test-prep companies, Arthur grew tired of one-size-fits-all methods. He built his own practice around individualized strategy — the approach that became Dash Prep International.

With more than a decade of tutoring and counseling experience, he has mentored hundreds of students to outstanding results on the SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, and SHSAT, and helped them earn admission to America's top universities, including Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Duke, Georgetown, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, NYU, and West Point.

In 2024, he coached a student to a perfect 36 on the ACT — a remarkable feat accomplished by only 0.2% of students.

Natalia Dashan ND

Natalia Dashan

Lead Essay Strategist · College Advisor
Yale University — Psychology — full scholarship

Natalia has guided students through every stage of admissions — from the first school list to the final submit — with more than seven years of counseling and a writing career across national publications.

Her essay work turns on three things: unique voice, narrative clarity, and fit. She helps each student excavate the story only they can tell, then shapes it into clear prose that sounds unmistakably theirs — which matters more than ever as colleges get better at spotting AI-written work — and points each essay toward the schools where that story belongs. It's the opposite of the cookie-cutter coaching common elsewhere. Her students have gained admission to Harvard, Stanford, Brown, UPenn, Vanderbilt, and Michigan, among others.

03Results

The odds keep getting longer. Our students keep beating them.

You've seen the headlines — the most selective schools now admit a handful out of every hundred who apply. Dash Prep International students still land where they aim. A higher score and a sharper application hold up even in the hardest rooms, and that's exactly what we build.

SAT & ACT percentiles
Top 10%
97%
Scored in the 90th percentile or above
Top 5%
93%
Scored in the 95th percentile or above
Top 1%
84%
Of students aiming for a top-1% score, reached it
1:1Instruction — always one student at a time
10+Years coaching test-takers · Arthur
7+Years guiding applicants · Natalia
100%Of new families come to us by referral
Admissions outcomes
Top choice
85%
Admitted to at least one top-3 choice
Top 100
100%
Admitted to a U.S. News Top-100 school
Top 30
28
Of the top-30 U.S. universities, entered by our students
Family satisfaction
100%
Felt more confident and prepared by test day
97%
Saw meaningful gains in scores or grades
98%
Found the essay guidance highly personalized
A selection of where our students have been admitted
Harvard· Princeton· Yale· Stanford· UPenn· Columbia· Cornell· Brown· Dartmouth· Duke· Georgetown· Vanderbilt· Northwestern· Notre Dame· Tufts· Miami· Swarthmore· Bowdoin· UCLA· USC· NYU· Michigan· Wisconsin-Madison· Purdue· West Point
04Services
01

College advising

Guidance through the whole journey — building a right-fit school list, planning the timeline, shaping essays, and preparing for interviews — so each student moves forward with a clear plan and tells their story with confidence.
02

SAT / ACT

A fully customized, end-to-end approach — personalized study plans, proven techniques, and carefully chosen practice. The application of our time-tested methodologies has consistently resulted in increased confidence and meaningful improvements in students' scores. We routinely help students whose scores hardly changed after working with other tutors. SAT +310 avg · ACT +9 avg
03

College Admissions Essays

More than proofreading. From brainstorming to final revision, we help students find meaningful material and write authentic essays that show who they are beyond grades and scores.
04

SSAT / ISEE / SHSAT

Individualized preparation for competitive private and specialized high-school admissions — the skills, strategies, and confidence necessary for students to perform at their best on test day.
05

School subjects

Subject tutoring across most school courses, so students never fall behind in class.

All services available over Zoom. Some available in person, depending on your location.

05Voices

Arthur is not only the coolest tutor out there, but also, without question, the best. He makes sessions hilarious and entertaining — hard to do for an ACT tutor — always stayed longer than we'd agreed to help with extra practice, and is even a solid pool player. Simply put, what a guy.

— Eli Adler

My husband and I were really quite anxious about the entire college app process. We didn't realize how competitive everything had become. Arthur and Natalia guided us every step of the way, alleviated all of our nerves, and really had an answer for everything. Super grateful for them.

— Thomas & Marisa A.

Even after we moved to San Francisco, my son insisted on tutoring with Arthur over video. He has this way of seeing what neither my son nor I could. He didn't just teach content — he taught a new approach to problem solving I wish I'd learned myself at that age.

— Jessica Chang

Some of their ideas on problem solving I wish I knew when I was younger. These guys are sharper than some of the consultants my company brings in. Natalia tutored my daughter, but everyone at Dash Prep International teaches a radical honesty about what you know, what you don't, and what's in the middle.

— Joe S.

Arthur is super analytical. He noticed my son got wrong any problem he spent more than two minutes on — solved quickly, he got it right. Arthur picked up on these little things and raised Andrew's SAT math by 150 points in a month. Also he was just fun to have around.

— Melissa M.

Natalia is simply the best. We had worked with another well-known company for essay coaching, but frankly I could have written a better essay. Tried Natalia on a recommendation from a friend and the difference was night and day.

— Ezra C.
06Contact

Tell us about the student.

Call, text, or send a note. We read everything and write back — usually within a few days. New students start a few times a year; we'll be honest about timing.

Call / Text+1 607·752·2852
Emailadashan@dashprepinternational.com
OtherwiseA mutual friend is always nice.

Goes straight to us. No CRM, no autoresponder.