Ideal College Guidance is Different

Rachel Linfield is going to Princeton, thanks to talent, hard work and some opportune strategies by her college advisor!

Gabriel Kabariti is going to Johns Hopkins, thanks to talent, hard work and some opportune strategies by his college advisor!

Most independent college advisors come up with lists of colleges balancing perceived reaches, targets and safeties. They then edit essays with an eye toward what has worked in the past (and frequently too distant past).  

Coming up with a balanced list of wonderful colleges is the least of what I do. It’s important and my deeper understanding of more campuses (than anyone I’ve met in a decade as an advisor) is crucial. But more important is the feedback I get year-in and year-out from top-tier admissions offices confirming that the conventional approaches of most college advisors are out-of-step with the changing priorities of admissions offices (not to mention that many rehash the same tired strategies year after year). 

So I pride myself on innovative strategies that have seen quite a few students convert a deferral to an acceptance, come off a waitlist or leverage an Early Decision at colleges previously perceived as out of reach. These success stories often hinge on minor details overlooked by most advisors. 

These decisive determinants are divined by a careful, ambitious and time-consuming process of interviewing which gleans nuances others miss. My passion to learn as much as I can while searching for counter-intuitive solutions has meant that my year-to-year success (see my Results page) continues to gratify both my colleagues and clients (see my Testimonials page).