As with most things in college admissions, the answer is: “it depends.” A lot of information is out there about the admissions process, and a dedicated adult could spend hours doing the research and reading books to competently guide their student through the process.

But for many, hiring an expert is worth the investment. You benefit from not only my industry knowledge, but also my experience working with students over the years. Independent consultants take pressure off the student-parent relationship by taking the lead on accountability and helping the student stay ahead of deadlines. Independent consultants also alleviate student anxiety by validating or critiquing the work they’re doing.

Most of the work that consultants do begins in the middle of junior year. Work that is done prior to that includes planning course selection, brainstorming extracurriculars, and planning for productive summers. Starting early can increase a family’s knowledge and awareness of this process, which can decrease stress.

We have limited space for seniors each year, so starting early also holds your child’s spot on our roster for your year. For most cohorts, we begin with a half-full roster and then continue to fill as junior year progresses.

We meet every 2 weeks the second half of junior year, then weekly from the start of summer through the end of applications.

In the bay area, comprehensive consulting services have a wide price range, from as low as $4,000 to as high as $20,000. Most fall into the $6,000–$9,000 price range.

We try to make sure that our services are priced reasonably so that all families can afford to get advice and support. To further this mission, we occasionally update our pricing. Once you’re locked into a package, however, the price will not change.

We primarily provide narrative building and college admissions services. This ranges from full-service consultation throughout high school to build a student’s academic profile all the way to admissions essay support through the fall of Senior year. For the application itself, we specialize in helping students craft memorable essays. But we can also provide tutoring in most subjects, and SAT/ACT preparation.

We are former educators. In this industry, consultants come from all walks of life. But as bay-area educators, we have a better understanding of the academic environment your students are in. We tend to know who the teachers are, what the classes are like, and how to support our students through high school.

We work personally on the essay. Some other consultants outsource their essay editing, either to coaches they hire or to private third-party editing services. We talk to college admissions officers every year, learn what colleges are looking for, and help our students craft compelling stories—all independently. A third-party won’t know your child as well as you or your family’s consultant does.

We are experienced. Nick has more than a decade of experience helping bay-area teens craft their stories and convey those to colleges.

We love working with our families. We work with teens because we legitimately enjoy it. And we won’t crush your child’s dreams: if there’s a college they want to apply to, we’re happy to add it to the list, even if it’s a highly-rejective institution.

I can provide support for History (all regions through AP), English (through AP Lit and AP Lang), Economics, US Government & Civics. I can also help with essay writing in all subjects, or to build fundamental reading and writing skills. We’re working on partnering with a Math mentor.

We currently operate through Zoom or FaceTime—which means we can help families from anywhere in the country (or even the world). For our local families, Zoom still works fine, but students/parents are welcome to come to my office in Fremont for in-person meetings.