College Admissions Consultants, Events, & Resources

Welcome to my profile! With a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Stanford University and a forthcoming Master's in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers, I bring a unique blend of humanities and science to my coaching approach. My experience as a Clinical Operations Assistant and Medical Scribe at Ravenswood Family Health Network, along with research roles at Stanford Medicine, has honed my ability to guide students through the complexities of college applications. I have successfully coached 5 students, helping them craft compelling narratives that highlight their unique strengths and aspirations. Whether you're aiming for a top-tier university or seeking to stand out in a competitive field, I'm here to provide personalized guidance and support. Let's work together to make your college dreams a reality!

Welcome to my profile! With a strong foundation in finance and real estate from Santa Clara University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, I bring a wealth of experience to college admissions coaching. My diverse professional background includes roles at Accenture, Deloitte, and Mattel, where I honed my analytical and strategic skills. As a content creator, I've successfully grown an audience of over 93K followers, showcasing my ability to communicate effectively and engage with diverse audiences. I am passionate about helping students navigate the college admissions process, leveraging my leadership roles in various student organizations to provide personalized guidance. Let's work together to craft a compelling application that highlights your unique strengths and aspirations. Reach out to start your journey towards college success!

I'm Brandon, a recent Columbia Engineering grad (Computer Science + Entrepreneurship, 3.985 GPA) who just finished navigating college apps and MBB recruiting. I know what it actually takes to translate a technical background into a story that resonates, because I had to figure it out myself. In high school, I landed offers from Columbia, Cornell, UPenn, Berkeley, Rice, Johns Hopkins, NYU, and UIUC. At Columbia, I landed a BCG full-time offer through my own outreach strategy (not on-campus recruiting). And I've spent the past four years mentoring 15+ students from my hometown, my high school network, and my church community into top schools - working through their essays and positioning with them one-on-one. What I bring to coaching is a fresh perspective from someone who just went through it. If you're a STEM student who doesn't know how to make your resume "tell a story," or an applicant trying to figure out how to stand out, I've been in that exact spot. I can help you audit where you are, figure out what's actually compelling about your background, and turn that into something that clicks with college admissions committees or MBB interviewers. Happy to chat - no fluff, just honest feedback.

I believe my success in MBA admissions came down to one strength: I was able to clearly articulate how my professional and personal experiences had shaped me, how I planned to make the most of an MBA, and where I wanted to go after that. When it comes to admissions, articulating your story is everything. I knew what made me passionate, built a plan for my MBA, and executed on it. If you're applying with a specific path in mind and need help putting that into words, I'm your coach. I recently graduated with an MBA from Wharton and a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design, and I specialize in dual degree and nontraditional paths. If you're not yet sure what you want out of the MBA experience, I'm here to help you introspect and sharpen your pitch. I also offer specialized guidance if you're pursuing a real estate focus at any MBA program or specifically targeting Wharton. It would be my pleasure to help you navigate a process that has meant so much to me.

I'm a writer, editor, and academic, and college essays sit right at the intersection of what I do best, namely, helping someone turn their experience into a clear, memorable story. I studied history at Princeton and am now an MPhil candidate on a prestigious fellowship at Cambridge, so I've been through selective admissions from the inside — the applications, the interviews, and the close work with professors who sit on committees like these. I also work as a journalist and editor and I edit the work of established, high-profile writers for a living. I bring that same editorial eye to every essay I work on. My students get results, often in the most crowded applicant pools, where there's no built-in hook or adversity story to fall back on and the essay has to carry real weight. I'm direct, hands-on, and never overbearing: I'll give you concrete ways to brainstorm, help you find the story only you can tell, and get you to a finished essay you're proud of. Testimonials Paula: "I hired Alex to help my son Tyler with composing a common app essay but after I saw how much he was helping Tyler, scheduled sessions to help Tyler write all his essays. We came to him a month before the common app deadline, and he helped Tyler brainstorm and write a common app that was so compelling that college admissions staff from two of the schools he applied to gave us a phone call after he got in to specifically mention it was one of the most moving admissions essays that they had seen. Tyler got into almost all the schools he applied to, almost every school with a scholarship, and now is attending one that gave him a full scholarship. I cannot—I repeat CANNOT—thank Alex enough. He is one of the smartest, quickest editors and tutors I have ever had the pleasure of coming across." Ahrav: "I've always gravitated towards and excelled in STEM subjects, so writing a common app that would make me stand out against the sea of other STEM applicants was to me the most daunting thing. Alex made the process so much easier. He gave me tangible techniques for brainstorming and ultimately worked with me to synthesize my interests in music and mathematics, weaving them into a cohesive, unique narrative that I was proud of. He was never overbearing or under-involved; rather, he guided me through the process in a way that both strengthened my writing skills and helped me overcome the hurdle of putting pen to paper. Ultimately, I got into my dream school of Dartmouth. I can't recommend Alex enough!" Daniel: "Alex was such a great help. I had issues with essay structure and thought organization, and he helped me sort out my argument in the clearest way possible. I never realized how easy and thoughtless essay planning can be when done right. Plus, I got into one of my top choices, UC Berkeley. I highly, highly suggest his help if you're struggling with getting your thoughts out."

Welcome to my profile! As a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate and Dean's List honoree, I have a strong foundation in both academics and leadership, having served as Project Director at Illinois Consulting Group. My professional journey includes roles at top companies like Microsoft and Capital One, where I honed my skills in program management and business analysis. With experience as a consultant and project manager, I bring a strategic approach to college admissions coaching. Although I am new to formal coaching, my diverse background equips me to guide students through the college application process, helping them craft compelling narratives and make informed decisions. Let's work together to unlock your potential and achieve your college dreams!

I take a highly supportive approach to coaching and aim to create an environment in which my clients can be completely open about their worries so I can be the best possible coach for them. That said, you can expect me to be constructively candid – because coaching is about challenging you and accelerating your growth, not making you feel good so I can collect a check. Besides sitting on Northwestern's alumni admissions council, I was an interviewer at both Google and Facebook, so I've spent many hours "on the other side of the table" and can give you a strong sense for how you might be perceived by interviewers and admissions committees. I enjoy coaching people from a huge range of backgrounds, but I specialize in coaching folks from lower-income families, LGBTQ+ candidates, and those from unconventional backgrounds trying to thrive in tech. I myself came from a low-income family and needed help getting connected to resources that would make college feasible for me – I can help you do the same.

Hi! I’m a first-generation college grad, Stanford alumna (MBA, BA Economics & Communication, Phi Beta Kappa) and writing/career coach who has found my calling in helping others to pursue their educational dreams. I provide personalized, knowledgeable, trusted support to diverse US and international students at every step of the admissions process. By working together, you will: • Access deep admissions expertise gained from years of direct experience: interviewer, applications reader, Stanford minority admissions advisory representative, pro bono admissions consulting, member of professional educational consulting organizations, quoted by US News. I’ll demystify college admissions and help you to make informed choices. • Stand out by crafting authentic, insightful personal statements that uniquely reflect your background, values, experiences and goals. You don’t need to love writing. I’ll help you to identify not only what to communicate, but also how to communicate clearly, concisely and compellingly. • Explore and pursue academic and career interests. What do you want to study and pursue as a career? Don’t know – no problem! Most educational consultants specialize in college admissions only; they focus on what it takes to get into college and stop there. Not us! As a career coach and graduate school/MBA admissions consultant, I also help college students and working professionals to achieve their longer-term goals. I enjoy serving as a knowledgeable and supportive sounding board and mentor. Together, we’ll identify strategies and actions you can take in high school and college to achieve your academic and career goals (colleges want to know this!). I’ve enjoyed diverse, non-traditional work opportunities spanning international business, tech and marketing, strategy and communications at startups, nonprofits and corporations in the US, Europe and Asia. I draw on my experiences and extensive network. Engineering, medicine, and business are great fields but we’ll also explore emerging and lesser known careers as well. I bring a “can do,” non-judgmental and strategic approach to helping you think about your future. • Build a customized, balanced list of schools where you can thrive. There are thousands of colleges in the US alone; the question we’ll focus on isn’t whether you’ll get into a great college (trust me, you will!), but rather, how do we identify a short list of schools where you will thrive. Every year, I visit different college campuses and attend workshops and presentations to find schools that may not be on everyone else’s list but represent a great match for you. I continue to follow trends and changes in higher education. I tap deep roots in the Stanford community where I’m an active alumna, pro bono alumni consultant, minority/DEI initiative leader, and class secretary who’s been honored for my volunteer service by Stanford. • Benefit from personalized, responsive support at every step of the application process. I work closely with a limited number of diverse, motivated US and international high school students each year. You will be able to: o Identify strategies and action plans for making the most of high school o Write essays that elevate you from being a qualified applicant to a compelling one o Navigate the college admission process with less stress and uncertainty and better outcomes.

I've been building and investing in companies for the past decade. After graduating from Yale, I had a couple stints in consulting and global health before finding my way to startups. I started two companies, one a surplus food marketplace and the other in office management software. Neither was extraordinarily successful, but gave me a taste for helping companies go 0-1 and allowed me to meet some exceptional founders and builders. I started angel investing, realized I enjoyed investing/advising, and went to Wharton/Lauder with the intent of exploring venture capital (and to get better at Chinese). While in business school, I met Contrary and started working full time while still in my 2nd year. After graduating, I stayed on, became a partner 1.5 years in, and led deals in a number of great companies (Orchard Robotics, Nomic, Endeavor AI, etc.). I transitioned to a board partner/advisor role this past summer and have spent most of my time since helping build companies and continuing to angel invest. My angel portfolio includes companies like Ramp, Warp, Clara, Slingshot AI, and many others.

I've worked with students across 6 admissions cycles to help them gain admission to some of the top universities in the country, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and UC Berkeley, and many have received full rides. I hold an MBA from UCLA, a Certificate in College Counseling from UCSD, and a bachelor's from Wellesley College.