College application coaching · rising seniors

The help I wish I’d had, for the student going through it now.

I’m a Northwestern student who figured this out from a public high school in Kansas, mostly alone. Now I sit down with rising seniors and teach them how to tell a story that’s uniquely theirs, one that makes admissions officers root for them at the school of their dreams.

Simple, and built around you.

Book a free intro call → How it works

School list · early decision strategy · narrative · essays

DJ on the Northwestern University campus — My first day on campus

DJ working late in the library — The face that's ready to send you to your dream school

Aim high, apply smart

The kind of schools we’ll target, and build a real, honest shot at.

A strong list mixes honest reaches with schools you’d be glad to attend. These are the kinds of names we’ll weigh together.

Decision day

This is the feeling I help families chase.

My own acceptance, the moment all the late-night research paid off. I didn’t have a counselor, just a plan I built myself. Now I hand that plan to students like you.

01, The story

I went through this alone, so I know exactly where it gets hard.

Admissions isn’t looking for the most impressive student. It’s looking for one it can picture clearly, and want to say yes to.

So I taught myself the whole thing, how to build a school list that actually fits, what admissions officers are really reading for, how the pieces of an application add up to one story, and how to write an essay that doesn’t lose the reader in the first line.

It worked. I’m a Philosophy and English major at Northwestern and an editor at the campus paper, so I spend most of my time helping people figure out what they want to say and say it well.

Now I do that for students who, like me, don’t have someone nearby who’s been through it recently, and who’d rather not piece the whole thing together from forum threads at midnight.

02, What I help with

The decisions come before the writing.

Where to apply

A list built around who you actually are and where you’d thrive, not just rankings. Honest reaches, smart targets, and safeties you’d genuinely be happy at. This is the single decision that moves your odds the most, and most students make it from a search bar.

II.

Where to spend your early card

You get one early decision. Used well it can be worth more than anything else in your application; used carelessly it’s gone. We look hard at where your profile actually has leverage, and what you give up to take it.

III.

Your narrative and positioning

Admissions officers read thousands of applications from students with your grades. The throughline that ties your activities, essays, and choices into one coherent person is what separates you from the pile.

IV.

Executing it on the page

The personal statement and supplements, from a blank page to a finished draft that sounds like you on your best day. Strategy only counts if it actually lands in the writing.

Why it matters

Two students, same grades, different outcomes.

Every year, thousands of students with nearly identical transcripts apply to the same schools. Most of what separates the ones who get in isn’t effort or talent. It’s decisions made months earlier, usually without much thought.

Strategy isn’t a trick, and it isn’t a loophole. It’s making deliberate choices instead of default ones.

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The list is the lever

Applying to twelve schools that all want the same profile is twelve versions of the same coin flip. A list built around where your particular strengths are actually scarce changes your odds far more than another draft of your essay.

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Early decision is real leverage

At many selective schools the early round admits at a meaningfully higher rate than regular. You get to use that exactly once. Spending it on the right school, for the right reason, is one of the highest-stakes calls of the whole process.

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Being memorable beats being impressive

Admissions officers read fast and forget most of it. A student who reads as one clear, specific person sticks. A student who reads as a list of accomplishments does not, no matter how good the list is.

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It’s a lot to figure out alone

Counselors are often responsible for hundreds of students at once, so there’s rarely time for a long conversation about strategy. Most families end up piecing it together themselves. That’s the part I can help with.

03, How it works

Simple, and built around you.

No mystery, no homework piling up in silence. Four clear stages, from the first call to the day everything is in, with me alongside the student the whole way.

A free intro call

We talk through the student, the goals, and the schools on the radar. No pressure, if I’m not the right fit, I’ll tell you.

A plan and a list

We set the target schools and map the application: what to write, what to prioritize, and when each piece is due.

Drafts and real edits

The part I love. We build the essays from the angle up, then sharpen them over a few honest rounds until they sound like you.

Submit with a clear head

Everything checked, polished, and in on time, and a much calmer fall than most families get.

You walk away with a finished personal statement, a school list that makes sense, and an application that actually argues for you.

Start the process →

04, Packages

Here’s what it costs.

The whole application

Application Partner

$1,400per student · 50% up front

A right-fit school list, built from scratch
Your early decision plan, where the leverage actually is
Your application narrative, mapped end to end
Positioning: what to lead with and what to cut
Personal statement, start to finish
Supplemental essays for up to 6 schools
Check-in calls through the fall

Work together →

Start with strategy

School List & Strategy

$400per student · flat

A built-out school list: reaches, targets, safeties
An early decision recommendation, with the reasoning
Your narrative and how to position it
A written plan you keep and work from
A read on your personal statement draft

Start with strategy →

By the piece

À la carte

$100per hour

School-list and strategy call, $100 / hour
Extra supplemental essays, $75 each
One-off draft review, $100 / hour
For families who just want a second read

Ask about it →

Half up front, half at the midpoint on the Application Partner; paid up front on School List & Strategy. I can’t promise admission anywhere, no one honest can. What I can promise is a sharper list, a real plan behind every choice, and an application that’s a lot less stressful to put together.

Not sure which option fits? Start with a free intro call.

Get in touch →

05, Why me

Why work with me

I went through this recently

Not decades ago. The Common App, the supplements, the way it all actually works right now, I did it two years ago and keep up with how it changes.

I’ve been in the same seat

Public school, no counselor, no roadmap. This isn’t advice from a brochure, it’s the help I wish I’d had.

07, Questions

The things parents ask first.

Straight answers to the questions that come up before anyone books a call. If yours isn’t here, just ask.

Do you write the essays for students?

No. I coach, I help find the angle, structure it, and edit hard, but the words stay the student’s. That’s the ethical line, and it’s also why the essays work. Admissions officers can tell when an essay isn’t a kid’s own voice.

When should we start?

The earlier the better. Rising seniors who begin over the summer have a far calmer fall, since the prompts are already out. I take students through the early-fall deadlines as space allows.

Do you work remotely, or only in person?

Both. I’m based in the Kansas City area and can meet students here in person, or anywhere over video.

Can you guarantee my student gets in?

No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What I can promise is a sharper application and a clearer, calmer process. The final decision always belongs to the school.

How many students do you take?

A small number each cycle, on purpose, so every draft gets real attention rather than a template.

08, Get in touch

Let’s talk before the fall.

The essay prompts are already out, and the students who start early have a much calmer fall. Tell me a bit about the student, where they are and where they’re hoping to go, and I’ll be honest about whether I can help and which option fits.

Book a free intro call → Call or text: 913-530-2072

Prefer to reach out directly? Call or text me at 913-530-2072. I work with a small number of students each cycle, so everyone gets real attention.

What happens next

You reach out with a sentence or two about the student.
We set up a free 30-minute Zoom call, no pressure, no pitch.
I tell you honestly whether I can help and which option fits.
If it’s a yes, we map the summer and get started.