Welcome
As a college admissions advisor, I specialize in helping college bound high school students prepare for college and explore their college options. I like to think that I am one member of a team that includes parents, teachers, counselors and other trusted adults. I enjoy creating an atmosphere that allows students to engage fully in the college admission process so that they become invested in their own decisions and future.
I like to begin working with students early in high school. The benefit of working with students over the course of several years is that we build a trusting relationship. That way, when students begin to create a list of colleges to attend, and prepare their essays and applications, they understand that my expertise can inform and guide their decisions.
Contact me
I meet with clients by Zoom. For information about my services, you can reach me at:
If you are interested in attending one of my workshops for juniors/rising seniors, check out Get Going Workshops.
See the schools
For a list of schools that have admitted my students as well
as the schools that I have
personally visited, click below.
My services include guidance and assistance with:
Course Selection in High School
Beginning as early as sophomore year, it is useful to strategize and plan course selection to avoid missing out on academic opportunities. My experience can help students with these decisions throughout high school.
Testing and Test Preparation
Deciding which standardized test(s) to take can be almost as complicated as taking the test itself. Students often wonder which standardized tests to take, and many want or need extra assistance with test preparation. My knowledge of the requirements of colleges, as well as the differences among the standardized tests, can help students navigate the maze of tests, test preparation organizations, and tutors.
Choosing Extracurricular Activities
Selective colleges look beyond just grades and test scores when evaluating applicants. I can suggest activities that will allow students to become more actively involved in their interests so that colleges will be able to fully appreciate their best attributes and accomplishments.
Researching, Visiting and Choosing Appropriate Schools
There are nearly 3,500 colleges and universities in the United States. I have visited over 200 of the most popular colleges in the U.S. and abroad, and I bring my knowledge of the programs, majors, specializations, and nuance of each college to my practice. I help students create a list of colleges to visit, and eventually apply to, based on their interests, needs, budget and likelihood of acceptance.
Organizing and Preparing Applications
Students who apply to 10-12 colleges can have as many as six or seven applications with a variety of deadlines. Every college has different requirements for collateral materials such as essays, letters of recommendation, test scores, transcripts, etc. I help students create a timeline and organize all the application components. Students who work with me also write a résumé highlighting all their activities and accomplishments in high school. Parents can rely on my involvement to ensure that all deadlines are met and stress levels are kept to a minimum.
Writing the College Essays
Writing the college essay is probably the most important aspect of preparing a college application. The essay, or personal statement, is the best way for colleges to discover a student’s personality or unique characteristics beyond the quantifiable aspects of an application such as the GPA or test scores. I help students mine for ideas that will produce rich and compelling essays, and I firmly believe that while writing essays, students often discover their motivation and reasons for attending college.
Early Decision or Regular Decision and Making the Final Decision
Students often have reasons for applying early to college using either the Early Action or Early Decision option that some colleges offer. I help students examine the reasons for applying early and weigh those options. Additionally, the final decision about where to attend can be more difficult than expected. Even with a perfect list and a large stack of acceptance letters, students can feel confused about where to attend. Deferrals and waitlists can also complicate the decision. I see each student to the end of this journey and help guide them to that final and important decision.
Program information
Initial Consultation
Our initial meeting usually takes place during the freshman or sophomore year, and consists of an interview session with parent(s) and student. We will cover course selection, extracurricular activities, testing and test preparation, and summer activities. Athletes and artists might have additional questions that we will address.
$400
Concentrated College Advising Program
This package is best for students who will apply to multiple colleges in and out-of-state, both public and private. This program includes all my services (except assistance with scholarship essays) during the junior and senior year, and provides unlimited access to my advice, time, services and resources.
Fee and specific details furnished upon request
Hourly Rate
At this time, I am only working with clients who are interested in the Concentrated College Advising Program (see above). For meetings before the junior year package begins, I charge my hourly rate.
Hourly Rate and specific details furnished upon request
Why hire an advisor
College admissions can be confusing and intimidating
Navigating the college admissions process is more complex than ever. As a greater percentage of Americans apply to college each generation, and as students apply to multiple colleges, colleges have become more selective about those whom they admit. Years ago, students applied to either the colleges near home or the colleges their parents attended. Little thought was given to “fit.” However, today, students are more willing to look outside California and to consider both public and private colleges. With the budget issues facing public universities, many families are concerned about the quality of a public education, and want help weighing the options at private colleges. With over 3500 colleges in the country, the options for students today are vast. I’ve made it my business to become familiar with hundreds of the most popular colleges, including the relatively unknown gems.
Families expect value for their money
Families and students today are savvy consumers who want to know that their money and time will be well spent. Parents who are able and willing to pay for an expensive college education want to know that their student will not only graduate college but that they will succeed and thrive. The best way to ensure that students attend a college that is a good fit is to take time to determine what students hope to accomplish both academically and socially while in college, and with that knowledge, develop a carefully crafted list of colleges that will meet those goals.
School-based counselors have too many students to build a relationship with each of them
My first and only priority is to my students. High school counselors have multiple responsibilities and large caseloads. More often than not, the counselors at school are unable to help students determine what they hope to accomplish in college. Many high school counselors have restricted budgets that inhibit their ability to visit colleges. I’ve visited hundreds of colleges and understand not only the programs and majors at a variety of colleges, but I try to “feel the pulse” of the social environment, too. I sometimes feel like a matchmaker—as I get to know students, I begin to get a sense of colleges that will meet many, if not all, of their requirements.
Some students have special needs
Students with special needs require extra attention and should spend time finding the best environment to meet those needs. Students with learning differences, athletes, musicians, artists, writers, actors, and those with other talents can benefit from my knowledge of programs and services that can help them accomplish their goals and meet their needs.
This is a good time to let your student take charge
With parents in an advisory role, I can work with students so that they begin to take charge on their own. In this way, they begin to feel invested in both the college admissions process and their future. As students navigate college admissions, they will also learn to work through the web of college bureaucracy—a skill that will come in handy later on!
For more information about working with a college admissions consultant, click here.
About Joanne
I have been working as an independent college admissions advisor since 2003. Prior to that, I had a successful career as a classroom teacher and published short-fiction writer. Until 2008, I wrote a weekly, nationally syndicated column called “College Bound” which appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Portland Oregonian, the Seattle Times, and others.
During my years as a classroom teacher, my priority was to focus on the individual student and their academic, social, and emotional needs.
I am able to bring that philosophy to my advising practice as well. I believe that a student’s mental health and happiness must always come first; students should be spending their teen years growing and learning, and that college preparation should be one part of the teen years. Preparing for college can help students learn about themselves, but I think they have other things to learn in high school, as well.
My personal path to college was non-traditional. I didn’t attend a four-year college immediately after high school, and I didn’t graduate college until I was nearly 24. I attended Santa Monica College (a community college) while working full-time and ultimately graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Ten years later I earned my teaching credential from St. Mary’s College of California. In 2003, I earned my certificate in College and Career Advising at the University of California, Berkeley. I believe my educational experiences have helped me understand that there are many paths to an education.
My professional affiliations include: HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association) and WACAC (Western Association for College Admission Counseling). I am a past member of the Advisory Board for the College Admissions and Career Planning Certificate Program at UC Berkeley Extension and have been part of the National College Counselor Advisory Board for the Princeton Review since 2009. In 2021, I joined the Contra Costa advisory board of 10,000 Degrees, a Bay Area non-profit dedicated to supporting low-income, first-generation, and students of color as they prepare for and attend college.
In 2008, I co-founded Get Going College Admissions Workshops, and I created the first iPhone app for college-bound high school seniors, CollegeMapp in 2010.
I live with my husband and dog in the San Francisco East Bay.
