About Me
I specialize in helping students identify their goals and passions so that they can write unique and compelling essays, creating a cohesive and persuasive college application.
With decades of experience as an educator and college app coach, my style is warm, open and encouraging. College applications can be stressful, but with my guidance, we can be effective and successful, removing the stress for the student and for the whole family.
The most common mistake students and parents make is to assume that great grades, stellar extracurriculars and strong recommendations will ensure admission into a chosen college. Unfortunately, this is often a student’s downfall. Remember that there are thousands of other students with the same awesome achievements and grades as you. The college essay and activities list is absolutely critical to a successful application.
A great college essay is not just well-written. It is not simply an account of all the awesome things that you have accomplished as a student. It needs to be far more. It needs to showcase the student’s unique story, showing what inspires them, what they are passionate to learn, what values they hold, what growth they’ve experienced, how insightful they are, and – most importantly – what qualities and unique aptitudes they’ll bring to the college. The purpose of the essay is to show this unique story – one that is totally different to any other student. Admissions officers read thousands of very similar essays. My job as a coach is to help the student create an essay that holds the admission officer captivated, making them desperately want to admit that student to their college.
My students have gained acceptances into many highly selective schools, including Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Johns Hopkins University, Duke, NYU, Amherst College, Williams College, Vanderbilt, Emerson College, Washington University in St. Louis, Tufts, Penn State, Michigan State, Boston University, and the University of Southern California.
Some interesting facts about me
I grew up in the English countryside, where my passions were horses, books, and books about horses.
I am a published Bloomsbury author of many books about education, learning, and emotional intelligence.
I spent fourteen years in the UK as a teacher, vice-principal and school principal.
I moved to California and raised my three children here, with their menagerie of dogs, cats, chickens, and rabbits.
I love college coaching! There is nothing more satisfying than working one-on-one with students to help them express their unique stories.
I believe that college applications should be rewarding. I love to bring the joy back into the process for my students and their families.
My College App Coach 