Our Approach
Into the Clearing
Thoughtful decisions require time, perspective, and steady judgment, rooted in experience.
There is a moment in every family's college process when the noise gets loud—school rankings, admissions rumors, other people's children, and other people's choices. My job is to quiet it all. Not with shortcuts or secrets, but with experience, honesty, and a plan built around one student: yours.
I have spent 38 years in education—25 of them chairing an English department, and 5 as an associate head of school. In that time, I have taught, coached, advised, and led thousands of teenagers, which means I have watched them grow up and I have sat with their parents through every kind of triumph and setback along the way.
I hold a BA in English and a master's degree in marital and family therapy. That combination shapes everything about how I work. The English teacher in me knows how to help a seventeen-year-old find their real voice on the page. The therapist in me knows that college admissions is never just about the student. It is a family transition, and families navigate it best with steadiness, structure, and someone in their corner who has seen it all before.
For the past 20 years, I have also guided a number of families through the college admissions process. I keep this counseling practice deliberately small to ensure that every essay draft, every list conversation, every late-October phone call is with me.
My philosophy is simple — the best school is the one where your student will be challenged, supported, and known.
Fit Over Prestige
I believe that the most useful question to begin with is never "what is the best college?" It is "what is the best college for this student?" Sometimes that school is famous. Often it is not. The applicants who know why a school truly fits can write more authentic essays, make better decisions, and arrive on campus ready to thrive. This clarity is what we build together.
Take the first step
Schedule a Conversation
The best way to know whether we are a fit is to talk. I offer every prospective family a free introductory conversation. No pressure, no obligation, just a chance to ask your questions and hear how I think.