Alec has a Bachelor’s degree in both Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Asian Studies from Rice University and an MBA from Stanford University. He has several years of experience helping college candidates get into their dream schools.
As a coach, Alec enjoys helping others find confidence and pride in what sets them apart. Essentially, he loves to see students embark on journeys to further cultivate their individuality. His greatest strength when working with Quad applicants is his ability to help them find their confidence and voice. Alec understands the difficulty in articulating the “why” behind your experiences and decisions when applying to college. He prides himself on his ability to help students dig deep so they can determine the motivations behind their choices, whether it's their reason for pursuing an activity, a school, or a program.
Students Alec has recently coached have gotten accepted into UC Berkeley, Yale University, Princeton University, MIT, Stanford University, Washington University St. Louis, Rice University, and Vanderbilt University.
In Alec’s free time, he enjoys taking courses online, making up games, and solving computer science problems.
Alec’s Pro Tip?
Students do better in the interview when they answer extemporaneously from the heart rather than when they memorize what "should be said".
Alexander has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from George Washington University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is passionate about helping students reach their goals while prompting them to learn more about what makes them unique candidates for any school or program. Most recently, Alexander's coached students have gotten into Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown, Yale, UC Berkeley, and other top schools.
Having been a college athlete, Alexander is intimately familiar with the recruitment process for athletes at selective colleges. Alexander also has extensive mentorship and coaching experience in a higher education setting. He held a leadership position as a counselor in the university writing center at GWU, where he was responsible for coaching dozens of students on how to write compelling essays. Additionally, at Columbia, Alexander has been an interview counselor, which has helped him understand how students can best position their academic and extra-curricular experiences.
Alexander also specializes in helping middle school and high school candidates build strong profiles for college applications. In the past, Alexander has worked with Lemonaid, an organization in Washington, DC, that helped middle school and high school students start businesses, which turned into passion projects that they could write about when applying to college.
In his free time, Alexander is an avid cyclist, swimmer, skier, surfer, and Bay Area sports fan. He is a former collegiate water polo player. He also enjoys reading - especially the New Yorker - and doing the NYT crossword (and now Wordle!).
Allan graduated from Cornell University with Cum Laude honors in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a concentration in Energy and Economics. After completing his bachelor's degree, he received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Allan founded an admissions consulting program as the President of a national honor society at Cornell University. He also acted as an admissions mentor at a local high school. As an admissions ambassador, Allan provided feedback to the admissions board on the potential candidate's fit with the school. With over ten years of experience as an academic counselor, he has helped his students gain admission to Cornell University, the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Texas, among many others.
As a first-generation college student, Allan has first-hand experience with how challenging and confusing the admission process can be. This fuels his passion for supporting and guiding his students through the application process. As a coach, he takes a personalized approach–highlighting each applicant's strengths and individuality. He is adaptable and flexible when it comes to what his students need, regardless of what stage in the application process they're in. Allan excels in helping his students develop a robust applicant profile that speaks to what admissions officers are looking for in an ideal candidate beyond test scores and grades. He helps his students turn their shortcomings into strengths, allowing them to shine through.
With his Quad students, Allan breaks down the application process into more manageable steps. He helps his students understand the rationale behind each aspect of their application–specifically, why the colleges ask specific questions and what they want to learn about the students. This, in turn, gives his students the opportunity to build a more meaningful and intentional application. Through coaching prospective college students, Allan hopes to pass on his knowledge and experience to ensure that his students can more easily manage the college application process. He finds great joy in seeing his students' and their families' happy faces and tears when they receive acceptance letters from their dream school. Allan ensures that his students feel confident in their application and works hard to get each of his students to that state of mind and having fun along the way.
When Allan isn't coaching, he mentors high school students and young professionals on career and professional development. He also enjoys playing competitive badminton–and winning!
Allan's Pro Tip?
Students often think they need the perfect resume and breadth of experience to be a competitive candidate. While having these experiences under your belt can be an asset, you can always find strength in your application through your weaknesses and shortcomings, making you much more resilient and competitive throughout the application process.
Allie earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master's in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School. Professionally, she has worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group.
She has deep experience in higher education admissions, having served as both a writing coach and alumni interviewer at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also supported the development of two courses, at the graduate and undergraduate levels, that help students translate their academic passions into professional career goals.
Allie’s students have received acceptance into top programs at Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, University of California – Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. Her greatest strengths as a coach include assisting students with idea generation, identifying differentiating talents, and effectively creating a cohesive story across all elements of an application. Allie particularly enjoys helping candidates transform small anecdotes into a compelling narrative that highlights the unique contributions they can make to a college or university.
In her free time, Allie enjoys ashtanga yoga, hiking in New England, and reading the latest non-fiction books on the NYTimes Best Sellers list.
Amanda has a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. She has over 14 years of counseling experience, having coached her students at top universities such as Dartmouth College, Cornell University, and Georgetown University, among others. Amanda also holds a certificate from Columbia Business School’s Executive Education Developing Leader’s Program.
Amanda is a strong project manager; she meets every deadline and ensures it feels doable for her students and their families. She is also highly perceptive and can understand her students’ strengths and character to tell powerful stories that showcase these character traits. Amanda has applied these skills with her Quad students by helping them develop strong essays and resumes, coaching her students through interviews, and ensuring that their applications are impactful. Amanda knows how important getting into college is for her students; she hopes to honor the importance of this process through her work ethic, commitment, and follow-through.
Her passion for working with students and guiding them through the admissions process comes from her experience of getting into her dream school. Amanda has spent her entire career working in education because she knows how powerful education is as a tool for transformative change. Spending time with her students – hearing their stories, learning more about their skills and passions, and being part of their educational, professional, and civic journeys – is incredibly special to her. She is committed to her students and wants to see them have their moment in the sun when they receive their acceptance letters.
When Amanda isn’t coaching, she loves reading books, starting book clubs, volunteering, kayak, and playing trivia.
Amanda’s Pro Tip?
It’s most important to reveal who you uniquely are as a student. This will allow you to connect powerfully with admissions staff and build personalized strategies for each element of your application.
Anthony has a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies from the University of Chicago. He also has earned a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from Harvard University. While at Harvard, Anthony served as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies. He interviewed prospective students interested in majoring in Classics and the humanities and wrote letters of evaluation for the admissions committee. Professionally, Anthony has over ten years of experience as an educator.
Anthony’s passion for coaching stems from his drive to ensure that deserving students get access to quality education, regardless of their background. Anthony knows how valuable guidance during the college admissions process can be, especially for those with limited means or those who lack access to formal guidance. He strives to do everything in his power to help students access quality education and unlock their full potential.
When it comes to coaching, Anthony’s greatest strength is his ability to holistically approach students as human beings, identifying their premier qualities derived from every facet of their lives that have contributed to their growth and development.
When Anthony isn’t coaching students, he enjoys woodworking, especially the notion of creating sophisticated objects from raw materials.
Arthur is a graduate of Brown University, where he studied Biomedical Engineering. A life-long tutor, he is extremely passionate about coaching college applicants. Arthur believes that every applicant has a purpose and that everyone is the best at something. Arthur's passion for coaching stems from his belief that everyone can find their path if given enough and the right information to make an educated decision about what's right for them. He is excited to commit himself to doing just that for potential college applicants.
Professionally, Arthur has a background as a management consultant. In this capacity, he has advised and coached C-suite executives at some of the world's most prestigious companies on how to make critical decisions. He has also worked as a coach for the Talented Student Program at The Wheeler School, where he worked with students to figure out their passions, which would become the foundations of their college applications.
Arthur's greatest strengths as a coach are organization, communication, and marketing. As an empathetic and knowledgeable person, he finds it rewarding and enjoyable to chat with people to get them to open up and find their passion. Arthur emphasizes open communication and dialogue when working with candidates. From what schools to pick as reaches, matches, and safeties to identifying the core strengths of an applicant, Arthur believes that open communication and trust are the first steps to getting them where they need to be. On top of his communication skills, Arthur loves helping candidates stay extremely organized through detailed and specific project plans. Lastly, as a consultant, Arthur has honed his marketing skills, which are critical in framing the applicant in the right way to the right college.
Candidates that Arthur has recently coached have gotten accepted to Brown University, Stanford University, Northeastern University, and Boston University, among other top schools.
In his free time, Arthur enjoys long walks and going to the theater. As a transplant New Yorker, he loves the proximity to Broadway, where he enjoys getting exposed to new musicals. As a musician and actor in college, Arthur also enjoys making music and jamming out with friends.
Brittney earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science at UC Berkeley and a Master's in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. She has extensive experience in higher education, having served on the Academic Affairs Committee at Harvard University and worked at the Student Learning Center, coaching students in writing and research methods at UC Berkeley. Brittney also worked at the Transfer Center at UC Berkeley, which gave her an in-depth insight into what schools look for in transfer candidates.
Having coached dozens of candidates over the last few years, Brittney is a specialist in selective school admissions. Her greatest strengths as a coach are helping candidates identify their strengths and effectively communicate their story as a cohesive narrative across all aspects of their application. Brittney loves helping candidates draw upon their life experiences to find a compelling, authentic story that brings out the best in them.
Brittney has been formally trained in coaching and facilitation and, as a Quad counselor, brings the art of appreciative inquiry to helping students shine from within. Students that Brittney has coached have gotten into several top schools, including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. Brittney also enjoys helping students build storytelling, writing, and organization skills through the application process to help them succeed in the future.
In her free time, Brittney enjoys cooking, salsa dancing, and hiking with her rescue dog Odi.
Casey attended the University of Notre Dame for his Bachelor's and UC Berkeley for his MBA. He has served on the admissions team at UC Berkeley, conducting interviews and working closely with the admissions team to uncover candidates' goals and strengths, ultimately making admissions recommendations.
Through his time in admissions, Casey learned how important it is that candidates express themselves authentically and consistently across their applications. While academics and test scores are absolutely important pieces, they're not the entire story. Genuinely and effectively conveying who you are, what you love, and what makes you tick is the only way to let the admissions teams get to know you. He specializes in working with candidates to put in the self-discovery work up front to understand who they are as a person.
Having worked for over six years in the financial services industry, Casey is also an expert in organization and project management and uses these skills to make the daunting application process as simple and manageable as possible for students and families. He has also worked with many types of students and has an excellent ability to empathize with students from different backgrounds.
Casey loves to travel and explore the world. He also enjoys film and film festivals (Telluride is a favorite), wine (certified WSET Level 1), finding new hikes around the Bay Area, reading, and exercising.
Cole is a graduate of Stanford University, where he obtained both his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree. He also obtained a second Master’s at Yenching Academy of Peking University.
Cole believes the college application process is an opportunity for students to crystallize what matters to them, what makes them unique, and what they hope to gain from the college experience. While Cole himself was applying to undergrad and grad school, he experienced this self-affirming impact of college applications. Cole understands that applying to college can be stressful. Still, it is also an incredibly exciting time and an amazing opportunity for students to think about what makes them who they are today. Professionally, Cole has worked at some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world including the Center for Strategic and International Relations in Washington, DC.
As a coach, Cole enjoys working with applicants to determine the most important 'watershed' moments that have shaped them. His strengths include: helping students incorporate past experiences and demonstrated interests to show, not tell; outlining a clear schedule with deliverables creating a manageable application process; and creating a warm, welcoming environment in which applicants feel comfortable sharing their worries and concerns. Additionally, Cole prides himself on his ability to empathize and connect with applicants to create a stress-free and open working relationship. Cole looks forward to applying his expertise and advice to help support Quad applicants in this journey!
Student’s Cole has recently coached have gotten into Stanford University, McGill University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Emory University.
Cole grew up in the Bay Area in California, the DC area, and Moscow, Russia. English is his native language, but he also speaks and reads Chinese at the intermediate-high level. Cole enjoys cooking, playing basketball, hiking, and listening to podcasts in his free time.
Cole’s Pro Tip?
It’s essential to craft an intentional, revealing, and unique narrative throughout your application that remains absolutely true to who you are and what you have done.