Common Questions

What experiences have shaped your approach to education and advising?

I didn’t set out to become an admissions advisor.

I began tutoring while I was still in high school, helping neighborhood children learn French and piano. As an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, I tutored elementary school mathematics through the Blue Gargoyle Community Tutoring Program.

During graduate school at Harvard, I taught hundreds of undergraduates as a teaching fellow and later spent several years teaching at the college level. Alongside my professional work, I spent more than twenty years homeschooling while also mentoring young people through Scouting and as a 4-H leader.

Looking back, these experiences all pointed in the same direction. I have always been fascinated by how students learn, how they make important educational decisions, and how a caring mentor can help them grow with greater confidence and clarity.

Why is Application Design important?

Applications are shaped just as much by what is left out as by what is included.

The choices students make throughout high school gradually shape both their applications and how admissions committees understand who they are and who they are becoming.

The strongest applications usually reflect both depth and range: a well-developed sense of intellectual direction together with different dimensions of a student’s interests, abilities, and character.

My role is not to tell students who to become. It is to help them think carefully about the choices before them, understand how those choices may be viewed by admissions committees, and make decisions that reflect their own goals, values, and aspirations.

Application Design is a framework for making individual decisions without losing sight of the larger educational picture.

Who is a good fit for Koula Education?

Not every advising relationship is the right fit, and that’s okay.

I work especially well with students and families who value careful analysis, candid feedback, strong writing, and individualized guidance. They are willing to reflect, consider different possibilities, and make decisions that are true to the student’s interests, circumstances, and long-term goals.

Students do not need to arrive with perfect grades, a fully developed academic direction, or an impressive list of accomplishments. Curiosity, openness, and a willingness to engage seriously with the process matter far more.

The goal is a collaborative partnership centered on the student’s growth and future.

How do remote and asynchronous services work?

Most services are available remotely through Google Meet, shared Google Docs, email, or a combination of these.

Some projects, such as Academic Portfolio Reviews and written Application Design Briefs, may be completed primarily asynchronously. Admissions essay development often combines meetings with written feedback and revision in a shared document. Humanities Tutorials and SAT preparation take place through individual meetings. Humanities Tutorials also include advance preparation and written follow-up.

The format depends on the student, the project, and the kind of support that will be most useful.

How do you help with essays while preserving the student’s voice?

The strongest admissions essays sound unmistakably like the student who wrote them.

I help students identify meaningful material, develop an effective structure, clarify their thinking, and revise with greater precision. My feedback may address content, organization, sentence structure, word choice, and the relationship between individual details and the essay’s larger purpose.

I do not impose a formula or replace the student’s voice with my own. The student remains responsible for the ideas, experiences, and final decisions that shape the essay.

What results can families expect?

Every family wants to know what results they can expect.

College admissions are inherently unpredictable. No ethical advisor can promise admission to a particular college or university. What I can promise is careful guidance, close attention, thoughtful work, and a commitment to remaining informed about the evolving admissions landscape.

Every family arrives with different goals, strengths, opportunities, and circumstances. My first responsibility is to listen carefully before offering advice. From there, I work with students to submit the strongest, clearest, most coherent, and most authentic application possible.

Throughout the process, I hope families feel informed, supported, and confident that important decisions have been approached with care.

Why don’t you provide client references or share student work?

Because confidentiality is one of the most important commitments I make to every family.

Much of my work involves personal writing, educational records, long-term planning, and conversations about a student’s goals and aspirations. Families trust me with information that is often deeply personal, and I believe that trust should remain private.

For that reason, I do not ask former clients to serve as references, and I do not share student work for promotional purposes. I extend the same commitment to every family I work with.

I believe trust is earned through the quality of my work.