I don't teach writing.
I teach students how to think.
I work with students from middle school through graduate school. The work is always the same: learning to read carefully, think clearly, and express what's actually true. College admissions is one place that shows up. But it's not where it starts, and it's not where it ends.
This is not a short-term program. Most students work with me for years.
- Weekly sessions, 1.5 to 2 hours. Not lectures. Real conversation about the student's ideas, their writing, their interests, their extracurriculars. I help them figure out what they actually care about, not just what looks good on paper.
- Ongoing support between sessions. I stay in touch with students and families throughout the week. Draft feedback, check-ins, guidance on decisions as they come up. This isn't something that only happens during scheduled hours.
- Writing that is revised, not corrected. I don't fix sentences. I ask questions that make the student rethink what they wrote and why.
- Direct communication with families. Parents hear from me, not an assistant. I share honest updates, not just positive ones.
- Long-term mentorship, not short-term tutoring. The students I'm proudest of are the ones who started years before any application. The ones who kept going after.
The application is not the point. The thinking is.
Most students come to me trying to sound impressive. They list achievements, stack experiences, and polish sentences until everything looks right but says nothing. I slow them down. I ask questions they haven't been asked before. And gradually, they stop performing and start thinking.
Part of what I do is read people. I pay close attention to what a student is good at, what they're drawn to, and where they have depth they haven't recognized yet. Then I help them build on it. Not package it for an application, but actually develop it. A student who discovers what they genuinely care about doesn't need to be coached on how to sound passionate. They just are.
I work with 10 to 12 students at a time. Each one gets sustained, personal attention. There are no templates, no formulas, and no shortcuts.
I let the people I work with speak for me
"Before working with you, I would have just listed everything I'd done and hoped it sounded impressive. You showed me how to step back and actually think about what those experiences meant. That shift changed everything about how I wrote, and honestly, how I see myself."Graduate applicant, Engineering Admitted to Stanford
"Every time I read your messages about his progress, I get emotional. He trusts you completely with his applications. He told me you're the only person who really understands where he's strong and where he needs to grow, and that you always know the right next step."Parent of a high school senior Son admitted to UCLA
"You're not just teaching him. You're mentoring him, opening his mind, helping him see the world differently. Before every session I can feel how excited he is. He always comes out with this energy, like he just discovered something new. He told me every class feels like an adventure."Parent of a middle school student Accepted to Phillips Exeter Academy
"When I saw what you did with my draft, I finally understood what strong writing looks like. Clear, focused, driven by ideas instead of jargon. Working with you didn't just improve my essay. It gave me a model for how to think and write going forward."Graduate applicant, Pre-Med / Biology Admitted to Oxford and Emory
"He keeps telling us how much your conversations have shaped the way he thinks about his own writing. He genuinely looks forward to your sessions. We can't thank you enough for being such an important mentor to him during this time."Parent of a high school senior Son admitted to University of Michigan and UC Berkeley
"I just wanted to say thank you for everything. Having your support through this whole process made such a difference. I don't think I could have done it without you."College applicant Admitted to Columbia University
"When she first started working with you, she didn't even want to think about boarding school. Now she writes with a confidence I've never seen from her. She found her voice, and I know that's because of what you built together."Parent of a middle school student Accepted to Choate Rosemary Hall
I don't know how to say this without getting emotional.
Thank you for everything you've done for .
He wants to keep working with you even after he starts university. He says the conversations you have together are the most meaningful part of his week.
We are so grateful 🙏
A parent's message after her son's admission
I'm so thankful for everything. Without you I would have just listed all my activities and achievements like everyone else. You helped me actually understand what mattered to me and write about it in a way that felt real. I don't think I would have gotten in otherwise.
A student's message after receiving acceptances
What I want you to know
You've probably already talked to other consultants. Maybe you've already worked with one. You know what that usually looks like: a few sessions, some edits, a polished essay, and then silence. Your child got a deliverable but not a transformation. And you were left wondering whether any of it actually mattered.
That's not how I work. I take on 10 to 12 students at a time. I know each one personally. I know what they're struggling with, what they're avoiding, and what they're capable of when someone holds them to a higher standard. I communicate with families directly and regularly, not through assistants, not through systems. When something is going well, I'll tell you. When something needs to change, I'll tell you that too.
I do not ghostwrite. I do not use AI to generate essays. I do not take students I cannot genuinely help. And I do not disappear after the application is submitted. Many of my families have been with me for years. Some students continue working with me through college. That's the kind of relationship this is.
The results speak for themselves. But what I'm most proud of is the work that doesn't fit on a list.
Work with DeanDifferent students, the same depth
Some students come to me months before a deadline. Others have been working with me for years. The format changes, but the approach doesn't: I pay close attention, I ask hard questions, and I help people think more clearly about who they are and what they're trying to say.
Younger students
For students in middle school and early high school, I focus on building the foundation: how to think through a problem, how to question what they're told, and how to express their ideas with clarity and confidence. These are often my longest relationships. The college essay, when it eventually comes, is simply one expression of years of growth.
College applicants
Common App personal statements, UC PIQs, Ivy and private school supplementals. I help students find their real material, not the topic they think admissions wants to hear, but the one that's actually true. We work through multiple drafts until the essay is sharp and unmistakably theirs.
Graduate applicants
Statements of purpose and personal history statements for master's and doctoral programs. I work with applicants to clarify their intellectual trajectory, connect their research experiences into a coherent narrative, and write at the level their work demands.
International families
I work with families in Taiwan, the U.S., New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, and beyond. Many parents are navigating an unfamiliar admissions system for the first time. I provide not just mentorship for their children, but context and guidance for the whole family.
No templates. No formulas. Real thinking.
Most students arrive writing on instinct
They write what sounds good without asking whether it's true. They perform instead of think. This isn't a flaw. It's just what happens when no one has ever pushed them to go deeper.
I slow everything down
We start with conversation. Not "what's your topic" but "what do you actually think, and can you defend it?" Most students have never been asked this. It changes how they engage with everything.
Then we rebuild how they express themselves
Writing becomes an extension of thinking, not a performance. I don't correct sentences. I ask questions that force the student to rethink what they wrote and why. Each draft gets sharper because the thinking behind it gets sharper.
Over time, they stop needing me to ask the questions
That's the goal. Students who've been with me for years don't just write better. They think differently. When the college essay or the SOP finally comes, they already know who they are. The application is the easy part.
When to start: For younger students, any time is the right time. The earlier we begin, the deeper the foundation. For applicants with deadlines, 2 to 4 months before submission is ideal. Early Decision applicants should start by late summer.
Mentorship is structured as a dedicated, long-term engagement tailored to each student. This is not a one-off editing service.
Dean
I studied at UC Berkeley and have spent the past twelve years working with students across ages, countries, and levels of readiness. Some come to me weeks before a deadline. Others have been with me since middle school.
I believe that the way a student thinks is the single most important thing they can develop, and that it shows up everywhere: in how they read, how they write, how they talk about the things they care about, and eventually, in how they present themselves to a university. My job is to help them get there.
Several of my students continue working with me long after any application is submitted, developing their thinking and growing into people I genuinely admire. That long arc is the part of this work that matters most to me.
Work with Dean
I work with a small number of students each year, and I review every inquiry personally. If it looks like a strong fit, I'll reach out to schedule a conversation. Investment details are shared after we speak.