I created The Applicant Strategist after helping my own family navigate the college application process - and realizing how much students and parents are expected to figure out on their own.

I recently guided a high school student through the current undergraduate application process, helping with everything from application strategy and storytelling to essays, resume, applications, and final review. I also applied that same approach while helping another applicant navigate the Executive MBA application process. Both applied to five schools and were accepted to their top choice.

That experience became a repeatable approach: strategy first, storytelling second, organization throughout.

My role isn’t to write a student’s essays or take over their application. It’s to help students understand what they bring to the table, decide how to present it, stay organized, and ultimately submit an application that genuinely represents them.

The goal isn’t a perfect application. It’s the strongest, most authentic application the student can produce.