Our Story
Elite College Advising, a boutique admissions consulting practice, began as a personal mission. When I searched for admissions guidance for my daughter, I found an industry offering expensive services, vague claims, and very little transparency. So I set out to learn the process myself. I read extensively, listened to experts, combed through dozens of successful student profiles and immersed myself in data and decisions patterns to understand what truly matters in admissions.
Over the next 3 years, I helped my daughter build a purposeful academic plan, engage in meaningful activities, and shape an authentic narrative. The results confirmed the power of a thoughtful strategy: she applied to 20 schools and was admitted to 18, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Brown, and Stanford.
Since then, my team and I have supported students with a wide range of goals: some earning acceptances to top institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, and UChicago, and others pursuing colleges that more closely align with their individual strengths and aspirations. In every case, students benefit from a carefully considered strategy tailored to their unique fit. We further this mission through personalized advising and through partnerships with community service organizations to help ensure that high-quality guidance remains accessible to a broader range of families.
Why We’re Different
Boutique, Not Bulk
Unlike large consultancies that serve hundreds or even thousands of students each cycle, we limit our roster to ensure dedicated, hands-on guidance. This allows us to truly know each student, their passions, their challenges, and their goals, and to respond nimbly and creatively to their needs.
Team-Based, Holistic Support
Our team of counselors convenes regularly to provide feedback, brainstorm strategy, and ensure that every part of a student’s profile is working together.
Data-Informed & Mission-Driven
We bring deep expertise combined with a comprehensive data driven approach to college admissions.
Concierge-Level Service
From crafting timelines to essay brainstorming, extracurricular planning, research projects, and interview prep, we go the extra mile. We customize based on not just admissions goals but what will help the student thrive as a young adult, in college and beyond.
Our Impact
Whether in person or remote, our impact is the same:
- We provide an exceptional counselor-to-student ratio of 1:5, ensuring each student receives tailored feedback.
- Our acceptance outcomes reflect our high-touch model: our students are routinely admitted to their target schools thanks to a strategy that prioritizes fit as much as prestige.
- Students experience measurable growth in writing ability, self-awareness, and long-term academic planning, not just improved applications.
- Families report significantly reduced stress thanks to our clear timelines, proactive communication, and organized systems that eliminate last-minute scrambling.
How We Work
Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute strategy session. I look at where your student is today, what they are aiming for, and what the next few years should look like. You leave with an honest read, whether or not we work together.
From there, families choose the level of support that fits, from early planning in the first years of high school through the application season itself. Each option is laid out on our Offerings page.
Every family we work with also gets SmartTools, the platform we built to keep deadlines, tasks, essay drafts and advisor communication in one place. It is included at no extra cost.
We are based in Chicago and work with families across the country, in person or remotely.