Taking no more than 5 full-time students at a time
I help high school juniors and seniors get their college applications in order, one student, one deadline at a time.
No team, no hand-offs. You work with me directly, from your first draft to the day you hit submit. Hi, I’m Schuyler.
I work virtually with students anywhere in the country, and meet in person in New York City by scheduled appointment.
About
Why I'm qualified to do this
Getting into a good school proves you can do it once. Teaching proves you can explain it to someone else. At Duke, I designed and taught my own course on nutrition and wellness, wrote an honors thesis, and graduated with distinction. That’s the skill this work actually needs: not a résumé to point to, but the ability to sit with a 17-year-old's draft and explain, specifically, what it needs and why.
I graduated this year, and I know that's recent. Here's the honest case for it: I went through this process recently enough to remember what was actually confusing, not what I assume was confusing. And I know what the current application landscape looks like: this year's supplements, this year's Common App, this year's deadlines, rather than what it looked like fifteen years ago. That's an advantage, not a gap, and I'd rather say so than hope you don't notice.
This fall I start my Master’s in Public Health, Health Policy and Management, at Columbia University in New York City, as one of the university's first-ever Public Health Merit Scholarship recipients. I applied to five schools total; Johns Hopkins, the number one public health program in the country, offered me 75% off the same degree. I chose Columbia for the city and the network it puts me in, not because Hopkins was the weaker option. It wasn't.
I meet clients in person in New York City on a scheduled basis, and over Zoom with clients anywhere else in the country.
That's the standard I hold your application to: a decision you can defend, not just one you can afford to make.
See my full background on LinkedInThe record
Duke University
Program II, 2026 graduate of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, graduated with distinction. Designed and taught an original nutrition and wellness course, and wrote an honors thesis. Admitted with an art supplement.
Johns Hopkins, M.P.H.
Offered 75% off tuition for Health Policy and Management at the #1-ranked public health program in the country.
Columbia University, M.P.H.
Current MPH student, Health Policy and Management. One of the first ever Public Health Merit Scholar's scholarship recipients.
Why the pricing is set where it is
Independent counselors typically bill $200–$300 an hour, and full-cycle packages usually run $4,000–$10,000. I charge $150 an hour and $3,250 for the full package, up to 25 hours. I'm early in building this practice as I start my Master's, and I'd rather price for the students I can give real attention to than price for what the market would bear.
I'm capping this practice at 5 full-time students at a time, full stop. Not a marketing number, an actual limit: I start my degree in September. Five is what I can read closely, respond to quickly, and stay accountable for without spreading myself past the point of being useful to any one of you.
How I actually work with you
I read everything you send me before we talk: your activities list, your drafts, your school list. Then I tell you plainly what’s missing. Not a compliment sandwich, not a twelve-page report. One clear note, and one thing to fix before your next deadline.
Once you're a client and I've reviewed your request, essay notes come back within 48 hours. That clock starts when I've actually seen your essay, not the moment it lands in an inbox I haven't opened yet.
I don’t promise admission outcomes or cite acceptance rates. I tell you what the work in front of you actually needs.
How I work
The process, and the system that backs it up
A small practice doesn't mean an improvised one. Here's what actually happens after you sign on, including the tracker every client's deadlines live in.
- 1
The intake meeting
We start with one long, honest conversation, just you (parents are welcome, but students open up more without them in the room). I'm not filling out a form. I'm asking about your grades, activities, test history, and the schools you're picturing yourself at, but also what's actually been hard for you and what you want colleges to understand that a transcript can't say. That last part usually matters more than anything on your resume.
- 2
Your working file
After we meet, I build you a real file: your academic profile, every activity with the details that make it count, your test situation, and a list of what I still need from you and by when. Nothing about your process lives in my head, it's documented, so nothing falls through the cracks between sessions.
- 3
A college list you react to
I don't hand you 10 “perfect fits” and call it done. I build a longer first draft, reach, target, and likely, based on everything you told me, and I want you to react to it. A “no, too big” tells me more about you than five yeses. We refine from there until the list is actually yours.
- 4
Testing without the guesswork
If you haven't taken a full timed practice test for both the SAT and ACT, we start there, not because more testing is better, but because guessing which one plays to your strengths wastes months. From your practice results, I build a prep calendar around your actual schedule: your season, your job, your family's life. Prep that ignores your calendar doesn't get done.
- 5
Essays that sound like you
My rule with essays is simple: I push for the specific detail over the general statement, and I never touch your voice. I'll tell you when a line is doing too much, when you're telling instead of showing, and when your best sentence is buried in the middle of a paragraph, but the words stay yours. I'd rather send you back to rewrite a paragraph than rewrite it for you.
- 6
Applications, line by line
Once the college list and essays are moving, we get systematic: activities rewritten for the Common App, a deadline calendar so nothing sneaks up on you, and a tracker so you, and I, always know exactly where every application stands.
- 7
Staying with you until it's done
This isn't a one time consultation. We meet on a regular cadence through submission, and I flag the things with real deadlines, accommodations, financial conversations, recommender timing, before they become emergencies instead of after.
Deadline tracker
Sample student, senior fall
| School | Piece | Due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common App essay | Personal statement | Oct 1 | Notes returned |
| Northwestern | Supplement (2) | Oct 15 | Notes returned |
| Duke | Supplement (3) | Nov 1 | In review |
| Columbia | Supplement (4) | Nov 1 | In review |
| UNC Chapel Hill | Supplement (1) | Jan 15 | Not started |
A stylized mock of the actual tracker every client gets, not a product screenshot.
What happens after you reach out
- 1
I reply by email, usually within one school day, with real availability and next steps.
- 2
We book an intake meeting by Zoom or, if you're in New York City, in person by appointment.
- 3
You get your tracker and school list started within the first week of signing on.
What I charge
Book one piece at a time, or the full process for the year. Whichever fits where you are right now. I'm taking no more than 5 full-time students at once.
Every price below is flat or hourly with a stated cap, no hidden fees. I reply to booking requests within one school day.
Full college counseling
Most complete- Essay topic development for the personal statement and every supplemental
- A full application timeline with every deadline mapped out
- Activities list and story framing
- Recommender strategy and outreach guidance
- Interview prep
- Hourly
- $150/hr
- Comprehensive package
- $3,250
Most families use about 20–25 hours.
Up to 25 hours, keeps costs predictable.
Response time: I reply to every booking request within one school day with real availability.
Not sure which one you need?
Tell me your deadline and where you're stuck. I’ll tell you which one actually fixes it.
How we start
We talk before anything else
Your interests, schools you're drawn to, and your academic and extracurricular history. Send transcripts, awards, or anything you're worried might hold you back.
We build your school list together
Once I know your record, we sort reach, target, and safety schools. Nothing's locked in until you've seen how each one feels.
We draft your personal statement
A brainstorm, then three topics, then drafts of each. The one that's most fun to write is usually the one that works.
We close the gaps that are actually there
No new clubs to join. If there's a supplement worth building, or a documentary worth making, I'll tell you plainly if it's worth your time.
FAQ
Questions parents ask, and the ones they don't
Full-time students, by appointment
Ask about extra time on a single piece
I'm taking no more than 5 full-time students at once. If you just need extra attention on one thing, like an essay review or a school list, I can sometimes make room by appointment. Send your inquiry below and I'll reply with real availability if I have it.
This is a request, not a booking. I'll follow up by email with availability if my schedule has room.
Send me your deadline and where you're stuck.
Email me directly, no forms. Tell me the school, the essay, or the piece of the application that's giving you trouble, and I’ll tell you plainly what it needs.
schuyler@skynetadvising.com · replies within one school day