Our Services
Personalized guidance to help students identify their goals, explore colleges and majors, and build a thoughtful, balanced college list based on academic, personal, geographic, and financial fit. Together, we consider academic interests, campus environments, admission requirements, and opportunities that will help students find colleges where they can thrive.
Step-by-step support through the application process, including timelines, activities and honors, recommendations, application strategy, deadline management, final review, and decision support. Guidance covers the Common Application, University of California (UC) application, and school-specific applications, and helping students navigate different requirements.
Individualized support with brainstorming, topic selection, structure, revision, and feedback to help students develop authentic essays that reflect their personality and voice. Guidance includes the Common App personal statement, college-specific supplemental essays, and University of California Personal Insight Questions (PIQs).
Why Work with an Independent Educational Consultant?
An independent educational consultant helps students and families navigate the often overwhelming college admissions process with knowledgeable, individualized guidance. This includes developing a plan for high school that considers course selection, meaningful extracurricular activities, and the steps students can take to prepare for competitive admissions. As students move closer to applying, the focus shifts to finding colleges that are a good fit, managing applications, and helping students show colleges who they are and what they have accomplished.
For students interested in pre-medical or other pre-professional programs, choosing the right undergraduate college involves looking beyond admission statistics to consider academic preparation for future opportunities. Student-athletes face additional considerations, including how NCAA and NAIA recruiting, admissions, and athletic scholarships fit together. These are all factors that can shape a student's college search.
Having someone outside the family involved can also make a real difference. Students have an advisor they can turn to for questions and guidance, allowing parents to step away from managing every deadline and application detail.
With the right guidance, students approach the college admissions process with greater confidence, and families can spend less time worrying about deadlines and applications.
Meet Laura Pierce, PhD
I have spent much of my career doing what I enjoy most—working with young people and helping them discover what they are capable of and where they might go next. With a PhD in American History, I taught students at both the collegiate and dual-credit high school levels and have spent years helping students make decisions about college, navigate applications, and work through more essay revisions than I could count. As an independent educational consultant, I have the opportunity to devote more time to students one-on-one.
What I value most, though, is the relationship I build with students. I genuinely enjoy teenagers and young adults—their energy, their ideas, their uncertainty, and the excitement that comes with figuring out what their future might look like. One of my joys is the many students who continue to call and text long after their college decision days are over. I always want students to feel that they have someone in their corner who will listen, offer perspective, keep them moving forward, and help them recognize opportunities they may not have considered.
I also understand that the college admissions process can be stressful for the entire family. There are seemingly endless decisions to make, deadlines to manage, and a tremendous amount of information to sort through. My goal is to be a steady and knowledgeable resource for both students and parents, helping make a complicated process feel more manageable.
There is no single perfect path or perfect college for every student. I look forward to getting to know each student as an individual, understanding what matters to them, and helping them find their next best step.
In my non-workng hours, I love spending time with my husband of over 30 years, playing games and laughting with our three kids when they come home from college and medical school, and hiking with my beloved dog, Barkley.
Request a Free Consultation
I look forward to the opportunity to learn more about your student’s goals and discuss how I can support them through the college admissions process. I offer comprehensive packages and hourly consultations based on each student's needs and where they are in the college planning process.