FAQs

Advisor Credentials & Experience

• Do you provide advising and mentoring for ALL colleges and universities’ admissions, or do you specialize in UCs?

  We provide expert advice and mentoring for ALL colleges and universities’ applications across the United States. Our story began with UC universities like UCLA, Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, etc. As a result of many requests from parents and students, three years ago, we expanded our admissions expertise to the Common App and all essay requirements by schools. We now advise and mentor high-achieving students who seek admission to ALL universities and colleges, focusing mostly on the top 50-ranked colleges and universities (ranked by US News and World Report).

• What is your professional background?

  • Our founder and chief advisor was a college professor, high school teacher, successful entrepreneur, building acquired start-ups, and student advisor/mentor to UCLA and UCI first-generation and graduating senior students

  • UC College advisors are comprised of a diverse talent pool of published writers, PhDs, professors, admission experts, and former high-achieving students

• What professional organizations do you belong to?

  • We don't believe in restrictive organizations. Why? We are out-of-the-box, highly ethical,  and creative strategists. We do not practice mainstream strategies that everybody else adopts. Our goal is to surgically increase your odds of acceptance into your colleges of choice. We believe in stepping outside the proverbial boxes to increase your odds of college admissions success. 

• How do you stay current with admissions trends?

  • We regularly attend online and in-person college admissions conferences and workshops, or visit college campuses to meet with admissions representatives, deans and professors.

  • We research daily the pulse of admission trends, news, admissions metrics, and data.

  • We are invited by universities to speak on admissions and careers information panels, Q&A sessions, and lunch talks. We serve as Innovation Advisors to UCI and Mentor Advisors to UCLA.

• How many students do you work with each year?

  • We have an annual cohort of 25 high-achieving students. They are accepted into our annual cohort based on meeting several criteria and data points. Some points are how many APs, GPA, class rank, test scores, music, languages, sports, extracurriculars, and most importantly - CHARACTER.

• Can I speak with former clients?

  • Of course. Our prior students are quite busy, but I'm sure we can track down a "peer mentor" to answer some questions from a student's perspective.

  • Please see several Testimonials on our home page at www.uccollegeadvisors.com 

Services & Processes

• What is your approach to helping students find the right-fit college or university?

  • Our advisors focus on the student's unique qualities, interests, and aspirations, not merely college prestige. Other key factors are location, size of school, campus, culture, rankings of the universities or colleges, professors, and majors. 

  • We tailor our service and process to the student. We listen. Then, we architect a one-on-one roadmap and execute the entire application as a very close team. 

• How do you determine a student's college list?

  • Together, we develop a balanced list of "reach," "target," and "likely" schools. Typically targeting 15 + colleges or universities. We review rankings and other key data points for each college. We also view college campus video tours online, including drone tours. We must also consider the student's desired major and research top colleges and universities within that major.

• Which specific services are included in your package?

  • We provide two options: 1. "VIP" service option - which is an unlimited, one-on-one weekly service that has unlimited video sessions, calls, texts, and emails. 2. We also provide a short-term "A La Carte" option, which is up to 10 hours of service. This approach is mostly for essay collaboration, reviews, edits, and iterations. Please check "Our Service" Page on our website for pricing details. www.uccollegeadvisors.com

  • Common services include full-service advising and mentoring on college lists, essays (topics, multiple edits), PIQs, application strategy and review, strategy sessions, and financial aid guidance (if applicable). Our goal is to capture extra percentage points to increase your odds of acceptance, such as "demonstrated interest" and "yield rates."

• Do you assist with financial aid and scholarships?

  • We have resources to help families maximize their financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

• How do you incorporate financial considerations when building a college list? In our "kick-off" meeting, we discuss any financial factors with parents (if necessary).

• Will you help with essay brainstorming and editing? Essays will either get you over the touchdown line or leave you at the one-yard line. We collaborate closely on essay topics, review essay samples, writing styles, and edit several versions. We have no limits on how many times we meet one-on-one. 

• What is your communication policy?

  • We meet up, strategize, review, and communicate on video calls at least once a week. You will have unlimited communication with your dedicated advisor via videos, texts, emails, or calls. Reach out anytime, 24/7, and we will respond typically within 1 hour.  

Ethics & Values

• Do you guarantee admission to a specific college?

  • An ethical advisor or mentor will never guarantee an outcome. We will advise and mentor your child to increase his/her/their odds of acceptance. We are out-of-the-box advisors. We will meticulously design and build the best strategy to make our very best efforts to achieve your child's subjective goals. There are things we simply cannot control, like who the admissions officer is, timing, and luck. 

  • Please see our "Company" page to review our core values. www.uccollegeadvisors.com

• Do you ever accept referral fees from colleges?

  • Absolutely not. Ethical advisors do not accept compensation from colleges or universities for placing students. 

• What are your fees and pricing structure?

  • Please see "Our Services" page to review two service options and pricing. Option 1 is a flat fee VIP" full-service, one-on-one collaboration that entails unlimited sessions and an out-of-the-box strategy. Option 2 is an hourly "A La Carte" service that is mostly for time-consuming essay topic creation, writing approaches, and multiple edits.  Visit "Our Services" page for more details on pricing and services included at www.uccollegeadvisors.com

• What is your philosophy regarding family and student roles?

  • Our advisors like to empower students to own and drive the process, rather than doing the work for them. We develop a close team, in sync, and a collaborative relationship with students. We will communicate very early on (and often) when or if something is or feels wrong or off, so we do not waste valuable time heading down the wrong path. If the student desires, we could have Friday success meet-ups with parents to update them on the process. The battle is won in planning and then in execution. 

Specific Student Needs

• Do you have experience working with students who have a similar profile to my child?

  • Simple answer, yes. We have advised and mentored students with unique situations, life hurdles, those with learning differences, artistic, STEM, medical, music, or athletic aspirations, etc.

• How do you help reduce student stress and anxiety during the application process?

  • The college application process can be an anxious, stressful, and arduous journey. It does not have to be. We strongly believe in making this a fun and low-stress journey. We introduce humor every session and find that laughter and positive reinforcement are instrumental as we navigate this daunting process. We are a No Anxiety Zone.  It will all be just fine as we put in the hard work and focus together. Breathe, we got you.