Why I Became Independent

The admissions industry increasingly prioritizes scale: large caseloads, standardized processes, and efficiency-driven timelines.

These structures impose real limitations on how much attention, continuity, and depth a student can receive. My standards for advising require sustained attention, longitudinal thinking, and the ability to sit with complexity rather than rush toward resolution.

I do not believe strong applications emerge from speed or scripts. They emerge from careful listening, pattern recognition, and time.

Working independently allows me to design an advising practice around those standards. It allows me to limit caseloads, maintain continuity across the entire application cycle, and work deeply with each student rather than dividing attention across dozens of files.

For families, this means a process that is slower, more intentional, and less reactive.

Students are not rushed toward drafts before they understand what they’re trying to say. Strategy emerges alongside reflection, not in opposition to it.

Excellence requires depth, and depth requires time and individualized attention.