The college admissions process is still human.

We help your student treat it that way. 

Calmly. Confidently. Kindly.

Great-fit colleges aren’t found through resumes. They are found through real relationships. With family, with school counselors, with community, and at many schools, with the admissions officers reading your student’s file. At every school, we coach the skill, because the skill matters in life whether or not it moves a particular admissions decision.

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Free consultation, no obligation, no pressure

Four Pillars of Connection How we guide your family through college admissions Your Student guided by Grateful College Counseling Family Protecting your relationship with your child School Partnering with your school counselors Community Leveraging the people who already know your student Colleges Authentic engagement with the admissions teams

Kindness is the foundation of our practice

According to data from the NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling), the most important factor in admissions after grades and course rigor is character.

One of the key attributes of character is kindness—a trait viewed as essential among admissions professionals. Not only is kindness an important life skill on its own, it is becoming an “it factor” in the admissions world.

It is so important that Harvard University Graduate School of Education created the Making Caring Common Project, part of a broad movement toward prioritizing kindness and character in the admissions process.

”I’ve Always Seen Kindness as an Essential Ingredient.”

— Lee Coffin, Dartmouth Dean of Admissions (2024)

Our Promises to Your Family

  1. We tell you what we know, what we’ve observed, and what we can’t know for sure. We won’t sell you certainty we don’t have.

  2. We listen to your student first. Their voice leads the process.

  3. We protect your relationship with your child. We absorb the friction so you don’t have to be the bad guy.

  4. Your student does the relationship-building in their own voice. We will never send outreach on their behalf.

Why I started Grateful College Counseling:

I got into educational consulting because of my experiences with my own kids. My daughter went to a regional magnet school—they actually had a spreadsheet with past students’ grades, test scores, and college acceptances, so you could see exactly what worked. It made a big difference. My son, meanwhile, was at a big public high school where counselors were responsible for around 500 students each. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but there just wasn’t enough time for the kind of individual support that matters. Plenty of our friends have seen the same thing. Too many students end up at colleges that don’t match their potential. That’s exactly what I want to change.

LEARN MORE
Cornell University in Ithaca, NY
American University in Washington, DC
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH
Colgate University in Hamilton, NY
Oberlin University in Oberlin, OH
Radford University in Radford, VA
University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT
University of Denver in Denver, CO
University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC
University of Vermont in Burlington, VT

Testimonials

  • We are incredibly grateful for the guidance and support our son received from Jake with Grateful College Counseling throughout the college application process. Jake's patience, deep knowledge of the admissions landscape, and invaluable insider tips really gave him a tremendous boost. Jake helped us stay organized, meet deadlines, and confidently navigate each section of the application.

    S. P.

  • We cannot thank Jake Pasternak and his team at Grateful College Counseling enough for the work they did helping us navigate the college application process. From our first meeting with Jake, it was clear that his knowledge, expertise, and understanding of the process's complexities were second to none. He listened to us, but more importantly, he listened to our son. He met with him, both in person and virtually, as he transitioned from looking exclusively at D1 or D3 soccer schools to choosing a school solely for academics. Additionally, he helped our son find schools that support students with learning differences. With Jake’s guidance, our son received acceptances to his top-choice colleges, even earning several scholarships. We cannot imagine how we would have handled the intricacies of the process on our own.

    K.B.

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