Navigating College Admissions
Calmly. Confidently. Kindly.
My mission is to help families calmly, confidently, and kindly navigate the college admissions process.
The process may seem overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be.
With Grateful College Counseling, I help you:
Find a great fit college
Lower stress
Preserve your relationship with your child
Learn how to practice and leverage kindness
Keep up with latest news in the admissions world
Kindness is a pillar of my practice
According to the latest 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.”
Hi! My name is Jake.
I am a dedicated educator, entrepreneur, and college counselor. As a dad with two children in college, I have taken it upon myself to become a “student of colleges.” I have taught economics and statistics at the University of Richmond and founded a company teaching personal finance to teenagers. I currently volunteer for ScholarMatch and Matchlighters, assisting low-income and first-generation families with college admissions and have completed the UCLA College Counseling Certificate program. I am a member of the IECA and HECA, the top two professional organizations for college counseling.
Outside of counseling, I co-founded Helping Hands Affordable Veterinary Care, a low-cost pet surgery center saving over 1,000 lives annually. Through Grateful College Counseling, I combine my expertise in education and entrepreneurship to help students find the right college fit while instilling values of kindness and gratitude.
