Independent college application counseling
I'm Jackson Barber. For five years I've guided high-achieving students into top U.S. universities including Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, and Brown. I help students find a story that's actually theirs, and tell it well.
Bring a draft. Send your student's current essay before the call. I'll have read it by the time we talk, and we'll use the call on strategy and approach. How to send it
4 of 4 spots open for 2026–27.
Plus many more at UIUC, Purdue, UW–Madison and schools like them. My specialty is STEM and business applicants.
When I decided last minute, at the end of the summer before my senior year, to pivot from applying only to business schools to also pursuing engineering programs, Jackson supported me every step of the way… With his guidance, I ultimately gained admission to several top engineering and business programs across the U.S., including my dream school.
Bearings
Top schools don't reject weak students. They reject strong students who sound like every other strong student.
By the time a reader gets to the essays, they already know the grades, the scores, the activities. The essays are the only place they meet the person. Most essays waste that chance in one of three ways:
What actually counts is authenticity and coherence. Does an essay show vulnerability, struggle, imperfection, and genuine growth? Do the stories told align with the values reflected in other parts of the application—their activity list, additional info, and supplemental portfolios?
I guide students to prepare applications that are at once impressive and honest, polished without sacrificing the qualities that make each student unique.
The course
Book a free one-hour video call with me. We'll talk about your student, their schools, and their timeline. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help. Send your student's current draft beforehand. I'll have read it by the time we talk, and we'll use the call on strategy and approach.
Whether your student has a polished draft in need of final refinement, or only a rough idea of what to write, I can help. I will meet your student exactly where they are, helping them find a narrative and angle that showcases their standout strengths and their unique voice.
The best essays develop through dedication and iteration. Your student writes, I review, and we edit and discuss together in depth. Depending on their specific timeline, we can speed this process up to meet deadlines, or slow down to allow more time for authentic reflection.
I will help your student comb through their full application, focusing in particular on their personal statement, supplemental essays, activity list, and additional information sections. We'll make sure everything in their assembled materials is optimized before they submit.
Choose your course
Full-service admissions firms charge families $15,000 and up for this kind of support.
Four students per cycle
$7,500
If you're not satisfied after the first five sessions, I refund half.
A smaller first step
$2,000
If you're not satisfied after the first session, I refund half.
Payment in full up front. Not sure yet? Start with the free call, and send a draft beforehand.
He never took over the application. I always felt like the final product sounded like me—just a much more effective version of me.
I studied mathematics at Williams College, the top-ranked liberal arts college in the U.S. I graduated magna cum laude, wrote an honors thesis, and spoke at graduation.
For five years I counseled high-achieving students applying to the most selective schools in the country, mostly in STEM and business. Forty students. Hundreds of essays. Dozens of mock interviews.
Here's what I learned. The application isn't separate from the kid. A student who doesn't believe in their own story can't write it well. So I don't just edit essays. I mentor the whole person: what they care about, what scares them, what they want to build. I want to uplift these kids until they shine.
I don't write essays and I won't. Every word is the student's. My job is to help them find the right ones and cut the wrong ones.
I was also a pretty headstrong applicant. I knew what I liked and didn’t like, and I had tried working with several other counseling companies before. Jackson stood out because he was very good at understanding the student in front of him and working with their strengths rather than applying the same approach to everyone.
I was stuck on my personal statement from April through mid-July, writing roughly 20 drafts without ever feeling like I had found the right way to communicate who I was to college admissions officers. Throughout the process, Jackson constantly reminded me to slow down, take a breath, and give my ideas the time and space they needed to develop.
I was worried that my accomplishments weren’t good enough… I never thought I would ever feel this way but towards the end, I really felt so secure and content with the stories and values I expressed regardless of the results.
Instead of trying to manufacture the “perfect” story, I learned to trust my own experiences… My voice became strongest when I stopped trying to sound impressive and simply told my story with honesty and depth.
Sky clock
| Deadline | What's due |
|---|---|
| November 1 | Most Early Decision and Early Action applications (a few schools use November 15) |
| October 1 – November 30 | University of California applications |
| January 1 – 15 | Most Regular Decision applications |
A strong personal statement takes weeks, not days. If your student is applying early, the time to start is now.
No. Nobody honest can. What I can promise is that your student's application will be the strongest, truest version of them.
No, and I never will. Every word is the student's. I ask questions, push back, and show them what's working and what isn't.
Yes, if your student has a draft. Send it before our call and I'll have read it by the time we talk. We'll use the call on strategy and approach: what's working, what isn't, and where the essay could go.
No. Every session is on video. I work remotely with families across Asia and the US, and we schedule in your time zone.
Maybe not. Tell me your student's schools and deadlines on the free call, and I'll tell you honestly what's realistic.
So each one gets real attention. That's the whole point.
Show up, write, and send revisions 48 hours before each session. The work is theirs. That's what makes it good.
Payment in full up front. Personal Statement + One School: if you're not satisfied after the first session, I refund half. Full Application: if you're not satisfied after the first five sessions, I refund half. If you start with the $2,000 package and move up later, the full $2,000 counts toward the $7,500.
Your next step
A free one-hour call, on video. We talk about your student, their schools and their timeline, and I tell you honestly whether I can help.
Before the call
Email your student's current draft to [email protected] with their graduation year and target schools. I'll read it before we talk, and we'll spend the call on strategy and approach.
I remember telling my mom that I couldn’t believe it, but I actually felt so excited to start writing my college essays.