I could not ask for someone better than Rand to guide me through the college application better. Rand was consequential in helping me get into my dream college, the University of Michigan - I couldn’t have done it without him. Right before senior year I was feeling hopeless about the college admissions process. For context, I am from the Bay Area, and many of the college consulting companies over here turned me away due to my 3.77 GPA. When I first met Rand - just three months before early applications were due - I was discouraged. But Rand didn’t just take me on as a client. He lifted me up, gave me hope. He talked about my story in a way that oozed confidence - it made me believe in myself which was something I desperately needed at the time. The most important part of college admissions is the essays that you write. Rand is a master storyteller - drawing on his experiences working in the Brown Admissions office, networking with admissions officers across the US, and working with students, Rand helped me write multiple impactful stories which were no doubt the reason I got into Michigan. He expertly examined my background, and used my extracurriculars and experiences to show who I was as a person - something which many students struggle to do. What makes Rand special is that he gets to know you on a personal level - I always found myself having deep, intellectual conversations with him about a huge variety of topics. I was comfortable talking to him about anything. In addition to this personal touch, Rand was always there for me 24/7 whether it was helping me strategize, write essays, or most importantly calming me down. He wouldn’t hesitate staying up late, often until 10-11 PM making sure my essays were perfect. One moment that stood out to me was when regular decision applications were due. Rand was unfortunately affected by the Palisades Fire, which coincided with many application deadlines. I remember him texting me that he had to evacuate, and the very next day he texted me “I’ve got my computer and an internet connection, what’s next.” That’s the type of person Rand is - he’ll always be there for you, no matter what. The dedication and attention Rand gives each of his students is rare - nobody else compares. I truly will miss working with Rand, he is a lifelong friend that I will always look up to, and know I can rely on for guidance. If you are searching for someone to help you navigate college admissions, your search ends here - PICK RAND!
College Admission Success Team, 1-on-1 Coaching
- 15 hires
- Based in Los Angeles, CA
- 37 years in business
- 3 employees
- Background checked
About College Admission Success Team, 1-on-1 Coaching
Hi, I'm Rand Sherman. For the past 35+ years, I've run a pretty successful college admissions academy, offering 1-on-1, personalized coaching for students & parents mostly targeting Tier-1 and specialty schools. 90%+ of my students get into one or more of their top three schools, often their #1. Please see recent Thumbtack reviews from parents & students; I'm happy to connect you with prior families. I only work with a limited number of students each year (9th thru 12th, transfers), so each applicant can receive my maximum, personal attention to work towards getting into schools of choice. I've been involved in college admissions ever since working in the Brown Admissions Office for all four years attending Brown (nicknamed "Junior" by Admission Officers (AOs) for "Jr. AO"). I know the inside Admissions game, what AOs like to read about and see in candidates, and I consult with life-long AO friends. Continuing to help students ever since Brown, I'm not a big corporate Admissions operation, providing limited, scheduled times. I treat & care for my students as if they're my own children (who got into their #1 schools), while working closely with parents. I'm always available, working 1-on-1, on each step in the often overwhelming admission process, from the beginning, while building essays-stand-out activities-volunteering, through until college decisions. I also built and ran for 12 years the Brown Alumni Assoc. of SoCal (its largest), interviewing & vetting for Admissions, arranging alumni volunteer "interviews," representing Brown at school functions, etc. I've coached/mentored 1,000+ students and their families across the U.S. & worldwide (18 states, Canada, China, India, Korea, Egypt, Singapore, Sri Lanka, UK, others). Please see recent college acceptances below. While my business & legal career experience has focused on media companies & tech start-ups (which I use to help students "build" important extracurricular & volunteer activities), guiding students and parents through today's complicated admissions process is my true labor of love. I get to know my students very well, working closely like teammates. Unfortunately, these competitive days, having a high GPA & SAT/ACT scores is usually just a starting point. Together, with parents' input too, we'll: (i) Research schools, organizing students & exploring what they like about each school beyond being a "brand" name; (ii) Write killer applications and "WOW" essays that grab AOs' attention by presenting personal anecdotes, insights & experiences that AOs value (my specialty); and, (iii) "Market" their candidacy to AOs, using my proven "new news" system to STAND-OUT from other students, increasing chances to "get in" to desired, competitive schools. I also try to keep things light, have some laughs together; between regular school & activities and the Admissions mountain landing on them, students have enough stress! BONUS: I stand in the parents' shoes, as a "buffer" who gives similar advice and orders you'd give (eg, "Start writing your essays!"), but students will listen, avoiding typical parent-child "stress" and fights (which I had with my own kids!). I enjoy having a complimentary Zoom session with the whole family at first, to ask me questions, discuss your goals, concerns, etc. For more information, please see my Thumbtack parent/student reviews. I'm happy to connect you with prior families. I look forward to working together to build impactful applications & essays, so your child stands out & gets in to schools of choice. Best wishes, Rand Sherman ------------------------------------------------------------------- RECENT ACCEPTANCES of students I've coached: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, Caltech, Rice, Johns Hopkins, NYU, U of: Chicago/Michigan/VA/FL/WA, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon, Washington U, Univ.SoCal, Georgetown, UT-Austin, Duke, GA-Tech, Emory, UNC, Purdue & UI-UC (CS & Engin'g), U.Miami Claremont Colleges: Pomona/Claremont-McKenna/Pitzer/Scripps. UCs: Berkeley, UCLA, S.Diego, Irvine, S. Barbara, Davis, Riverside. Tufts, Boston U, , Boston College, Northeastern, Wesleyan, Lehigh, Colby, UMass-Amherst, Tulane, Case-Western, U of: Wisconsin/CO-Boulder/Indiana/Pittsburgh/Rochester/Toronto, Penn St, Ohio St, VA Tech, TX A&M, Rutgers, Villanova, NJIT, U of S.Carolina, FSU, Clement, RIT, Syracuse U/Newhouse, Chapman, LMU, Spelman, Emerson, Ithaca, Fairfield U, Augusta 8yr Medical, others. RECENT EXTRACURRICULARS & VOLUNTEERING. I help students build/run volunteering & valued extracurriculars that impress AOs. Top applicants need these to “standout” in-school & outside activities & volunteering that Admission Officers (AOs) value. SOME EXAMPLES: • Now a Berkeley freshman (met him in 10th), had a business passion. Helped build a non-profit 501(c)3 finance literacy in-person & online educational service for US teens & worldwide. • A first-choice, Johns Hopkins freshman (met in 9th-grade), helped him build/run a 501(c)3 free online coding & math service for 5th-12th & build a computer center in Sri Lanka for underserved children. • 2 brothers, engineers-robotics competitors. One a college senior, applying for his CS-Engineering Masters, got into Johns Hopkins/Cornell/Rice/Michigan. His HS senior bro got into UMich/ Purdue/GA-Tech/U of Toronto, w/scholarships. I had their essays stress family, entrepreneurship, providing robotics to kids-without-access, to distinguish them from other STEM students. Guided their expanding their robotics school & competitions to US students and worldwide.
Reviews
We worked with Rand for a year as we went through the college application and scholarship process. My daughter had her heart set on going to Tulane University which was a huge leap coming from a large inner city public school. Rand was there every step of the way. He provided invaluable information - things we would never have known without his guidance. He gave very specific suggestions about how to interact with college recruiters, student resume content, essay topics and more. He listened and adjusted his working style to accommodate my daughter’s schedule and personality. We both doubt she would have gotten into Tulane without Rand’s help! I wish we had started the scholarship process earlier and engaged more with Rand on that. He was more than willing to help with that too.
Very lucky to have found Rand on Thumbtack. As our college admissions consultant, he was directly responsible for son's admission into two prestigious programs at both Rice University (CS Honors) and UT-Austin (CSB Honors) as well as full tuition scholarships at both UT-Austin and Ohio State. I can't say enough good things about his work! Early-on, Rand worked extensively with my son, Andrew, to plan and build his activities to maximize their college application impact. He followed-up regularly to offer advice, encouragement and course correction. Maximum personal attention! Rand's assistance in helping Andrew research, organize and prioritize schools was invaluable. His admissions and scholarship application assistance was truly amazing! He is a master at drawing-out my son's absolute best writing, while at the same time, packaging my son's experiences, activities and accomplishments in the best possible light. His inside-knowledge expertise in this area in undeniable. Rand uses a 1-on-1 approach, focused on teamwork. He worked with our entire family, not just Andrew. He is a friendly, relaxed guy that provides mentoring and support, as well as guidance. He was available for Andrew 24/7. Rand is also professional, responsive and punctual. He made the extra-effort to get to know Andrew very well. As a parent, he helped me navigate this overwhelming process every step of the way. His easy-going approach reduced my stress and eased moments of tension that existed with my son. Top-notch admissions counseling is not cheap, but Rand's pricing is reasonable, and without a doubt, is a tremendous value, considering everything he provides.
I am beyond grateful I found Rand on thumbtack to help with my college application process. With his help, I was accepted to USC (my top school) and Berkeley. What makes Rand unique is his creativity, consistency, and attention to detail. He helped me choose universities to apply to by outlining what I need to research, taught me what admission officers are looking for and how to write effectively, met with my parents multiple times, talked through all the essay writing prompts, helped brainstorm ideas that were tailored to my interests, edited all my essays, and the list goes on. Rand’s high level of experience and legal background enables him to constantly come up with unique ways to improve your extracurriculars. My only regret is not meeting with Rand earlier in high school as his ideas for ways to develop a students own interests into a physical volunteer/charity initiative makes it easy to become a top candidate for top schools. Rand always makes himself available and just a few weeks ago (a month after submitting my last college application) Rand met with me twice to throughly help me prepare and practice for an interview. Once again couldn’t recommend him more.
I am using my mom’s Thumbtack account to first hand tell you how Randy and the college experience was for me. I cannot emphasize enough how excellent Randy is! Throughout my high school experience, I participated in various clubs, engaged in research projects, and maintained high grades. However, with college applications, I needed help with where to start, especially at the end of my junior year, when friends and classmates only made the process more stressful. I was, for a lack of better words-- stumped. Then Randy came, and I can confidently say he took all my stress away bit by bit and motivated me consistently that I was worth every bit of the work I put in if not a hundred times more. He helped pinpoint my strengths about what my college application should revolve around, along with helping me make a list of schools to apply to. We would consistently meet on Zoom, and he would give me advice I would have never heard of before redirect the ways I approached my essays. Randy never gave up on me when I was discouraged and took my passions to help me create the ultimate story about my journeys and experiences up to the application. Randy is like no other– very easy to talk to, engaging, and willing to help wherever and whenever needed. He treated me like his own son and genuinely put his full effort into aiding me with the whole admissions process. In the end, I got accepted to a couple of my reach/dream schools, along with all of my target and safety schools. I can, without a doubt, say Randy made my college application experience feel enriching and much less stressful, and it was nice to finally have someone to guide me through such a daunting process so effortlessly.
I am so glad we found Rand to assist our son in the college application process. Our son did very well academically and had good activities. Putting it all together for college admissions in the right way is crucial. That is where Rand's expertise come in. Rand is very knowledgeable about the admissions process and what colleges are looking for. He guided our student/family through the entire process. He really cares about his students and treats them like his own. Rand is very responsive and knows how to relate to his students . I highly recommend Rand to anyone who is looking for a consultant that is knowledgeable, caring, and will help your student put together the best application possible. ST
I am so glad I found Randy on Thumbtack. During my junior year I was confused about the college admissions process and was not confident in my competitiveness as an applicant. I had my eyes set on very selective schools and was unsure how to attain these goals. That was until Randy helped me through every step. From researching schools to essay review and even extracurricular development, Randy helped with it all. Not only did he help me put together a strong application, he encouraged me through the ups and downs of this process. It was clear to me that his experience working in college admissions would be an asset to me as he is familiar with what admissions officers are looking for. Going into admissions season, I was a lot more confident that I would see good results and end up at a school that was right for me after our extensive review sessions and brainstorming. As a seemingly average applicant, I was accepted into my top choice schools and have decided to attend UC San Diego this fall. I am extremely grateful that I came across Randy and would recommend him to any student that is looking for an admissions mentor.
I am glad we found Rand and he was instrumental in guiding my daughter through the whole admission process. My daughter has acceptance from three UCs and honestly, we had no clue when we started. Rand is an expert on college consulting and he has an amazing art of essays and helped pick the right college. More than anything he's so passionate about counseling, that there is no way to pay back on hours and hours spent getting the essays and application right. We look up to Rand and he guided my daughter as his own.
With Rand’s help, my daughter got into her first choice school, early decision. Enough said! But I will go on. He is absolutely worth every penny! I have absolutely no regrets in hiring him. In fact, I’m patting myself on the back for making such a great decision! My daughter had her sights set on a university with a 15% acceptance rate. She is a great student and has a lot going for her, but these days, that doesn’t seem like enough. I’ve seen too many excellent students get rejected or deferred to allow her to rest on her laurels. Her school-assigned college advisor had too many students to give her the personal attention she needed. The application process is a bit of a game and Rand was just who we needed to help us dial in our strategy! He pulled information out of my daughter that we had forgotten or hadn’t considered useful and then helped highlight her unique strengths. He helped her craft essays that would peak the interest of admissions officers rather than just be another boring essay in the hundreds they have to read. He helped us dial in on exactly what to do to make her stand out. Rand was generous with his time and always available. His insights and guidance are truly what I believe made the difference. I would recommend Rand’s services to anyone looking to help their child stand out and get in!
My daughter needed help with a college Counseling with Private college essays. We are so fortunate to meet Randy who is an Ivy league graduate and a retired lawyer, which I investigated verified the fact (background search). He has done above and beyond with his work and coaching my daughter how to strategize her college application process. Due to overwhelming numbers of applications for the top tier colleges, she did not get in to Brown or Yale, but she has been accepted to all UCs, Pfizer, Clement and Scripps (with $30,000 per year merit scholarship) and Northeastern. At the end, she has decided to go to UC Berkeley. Once again you won't regret working with him.