Isaac is pursuing a Master's degree from Vanderbilt University. He has over three years of tutoring experience in STEM and the humanities, specializing in the ACT and SAT.

As a lifelong learner and storyteller, Isaac has spent the past decade working in many educational roles, including at nature centers, community non-profits, and in the classroom. He has also worked in mental and behavioral healthcare, offering services at a dual-diagnosis treatment facility, neurofeedback clinic, behavior analysis center, and jail. 

His clinical and educational training supplements his academic abilities: his tutoring approach is a unique blend of clinical techniques and interpersonal skills combined with knowledge and expertise. Isaac’s philosophy is recognizing the whole person, not just a student. Isaac understands that each student has their own motivations, personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Recognizing these perspectives, building a collaborative approach attuned to each student’s style, and capitalizing on their motivations are the keys to success.

Furthermore, Isaac’s perspective extends to standardized testing. The ACT and SAT are knowledge tests, and he encourages students to think about how these tests are designed since it’s just as valuable as knowing the material. Being a storyteller trained in many roles has enabled Isaac to hone this skill, so he can connect to others and help them understand and tap into the proper mindsets to excel on these tests. He aims to empower students to achieve their academic (and other) aspirations!

A fun fact about Isaac is that he hates chocolate! But he loves roller skating, murder mysteries, and puns! One of his favorites? Do you know what you call an upset exam? A: Test-y.

Cole is a graduate of Stanford University, where he obtained both his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree. He also obtained a second Master’s at Yenching Academy of Peking University.

Cole believes the college application process is an opportunity for students to crystallize what matters to them, what makes them unique, and what they hope to gain from the college experience. While Cole himself was applying to undergrad and grad school, he experienced this self-affirming impact of college applications. Cole understands that applying to college can be stressful. Still, it is also an incredibly exciting time and an amazing opportunity for students to think about what makes them who they are today. Professionally, Cole has worked at some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world including the Center for Strategic and International Relations in Washington, DC.

As a coach, Cole enjoys working with applicants to determine the most important 'watershed' moments that have shaped them. His strengths include: helping students incorporate past experiences and demonstrated interests to show, not tell; outlining a clear schedule with deliverables creating a manageable application process; and creating a warm, welcoming environment in which applicants feel comfortable sharing their worries and concerns. Additionally, Cole prides himself on his ability to empathize and connect with applicants to create a stress-free and open working relationship. Cole looks forward to applying his expertise and advice to help support Quad applicants in this journey!

Student’s Cole has recently coached have gotten into Stanford University, McGill University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Emory University.

Cole grew up in the Bay Area in California, the DC area, and Moscow, Russia. English is his native language, but he also speaks and reads Chinese at the intermediate-high level. Cole enjoys cooking, playing basketball, hiking, and listening to podcasts in his free time.

Cole’s Pro Tip?

It’s essential to craft an intentional, revealing, and unique narrative throughout your application that remains absolutely true to who you are and what you have done.

Claudia holds a Bachelor’s from UCLA and a Master’s from Georgetown University. She has been a professional SAT/ACT tutor for almost 10 years. Students she has tutored have gone on to attend several top-tier universities, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Georgetown, Princeton, Columbia, and Yale. 

Professionally, Claudia is a Clinical Research Consultant for the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In this role, she embarks on various projects with her team so that up-and-coming medications and scientific devices can enter the market. Despite having a fulfilling career in research, Claudia dedicates time to education because she wants to nurture academic interests in young students.

In college, Claudia discovered her love for traveling. She studied abroad in England for two months and then backpacked through various European countries for a month. She also volunteered in Guatemala to provide medical care for the local community, where she discovered that she would like to pursue healthcare as a career.

As a tutor, Claudia is personable and friendly. She prioritizes establishing a relationship with her students and believes a good relationship between the tutor, student, and parent/guardian is necessary for trust and effective communication. She understands that each individual is unique, so she adjusts her teaching methods to accommodate each student.

Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, Claudia spends most of her time exploring the outdoors, discovering great restaurants, practicing yoga, playing the piano/guitar/saxophone, reading fiction novels, or watching anime. She is always looking for new anime to watch, so if you have recommendations, let her know!

Tom has a Bachelor's degree in Spanish, History, and Business from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Tom has over a decade of experience teaching SAT and ACT concepts and helping students prepare for their tests. 

Tom began his tutoring journey at a Korean summer school and church camp in Atlanta, GA. What started as a fun summer job evolved into a passion for coaching and helping students achieve their goals. Since then, Tom has tutored hundreds (maybe thousands!) of students. He has a history of success with students at all levels, and his greatest strength is his endless supply of patience.

Applicants Tom has worked with have recently gotten accepted into several top universities, such as Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and Princeton University.

In his spare time, Tom enjoys exercise, exploration, and experimentation with cooking.

Gabriel has a BA in Economics and International Relations from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. At Brown, Gabriel was a leader within the Brown International Scholarship Committee, partnering with the Admissions Office in efforts to recruit international students and source funding for international student scholarships. In working with the Admissions Office, Gabriel provided application feedback to numerous prospective students from around the world and different socioeconomic backgrounds and helped them prepare for interviews. Gabriel is also an experienced alumni interviewer for Brown, interviewing a variety of prospective students from Latin America for admission. Beyond undergraduate admissions, Gabriel also possesses extensive experience in graduate admissions for top MBA programs. Through these experiences, Gabriel has worked with dozens of students and gained extensive training in application development and review and interview coaching.

As a college admissions consultant, Gabriel seeks to gain a deep and comprehensive understanding of students' stories, strengths, and interests to design a compelling applicant persona and coach students to write structured, thoughtful, and authentic essays. Throughout the process, Gabriel works on building meaningful connections with students and their families to build trusting relationships.

Gabriel has also built nearly a decade of experience in strategic positioning, storytelling, and persuasive writing through his roles across finance, management consulting, and branding at companies like Goldman Sachs, LVMH, and Oliver Wyman. 

Gabriel is based in New York and loves to exercise, play volleyball and cook in his free time. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Amanda has a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. She has over 14 years of counseling experience, having coached her students at top universities such as Dartmouth College, Cornell University, and Georgetown University, among others. Amanda also holds a certificate from Columbia Business School’s Executive Education Developing Leader’s Program.

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Amanda is a strong project manager; she meets every deadline and ensures it feels doable for her students and their families. She is also highly perceptive and can understand her students’ strengths and character to tell powerful stories that showcase these character traits. Amanda has applied these skills with her Quad students by helping them develop strong essays and resumes, coaching her students through interviews, and ensuring that their applications are impactful. Amanda knows how important getting into college is for her students; she hopes to honor the importance of this process through her work ethic, commitment, and follow-through.

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Her passion for working with students and guiding them through the admissions process comes from her experience of getting into her dream school. Amanda has spent her entire career working in education because she knows how powerful education is as a tool for transformative change. Spending time with her students – hearing their stories, learning more about their skills and passions, and being part of their educational, professional, and civic journeys – is incredibly special to her. She is committed to her students and wants to see them have their moment in the sun when they receive their acceptance letters.

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When Amanda isn’t coaching, she loves reading books, starting book clubs, volunteering, kayak, and playing trivia.

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Amanda’s Pro Tip?

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It’s most important to reveal who you uniquely are as a student. This will allow you to connect powerfully with admissions staff and build personalized strategies for each element of your application.

Zina has a Bachelor's degree in Theater Studies from Yale University and a Certificate in College Counseling from Columbia Teachers College. As a National Merit Achievement Scholarship Winner, Zina believes in education's power to create infinite opportunities. She has worked at Yale University as a part of the admissions team, corresponding with prospective theater studies students to answer questions and give personalized department tours. With over ten years of experience as an academic tutor and mentor, Zina has developed a deep understanding of the admissions process and what it takes to succeed. Whether working in career readiness or education access, she loves helping students of all ages reach their full potential and express their points of view. 

Throughout her college career, Zina has had incredible opportunities to travel, study her passions, and create art – and she is passionate about helping young people access these opportunities. Zina believes that the self-reflection and organizational skills students learn through college application will serve them during college and beyond.

As a coach, Zina prides herself on building strong relationships with her students by asking questions that help them grow, not just as applicants or test-takers but as people. Zina has coached international and domestic high school students through the college application process and has worked with current college students on graduate school, internship, and job applications. Her greatest strengths as a coach include providing accountability, essay editing, resume editing, SAT and ACT prep, and interview prep. 

With Zina's guidance, her students have gained admission to several top colleges across the country, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, Georgetown University, and Duke University, among many others.

In her spare time, she enjoys writing, traveling, cooking, and trying to find the best restaurants in New York City.

Zina's Pro Tip?

The admissions process is a two-way street. Students should think hard about what they want in a college to show how their perspective aligns with the school they're applying to!

Andy has a Master’s degree from UC Irvine and has over a decade of experience in SAT, ACT, and GRE tutoring. Andy loves to see learners push themselves out of their comfort zones and gain the confidence to reach their goals. In working with students of all backgrounds and abilities, from first-generation students to children of Ivy League alumni, their favorite tutoring moments are when candidates spot patterns in tests and therefore realize they have the skills to ace the ACT or SAT. This is why Andy focuses on strategy first, personalizing each learning plan to the candidate's unique strengths and goals.

Andy is passionate about helping students understand different ways to approach a problem or understand a concept - there's never one right way because everyone learns differently. They are  skilled at helping students spot the differences between what they learned in classes at school and what to pay attention to on a standardized test. Andy also likes creating graphic organizers and other tools to help applicants stay organized and break the work down visually. Nothing makes them happier than congratulating a graduating senior – especially one who was nervous at the beginning of the school year – and seeing the excitement in their eyes when they talk about what's ahead of them.

Andy's greatest strengths as a tutor include empathizing with students, respecting their learning styles, and developing customized tools and strategies to help applicants stay organized and focused. Andy has helped students gain acceptance to several prestigious schools, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, and Northwestern University.

Outside of their work, Andy enjoys walking around Los Angeles, learning about local history, reading, and watching horror movies.