Ready to start building your best college app? 😇

Applying to college doesn't have to suck.

 

 

 

We help you build an application that hits a reader like a bolt of lightning. How? Our philosophy about college consulting is different. 

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/Steve.png

"Couldn't be happier."

We’ve worked with Sierra for four years. Our son did his applications with Alex and got into a great school for him, so we asked him to work with our daughter. In junior/senior year he and Ben helped my daughter build a school list and coached her through writing essays that were as amazing and personal as our son’s. Couldn't be happier.

Jian B., Sierra Admissions Client (21-22')

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/12%20(1).png

"Our hero throughout everything."

My daughter (first child) took care of the process on her own. My son, on the other hand, had ADHD and needed some serious help navigating the process. Alex was our hero through everything. He helped Luke write essays that we had no idea he had in him. Highly recommend Alex and his team. 

Joy N., Sierra Admissions Client (19-20')

We've helped hundreds of students get into schools like these.

1 (3) 2 (3) 3 (3) 4 (3) 5 (2) 6 (2) 7 (2) 8 (2) 9 (2) 10 (2) 11 (2) 12 (2) 13 (1) 14 (2) 16 (2) 17 (2) 19

Meet your new college admissions team.

We are award-winning writers, musicians, competitive climbers, and former admissions officers. We attended (and worked at) state schools, liberal arts colleges, UCs, and selective private universities across the country. We know admissions in and out, and we’re here to be your guides.

Our partners are experts —former admissions officers and superb writers from schools like Vanderbilt, Stanford, and Harvard. Combined, we've worked in elite admissions for more than 30 years.

Everyone on our team has a stake in every application. And we share a common view that our best interests lie in being obsessed with client outcomes.

3

Alex McNeil, MA
Founder, Sierra Admissions

Alex is an experienced writing coach and admissions thought leader who has helped 500+ students get into the best schools in the country. He writes regularly about admissions and moderates Reddit's r/ApplyingToCollege community, the largest admissions community in the world. Alex holds a graduate degree in political science and studied at the University of Puget Sound, SF State & UC Berkeley.

2

Ben Bousquet, M.Ed
Former Assistant Admissions Director, Vanderbilt University

Ben is the former Assistant Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University and was a Resident Director of the 2018 Harvard Pre-College Program. Ben has reviewed 20,000+ applications, presented files to the admissions committee, and selected students for top merit scholarships. At Harvard, he facilitated admissions workshops for 500+ high-achieving high school students. 

1

Irena Smith, PhD
Former Admissions Officer, Stanford University

Irena is a former admission officer at Stanford University and has led her own admissions practice for 15+ years. She works in consultation with McNeil Admissions, providing application strategy feedback to team members. Irena's writing on college admissions has been featured in The Atlantic, San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR.

4

Kylie Kistner, MA
Former Admissions Counselor, Willamette University

Kylie is a former admissions counselor at Willamette University. She has been a writing coach at three institutions, worked with thousands of students on writing, and has supported neurodiverse students through writing, planning, and project management. Kylie co-created a university-wide writing handbook used across 200+ undergraduate writing courses and to teach writing in several countries. 

Featured In

Featured In Logos (3)
Featured In Logos (2)
Featured In Logos (1)
Featured In Logos
Featured In Logos (4)
https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/12%20(1).png

"Our hero throughout everything."

My daughter (first child) took care of the process on her own. My son, on the other hand, had ADHD and needed some serious help navigating the process. Alex was our hero through everything. He helped Luke write essays that we had no idea he had in him. Highly recommend Alex and his team. 

Joy N., Sierra Admissions Client (19-20')

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/15%20(1).png

"My results were amazing."

I was anxious going in because I had a pretty generic resume and was applying to very competitive schools. Ben was so good at helping me frame my application in a way that made up for the holes in my resume. My results were amazing also. Studying CS at Berkeley next year!

Ellie H., Sierra Admissions Client (21-22')

Why should you work with us? Here's the deal:

Pretend you're an admissions officer... It's Thursday, 4pm. The 28th application of the day slides across the desk. You start reading, trying to stop your gaze from wandering up to the clock every few moments. Ugh, Another essay about machine learning?

Academic rigor, grades, and extracurriculars matter. But those factors only get you to the starting line. Then, the real test begins.

Ben, team member and former Admissions Officer at Vanderbilt University, tells us what makes an application great:

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/2%20(2)-1.png

Your application must knit your transcripts, extracurriculars, scores into a coherent story that a reader connects with. If your story doesn't connect with your reader, your app is often DOA. That connection usually happens in the essays.

Ben Bousquet, Director of Consulting @ Sierra Admissions (Former Vanderbilt Admissions)

We work with you at every phase of the college application process to build an application that hits a reader like a bolt of lightning.

In turn, you get peace of mind knowing you've created the best application possible.

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/2%20(1).png

"Truly gifted writing coaches."

We hired Sierra Admissions to help my son research what he wanted to study in school. Alex helped bring my husband and me up to speed on the admissions process. Alex has become a mentor to Ken. They are truly gifted writing coaches. We recommend Sierra Admissions to everyone.

Kerry H., Sierra Admissions Client (20-21')

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/17%20(1).png

John is heading off to USC next month! We worked with Sierra Admissions from junior year on course selection, school research, and his extracurricular direction. But I think in the end it came down to the essay. It was phenomenal… We hung it on the fridge at the end of the cycle (much to John's chagrin). If the Sierra Admissions team is available, stop looking.

Jeanette S., Sierra Admissions Client (21-22')

A service for every phase of the college application process.

Our most intensive work happens every year with our senior class as we guide them through the exhaustive (and exhausting!) process of creating and submitting the strongest college applications possible. We also work with younger students—First-years, Sophomores, and Juniors—on early strategic planning. No matter where you are, we have a package for you.

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/13-1.png

"Great result."

Our sophomore needed help thinking about career & major. Set up meetings twice a month and were ready to go by senior year. Brown BS/MD great result!

Hanish L., Sierra Admissions Client (21-22')

https://21347991.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21347991/14%20(1).png

"Helped me brainstorm an essay I loved."

I like writing but the college essays are so weird. I had never really written a personal essay but Alex broke it down and helped me brainstorm an essay I loved.

Lily S., Georgetown University '26

Ready to see if we're a fit?

Fill out our inquiry form (the button below) to take the next step. You'll get a detailed sense of our pricing options based on where you are in the application journey and a link to book an introductory call—right in your inbox. 

Read about our local college consulting work in the Bay Area and Palo Alto