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
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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, 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.
