I worked at the CIA for a decade.
Admission wasn’t tough to crack.
Self-interest drives most human behavior.
As a CIA analyst, I thought about a broad range of bad guys: foreign bureaucrats, militia leaders, sanctions dodgers, commodity-export fixers. They all had something in common.
The bedrock principle that explains our adversaries’ behavior — and our allies’ — is that they act in their self-interest. Fear and ignorance sometimes get in the way, but they don’t generally make people self-sacrificing.
College admission is no exception.
In 2021, I was pregnant and on bedrest. The CIA doesn’t let you work from home, and I was profoundly bored. I started to read about college admission, particularly the affirmative action lawsuits against Harvard and UNC.
Reading expert testimony and depositions, I saw that Harvard and UNC admission officers acted a lot like employees of a state-owned oil company. They had quotas to meet and quarreling internal constituencies to pacify. They feinted towards ideology when they could, and they were somewhat shielded from market forces, but ultimately they had to make money or risk their bosses’ ire.
So let’s make colleges greedy for your kid.
Armed with the the data and documents that lawsuits have pried out of colleges, we see that college admission isn’t that mysterious.
Colleges pick the kids who meet their needs. I know how your child can be one of them.
With Admission Intelligence, you’ll learn:
Which classes matter most
How to prepare for standardized tests with minimal misery
How to choose extracurriculars that appeal to colleges and make your kid happy
How to preserve time for your child to sleep, socialize, and enjoy high school
Exactly the steps to take, from eighth grade to graduation, to give your kid the best shot
Services
Online seminars
Two subscription options available
Get the same advice that some admission consultancies charge tens of thousands for — much cheaper and on your schedule. Time-efficient, no-fluff, information-dense.
One-on-one consultations
$200 per hour
Evidence-based advice, tailored for your kid and your life.
Mock interviews
$200 per hour
A practice run with a Princeton alumna interviewer.
Testimonials
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“The rigor of what you presented was exceptional, especially the regression results.”
Bob, a parent in Arlington, VA
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“Instead of relying on conjecture and personal anecdotes, she has an incredible wealth of data and knowledge about the college admissions system that almost no one else has. Her knowledge is encyclopedic, but it's her warm and patient manner that shines through for parents and children faced with such an important decision.”
Agustin Lebron, author of The Laws of Trading
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"Laura stands out from other counselors with her up-to-date, evidence-based approach, drawing insights from extensive research. She helped our son feel empowered with an action plan for applications, which resulted in a successful early decision acceptance."
Emily, a parent in Gladwyne, PA
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Advice tailored to your kid and your life.
Why choose Admission Intelligence
Empirical
I don’t rely on PTA lore, hunches, colleges’ PR, or feel-good vibes. I rely on expert testimony, documents, and data from the affirmative action lawsuits; peer-reviewed papers; first-hand accounts by admission officers; and a few other things I’m not supposed to know.
Numerate
I rely on numbers whenever I can, including regression results. Not many admission counselors know what the R-squared means.
Transparent, fair pricing
You don’t have to commit to a $10,000 package. You can buy what you need, when you need it, in increments that make sense for your family.
