Columbia M.Arch · Seventeen years of one-on-one work.
I work with about five students per application cycle, usually over several years. I help my students with early decisions (courses, activities, when to test), test prep, and applications.
Over many years of coaching, I've found that the typical way families approach college applications can cause lots of stress and can hurt a student's chances at getting into a school they're excited about. Instead, I like to think about it like this: keep it a small, consistent, manageable process, like a half credit course that runs alongside coursework and extracurriculars throughout highschool.
I don't believe in rushing things or in putting college admissions pressure on the early years of high school. But I have found that making a few decisions that anticipate applications can save lots of time and effort down the line, and help create a more competitive application when the time comes.
That's why I work with families across the whole stretch of high school, so we make decisions with the other decisions in mind. My students end up with stronger applications that they produce with less stress.
"Mike is not just a tutor; he is an academic coach... working with my daughter on SAT prep and putting together a robust architecture college application... some advice has been priceless."
— Edita
Most of the early decisions are small but a few of them turn out to matter a lot.
Credentials
I studied physics and the philosophy of science and mathematics at Columbia, where I received the David H. Siff Prize in the Philosophy of Science, and I have a Master of Architecture from Columbia GSAPP.
Before I started coaching full time I worked in architecture and exhibition design at Thinc Design in New York, did research with Columbia's Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and wrote and edited for The New York Observer and a few academic publications.
I've done seventeen years of one-on-one work with students since then.
How the Work is Structured
Early on, our work together is light. We talk a few times a month about courses, activities, how to use a summer, and eventually where the student might want to apply.
Testing starts when a student is ready for it, but on the early side. Testing has become one of the best levers students have to stand out in applications. In my experience, hour for hour, test prep does more for a student’s chances than almost anything else they could spend that time on. I try to get testing finished before application season starts. Both are demanding, and when they overlap in the fall of senior year they compete for the same hours.
Application work starts in February of junior year. That's earlier than most families expect, but it allows us enough time to create a well-thought-out application and strategy while keeping the process low stress.
Getting testing done before applications start allows us to focus on perhaps the best lever students have in their applications.
A Small Practice
I take on about five students per application cycle. My work is all about knowing a student well, and that's difficult to accomplish at a larger scale.
Architecture and Design Applicants
I have a Master of Architecture from Columbia GSAPP, and I work with students applying to undergraduate architecture and design programs. In my approach, portfolio development happens alongside everything else in the application, on one timeline.
Every family starts with a short conversation about where your student is now and what the next few years might look like.
I take on five students per cycle.