Independent College Admissions Counseling
College should feel like
a beginning, not
a pressure test.
Finding the right college for your child isn't about chasing rankings or gaming a system. It's about knowing who your child is — and finding the places where they'll genuinely thrive.
The Challenge
There's a lot of noise out there.
The college admissions process has become unnecessarily complicated — full of conflicting advice, anxiety-inducing headlines, and pressure to perform rather than reflect.
Most families want the same simple things: a school that fits their child, a process that feels manageable, and someone trustworthy to help them think it through.
That kind of steady, thoughtful guidance is harder to find than it should be.
Your Guide
Someone who has been on both sides of the desk.
Rob Andrews has spent decades in college admissions — working inside admissions offices, leading college counseling programs, and sitting with hundreds of individual students to help them figure out where they belong.
After eleven years as a stay-at-home father, Rob returned to this work because he loves it — and because he believes every family deserves a calm, experienced voice in their corner.
He doesn't believe in manufacturing the "perfect applicant." He believes in helping students understand themselves well enough to tell their own story, clearly and confidently.
Rob Andrews — R.W. Andrews College Consulting
Admissions Experience
Brandeis University — Admissions Office
Wesleyan University — Seasonal Reader
Boston University Academy — Director of College Counseling
The Schuler Scholar Program — Director of College Counseling
Prospect Hill Academy Charter School — Director of College Counseling
Voted Counselor Who Changes Lives - Colleges that Change Lives
Thousands of Essays Read
·
Hundreds of Students Guided
·
Multiple Campus Visited
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Voted Counselor Who Changes Lives 2010
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Thousands of Essays Read · Hundreds of Students Guided · Multiple Campus Visited · Voted Counselor Who Changes Lives 2010 ·
How it Works
Start with a conversation
Reach out for a free initial consultation. Rob will listen — to where your family is, what your student cares about, and where you feel most uncertain. No agenda beyond understanding your situation.
Build a plan that fits your child
Rob develops a personalized roadmap — covering academics, activities, testing, and college fit — grounded in who your child actually is, not who they think they need to be.
Move through the process together
From early high school planning through the final application, Rob is a consistent, thoughtful presence — helping your student stay grounded, organized, and true to themselves.
What success looks like
The goal isn't just a good college.
It's a confident kid.
When families work with Rob, something often happens beyond finding the right school: students come out of the process knowing themselves better. They've learned to reflect, to articulate what matters to them, and to make decisions aligned with their own values.
The acceptance letter is the byproduct.
Services and Pricing
Support at every stage — as much or as little as you need.
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8th–10th grade
$200 / hour
Early, low-pressure guidance on course selection, extracurricular development, and building a strong foundation for the road ahead.
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11th Grade
$250 / hour
College list development, testing strategy, essay brainstorming, recommendation advising, and visit planning.
Most Families Start Here.
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12th Grade
$250 / hour
Full support through Common App, personal statement and supplemental essays, early decision strategy, and financial aid interpretation.
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Packages
Or $5,000 / year
Unlimited meetings + up to 12 applications. Additional applications billed hourly.
11th and 12th grade only
Community & Values
Rooted in community.
Open to everyone.
Rob has deep experience working with first-generation college students, immigrant families, and within the Jewish community. He also has a particular understanding of students attending “high-powered” public schools and the culture around the college process that these communities engender. He volunteers with Jewish Family Services MetroWest, the Dover-Sherborn Regional Public Schools, the Dover Town Library, and Temple Beth Shalom of Needham, where he serves as Vice President for Caring Communities.
He also offers free community workshops and public programs — because good guidance shouldn't be a luxury.
Ask about upcoming workshops in the Dover-Sherborn and Needham areas.
Rob brings personal experience working with
Immigrant families navigating the US system
Jewish community families
Athletes, artists, and nontraditional applicants
Students from high powered public schools
First Generation College Bound Students
Rob has helped students matriculate at the following schools:
Amherst College, Babson College, Barnard College, Bates College, Beloit College, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, Bentley College, Boston College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Bradley University, Brandeis University, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell University, Carleton College, Case Western Reserve University, Colby-Sawyer, Colgate University, Colorado College, Columbia University, Cornell College, Dartmouth College, Davidson University, Denison University, DePaul University, DePauw College, Duke University, Emory University, Fitchburg State, The George Washington University, Grinnell College, Haverford College, Harvard University, Harvey Mudd College, Illinois Wesleyan, Johns Hopkins University, Johnson and Wales, Kalamazoo College, Keene State, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Lake Forest College, Lawrence University, Lehigh University, Macalester College, Marquette University, Mass College of Liberal Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGill University, Mount Holyoke College, Newbury College, Northeastern University, Occidental College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Princeton University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Scripps College, Skidmore College, Smith College, Stanford University, Swarthmore College, Tufts University, U of Delaware, U Mass - Amherst, U Mass - Boston, U Mass - Dartmouth, U Mass - Lowell, U of Notre Dame, U of Richmond, U of Rochester, U of San Diego, Vanderbilt University, Vassar College, Washington University - St Louis, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Wheaton College (MA), Wheelock University, Williams College, and Yale University.
Let’s Get Started
Every student has a story worth telling well.
The right college is out there. So is the right process for getting there — one that feels honest, manageable, and maybe even meaningful. Rob would love to help your family find both.
Or email rwandrewsconsulting@gmail.com directly