The Advantage Is You

Your Story, Our Strategy

We help you build a course schedule that reflects your curiosity, presents a cohesive academic theme, and demonstrates the rigor top schools expect.

Academic Planning

Your extracurriculars should stand out, feel authentic, and showcase what drives you. With our guidance, you’ll explore and develop activities that matter to you.

Profile Development

Together, we'll find colleges that fit, craft authentic essays, and select strategic majors — a fully personalized approach from start to submit.

The Application Process

About Us

For over a decade, Vanessa of HavenLab College Consulting has been a self-described “relentless cheerleader” for students and their families as they navigate the college planning and application process.

A former high school English teacher, Vanessa has channeled her love for research, culture, storytelling – and yes, grammar – into helping kids recognize their strengths and earn admission to the schools that are right for them. 

Her clients have matriculated to universities including Stanford, Yale, Duke, UChicago, UCLA, Michigan, USC, and her very own alma mater, UC Berkeley.

When she’s not wearing a headset and typing in a Google Doc, Vanessa loves going to concerts, hiking, and traveling.