Great Expectations only hires a mere 1-2% of its applicants — our staff is made up of the most experienced, educated, friendly, and charismatic education experts out there.

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Maia K.

Maia K

  • Classic
  • Academic Tutor
  • Essay Specialist
  • College Counselor
EducationEarned a B.A. in English from Stanford University with honors; earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from UC Irvine; earned a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA Extension
HobbiesReading, traveling, going to Disneyland, playing D&D, discovering new K-pop and electropop music, social media manager for a cat convention, working on a graphic novel
Academic SubjectsAmerican Literature, British Literature, World Literature, Composition, Creative Writing
General StrengthsAcademic writing, organizational skills, managing test anxiety, creative writing, study skills, standardized test advisement, literary analysis, test-taking psychology, international student application process, summer enrichment planning, major advisement/selection, editing and proofreading college essays, social science programs, resume review/evaluation, pre-college summer programs, course selection for high school, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, UC specialization, college research and advisement, humanities programs, Cal State specialization, foreign college/university application process, college list building, highly selective colleges/universities specialization, transcript analysis, extracurricular/resume development, application review, personal statement brainstorming and composition, business programs, humanities Masters and Ph.D. programs, liberal arts school specialization, interview skills, visual arts programs
Related Experience7+ years of experience counseling students applying to colleges throughout the US and Canada; active member of HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association); 10+ years of tutoring experience including English, writing, and college essay development and editing; UC application reader; taught freshman composition and introductory English courses on drama, poetry, and the novel at UC Irvine; taught writing for the Johns Hopkins CTY program; studied at the Advanced Oral History Summer Institute at UC Berkeley; studied abroad at the Stanford in Oxford program; recipient of the Huntington-Linacre Exchange Fellowship for Study in Great Britain; writing consultant for PBS Digital Studios; research fellow at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University
College counselor - Maxine

Maxine D.

  • Classic
  • College Counselor
EducationEarned a B.A in Education & Social Transformation from UC Los Angeles
HobbiesExperimenting with Nespresso recipes, trying new restaurants & cafes in LA, staying involved in my sorority, reading, listening to poetry & podcasts, going to R&B concerts
General StrengthsAcademic writing, organizational skills, summer enrichment planning, major advisement/selection, editing and proofreading college essays, social science programs, pre-college summer programs, course selection for high school, UC specialization, college research and advisement, course selection for undergraduate programs, humanities programs, college list building, highly selective colleges/universities specialization, transcript analysis, extracurricular/resume development, application review, personal statement brainstorming and composition
Related ExperienceCurrently serves as a college coach for first-year undergraduate students in various higher education institutions across the country; volunteer with Search to Involve Pilipino Americans' high school/youth mental health program; active member & former new member educator of Kappa Psi Epsilon Sorority, Inc., Delta Chapter; formerly a counselor for undergraduate students at UCLA; former representative on UCLA's Committee on Undergraduate Admissions & Relations with Schools; former chairperson of UCLA's committee of college access & outreach programs; volunteer peer advisor for Carson High School's Academy of Medical Arts; former teaching assistant for UC Berkeley's Early Academic Outreach Program; extensive experience with Bay Area/NorCal applicants
College counselor - Miriam

Miriam C.

  • Classic
  • College Counselor
EducationEarned a B.M. in Flute Performance and Jazz Studies from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University; earned a Post-Graduate Certificate with Distinction in College Counseling from UC Los Angeles Extension
HobbiesPlaying piano, concertgoing, travel, volunteerism, reading, sewing, writing
General StrengthsVideo game design programs, performing arts programs, visual arts programs, musical theatre programs, classical performance and composition music programs, contemporary music programs, music industry programs, summer enrichment planning, major advisement/selection, editing and proofreading college essays, financial aid (need-based aid), resume review/evaluation, pre-college summer programs, course selection for high school, college audition preparation for performance tracks, UC specialization, college research and advisement, Cal State specialization, college list building, arts & music Masters and Ph.D. programs, highly selective colleges/universities specialization, transcript analysis, extracurricular/resume development, application review, personal statement brainstorming and composition, scholarship search (merit-based aid), interview skills, career assessment tools
Related Experience4 years as Assistant College Counselor at North Hollywood High School; Independent College Counselor for gifted musicians; 10-year adjudicator for Young Musician's Foundation; mentor and resident guest lecturer on subject of "Breaking Into Hollywood" for Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University; studio recording musician for 35+ years; extensive experience with Videogame Design, Urban Planning, Environmental Science, Political Science, International Affairs, Sports Management, and Entrepreneurship applicants; has edited over 500 essays and assisted highly gifted students; success with scholarships, including UC Regents and Wells Scholarship recipients