About Us
Experienced application tutors specializing in supporting students' academic applications to secondary school, undergraduate and graduate programs.
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What sets us apart: we start from outside of the application in order to dig into the individual. Our work begins with the student mining their own stories, using our questions and direction -- successful stories range from epic to miniscule. Scenes, anecdotes and memory-driven brainstorming center our work and allow students to draft authentic narratives with appropriate details, theme, and connection to their goals. We are fun to work with and committed to our task!
Other services include interview prep, resume prep, process organization and school communications. Remote and in-person.
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Hourly rates upon request.​​
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Our Services
Andrea Patton
Initially, Andrea began her career as a litigator after graduating from Penn Law, working on various corporate teams at a major law firm in Atlanta, GA. Informed by her litigation skills but uninspired by the work style within a large firm, Andrea moved to Boston and pivoted to strategic planning and board support for education and youth-oriented nonprofits. She also began studying and pursuing freelance personal essay and memoir writing. Among other published works, Andrea’s essay "Flights" appeared in Witness magazine in 2017.
In 2018, Andrea started this tutoring business, focused on supporting students’ application writing for both secondary school & university programs. Since then, her business has expanded to include application needs beyond writing, such as interview prep and holistic communications with students’ target schools. She has also begun supporting job-seeking post-grads and those applying to professional and other graduate programs.
Andrea lives outside of Boston with her husband, three mostly-flown children, and 2 big dogs: Dewey, a messy Newfoundland, and Wally, a rambunctious mutt. When she’s not working with students or dogs, she loves to cook, play Mah Jongg, and see friends.
Jeni Howe
After graduating with a degree in English from Colby College, Jeni's first job was in a NYC publishing house. A career in editing felt like the perfect first step toward being an author or publisher; however, Jeni soon felt unexpectedly drawn toward health sciences instead, particularly the field of holistic health and rehabilitation. Starting from scratch with science prerequisites, she completed a MA in Occupational Therapy at Tufts University, and spent several years focused on facilitating independent living for individuals with disabilities. Around the same time, and after having children, Jeni trained and worked as a birth coach, lactation counselor, childbirth educator and postpartum doula. Throughout her ten years in healthcare, Jeni continued writing, including a family and maternal wellness blog and creative work through Stanford's Continuing Ed program.
In 2024, Jeni joined Indian Mountain School (a pre-K-9th grade junior boarding school in Lakeville, CT) as a Secondary School Outplacement advisor, providing support for ninth-graders navigating the secondary school application process. Her work included guiding students through drafting and honing their essays, school visit and fair preparation, and admissions communications.
Jeni’s exceptional interpersonal communication skills and collaborative approach infuse all of her work. A parent of three teens, Jeni values parental input while ensuring applicants’ experiences and voices drive the writing process.
Jeni lives in Millbrook, NY with her husband (Science Chair at a nearby boarding school) and children, who are in the throes of their own school transitions. Most Zooms with Jeni will feature two Labs and a couple of cats.