Built for the AI era
Generative AI has commoditised generic advice. The students who stand out write essays, build projects, and run campaigns that AI cannot replicate. We coach for that bar.
Private Collegiate Advisory · est. 2024
The best version of themselves — on the page, on the pitch, beyond admissions.
Oak Collegiate is a boutique advisory founded by two first-generation Penn student-athletes. We help ambitious families navigate the most competitive admissions cycle in history — and the life that follows it.
No fee · No commitment · Same-week scheduling
Where our students go
HarvardYalePrincetonStanfordMITPennColumbiaBrownDartmouthCornellDukeNorthwesternOxfordCambridgeChicagoJohns HopkinsGeorgetownBerkeleyWilliamsAmherstNotre DameVanderbiltHarvardYalePrincetonStanfordMITPennColumbiaBrownDartmouthCornellDukeNorthwesternOxfordCambridgeChicagoJohns HopkinsGeorgetownBerkeleyWilliamsAmherstNotre DameVanderbilt
Why Oak
Four reasons families choose us over the legacy firms.
We are not a legacy consultancy operating on twenty-year-old playbooks. We are the practitioners who just lived this cycle — and the ones building the careers your child wants next.
Recruited-athlete expertise
One walk-on. One recruited Olympic alternate. We have lived both sides of the athletics pathway — Ivy slotting, D1 full rides, the trade-offs nobody else explains honestly.
Beyond the acceptance letter
Our mandate doesn't end on May 1. We help families think about majors, internships, mentorship — the version of your child you actually want at 22.
Boutique, not a factory
Twenty families per cycle. Founders run every engagement. You are not a SKU on a partner's spreadsheet. You are a private practice.
10 / 10
Hao's apps · Princeton · Wharton · Cornell
1 : 4
Advisor to Student
20
Families per cycle · By appointment
Our students · in their parents' words
All success stories →
What families say after working with us.
The Practice · Six Pillars
All services →
Every service designed around the same question: who is this student becoming?
01
Tutoring
Curated partner network for academic and standardised-test preparation.
Read more 02Strategic Planning
Multi-year roadmap: extracurriculars, passion projects, intellectual spike.
Read more 03Athletic Recruiting
NCAA navigation, recruitment timelines, Ivy vs. D1 trade-offs.
Read more 04Collegiate Advising
List calibration, institutional fit, application strategy.
Read more 05Essay Tailoring
Narrative architecture, voice work, supplementals refined to a professional grade.
Read more 06Beyond Admissions
Major selection, career mentorship — the work that continues after May 1.
Read more
Insights from the desk
All insights →
Practitioner notes on the current admissions cycle.
Essays
Navigating AI in college essays — what admissions readers actually detect
Generative AI has changed what counts as a strong essay. Here's what admissions officers can now detect, what they can't, and how to use these tools without compromising your voice.
1 min · Hao Cui
Athletics
Ivy slot vs. D1 full ride — the conversation nobody has honestly
Recruited athletes face a choice that most consultancies are too conflicted to discuss. Here is the honest framework, from someone who lived it.
1 min · Simon Kushkov
Admissions
How many schools should you apply to? The defensible answer.
The honest, profile-specific framework for sizing your college list — without the inflation that hurts your applications.
1 min · Hao Cui
By Appointment
Start with a free 20-minute consultation.
Book your consultation →
No fee · No commitment · Same-week scheduling