Welcome
Hi, I am Erica Shen. I help students plan a successful pathway to higher education. My expertise and experience help ease the anxiety and stress associated with applying to college. I look forward to getting to know you.
My Services Include:
Academic Planning // Career and Major Exploration // College Research //
College Application and Essay Review // Financial Aid // And More
How I can help:
Customized College List
Every student is looking for something different in a college experience. I help students find schools that best fit their academic, social, and financial needs. I visit at least 25 universities around the country every year, learning about their programs and settings to better advise my students on their list of schools.
Application Management
Managing application requirements and deadlines can be overwhelming. Meeting those requirements and deadlines can be even harder. I help students stay on top of applications, essays, interviews, and auditions through detailed timelines and checklists, as well as regular check-ins.
Personalized Guidance
All meetings are one-on-one, allowing me to get to know the students well. I am here to help every step of the way from the initial college research to the college acceptances. I am fortunate to form close relationships with my students and their families that go beyond high school graduation.
TESTIMONIALS
The college application process is a daunting challenge for most students and their parents alike. Having Erica by our side throughout this journey was like having a map to the hiding locations in a treasure hunt. Her counseling approach was not at all cookie cutter and was in fact very personalized. She listened intently, gave us an overview of the entire process, helped us identify potential target schools and reach schools, created a step by step plan, made frequent appointments to meet and discuss the progress at each turn, and helped alleviate our tension and worry. With Erica’s consulting, our daughter received acceptances from numerous top ranked schools in the country, including the Wharton School of UPenn, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and more.
H. Molkara, Riverside, CA
As a parent of an only child, I was not aware of the complicated process of college admissions. Add to this, having a senior in distance learning during a pandemic was incredibly stressful! Erica came highly recommended from a friend and contacting her was the best thing I could have done to help my son and our family navigate this process. Erica had an amazing rapport with my son. She understood his strengths and weakness, encouraged and supported him, and most importantly kept him on track for all deadlines. My son has told me that he would not have been able to complete all the essays, supplemental writings and applications without her guidance and help to stay focused. She is an amazing person; she is genuine and cares deeply about the student and finding the college that “fits”. I will be forever grateful for all she did for my son! He was accepted to several schools and because of Erica’s guidance now has choices of where he wants to attend college.
A. Jennings, Riverside, CA
Testimonials
The college application process is a daunting challenge for most students and their parents alike. Having Erica by our side throughout this journey was like having a map to the hiding locations in a treasure hunt. Her counseling approach was not at all cookie cutter and was in fact very personalized. She listened intently, gave us an overview of the entire process, helped us identify potential target schools and reach schools, created a step by step plan, made frequent appointments to meet and discuss the progress at each turn, and helped alleviate our tension and worry. With Erica’s consulting, our daughter received acceptances from numerous top ranked schools in the country, including the Wharton School of UPenn, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and more.
H. Molkara, Riverside, CA
As a parent of an only child, I was not aware of the complicated process of college admissions. Add to this, having a senior in distance learning during a pandemic was incredibly stressful! Erica came highly recommended from a friend and contacting her was the best thing I could have done to help my son and our family navigate this process. Erica had an amazing rapport with my son. She understood his strengths and weakness, encouraged and supported him, and most importantly kept him on track for all deadlines. My son has told me that he would not have been able to complete all the essays, supplemental writings and applications without her guidance and help to stay focused. She is an amazing person; she is genuine and cares deeply about the student and finding the college that “fits”. I will be forever grateful for all she did for my son! He was accepted to several schools and because of Erica’s guidance now has choices of where he wants to attend college.
A. Jennings, Riverside, CA
Erica took the time to get to know my daughter and our family. She recommended schools that had everything my daughter was looking for. I was most thankful for the time she took to lessen my daughter's stress through the college application process. She was there through the entire process. My daughter ended up getting into 9 out of her 10 schools. She could not have done so without Erica's help!
M. Barnes, Temecula, CA
Our experience with Erica was wonderful! She took all the stress and pressure off of us as parents and took the time to get to know our son on a personal level. As a result, she kept him on track during the application process. He was always ahead of schedule and met all the early application deadlines. Thanks to Erica’s guidance and knowledge, our son is now thriving and enjoying his time at a school that was not even on our radar. She is personable and connected with our son, building a trusting relationship. We will be calling her soon to get our next son on the college track!
N. Newman, Riverside, CA