Palo Alto College Consulting
Every year we work with students from the Bay Area who come from schools like Gunn High School, Palo Alto High School (Paly), Castilleja, Menlo School, Harker, and Crystal Springs.
Our consulting practice started in Marin County (in San Rafael and Mill Valley) and is still rooted in Marin and Palo Alto—two of the most competitive markets for college admissions in the country.
We’re extremely familiar with the competitive culture that defines Bay Area admissions. We understand the unique cultural and academic environment of the South Bay and have a record of helping Palo Alto students craft powerful college applications that help them stand out.
We also think it’s essential to support families looking for schools that have a good "fit" for their students—regardless of rankings.
We've helped hundreds of students get into schools like these.
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Your Palo Alto College Admissions Experts
There are a lot of college counselors in the Bay. Some are solo operators with narrow experience. Others are massive firms with shiny branding and vague packages but thousands of students.
We’re something different.
- We only take three students per high school (yes, that includes Gunn and Paly), so there's no internal competition or recycled strategies.
- We bring a full team—former admissions officers, professional writers, and strategy experts—who actually talk to each other about your kid (seriously, we have a weekly meeting about them to harness our collective brainpower).
- We’re not afraid to say “this isn't working" and help you find a new path.
We keep our caseloads small so every client get personalized strategy.
Sierra Admissions Results
Let’s talk numbers. Here’s how our students performed compared to national admit rates:
| Average Acceptance Rate | Sierra Admissions Rate | Our Advantage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT Austin (CS) | 15% | 68% | 4.5x |
| Cornell (Eng) | 10% | 32% | 3.2x |
| Stanford | ~2% | 19% | 9.5x |
| MIT | 4.1% | 15% | 3.6x |
| Michigan (Turing) | 18% | 56% | 3.6x |
| UIUC | 15% | 59% | 3.9x |
| NYU (Tandon) | 35% | 72% | 2x |
| Berkeley (CS) | 8.5% | 25% | 2.9x |
| Carnegie Mellon | 5% | 23% | 4.6x |
Reviews from Palo Alto Families
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"Couldn't be happier."
“We had so much more clarity even after the first meeting. They told us what mattered and what didn’t, and that changed everything.”
— Parent, Paly
“We started with a solo counselor who was nice, but vague. Sierra felt like a team of experts who actually cared.”
— Parent, Castilleja
Why Choose Sierra?
It's hard to find a college consulting firm that has more experience in Palo Alto or the broader South Bay Area. Alex McNeil, Sierra Admission's founder, went to high school in Marin County and built the practice working mostly with South Bay families applying to highly selective schools in California and across the country.
Our team's breadth of experience as writers, storytellers, and former admissions officers makes us a great choice. Our specific experience in the Palo Alto and South Bay consulting space makes us our clients' first choice.
"Great result."
Our sophomore needed help thinking about career & major. Set up meetings twice a month and were ready to go by senior year. Brown BS/MD great result!
Hanish L., Sierra Admissions Client
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"Helped me brainstorm an essay I loved."
I like writing but the college essays are so weird. I had never really written a personal essay but Alex broke it down and helped me brainstorm an essay I loved.
Lily S., Georgetown University '26
Palo Alto High Schools We Work With
We’ve supported students from just about every top high school in the Palo Alto area, including:
| Notes on the School | Last Worked With (Year) | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto High School | Paly is one of the top public high schools in Palo Alto, comparable to most area private schools in its placement of students in highly selective colleges and universities. It's also known as an academically competitive school. | 2022-23, 23-24, Current Season | 50 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94301 |
| Crystal Springs Uplands School | Crystal Springs is a top national prep school known for providing broad latitude to students in course-selection. | 2023-24, Current Season | 400 Uplands Dr, Hillsborough, CA 94010 |
| The Harker School | The Harker School was originally called Manzanita Hall when it was founded in 1893. It educates students in grades K-12, and it is the largest school of its type in the state. | 2023-24, Current Season | 500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA 95129 |
| BASIS Independent Silicon Valley | BASIS Independent Silicon Valley maintains a liberal arts and sciences curriculum that was originally founded by Michael and Olga Block. The school offers over 130 courses. | 2022-23 | 1290 Parkmoor Ave, San Jose, CA 95126 |
| Henry M Gunn High School | Henry M Gunn High School is a public high school that enrolls nearly 2,000 students. It’s one of only two public high schools in Palo Alto. | 2022-23, 2023-24, Current Season | 780 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306 |
| Menlo-Atherton High School | Recognized by California and the US Department of Education as one of the best high schools in the country, Menlo-Atherton High School is a public high school in Atherton, California. About 97% of students continue their education after high school. | 2022-23 | 555 Middlefield Rd, Atherton, CA 94027 |
| Kehillah Jewish High School | Founded in 1999, Kehillah Jewish High School is an independent college preparatory high school. It has been described as one of the fastest-growing Jewish high schools in the country. | 2022-23 | 3900 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303 |
FAQs about Palo Alto College Consulting
Can you help with UC and Stanford specifically?
Yes. We’ve built dedicated workflows for Stanford and the UC system, including structured brainstorming for the PIQs and tailored feedback on Stanford’s supplemental essays. These schools are different—and if your student is applying from Gunn, Paly, Castilleja, or anywhere in the Palo Alto area, they’re going to be compared to some of the most competitive applicants in the country. The strategy has to reflect that.
Do you only work with STEM students?
No. We’re well known for helping students get into top CS and engineering programs like Berkeley EECS, MIT, and CMU, but we also support students interested in business, humanities, arts, and social sciences. Recent students from Menlo, Nueva, and Harker, for example, have gained admission to top liberal arts colleges and business schools.
When should we start working with you?
Many Palo Alto families reach out in 10th or 11th grade to avoid the last-minute crunch. The earlier we start, the more impact we can have—on activities, positioning, and school list strategy. Some families begin as early as 9th grade. We do offer senior-year support too, including for students from Gunn and Paly who need help after an ED deferral or denial—but availability is limited after October.
How are you different from other college counselors in the Bay Area?
We’re not a solo consultant, and we’re not a giant firm with dozens of rotating contractors. We’re a small, full-time team with deep admissions experience. We only take three students per high school, including competitive schools like Castilleja, Sacred Heart, and Bellarmine, and we meet weekly as a team to collaborate on each student’s strategy. That means more brainpower, more consistency, and no recycled playbooks.
Do you offer in-person college counseling in Palo Alto?
We work with most families virtually, including those in Palo Alto and the broader Bay Area. This allows for more flexibility and consistency across busy junior and senior year schedules.
Book a Free Intro Call
If your student goes to Gunn, Paly, Castilleja, or another top South Bay school—and is aiming for universities like Stanford, MIT, or Berkeley EECS—it’s not enough to be qualified.
You need to be strategic and distinct.
Fill out our fit form below to book a free intro call.