About Ethan Ris:

Thank you for visiting this website! I am a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, where I worked in the undergraduate admissions office. Before moving to San Francisco to open my independent counseling business, I was a college guidance counselor at a high school in Providence, Rhode Island for several years. In that capacity, I worked with hundreds of students throughout the college admissions process and helped students of all interests and track records get into their first-choice schools.

Due to my previous work I have a deep knowledge base and strong connection with East Coast colleges, including the Ivy League and prestigious liberal arts colleges. I also have extensive knowledge and contacts at West Coast and Midwestern schools, and I visit dozens of colleges and universities annually to meet with my former students, with admissions staff, and to broaden my own field of reference.

My counseling philosophy rests upon the notion that the college process is by far the most important and daunting experience most teenagers will experience, and they deserve strong support along the way. Although the responsibilities of college applications ultimately rest upon the students themselves, I do not identify myself solely as a "coach." I am an expert in the college process, a highly-trained teacher of writing, and a well-informed and well-connected observer of the country's thousands of colleges and universities.

I am a member of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC). Please feel free to contact me with any questions about my background or qualifications.