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Jen Nelson
Independent Educational Consultant Growing up in suburban Minnesota, Jen made her way to the West Coast when she started college in Santa Cruz, CA. Majoring in English and psychology, Jen spent her early post-college years teaching high school English and drama. Her family moved between the West Coast and New Zealand for several years, so Jen chose to home educate her kids. Finally landing in Washougal, WA on a permanent basis, Jen found herself ready to launch her second-half-of-life career. With extensive experience teaching essay writing to home school groups, as well as over ten years of working with high school students in a mentoring capacity, Jen decided to pursue a career in admissions coaching, receiving her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. She currently volunteers with the AVID program at Washougal High School, and is a full-time independent educational consultant. Jen loves working with both traditionally-educated and home-educated students in pursuit of their post-high school hopes and dreams. When not working with students or touring college campuses, Jen loves to read, scrapbook, hike, spend time with her teenage sons and practice yoga. Virtual or in-person in Washougal, WA |
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"We really appreciated having Jen on our team as our son underwent the college application process. She provided wonderful research tools and a road map to navigate the many steps--from high school course selection to test prep to college research, visits, and applications. Her insights connected him with several universities with strong offerings that he might not have otherwise known to consider. Most of all, she made the process so positive for all of us!"
-Helen, parent This evening is Marley's commencement ceremony. And as we pause to reflect on his journey thus far, we are moved by how many people have contributed to his remarkable successes. Jen, you are certainly one of those people, whose support and guidance over the past couple years has helped lead him to the heights at which he has arrived: #1 in his senior class, HS valedictorian, celebrated leader, agent of positive change, community-builder, kind, responsible, witty, inclusive, and loving. And Cal Poly bound! So while you won't physically be with us at Providence Park this evening, we invite you to take a moment to share in celebrating our graduate, and know that your lasting impact plays a major role in all his extraordinary accomplishments leading up to today's milestone event and throughout his promising future.
- Tanya and David, parents |
"I worked with Jen Nelson for a couple of months during my college admissions process. I found her feedback to be extremely valuable and it helped me construct successful essays. The college admissions process is extremely daunting, with a seemingly endless amount of universities, essays, and programs. College Admission Coach, and Jen, help simplify the process and make the admissions process engaging and exciting.
- Rohan, student The college application process is stressful and if it weren’t for Jen, my son and I would have fought through all of it. I love how Jen focuses on a good fit rather than prestige. Our son had a very positive experience because he got into 7 of his 8 schools which were all very good fits. Also, six offered merit aid packages—some very generous—which was a total ego boost for him. At first, our son only wanted to apply to PNW private liberal arts colleges. He’s an introvert and wanted a small school. Jen helped him expand his search. In the end, our son chose the state school’s honors program. He’s going to join the marching band and fly with the football team. He’s already included in two tight-knit groups before setting foot on campus as a student: honors and marching band. He received some merit aid with ongoing chances to apply for more scholarships. Jen saved our family a lot of money and our son from a lot of anguish!
—Denise, parent |