Nicknamed the “Cruise Director”, Rachel Will has embraced her ability to positively impact the college admission experience as she’s helped students earn acceptances to USC, UCLA, Chapman University, and more. Rachel’s creative and energetic approach to counseling combines her razor-sharp editing abilities and extensive knowledge of Gen Z slang, leading to the most engaging apps possible.

Prior to joining Collegewise as our Oxford Comma Connoisseur, Rachel earned her B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Southern California and has spent extensive time as a writer and editor for various publications. Her work can be found in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, International New York Times, and Forbes – just to name a few. Rachel loves to translate her passion for storytelling to the college admissions process!

Over the years, she’s been able to combine her love for counseling and writing through the college essay workshops she hosted while working as an independent college counselor in the greater Orange County area. Her efforts have helped students put together applications highlighting their maturity, resilience, and ability to succeed in higher education.

Outside of Collegewise, Rachel enjoys working on longer fiction projects, organizing events for the local LGBTQIA+ community, and avoiding sports that require any semblance of hand-eye coordination.

Q&A with Rachel

How did you get from college to Collegewise? After graduating from USC, I spent time abroad in Southeast Asia reporting on travel, business, and politics before coming back to LA to continue my writing career. I had always mentored family and friends through their college applications but started working as an independent counselor after beginning my MFA in Creative Writing. Collegewise’s commitment to helping under-resourced students and injecting sanity into the college admission process was what ultimately led me to join forces!

What’s your style as a counselor? What kind of vibe do most of your meetings have? With each student, I am sensitive in acknowledging their strengths and highlighting their experiences. Our sessions often look like a conversation with a trusted friend: I draw out students’ ambitions through thoughtful questions, create action plans for applications, and help craft thorough outlines for essays. Through several rounds of editing, we bolster these narratives into meditations on identity, difference, maturity, and resilience.

What can families expect working with you? With my own graduate school admissions experience fresh in my mind, I am empathetic and understanding toward families facing the college admissions process. It’s an exciting time to map out a student’s future and also dream about how their life might look depending on their decisions. I love to encourage creativity in my students’ applications and allow them to learn about themselves in the process.

How does your previous work experience influence how you work with families? What do you know that you otherwise wouldn’t?
Helping students best represent themselves through college applications has become second nature to me. I write creatively and analytically, but some of my most important writing experience has been drawing out meaningful narratives from applicants to highlight their ability to succeed in higher education. Prior to joining Collegewise I worked as a journalist with stories in the International New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Forbes. I can offer students application advice that will showcase their voice and shine with authenticity.

Why do you think applying to college is so stressful now? The college admission process is much different than the one that parents experienced, and often families feel underequipped to help in this competitive and stressful process. As someone who relished in the experience of crafting a personal statement and creating an activity list, I hope to be a trusted resource for students as they apply to college.

What does great college counseling look like to you? I value an enthusiastic and communicative relationship with students and parents. I am always available to answer questions and solve issues that arise in the application process and hope to continue to be a resource for my families even as students go on to succeed in college.

• B.A., Public Relations, Marketing Minor, University of Southern California
• Candidate for M.F.A., Fiction, University of California, Riverside
• Former Independent College Admissions Counselor
• Freelance Writer for publications including the International New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and Wall Street Journal