My Philosophy | Todd Zeff

I work with a limited number of students to ensure I can provide each one with consistent support and highly individualized guidance throughout their entire college search and application experience. As deadlines approach, we meet as often as needed, and students always hear back from me within 24 hours. I am fully present and never rush the work. I want what we accomplish together — shaping applications, refining choices, and clarifying direction — to be a formative experience that helps each student become more assured, more articulate, and more aware of their own path forward.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master’s from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs. Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked across nearly every level of education — from teaching elementary school to leading student affairs as Dean at SUNY Ulster.  Along the way, I co-founded a therapeutic sleepaway camp for children and adolescents with PTSD and related mental health challenges.

For the past 19 years, one-on-one college guidance has been at the center of my work — first as a faculty advisor and, more recently, as a private college consultant. During this time, I’ve supported hundreds of students in identifying their pathways and gaining admission to colleges that match their goals. My approach is shaped by decades of working closely with students from diverse backgrounds and by direct experience with the mindset of selective admissions committees. As an Ivy League graduate, I understand first-hand how applicants can distinguish themselves in a pool of thousands where academic excellence is the baseline, and substance, focus, and voice are what truly resonate.