MEET MARISA
Hi! My name is Marisa Gonzales Silverstein (she/her). I am a former teacher, counselor, after school program leader, and artist who has enjoyed a varied career with many pivots and detours. With a BA in Art History from Yale and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, I appreciate traditional and non-traditional career paths and the need to find the right fit. My understanding of the admissions world began when I read applications as part of the Admissions Committee at Northwestern's Kellogg School. I began volunteering about 7 years ago with Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE), coaching teenagers on essay-writing and navigating the college process. My work with YPIE made me realize that my lifelong passion is helping teenagers find the right college for them while reducing the stress that their families experience during the process. I have completed the Summer Training Institute with the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA), and I completed the IEC certificate program at the University of California-Irvine in September 2021. Meanwhile, I have successfully helped my own daughters navigate the college admissions process (Washington University in St. Louis '23 and Carleton College '26).
I fully understand the sense of overwhelm, stress, and excitement that families experience during this process. I believe that teenagers should take ownership of the college process and do the work to understand who they are and what they are looking for in a college. Done well, students will feel great pride in completing applications and essays for colleges that they see are an excellent match. As a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA) and a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), I uphold only the highest ethical standards. As a WOW Certified Essay Coach, I guide teenagers in finding their voice and completing college essays and applications; I will never write essays or personal statements for students. ​In 2023, I became certified in the Strong Interest Inventory, which helps students identify their interests in possible majors and careers. The Strong is now part of my comprehensive packages with juniors.
In 2025, I passed a board-certified examination and became a Certified Educational Planner (CEP), one of only 26 in New York state. There is no higher mark of distinction in my profession as an independent educational consultant.
TESTIMONIALS FROM STUDENTS:
"Marisa was so helpful throughout my college application process. She was informative and taught me how to identify what I wanted and what school had the traits I prioritized. She eliminated a lot of the stress of the college application process by providing a clear schedule, and without her, I probably would have left it to the last minute! I’m so excited for college next year, especially because it is a college Marisa helped me find!"
Senior Student
"I can’t thank Marisa enough for her help and support throughout this process. From the beginning she was so kind and caring, open to hearing my thoughts on what colleges I was interested in and helping me navigate when I wasn’t sure. Her organization was outstanding, every step of the process was broken down, carefully detailed and planned, making the assignments feel manageable with realistic due dates tailored to fit me and my pace. I couldn’t have done the process without her guidance. Not only was she there to answer all of my questions but also offered reassurance when I was feeling overwhelmed."
Senior Student
"Marisa not only guided me through the process, but made sure that I was presenting the best part of myself to colleges. It took the stress out of doing all of this alone."
Senior Student
"Marisa’s guidance turned this confusing and illogical process into an intuitive and actionable process in which I felt secure and prepared each step of the way. Whether I found myself confident or lost, she always knew how to guide me in the right direction for my goals."
Senior Student
"Marisa is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. She helped inform my choices, guided me through key decisions, and worked with me to craft outstanding essays. I owe much of my college application success to her."
Senior Student
"When I came to Marisa, I was completely clueless about how to even think about applying to college, but she quickly helped me better understand the process. Marisa gave me a good timeline for finishing everything, and she clearly explained what college admissions people want and are looking for. Marisa was very helpful, kind, and patient through the whole process, and she made it all pretty fun."
Senior Student
"I loved being able to talk in depth with Marisa about the college process. I immediately felt more comfortable and confident, and it all felt less scary. Marisa really helped me stay organized, which allowed me to finish things earlier in the process, have more time to enjoy senior year, and be less stressed out! And I can't wait to head to college. I'm headed someplace that fits what I was looking for perfectly! Yay!"
Senior Student
"Marisa was so helpful in breaking the process down into smaller tasks and making it all feel more manageable and less stressful. Her essay process helped me pinpoint the purpose of the college essay and understand how to write an essay that would be able to convey my personality to admissions officers, and she had awesome suggestions on how to improve my essay once I had a draft."
Senior Student
TESTIMONIALS FROM PARENTS
"Marisa was a remarkable guide for our daughter. Marisa supported her throughout the entire journey, from researching potential universities to making a final decision, always asking her thoughtful questions and listening attentively to her responses. It was incredibly powerful to watch our daughter develop the skills to be independent; she learned which questions to ask, and she learned to formulate her ideas into thoughtful inquiries. Working with Marisa was truly an amazing experience for our family."
ID, Parent of a senior
"Marisa's process made our son more thoughtful, inquisitive, and organized. She helped him understand more than just applying to college. Marisa helped him understand who he is and where he wants to be. Our son is so much more confident and happy, knowing that wherever he lands will be a place that will suit him and support his growth."
ES, Parent of a senior
"Marisa provided our son with an incredible framework and kept him on a step by step timeline. She helped him clarify his college priorities, do the research, assemble a group of schools to apply to, and write the essays needed. He was able to do this with Marisa rather than us and so we’ve been able to have a wonderful last year with him. He was also able to figure things out for himself, which I think is great preparation for college. He loved working with Marisa, and it was such a relief to have her guide our family through this overwhelming and complicated process!"
AF, Parent of a senior
"Marisa's approach turned an otherwise awful, onerous experience into something that felt like a valuable learning experience - regardless of the actual college part. This made it feel like I was paying for an important course for my child (rather than feeling like I was paying into the college industrial complex). Marisa's sensitivity and understanding of adolescent development was a critical part of the process - and I think this is a unique and sophisticated attribute. Marisa created a list of schools for my child that included places I feel are incredibly well suited to him, and places I had not known about. I sleep better at night because of working with you."
JS, Parent of a senior
"I would absolutely recommend Marisa's services, and suggest that a parent get in touch with her early on in the process. I genuinely appreciated Marisa's individual support to our daughter, for flagging the potential ADHD issue (for which she is now getting treatment). Marisa has a very calming energy. Without her, I don't know how we would have gotten through this."
JM, parent of a senior
"Working with Marisa was one of the best decisions we made as parents of a teen. She is knowledgeable, efficient, intuitive, and she creates an environment that is productive but not stressful. She takes the time to get to know her clients, which helps her create a truly collaborative relationship with your child and your family. I recommend her highly and will use her again!"
KD, parent of a senior
"After just a couple sessions with you, our son suddenly had a sense of direction and ownership for the process of selecting and applying to colleges. It was an amazing transformation! I was so relieved to find a counselor whose values we could trust and rely on to guide our son. Your interest in getting to know our son and helping him consider what environments might be a better fit for him made all the difference. I don't think I would have trusted any other college counselor to critique our son's personal essays or help him define what he valued in his search for colleges. Our son was very grateful to have you helping him prioritize so many consuming tasks of college applications. Before working with you, he felt overwhelmed and unmotivated. I can't imagine how he would have found inspiration for all that work without your guidance!"
MS, parent of a senior
"Marisa had great rapport with my son. She brought up interesting options that we had not heard of and would not have considered. Her in-depth, soul searching questions allowed him to delve deeply into what he wants from his college experience and answer why he was considering each school. Thanks to this, he'll be happy at any of the schools on his list."
RP, parent of a senior
"Marisa is extremely thorough, knowledgeable, and supportive in her approach to help guide parents and their kids through the college application process. We found her insight into the emotional aspect an added layer of support, and we highly recommend her services."
RM, parent of a senior
"I cannot recommend Marisa of MGS Educational Consulting enough. She takes the panic and frenzy out of the college search and replaces it with sound, comforting advice and a roadmap to finding a just-right-fit college. Marisa has a wealth of knowledge but does not overwhelm parents as she lays things out clearly and succinctly. It feels like you have a partner in the college process."
ER, parent of a senior
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