Jill Cameron, PhD
Counselor and Co-Founder

When my son started looking at colleges, I did what I always do: dive in head first. I researched. I read. I asked. I listened. And instead of finding answers, I found more questions. There is no shortage of information about applying to college; if anything, it's an embarrassment of riches. But I still didn't know where to start.

That's when I decided that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. I approached it the way I've approached every overwhelming problem: do the research, identify the important pieces, and then make a clear and actionable plan.

What surprised me most wasn't the process itself, it was how little my son knew about his options in relation to the process. Like most students, he only knew prestige. His application strategy was to apply to every “good school” and wait to see what happens. But beyond the obvious holes in that logic he didn't understand the first thing about fit: financially, socially, or academically. It wasn’t until we started visiting schools that he began to understand how two campuses that look so similar on paper can feel so different in person.  He simply didn't know what he didn't know. 

My background is in science and research, which boils down to problem-solving. I have a BA in Psychology, a PhD in Neuroscience, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, and spent many years in pharma and biotech. I know how to dig into a complex system, identify what matters, and build something useful from it. My approach to college counseling is to start with self-discovery, build toward fit, and make sure every family understands not just what to do, but why.

In my spare time I am a herder of teenagers, a boba aficionado, a volleyball mom, a foster to many puppies and kittens, and a local improv comedy performer. I work with students in person in the Poway and San Diego area and virtually with families anywhere.