About Matt Lorenzen - College Admissions Consultant
Matt is a College Admissions Consultant and Counselor for students throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Calabasas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, throughout the United States and worldwide. His academic and professional background is uniquely suited to provide his students with the highest level of individualized college admissions counseling. With over 20+ years' experience as a College Admissions Consultant, he has helped thousands of students get admitted to some of the most prestigious universities in the world including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, USC and many more. Matt is also an author of a book on academic and life success: Your Academic Success, The Academic Success Guru's Secrets to School Success (2017)
Work Experience
- 20+ years as a College Admissions Consultant, Success Coach and College Counselor helping thousands of students get admitted to their top choice universities.
- 20+ years - Psychology and College Success Instructor
- 6 years - Director of Student Success programs (Santa Barbara City College). Program was highlighted when college won prestigious national awards for innovative Student Success programs (Aspen Prize for "Top College in the Nation", Hewlett Student Success Award)
Education
- Cal Poly, SLO - Masters of Science, Psychology, MFT Track (With Distinction)
- UCSB - Bachelor's of Arts - Psychology (With Honors)
Philosophy - How I work with students
- Find your passion and be the best you can be - As a College Admissions Consultant, I work with students to help them become not only highly qualified applicants but the best individuals that they can be. An essential part of this process is helping you identify your strengths, passions, core values and authentic voice and craft an action plan that embodies the best of you.
- Leverage admission expertise - As a College Admissions Consultant, I have helped thousands of students get into their top choice universities including Harvard, Stanford, Brown, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, USC and many more. I have interviewed hundreds of admissions evaluators at top tier universities and have personal insight into their highly competitive process of admissions. I will help you strategically craft a College Admissions Plan that incorporates this experience and expertise.
- Personal Brand - I can assist you with crafting a personal brand that embodies your core qualities, values, passions, career aspirations, what you want to see changed in the world etc. We can align this with what the top colleges are seeking in their future students.
- Extracurricular Development that makes you stand out - I have helped thousands of students craft an extracurricular plan that helps them stand out above the rest and embodies their personal brand (core qualities, values, passions, career aspirations). From robotics competitions like Vex Robotics to science fairs like ISEF, publishing peer-reviewed journal for high school students like JEI or The Concord Review or starting an organization or non-profit, I can help you create an authentic extracurricular plan with a compelling narrative that the top colleges seek in their future students.
- Remarkable personal essays - I have helped thousands of students craft college admissions essays with compelling narratives that strongly resonate with their core values and help them to stand out above the rest.
- Career Counseling - I am adept at helping students find their "why", a future career that embraces their interests, skills, passions, values and financial goals.
- Success Coaching - With 20+ years of experience, I have empowered thousands of clients maximize their full potential and reach their desired goals.
- Unconditional Positive Regard - I am a great listener and believe that the best in you is yet to come. I believe in your capabilities and power to problem solve any challenge in your life.
- Problems are changeable and the power of positive reframe - No problems are unchangeable and you have the power within you to effect change. What cannot be changed can at least be looked at from a different perspective.
- Detachment - I help students be the best they can be in the admissions process. I encourage them to focus on what they can do in the present moment and help them to detach from anxious thoughts of future results (Will I get in or not?). We can be our most creative and authentic self when we approach college applications with vigor and excitement, and also a sense of detachment. This is the value of creating a college list that has three categories (Reach, Target, Back-up). We target the reach schools, but we have a back-up plan if the first plan doesn't pan out.
- Solution-Focused Personal Change - Little victories lead to greater triumphs. While it is important to understand the causes of our obstacles, we dwell too much on the past to the point it becomes counterproductive to making positive changes in our lives. It is more effective to visualize and implement solutions which tend to have a positive snowball effect leading to greater confidence, and more positive change.
A Little More About Me
I hail from Santa Barbara, currently reside in Ventura, CA and have been happily married for over a decade. We have a beautiful young daughter currently in elementary school. I am very passionate about my work as a college admissions consultant and am extremely grateful to be able to do the work I do in helping students successfully reach or exceed their goals and potential. I serve students throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Calabasas and Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, throughout the United States and worldwide. When away from work, I enjoy spending time with my family, surfing, backpacking, fly fishing, reading, writing, yoga, meditation and other mindfulness activities.
To see what Matt's College Admissions Consultant students have to say, check out the Testimonials
To contact Matt or set up a free 1/2 hour no-obligation consultation check out his contact page by clicking the button below.