Guiding high school students to find, apply, and get accepted to their Deep-Fit college

Partnering with students and their families to make the transition to college enjoyable and rewarding.

Parents, I am sure you know that applying to college is different now than when you applied! College admissions have gotten far more competitive, and the college admissions process is more complex. There are so many questions to navigate!

What high school classes should your child be taking?
What activities will help them learn, grow, and enhance their college applications?
What about standardized testing — should they take the ACT or SAT? Are their scores “good enough?” What does “test-optional” mean?
What are your child’s academic strengths and potential majors?
How will they identify schools that are not just a good fit but where they will thrive? What are their chances of admission to these schools?
How will they stay organized in submitting application materials on time? How can they make their very strongest applications, including writing the college essays?
What about interviews? Are they necessary, and how can your child prepare for them?
How can your child understand and be strategic about the ways to apply to college (early action, restrictive early action, early decision, rolling admission, regular decision, etc.)?
And once they have their admission results, how will your child decide the best school for them?

Lucky for you, I’m a college admissions counselor and university dean with over 30 years of experience in higher education and college counseling who can support you through the entire process.

Jennifer Stephan, PhD, MS, BS

College Counselor and University Dean

Jennifer holds a unique vantage point on the college application process, having held a variety of roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, admissions board member, private college counselor, alumni interviewer, and parent to college-aged students. Her 30 years of experience in higher education and college admissions counseling has led her to develop a new paradigm for the college search and application process centered on the concept of Deep-Fit™ and thriving as a foundation for lifelong success.

Meet Lantern's College Counselors

We help students learn about themselves through:

High school course selections
Extracurricular activities (school year and summer)
Major and career assessments and exercises
Exercises to consider what makes them unique and different
Learning about college features — what do they seek and value?

Helping Students Determine Their Major and Career Path

We build a balanced customized college list for your child and teach them how to:

Research schools in their Lantern account and on a school’s website
Maximize their college visits
Look to the news to understand a school’s culture and values
Identify faculty, staff, and students to connect with to learn more
Ace and learn from their interviews
Ace and learn from writing the essays

Helping Students Build and Research Their College List

Learn more about our Deep-Fit college counseling services.

We help with every stage of the college applications. We support students to:

Show they are a compelling and Deep-Fit for a college
Write the personal statement through a 10-step process
Write their supplemental essays
Stay organized through a customized timeline and task list
Make a standardized testing plan
Prepare for the interviews
Choose their college

Helping Students Write Strong Applications & Essays

Schedule an Introductory Call

Student Acceptances

Lantern’s students find success in colleges and universities across the nation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

See Full Gallery of Acceptances

What Parents Have to Say

“Jennifer is one of the most knowledgeable professionals I have ever dealt with. Her knowledge of the college admissions process is outstanding and her work with my son led to his acceptance to a university beyond his dreams. She was extremely hands on in every aspect of the admissions process and knew exactly how to get the very best from my son. In addition she was constantly in touch with me including emails of his progress and articles covering every aspect of the admissions process. I highly recommend Jennifer to any parent who is considering engaging a college admissions counselor.”
— Donald
“As parents of four children, all of whom are in college or are recent college graduates, we are amazingly impressed by Jennifer’s expertise and guidance through the application process. Jennifer took the time to truly learn about our daughter, and put into practice a delightful balance of helping her find her own voice while at the same time steadily moving through the process, hitting the deadlines, and “getting it done”. Jennifer genuinely cares about the outcome from the student’s perspective—what is best for THIS student, what is the best match, what characteristics of our daughter would fit with which college, and so on. Professionally, one of us has been involved in higher education for over 30 years and has seen where and how students succeed or have challenges in college…it is very clear that Jennifer’s principled consultation has very much positioned our daughter as best as possible for success. Jennifer was a partner to both our daughter and to us, and was deeply involved where needed, and more hands-off where that was called for instead. We feel that Jennifer’s guidance through this period was a very important component of our daughter’s self-discovery and maturation, above and beyond the application process at hand.”

— Rick and Sara
“Jennifer exceeded our expectations in guiding our daughter Lauren through the college application process. Jennifer took a holistic approach, encouraging Lauren to learn more about herself, her priorities for the college experience, fields of study, lifelong goals, etc, which helped her grow personally and also assisted her in selecting colleges and shaping her essays. When it came to the essays, Jennifer coached Lauren using a step-by-step method that made the essays less daunting. The regularly scheduled meetings kept Lauren on pace and well supported through each phase of the process. As parents, we also felt supported when questions arose. We highly recommend Jennifer for college counseling. She’s a true standout for her expertise, methods, and for being a great person who truly has your child’s best interest at heart.“
— Michelle and Glenn
“Jennifer has supported our family through the college application process for each of our four children! Her guidance is invaluable. I knew our kids trusted her by their comments “Let’s ask Jennifer” or “I trust what Jennifer has to say on this”…. She is extremely responsive to questions. She reduces the stress for the parents and the students. She emphasizes the student’s authenticity and the importance of the student’s voice throughout all the application materials. She provides amazing editing for the essays, but above all, stresses that the content and word choices must be genuinely from the student. What results is a beautifully unique application package that reflects the student. “
— Beth and Ivan
"Meredith LOVED working with Eliza! “Mom, not just a thumbs up, but three thumbs up. I love her!” We would highly recommend her to anyone. Congratulations, Jennifer, for building such a caring and knowledgeable team!"
— Tricia and Mike
“We wanted to express our gratitude for all your amazing guidance, care and expertise in our daughter’s college application journey. You made the process so much easier and more authentic for her (and us) and the time you spent with her was so intentional, there was never any fluff or filler. She also would much rather deal with you through this process than us, ha! We are grateful she has a great school to look forward to next year with so many options, resources and possibilities.”
— Sidonie and Paul
“Jennifer's expertise, guidance, and support were invaluable to us throughout the college search and application process. From the beginning, we were impressed by her professionalism and knowledge of all parts of the college admissions puzzle, ranging from high school course selection to standardized testing to finding the right list of colleges to apply to. She always made herself available to answer questions and offer feedback, even outside of our established meeting times, especially in the very busy months leading up to the application deadlines. In short, we highly recommend her to any student and family starting down the path of applying to college.”
— Brian and Laurie
“We are all excited about the choice! it’s the right fit for him and we are so proud of the work he did to get here. THANK YOU for your help and guidance these past 15 months, he would not have the experience he did without your expertise and organizational wizardry. We are really very grateful for you! We are so happy to be at the end of this journey and excited for him as he begins his next one.”
— Alanna and Bob
“For all these years of HS, you have been so helpful and flexible and steadfast and I appreciate all you’ve done for us very much. It was a wild ride and would have been close to impossible to navigate without you. Your availability, advice and help framing the whole thing has been invaluable. Thank you doesn’t really cover it but nonetheless, I am very grateful.”

— Robin
“We are very thankful that she has had the benefit of your extraordinary expertise and calm guidance through this rather fraught process. We couldn’t appreciate it more.”
— Charlie
“From our first meeting the week before we visited Northwestern through to the moment of receiving the great ED admission your guidance consistently helped make the complex process manageable. I still can’t believe she’s all set already!”

— Stephanie
“She could not have done it without all of your guidance. You have made this process stress free and enjoyable for a very anxious girl! We cannot thank you enough!”

— Julie and Greg
“You have been an invaluable guide to her. As parents, we feel, you made our job a lot easier. Above all, she was extremely comfortable working with you.“
— Sonali and Shameek
“From setting the right target schools (especially his ED school), to managing his deadlines, maintaining a good pace, and reviewing/fixing his essays, your guidance has been instrumental in his getting into Cornell.”

— Lei
“We wanted to extend our thanks for all your guidance, counsel, friendship, and kindness throughout the process. We are so appreciative. With thanks and admiration,”
— Nathaniel and Suzanne
“I highly recommend Jennifer Stephan and Lantern College Counseling. Jennifer was a terrific help to my current senior, and my stress level was so much lower than when my older child (a ‘21 graduate) applied to colleges. My daughter and Jennifer created an interesting list of schools, and she had great success in her applications. She felt in control of the process and is delighted with her school choice for next year. “
— Belinda

From Students

“Simply put, I would not have gotten into Harvard without Jennifer. Her knowledge on selecting the right colleges helped me to build a list that fit me, her comprehensive writing process gave me the tools to write powerful essays, and most importantly her calming presence helped to ease the worries and stresses of the college admissions process. Perhaps any single one of these qualities can be found in other counselors, but Jennifer’s outstanding possession of all of them and more make her truly an exceptional counselor. Words cannot express my gratitude for her help and admiration at her knowledge.”
— Nate T.
“I can’t thank you enough for taking me on. I was feeling defeated and a bit aimless heading into this round of applications and your support made all the difference in my confidence. Thank you so much for all you have done for me, from reading essays to answering last minute questions to helping me navigate the emotional aspect of this process. I am so so proud of myself and feel confident in my choice!”
— Abigail
“I cannot express enough how amazing it was to work with Eliza. As an already proficient writer, she was able to enhance and expand my ideas, guiding my thinking to the right places and refining my voice so the essays showed who I am the best. She is truly wonderful and also really cares about me as a person, not just a student.”
— Meredith
“Getting accepted to Dartmouth would not have been possible without Jennifer's guidance and unwavering support. Lantern's organized and methodical approach to college applications made me feel confident and proud of my applications. From figuring out what type of college atmosphere I would thrive in to providing honest insights while I built my college list, Jennifer was there for me every step of the way. The meticulous, structured essay writing process we used helped me produce a personal statement that I was very proud of, and Jennifer's advice ensured that my voice, personality and ambition shine through the words. I am so grateful for Jennifer's dedication to her students; she is always there to answer questions and provide suggestions. I highly recommend Lantern and the exceptional college counseling program that Jennifer has created!”
— Sonakshi
"In my junior year I had no idea what kind of school I wanted to attend, or what I wanted to study. Jennifer was a tremendous help. I was able to refine a list of my top schools and by the time that the CommonApp opened I felt more than ready to apply. The whole application process was smooth, and I was able to focus on each school's application thoroughly since Jennifer and I had put together a schedule for getting them done. I barely ever felt stressed, and if I did I knew that Jennifer was just an email away! I'm extremely excited for what the next four years has to offer, I wouldn't be at this point without Jennifer's help!"
— Sophie
"I'm very excited for the next four years. I can't thank you enough for all you've done, from making sure I stay on top of everything, keeping me informed on the next steps we needed to take, planning out the entire process, suggesting schools, and encouraging me. I think I have found a very good choice for myself, but I didn't find it alone. You were integral throughout this process. You did an amazing job."
— Henry
“Your commitment to my success made this process feel personal and exciting and like a journey of self-growth… You were a total role model and I leaned on you for support during the most challenging parts of the college application cycle. It was so calming to have someone I trusted to advocate for me.”
— Grace
“Jennifer has truly been an extreme help on my journey on applying to college, from helping me organize myself, to finding schools that I truly loved and made sure I had help every step of the way. I don't think I would have made it as far as I have without her help. I cannot thank her enough for all the work she has done for me.”

— Vikram
“I wanted to thank you, for everything. This process would not have been the same at all without you. Your help removed so much of the confusion and anxiety from the daunting process, and I know I could not have done it without you. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your work with me.”
— Beaujena
“Thank you so much for all the time and advice and tips you put into my college search. I seriously could not have done it without you. You are amazing at what you do!”
— Anika
“I am so grateful for the experience you helped me gain throughout this. I really started off the whole college hunt directionless and it was amazing to receive instruction and guidance throughout the college process. I am extremely proud of the things I've written and the work I've submitted to colleges. Thank you so much!”

— Josh
I truly appreciate all of your help throughout this process, and I could not have done it without you. Thank you again, so so SO much!
— Lauren
"I cannot thank Jennifer enough for all the support she provided me during the application process. I was hoping for another voice to take the stress off my parents and provide guidance of what colleges were looking for in a student’s essay and many supplemental essays. Jennifer provided that and so much more. Lantern’s information regarding acceptance rates, demographics and statistics was concise and easy to follow. I couldn’t have done it without her and I am so excited to keep in touch with her for many years to come!"
— Claire