Why We Care About College Counseling
When I was a dean at Wellesley College fifteen years ago, and my own daughter was applying to college, I saw that my decades of experience advising college students gave me a powerful perspective missing in college admissions counseling. Namely, I deeply understood what my daughter should be looking for in a college because I deeply understood what students experience while in college. After all, I was an academic advisor on a college campus every day, supporting students through their successes and challenges.
I founded Lantern College Counseling to bring this expertise to other families also seeking a college home for their child to thrive. I invited Eliza to join me as a college counselor at Lantern because she, too, is deeply experienced working with college students after admission and while they are on their college campus. Between us we have supported and educated students on college campuses in mentoring and advising roles for over 45 years. At Lantern College Counseling, we know what makes students thrive and are acutely aware that getting into college is just the beginning of a student’s college experience.
This expertise has directly led to our proprietary Deep-Fit™ college admissions approach, which we strongly believe in because, over those 45 years of experience, we've learned that Deep-Fit matters when it comes to a student finding success in college, not a college's ranking or reputation. Learn more about our Deep-Fit college counseling services.
Lantern’s College Counselors
Jennifer Stephan
“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.”
PhD, MS, Carnegie Mellon University
BS, Johns Hopkins University
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Eliza Yuen
“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."
“We could not be happier with Eliza! Her responsive and insightful communication, her understanding of our daughter’s character and how to help her best on the applications is above and beyond. We’ve been so impressed. And Eliza has helped me off of the edge many times. ; ) Our daughter is always uplifted and happy after talking with Eliza.“
Independent Educational Consultant Certificate, University of California,Irvine
MSc, Medaille University
BA, York University
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Jennifer’s Background and Experience
Jennifer Stephan has spent her entire career in higher education helping young adults achieve their academic and personal goals.
Jennifer holds a unique vantage point as a college consultant, having held a variety of leadership roles across top colleges and universities, including professor, academic dean, and on a board of admissions, in addition to serving as a private college counselor, alumni interviewer for Johns Hopkins University, and parent of three. Her holistic understanding of how a student can thrive at college helps her guide students down the path of fulfillment, success, and joy.
Jennifer currently serves as the Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Prior to joining Tufts, she spent over two decades serving as a dean and a professor of Computer Science at Wellesley College, where she collaborated with colleagues at MIT, Olin College of Engineering, and Babson College to support students pursuing engineering. With experience in dual-degree STEM programs, and having pioneered multiple such programs between Wellesley, MIT, and Olin, Jennifer specializes in mentoring young students preparing for careers in STEM program admissions, including those interested in computer science and engineering. Her robust college counseling experience equips her to assist students from all backgrounds and academic interests, including transfer students and high schoolers with interruptions on their transcript.
While at Wellesley, Jennifer served on the College’s Board of Admissions, reading and evaluating approximately one hundred transfer student applications each year. Jennifer’s leadership roles in higher education give her unique appreciation for the way institutional priorities are reflected in admissions decisions. As a higher education consultant, she regularly employs insights from these experiences to help students develop their college lists and shape competitive, authentic applications.
Jennifer holds a BS degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, as well as an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
She is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA.) Jennifer’s position at Tufts does not and will not involve admission decisions at Tufts University.
Eliza’s Background and Experience
Eliza Yuen’s hands-on experience working with students in both public and private institutions across the United States and Canada informs her caring and research-based approach as a college counselor. Eliza is equipped to counsel high school students with a diverse set of academic goals, helping them achieve successful college admissions results.
Eliza was a key member of Jennifer’s advising team in the School of Engineering at Tufts University for six years before moving back to Canada to be closer to family, where she now has an advising role at Carleton University. At Tufts, Eliza advised all undergraduate engineering students during their first year, half of whom were still deciding on their engineering major, and all students interested in internally transferring from the School of Arts and Sciences into the School of Engineering. Eliza developed a deep knowledge of engineering majors and disciplines through this work. As a college consultant, she is a talented expert in guiding directed and undecided students in all disciplines, especially STEM.
Fun fact: Eliza was Jennifer’s daughter’s academic advisor when she was an undecided first-year student considering engineering at Tufts (while Jennifer was still working at Wellesley College), encouragingly guiding her through the internal transfer process and welcoming her into the School of Engineering! As a mother, Jennifer was so grateful to hear her daughter excitedly chatter about her caring advisor, Eliza, during her first year at Tufts.
Beyond her deep advising expertise, Eliza brings ten years of experience supporting students to apply to and transition to college to Lantern College Counseling. Before joining Lantern in 2023, Eliza was a higher education counselor who supported students to apply and transition to college through Pathways to Education Canada. In 2015, Eliza was selected from a nationwide search to serve as a scholarship application reader for the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship, where she assessed thousands of competitive applications from students nationwide. Eliza has completed an Independent Educational Consultant Certificate program at the University of California, Irvine.
Eliza holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from York University, a Master of Science in Education from Medaille College, and a post-graduate diploma in Child & Youth Counseling from Humber College.
She is a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA.) Eliza’s position at Carleton does not and will not involve admissions decisions at Carleton University.
