About Lisa

I’m a straight-shooting, big-hearted mama of 2 bold daughters and determined to help parents calm wayyyyy down about college admission.

Nice to meet you.

In August of 2018, I locked myself in a hotel room with a mission. At 44 years old, after more than two decades working in college admission, I was almost ready to throw in the towel.

I talk to myself a lot. And that day was no different.

"Lisa, you're not leaving here until you figure out what's next for this college admissions business you started in 2004."

I had one focused question on my mind and was determined to get to the bottom of it:

"What would make me excited about college admissions work again?"

You see, in 2017, I took a little break from my entrepreneurial endeavors and went corporate.

I was recruited for a high-level position in what I thought was a very stable, growing, and intellectually stimulating role as the Executive Director of College Admission for a very well known, nationally recognized college admissions & test prep company.

I went into that job with passion and major excitement!

I traveled extensively. I trained college admissions counselors. I created new products. I did market research. I engaged in the highest levels of professional development.

I was able to travel back and forth from Southern California to the incredibly fun city of Austin, Texas.

But, there was a major problem.

What I was being asked to do was WAY out of alignment with my values.

I truly felt like my role was adding to the mania that has become college admissions.

And I hated it.

So I left (and there's, of course, more to that story, but you get the gist).

And I had some big choices to make.

Go back to working full time 1:1 with students on college applications OR create something NEW?

I was scared.

A newly single mom.

I had the weight of the world on my shoulders parenting two little girls (ages 13 and 6 at the time).

But I knew something needed to change.

I wanted to feel re-inspired.

I wanted to inspire others.

I wanted my girls to see their mom do something she LOVED.

And I deeply desired for work that would make a HUGE impact.

So, I got to work.

I loaded up hundreds of manila folders of curriculum into cardboard boxes, downloaded files, packed an overnight bag, and locked myself in a hotel room.

Three days and hundreds of pages of notes later, I figured it out.

You see, for 28 years, as a college admissions strategist, I have witnessed what this process often does to so many families.

I’ve seen it completely debilitate students’ self esteem.

I’ve seen it in the high schools where I counseled thousands of students.

I’ve seen it as a consultant where I trained dozens of high school counselors.

And I’ve seen it in my own community as the parent of a high school student.

And I knew there was a better way.

A better way to reach MORE people.

A better way to calm it all down.

And I had to start with changing the hearts and minds of PARENTS.

Which brings me to you.

When I looked back at the work that lit me up over the years, it was working with parents of teenagers. Now, most college counselors will tell you that it's the hardest, most unliked part of their job. NOT ME!

Parent education is SO my jam.

I wanted to arm parents with everything they needed in order to create the most positive & healthy college admissions experience for their teens. I wanted to turn parents into college admissions experts!

That, my friends, is how The Admissions Formula (TAF) was born.

I spent the latter part of 2018 putting my decades of college admissions expertise into building it. (I still think I should have called it the UNformula, but that's not really a word and I digress..)

It’s now four years later and I am humbled that more than one thousand parents have put their trust in me & this program...

In doing so, their perspective about college admission has completely changed.

They are calm.

They are confident.

They have a clear personalized admissions blueprint so they know exactly where to start or what to do next.

They are helping their teens to design the path to college that is best for them.

And the results are incredible.

1000+ parents now have a completely different perspective about this whole college admissions thing–

They KNOW there is a path for their teen and it's going to work out NO MATTER WHAT.

So I’m on a mission to do the same for you.

We’ve crossed paths for a reason & now it’s your turn to take the leap.

I’m grateful for every parent I meet.

Thank YOU for re-invigorating my LOVE of my vocation.

Thank you for providing me this opportunity to be 100% in tune with my values doing what I LOVE.

The Admissions Formula is going to change your life.

You’re going to feel incredibly more at ease and insanely empowered to make the best decisions for and with your teen.

Hope to see you on the other side.

With deep gratitude,

After 28 years of working in the field of college admissions, I'm committed to setting the record straight.

I'm here to have REAL college conversations. To provide crystal-clear advice that is the right advice, every single time to ensure college bound students and families get the most real, raw, honest, and trustworthy expertise to make informed higher educational decisions.

No more elephant in the room. Let's dispel myths and get the facts on the table. Let's talk college and help our teens feel more optimistic and less stressed about the prospect of college. Let's acknowledge that the journey for you, as parents, is as new for you as it is for your teen. And help everyone to feel CONFIDENT!

I genuinely look forward to engaging you with tremendously valuable insight and having a bit of fun along the way!

It's easy to fan the flames; and it's my responsibility to put them out. Let's do this!

Lisa McLaughlin, M.Ed.
Founder/CEO

The Admissions Formula