About Us

Rhodes Educational Consulting works virtually from our office in Beverly Hills, CA to guide students and their families through the college application process, helping maximize options while minimizing anxiety. We offer assistance throughout the four years of high school, culminating in college selection, application presentation, essays and supplements, interview techniques, and strategies for admission.  We also have experience handling special cases, including student athletes pursuing the recruitment process and student artists who are submitting art portfolios.  Our students have been admitted to over 200 different colleges and universities, and many have received partial or full merit scholarships using our advice. We believe it is never too late to get guidance in the application process and to benefit from learning about college-essay writing. Our essay/application specialists work exclusively with high school seniors on their college applications, guiding students through every step of the process. In addition to working with high school students, we privately counsel college transfer students and assist with personal statements for other higher education applications, including post-baccalaureate programs, graduate school, medical school, law school, and pharmacy school.

Our Philosophy

We believe that the college application process is a journey towards more than just finding the best-match colleges; it is a chance for a student to become his or her most authentic self during high school.  Our philosophy is that every one of our students is an individual who deserves customized advice on a case-by-case basis.  We will never recommend that a student do specific activities or take particular classes in order to "get in to college."  Instead, we help our students follow their academic and extracurricular passions, which will of course create a more authentic and rewarding college admissions experience.

Our Counseling Team

Alexandra Dumas Rhodes

Alexandra Dumas Rhodes, founder of Rhodes Educational Consulting, is a graduate of Stanford University with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in English.  She holds Professional Clear California teaching credentials in English, Social Studies, and Bilingual Education (CLAD). She did her college counseling coursework in UCLA’s Certificate Program in College Counseling.

Alexandra opened Rhodes Educational Consulting in 2004, although she has been working with high school students for over 30 years.  She has taught in the international community at the American International School of Zürich (now Zürich International School); in the public school sector at Beverly Hills High School; and in the independent, college preparatory environment of Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA and Philips Exeter Academy (Summer School) in Exeter, NH.  She has also worked as a writing instructor at UCLA’s High School Extension program and taught private SAT preparation classes. Her areas of specialty in teaching include Advanced Placement English, essay writing, and grammar. She has experience grading standardized tests, evaluating both the Golden State exam in English and the Advanced Placement English test in Literature.

Alexandra is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC), and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC). Education is her passion, and helping her college consulting students reach their dreams has become her life’s work. Her expertise includes undergraduate admissions and transfer admissions, as well as law school, medical school, and graduate school applications. Alexandra is the author of The Only College Admissions Writing Guide You Need: The Personal Statement and its upcoming companion workbook, The Only College Admissions Writing Guide You Need: The Supplemental Essay.

Our Specialists

Ross brings two decades of professional experience as a writer (fiction/nonfiction/personal narrative, screenwriting, journalism) into each college essay tutoring session. An experienced educator with an MFA in creative writing, Ross understands that every student writes differently. He is skilled at helping his students elevate their writing to compelling and original personal narratives that express who they are in their own words. Ross’ students do more than produce a piece of writing to attach to an application; they achieve the demanding writing standards that will be expected of them at the university level. Ross’ students have gained admission to universities including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Caltech. He particularly enjoys working with creative and artistic students. Ross also helps students with borderline grades not only gain admittance to a four-year college but also have options to choose from. Whatever kind of student your child is, Ross is excited to help them meet their goals!

Kala graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and with Departmental Honors from Barnard College of Columbia University with a BA in Political Science and Music. She also holds an MMus degree in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory. Kala is also a small business owner and enjoys working with students who are interested in entrepreneurship. Fluent in Spanish and highly proficient in German and French, Kala’s diverse cultural, educational, professional, and lived experiences have required her to communicate in many different languages, tones, and media. She loves working with students to uncover the stories deep within them and help them discover their own unique voice – especially when that voice lands them admission to the college of their choice! Kala is entering her eighth season as an application specialist with Rhodes Educational and has had students admitted to colleges such as Barnard, Northwestern, Duke, Rice, Tulane, the Universities of Michigan, Miami, Washington, and Wisconsin, American University and American University of Paris, Wake Forest, and the UCs.