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 two-time graduate of Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English. She is the author of The Only College Admissions Writing Guide You Need: The Personal Statement (published in 2023) and its upcoming companion workbook, The Only College Admissions Writing Guide You Need: The Supplemental Essay.
Alexandra opened Rhodes Educational in 2004, after ten years of being a high school educator. She taught at the American International School of Zürich (now Zürich International School); Beverly Hills High School; and both Polytechnic School in Pasadena, CA and Philips Exeter Academy (Summer School). She also worked as a writing instructor at UCLA’s High School Extension program and taught private SAT prep classes. Her areas of specialty in teaching include Advanced Placement English, essay writing, and grammar. She is a former grader of the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition exam.
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). 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.
2025 marks the 21st year of Rhodes Educational, which brings on new families solely through word of mouth. Alexandra Rhodes has devoted her entire career to education, and helping her college consulting students reach their dreams is her life’s work. Her expertise includes undergraduate and transfer admissions, as well as law school, medical school, and graduate school applications. Name a college in the United States, and she has almost certainly visited it and/or helped a student gain admissions there!
Paola Fantini
Paola Fantini graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from the University of Texas, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow.
A college counselor, teacher, and writer, Paola has 20 years of experience working with students both in and out of the classroom. She has worked with Rhodes Educational Consulting since 2008, and she has also taught at Mount St. Mary’s College, UCLA Summer Discovery, Los Angeles Valley College, and for LAUSD. She enjoys mentoring high school students, working one-on-one to help them achieve their goals. She is also very skilled at working with prospective graduate students applying to a variety of programs, teaching them how to write compelling and meaningful personal statements.
Paola is a member in good standing of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Western Association of College Admission Counselors (WACAC).
Janice Hart
Janice Hart brings over 30 years of counseling experience to Rhodes Educational Consulting, specializing in college admissions counseling. Having spent many years as a high school counselor at Beverly Hills High School, she now loves guiding Rhodes’ students through the college admissions process, helping them discover their strengths and passions in order to create balanced college lists that lead to successful outcomes. Her students have been accepted to colleges such as Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, UPenn, University of Michigan, UChicago, Johns Hopkins, UNC Chapel Hill, Washington University in St. Louis, NYU, and the UCs, among others. Janice is highly respected in the education community and believes that every student has a unique story to tell. Additionally, she has extensive knowledge and insight into the performing arts application and audition process.
Janice attended the University of California, Irvine, and holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of LaVerne. She has also completed coursework in college counseling at UCLA and is a member of several professional organizations, including the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC). Committed to staying current on the latest trends and changes in the college admissions landscape, Janice enjoys sharing her expertise with students and their families. In her free time, she loves traveling, attending performing arts events, spending time with her family, and raising guide dogs and service dogs for Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines. She is a valued member of the Rhodes Educational Consulting team and is dedicated to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals.
Our Specialists
Gilli
Senior Essay & Application Specialist
Gilli is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University, where she also spent three years working in the Admissions Office, granting her an inside look at college admissions. Since 2010, Gilli has been guiding students through both the creative writing and logistical portions of the application process as an Essay/Application Specialist. In addition to working one-on-one with students, Gilli has led college essay writing workshops throughout Los Angeles and continues to expand her coaching abilities by participating in regular trainings under the tutelage of Alexandra Dumas Rhodes. She enjoys helping students find their voices and develop a passion for writing to serve them not only in their college essays but also in their future writing endeavors. Gilli's college essay students have been accepted to institutions such as Princeton, Columbia, Barnard, Harvard, UChicago, UPenn, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Cornell, Emory, Wesleyan, USC, Sarah Lawrence, Bard, NYU, Brandeis, the University of Michigan, USC, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. In addition to guiding undergraduate applicants, Gilli also has extensive experience working with law school, medical school, and graduate school applicants. Gilli is currently the Director of Operations for Rhodes Educational.
Ross
Essay & Application Specialist
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’ philosophy is that the college essay process is much more than a task that must be checked off but an integral milestone that helps students demonstrate readiness for the rigors of academic writing. Whether the student is already a skilled writer, one who struggles, or anywhere in between, through the drafting process, Ross will challenge his students to produce the best piece of writing they can possibly create, helping them to discover their most authentic voice to reveal their most authentic selves. Ross has helped high-achieving students gain admittance to virtually every top college in the nation. Ross also helps students with borderline grades not only gain admittance to a four-year college but also have options to choose from. Ross is excited to help every child meet their goals!
Kala
Essay & Application Specialist
Kala holds a BA from Barnard College in Political Science and Music (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), an MMus degree in Opera Performance from The Boston Conservatory, and a graduate certificate in Spanish-to-English translation from NYU. Kala is a three-time small business owner, has worked for the federal government, in high tech, and as a freelance performer. She enjoys working with students who are interested in entrepreneurship, business, and the arts. 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. Kala is entering her ninth 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, among others. She loves helping students discover their own unique voice – especially when that voice lands them admission to the college of their choice!
Chana
Art Portfolio & Art School Application Specialist
Chana is a fine artist, graphic designer, trainer, public speaker, and art portfolio specialist. Chana offers students the creative consulting, technical skills, and direction needed in order to obtain admission to art programs; her students have been admitted to top programs including Pratt, NYU, RISD, SVA, Otis, USC, and The New School based on their portfolio assessments. In addition to working privately with students, Chana has been teaching at the university level for over 30 years in the fields of Fine Art and Digital Imaging at art schools including UCLA, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Annenberg School of Journalism, Otis College, FIDM, and the Parsons School of Design. She has also consulted on incoming fine art portfolios and applications for those institutions. Chana is an Adobe Certified Expert/Instructor. You can see her exhibiting art at https://www.behance.net/chanaart.
Rachel
Film, Television, Theater Portfolio & Application Specialist
Bio available upon request.