PSV: Prepare for the College Admissions Journey -- College Counseling Leaders Share Tips

What can you do to best prepare for the college admissions process? What should your transcript look like? What if you don’t play a sport?

Moderated by Yetunde Daniels Rubinstein, PSV Director of Post-Secondary Partnerships & Principal Consultant, Arising Educational Consultants, panelists include:

• Burnie Dyment, Founder, Smart Path College Counseling
• Julian Michael, Senior Education Consultant, Wise World Prep

About Our Experts:

Yetunde Daniels Rubinstein: Yetunde draws on her rich background as an immigrant, Division I athlete, U.S. Army veteran, mother of teenagers, and lifelong learner, to ground the work of Arising Educational Consultants in humility, humor, empathy, joy, and trust. 

Each client’s needs are evaluated, honored, and aligned to the skillset of the AEC team, optimizing for impact. Empowerment is at the heart of the mission at Arising Educational Consultants, as Yetunde thrives in creating inclusive and engaging spaces where dialogue flourishes and insights are gained. As a SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) facilitator, Yetunde adeptly navigates hard conversations, fostering open communication and facilitating constructive exchanges that promote understanding and collaboration.

Along with being the Founder and Principal Consultant of Arising Educational Consultants,

Yetunde serves as a Lead Instructor in the College Counseling Certificate Program at UCLA. A lifelong student, Yetunde is poised to earn her EdD at the University of San Francisco in 2026. She earned her BA in Psychology and MsEd in Personnel Counseling. 

Julian Michael: With 20 years of experience in college admissions, Julian has served as an admissions officer at Amherst College, a college counselor at several U.S. high schools, and an independent counselor to numerous students and families. He is currently the Senior Education Consultant for Wise World Prep, which specializes in high school and college planning as well as test prep. Julian enjoys helping students tell their stories in the most captivating way and uses his positive attitude, efficient workflow, and diverse experience to help families embrace the admissions journey with a greater sense of calm and understanding. Originally from Los Angeles, Julian earned a B.A. from Amherst College and his passions outside of education include writing and entertainment, especially music stand-up comedy.

Burnie Dyment: Burnie Dyment, founder of Smart Path College Counseling, has over 20 years of experience in college counseling and education.  She has guided a diverse constituency of students in gaining admission to their dream colleges. Her college counseling experience in public, charter, hybrid, and independent schools as well as with University of California as an external reader has resulted in a robust set of skills and industry knowledge. 

Burnie’s own journey informs her work with young people. As a high school student, she was fortunate to have caring teachers, counselors, and mentors who played pivotal roles in her academic success. They helped her excel academically and secure remarkable enrichment opportunities, such as representing her state and country in a life-changing student exchange program, interning with a U.S. Senator, and studying genetics as a high school student with one of the discoverers of the DNA structure. Encouraged to aim higher, Burnie applied for admission to Princeton University, where she earned her bachelor's degree. She also holds a masters degree from the University of Southern California. Her passionate mission: she wants every young person to have transformational academic and extracurricular experiences that come from extraordinary guidance.