Shane Niesen
He/him
Shane Niesen

About

Shane originally grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and graduated from Brown University in 2020 with an Honors degree in History. He began mentoring aspiring college admits through CollegeVine while at Brown, and afterwards he worked behind the scenes writing materials for CollegeVine's livestreams and YouTube videos. He is now an incoming PhD student studying History at the University of Michigan. Outside of work Shane enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with his cat, Mirna.

Shane helped students get into:
Brown UniversityUniversity of Chicago
University of MichiganCornell University
University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of Southern California
Georgetown College (KY)New York University
Brown University
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
Cornell University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Southern California
Georgetown College (KY)
New York University
Shane helps with…
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Majors & Careers
Extracurriculars
Building a School List
College Interviews
Highly Selective College Admissions
College Applications & Essays
Ann Arbor, MI
5 years of experience
University of Michigan – PhD | History with a focus on modern Europe
Brown University – BA | Honors degree in History with a focus on modern Europe
Economics
Education
History
Law
Political Science
International Relations
Journalism
Film and Photography
Music
Computer Science
Architecture
Language
Philosophy
First-Generation College Students
Next available sessions
According to your time zone (CUT)
Fun Facts
💼
First job
Pizza delivery

💭
Dream job
Writer

📚
Favorite book
Things Fall Apart

📓
Favorite subject in school
History

📺
Favorite TV show
The Sopranos

🍴
Favorite food
'The Godmother' from Bay Cities

My process

I work with students one-on-one to determine where they are, where they want to be, and how they can accomplish their long-term goals. While I can share experience working in everything from building a school list to submitting the Common App, I place special focus on the essays — where you’ll show colleges the best version of yourself possible.

Packages

Starter

10 hours

For families looking for help on a couple of key schools or a specific stage of the application process.
$900($90/hr)
Save 10%

Success

25 hours

For families looking for guidance throughout the admissions process.
$2,000($80/hr)
Save 20%

Comprehensive

40 hours

For families looking for comprehensive support on every part of the admissions process.
$3,000($75/hr)
Save 25%

Advising hours

College admissions advising

$100.00 / 60 min

Set a focus for each session or get help with any aspect of the admissions process.


Building a balanced school list

$75.00 / 60 min

Get advice on everything school list related: what to look for, what to avoid, and overall strategy.


College admissions advising

$100.00 / 60 min

Set a goal and get advice on an admissions-related topic of your choosing.


Essay brainstorming

$100.00 / 60 min

Work on topics for any of your college essays and improve existing ideas.


Essay review

$100.00 / 60 min

Have me review your essay and get real-time feedback!


Extracurricular advising

$35.00 / 30 min

Get feedback on your extracurricular profile and come up with goals for improvement.

Essay review

Topic check

$20.00 + 5 cents per word
Estimated return time: 52 hours

Description

Get feedback on the general direction of one of your college essays, with tips for refining your topic. Can also review an outline.


Full review

$30.00 + 10 cents per word
Estimated return time: 52 hours

Description

Full, detailed review of one of your college essays with in-line comments and general feedback.

Recent reviews

4.9(11 reviews)

“Thank you so much!"

Stephen Z.

“Thanks"

Julius P.

“The review gave the feedback I needed, after the comments I was able to fix the parts of the essay I hadn't been as confident in before."

Leia M.
One-on-one advising
Personalized college counseling
Building a school list. Getting into an Ivy League school. Writing amazing college essays. I can help!
One-on-one advising
Personalized college counseling
Building a school list. Getting into an Ivy League school. Writing amazing college essays. I can help!
Ann Arbor, MI
5 years of experience
University of Michigan – PhD | History with a focus on modern Europe
Brown University – BA | Honors degree in History with a focus on modern Europe
Economics
Education
History
Law
Political Science
International Relations
Journalism
Film and Photography
Music
Computer Science
Architecture
Language
Philosophy
First-Generation College Students
Next available sessions
According to your time zone (CUT)
Fun Facts
💼
First job
Pizza delivery

💭
Dream job
Writer

📚
Favorite book
Things Fall Apart

📓
Favorite subject in school
History

📺
Favorite TV show
The Sopranos

🍴
Favorite food
'The Godmother' from Bay Cities
Tips for success
1. Prepare for your first session
Plan out the questions and topics you'd like to discuss. If you'd like to work together in the long term, discuss expectations for each other.