Graduate and Professional School Reviews

“I came to Elizabeth overwhelmed by the graduate school application process. I was deciding between an MPH, MSW, or both and felt I couldn’t manage the various applications on my own. Elizabeth encouraged me to think about why I wanted each degree and provided me with resources to help me make my decision. Once I decided on the MPH, she was instrumental in each component of the application, particularly my Statement of Purpose. She has a keen understanding of what schools are looking for, especially in public health, and has developed a process that facilitates strong essay writing. She challenged me to reflect on my experiences and be critical of my own writing. She worked diligently to provide advice and feedback despite a short timeline, her other students, and the holidays.

Good grades, test scores, and letters of recommendation will only get you so far if you don’t know how to showcase your experiences and construct a coherent application package; that’s what Elizabeth helped me achieve. In the end, I was thrilled to be accepted to 6 out of 7 schools. My only advice is to reach out to Elizabeth as soon as possible!”

Amanda Aubel
MPH in Health and Social Behavior
Harvard, Class of 2020

“Elizabeth’s advice and support strengthened my graduate school applications considerably. I thought my background as a Native American from a non-traditional background (military veteran) was a weakness, but she helped me realize that it was really one of big my strengths. Her advice was key to being admitted to and making the final decision about several fine universities, including Tufts and University of Massachusetts Amherst. I ultimately decided to attend University of California Santa Cruz with a $24,000 fellowship, which allows me to focus exclusively on my studies.”

Shawn Tsosie
PhD, Department of Mathematics
University of California, Santa Cruz

“When it came time for me to think about applying to graduate study, I had the good fortune to work with one of the best resources, mentors, and professionals in the field of educational consulting, Elizabeth LaScala. Overall, the application process to Master’s programs in Genetic Counseling took me three years to fully complete, because I had several post baccalaureate courses to complete in order to be eligible for many selective programs.

Elizabeth assisted from initial brainstorming to receipt of my final acceptance notifications. She helped make the application process manageable through her near-daily insightful suggestions. Ultimately I was admitted to the majority of the programs I applied to and had many excellent options to consider.”

Alena Faulkner
M.S. in Genetic Counseling
University of South Carolina

“Elizabeth and I worked closely to develop a well-researched and balanced list of schools. She informed me that when it came to choosing a medical school, it wasn’t about the name but instead whether it was the right fit for me.

In college I majored in chemical engineering and I knew I wanted to take a gap year after graduation. During that gap year, I thought I should take an engineering job, but Elizabeth encouraged me to see that this would be a misstep. Instead she guided me to work in a health care setting before applying to dental schools—volunteering as well as shadowing in a dental office. Ultimately, I was hired to work full-time in a dental office and I believe this made all the difference in the strength of my applications. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is interested in attending a graduate or professional degree school.”

Jennifer Xu
Columbia College of Dental Medicine