Hidden Gems: Meet Jennifer Tabbush of Headed for College

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Tabbush.

Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was a first-year MBA student at UCLA, I excelled academically and was highly involved, so the Director of Admissions invited me to serve as a student reader for applications. I continued reading during my second year. When I graduated, the Director of Admissions asked if I’d stay on as a reader. I had taken a full-time job with an entertainment company, but I enjoyed reading applications. So I agreed to help out. Fast forward three years. When my first child was born, I thought I would return to work full-time, but I couldn’t. I got lucky. UCLA Anderson offered me a position as Associate Director of MBA Admissions, with the flexibility I needed.

During my time in admissions, staff who knew me began to ask if I could help their children with their applications. I also read applications for UCLA Undergraduate Admissions as a member of the read team for three years. Around that time, I learned about the field of independent education consulting. I earned a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and joined the IECA, a national industry organization, where I ultimately served on the Board of Directors for three years. Through word of mouth, I picked up some individual clients. I loved the work and decided to leave UCLA Anderson and dedicate my time to educational consulting.

When I started Headed for College, I drove to clients’ houses for meetings. As I added more clients, I decided to open an office in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. I ended up so busy that I was turning away families I really wanted to help. So I brought on an additional counselor, Kim Byron. We continued to build Headed for College. We have grown exclusively through word of mouth. We have a website, but we have never spent money on advertising. We now have nine counselors serving clients worldwide. Our practice is 100% virtual.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The school shutdown during COVID presented some challenges, including paying rent for an office we weren’t using, but the shift helped parents see the effectiveness of virtual meetings and made them much more comfortable when we opted to remain virtual.

The constantly evolving rules of the game—test-optional, test-blind, test-required, early decision, restrictive early action, new programs, colleges shutting down, visa issues, and more—mean we have to keep track of everything that is changing. We must adapt quickly and educate our clients to help them do the same.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Headed for College?
Every client is unique, and so is our approach. Headed for College provides candid, expert advice from a team with over 85 years of combined experience, both as admissions officers and independent education consultants. We have worked with well over a thousand students at schools around the globe. We help students make informed decisions throughout high school and select and gain admission to schools that are suited to their unique aptitudes, skills, passions, and interests..

Our goal is not to maximize the number of clients we work with. We provide exceptional service to each one. In fact, we have intentionally stayed small. We are committed to providing personalized, individual educational consulting to students and their parents. We work nights and weekends. Our families can contact us 24/7—we are available whenever they have questions or just need reassurance that they’re on the right track.

We guide students and parents through every step, from making informed decisions about classes and extracurricular activities to standardized testing, crafting strong applications, and writing compelling essays. We work year-round to help and support our students. Our commitment is to help students create the best options for college success.
We do not make any promises about where students will be accepted. Integrity is everything, and my team and I are committed to being honest and straightforward at every step. When the college admissions scandal broke in 2019, numerous families called me to thank me for never steering them down a dishonest path.

What I am most proud of is that we have never focused on college brand names. We help students make informed decisions throughout high school and guide them in learning about and applying to colleges that are well-suited to their unique aptitudes, skills, passions, and interests.

While every student works one-on-one with a dedicated counselor, they also benefit from the full strength of our team’s collective expertise. We bring together everything we know—deep knowledge of colleges, trusted relationships with admissions offices, access to top testing tutors, and more—to ensure each student working with Headed for College gets the best possible guidance and support.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
That’s the million-dollar question! The current administration has forced drastic changes in educational and admissions policies. DEI programs have been shuttered. The decline in research funding is already leading scientists to leave the U.S. for countries where they can continue their work. The difficulty foreign students face in gaining visas has led experts to predict a significant decline in international enrollments. Several universities are facing unprecedented financial hardship due to federal funding cuts, enrollment uncertainty, and shifting state policies. Boston University, Columbia, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and USC are just a few of the colleges that have implemented cost-cutting measures.

A recent Gallup Poll found that the percentage of Americans saying college is “very important” was just 35%, an all-time low. Forty percent think it is “fairly important,” while 24% say it is “not too important.” When asked to rate the importance of college in 2019, just over half of U.S. adults, 53%, said it was very important; however, this was already lower than the 70% found in 2013 and 75% in 2010. Meanwhile, the percentage viewing college as not too important has more than doubled since 2019 and compares with just 4% in 2010. Perceived importance is down among all societal groups.

Demographics are not going to help either. The current class of high school seniors will be the last before we see a steep decline in the number of 18-year-olds. This “demographic cliff” has been predicted since Americans began having fewer babies during the Great Recession in 2007, and the declining birth rate has not recovered since then.

And then there’s AI.

My crystal ball cracked years ago, but looking into the future, I do not see how our current model of higher education—four years on campus with in-person classes—can persist. I expect to see more three-year degrees and blended programs, where some classes are held on campus and others are offered virtually. Certificates will likely replace degrees in many fields, particularly in engineering and computer science, as employers no longer require degrees and instead seek to hire individuals with very specific skill sets.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.headedforcollege.com
• Instagram: @headedforcollege
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jennifer-tabbush-91316t