Haruka Yamashita is a college admissions counselor and the host of College Knowledge Webinars. She has 4 Focus Areas:
• Getting Started & College Majors
• College Financial Aid
• College Research & List Building
• College Essays & Application Management

Her mission is to inspire, motivate and educate families as they navigate college admissions so that they can make the best college decisions.

About Me

Haruka Yamashita is a college admissions counselor, based in the Fan Francisco East Bay. She founded Plan It Education in 2016 and has hosted College Knowledge Webinars since 2020.

Haruka is a graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies. She brings a passion for working with teens and counseling to her practice. She shares unique insights as a result of her own Ivy League education. For 7 years, she held a leadership role in Cornell’s Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) in the SF Bay Area. As a UC Freshman Admissions Reader she was responsible for reviewing hundreds of applications first hand. Haruka has a wealth of experiences to help students and parents safely navigate the college admissions process.

Haruka also brings 10 years of project and program management experience in Silicon Valley to her practice. “Each student’s college navigation journey is a project, with a distinct beginning and an end.” She is PMI-PMP Certified and uses project management principles as a framework for her practice.

Haruka completed her Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting (IEC) from UC Irvine in 2016. She is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC) and abides by their Codes of Conduct. She is also the founder of the East Bay College Admissions Advisors (EBCAA), a group of local independent college counselors who are equally dedicated to serving students and their families. Her passion is to inspire, motivate and educate families so that they can make the best decisions as they navigate their college admissions journeys.

Specialty Areas

Students Enrolled