Private School Admissions &
Educational Consulting
Personalized guidance for families navigating school search, admissions, and educational decisions in New Jersey and beyond.
What we offer:
01.01 — Admissions Strategy Session
I need expert advice and a plan.
02.02 — Admissions Advising
I know where we're headed, but I want expert support through the process.
03.03 — Comprehensive School Search & Admissions
I need help figuring out the right schools AND navigating the entire process.
You Don't Have to Navigate This Alone
Choosing a school can feel overwhelming—particularly when you're trying to separate reputation from reality and determine what your individual child actually needs.
Families come to Laurel & Oak for many reasons. You may be:
• Beginning a private or independent school search for the first time
• Considering whether your child's current school is still the right fit
• Navigating admissions deadlines, applications, interviews, or school visits
• Looking for an environment that better supports a learning difference or twice-exceptional student
• Trying to compare several seemingly strong schools
• Facing an unexpected school change
• Simply unsure where to begin
Wherever you are in the process, our role is to bring clarity, structure, and experienced perspective to the decisions ahead.
Guidance Grounded in Experience
Laurel & Oak was founded by Melissa Kane Essman, an admissions and enrollment strategist with more than a decade of experience helping students, families, and schools navigate educational decisions.
Having led admissions and enrollment from inside educational institutions, Melissa brings families an uncommon perspective: an understanding of both how schools evaluate applicants and how families can thoughtfully evaluate schools.
Questions Families Often Ask
Every family's situation is different, but these are some of the questions we hear most often from families beginning the admissions process.
Every Student's Path Is Different
Laurel & Oak has particular experience supporting families whose children learn differently, including students who may need academic support or who are twice-exceptional (2e).
Finding the right environment means looking beyond whether a school can accommodate a student and understanding whether that student can genuinely belong, grow, and thrive there.
Read the answers to these questions and more in our FAQs!