Project-based learning designed for you.

Why projects?

Imagine if you could discover new species of carnivorous plants, build networks of volunteers to campaign for renewable energy, or push the bounds of oncology medicine. Surrounded by friends and mentors, you could pursue your passion and be the driving force to create something entirely new. 

At Thornewood, we believe that ambitious projects are the best way to learn – both about yourself and about the world around you. Through the challenge of bringing forth real-world impact, you’ll gain the skills, confidence, and drive to propel you in all of your future goals, whether that’s college, career, or something beyond. 

We know that it’s difficult to get started on these sorts of ambitious projects. What kind of passion could you have? How do you choose, and where do you begin? That’s where our team comes in. :)

Our role

We are a group of Stanford alumni with extensive teaching and mentoring experience across a wide range of fields. Our specialty is in helping students who feel overwhelmed, disinterested, or otherwise generally lost. Through active projects, we will guide you towards taking ownership of your own goals, and gaining a sense of excitement and direction in your life.

We’ll start out with a series of casual one-on-one meetings, where we’ll chat with you about any interests that you have or things that you’ve enjoyed in the past. Then, we’ll suggest and scope potential projects, find relevant programs you can participate in, and help you get in touch with mentors and collaborators. 

Interested in learning more about our process? See our FAQ, or get in touch below to schedule a free first meeting.

FAQs

  • Projects span a wide range of fields and interests, from bioinformatics to investigative journalism to robotics. Our team has experience mentoring and working across many disciplines, and we’re happy to work with you on any interests you may have (or help uncover what those interests may be). 


    When we scope a project with you, we have two key priorities: potential for real-world impact, and growth opportunities for you. Real-world impact may take on many forms: publishing papers in academic journals, conducting research to aid local nonprofit organizations, or participating in competitions. It’s important to us that you feel supported by mentors and collaborators, while also being challenged and learning from the progress you make. 

  • We’re a team of four recent graduates from Stanford University in California. These days, we work as researchers, engineers, and leaders at startups and labs in the San Francisco Bay Area. All of us are mentors and instructors with 5+ years of teaching experience.

  • Our students vary widely in age and interest, from teenagers just starting high school all the way through young adults post-college. Since this is a heavily personalized process, we’re happy to work with just about anyone. Get in touch with us to see if we’d be a good fit for you! 

  • Absolutely! Our team specializes in scoping projects to be both exciting and achievable. We’ll help you set up realistic timelines and goals, and mentor you one-on-one. You’ll find that you’re capable of so much more than you’d expect – and you’ll learn so much along the way.

  • Thornewood Consulting isn’t a typical college counseling firm: our goal is to help you build excitement and joy to drive you through college and in life beyond. 


    That said, our teenage students often find that their projects become one of the defining parts of their high school experience – and therefore, a key part of their applications. Past students have gone on to study fields from political science to bioengineering at schools including UC Berkeley, Brown, Columbia, and UPenn.

Get started.

Interested in learning more? Reach out here to schedule an initial free meeting with a member of our team!