Built by people who have walked the path.
Altior Academy was founded by Eric Lee, with degrees and study from Yonsei, Korea University, Harvard, and Wharton. He is joined by a team of senior mentors who attended the schools your child hopes to attend. We built the firm we wish our families had hired, when we were the students.
Eric Lee
Eric grew up inside the Korean education system, a system that, for all its intensity, tends to produce the work ethic and academic preparation top US universities reward. From Korea he built one of the most extensive academic journeys imaginable, with study at Yonsei University and Korea University in Seoul, followed by certificate study at Harvard and Wharton, and years building operations in the Bay Area, where the Altior method took shape.
He founded Altior Academy to give Bay Area families what he wanted as a student: a clear plan, honest feedback, and a counselor who shows the work. Altior brings together American admissions expertise and the structural discipline that Korean and Chinese education does well.
- Yonsei University
B.A., Seoul - Korea University
M.Div., Seoul - Harvard and Wharton
Certificate programs - UCLA Extension
Certificate, College Admissions Consulting
Eric is based in San Mateo and works with families across the Bay Area.
"I built Altior because I could not find a firm I would have trusted with my own family. So we became that firm, and we hold ourselves to that standard every day."
Two lead counselors.
Named mentors.
Eric and Karina lead every family's plan. Each student also works with one named mentor, a graduate of Stanford, Duke or Harvard, introduced before the first meeting.
Eric Lee
Founder · Lead CounselorEric leads strategy for every Altior family and runs the counselor desk behind Ascend. He works with families in English and Korean.
Karina Zhang
Head of Admissions · Lead CounselorKarina leads admissions operations across all three tracks and turns each plan into submitted applications. She works with families in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
Named mentors
One mentor per studentOur mentors are graduates of Stanford, Duke and Harvard. Each one is introduced to your family by name before the first meeting, and stays with your student through the season.
We keep the practice small on purpose. Each lead counselor takes no more than 10 new families a year.
The firm we wish our own families had hired.
Most of our mentors made it into top universities in spite of the consulting industry, not because of it. We were lucky. We had parents, teachers, or sheer timing on our side.
Altior is what we wish had existed when we were applying. A firm with the discipline of a Korean academy and the credibility of mentors who actually sat in those classrooms. A firm that tells families the truth about an essay, a transcript, or a school list. A firm that does not try to sell every family the same package.
That is the firm we built. If you are reading this, the bar we set is the bar your child will be held to, gently and with care. We hope that is exactly why you are here.
Meet us on a fit call.
A 30-minute private call with our admissions team. We will discuss your child, the right program, and whether Altior is the right fit.
Book a 20-minute fit call →