STEM College Studio
Admissions coaching from a professor who wrote the rubric
PhD Mechanical Engineering | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Assistant Professor of Instruction | Northwestern University
Senior Advisor | CollegeAdvisor
Founder | STEM College Studio
My life’s mission has always been to use my technical expertise to help others.
Professor Zachary T Berent
My journey using my technical expertise to help others started at a young age.
My dad survived polo in infancy, but it left him disabled, leaving his right leg shorter and weaker than his left. As a kid, I would use my KNEX and LEGOs to build assistive devices to make his life easier.
Flash forward to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I worked on pneumatically-powered ankle-foot orthoses to help patients who suffered from a stroke return to their healthy walking cadence during my undergraduate career. As I learned more I became more fascinated with the cell and tissue level biology, and my PhD examined how stem cells found in bone marrow turn into bone cells. When someone gets knee or hip replacement surgery, my work tells clinicians how to support rapid healing, leading to patients getting up and moving faster, and better chances of full recovery.
Interested in my research? Check out my publications in top biomaterials journals
Throughout graduate school, I realized that teaching and advising is another way I can use my technical expertise to help others - the next generation of engineers. I was awarded four teaching fellowships and served as the only graduate student advisor in Grainger College of Engineering. After a few years as a teaching professor at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, I found my way to Northwestern University, where my role as a professor of instruction focuses on first-year student development including teaching first-year engineering design courses and advising through the transformative first year at university!
What got me started in College Coaching? A family tragedy overwhelmed my friend's parents, leaving their younger daughter to navigate the admissions process alone. At 20 years old, I coached her sister, turning her experience training service animals into strong personal statements. Today, she is a successful speech therapist - and that experience ignited my passion for admissions coaching through pivotal moments.
What do you love about College Coaching?
In my university roles, I mentor undergraduates through confusions and frustrations to their "lightbulb moment" that transforms curiosity into a career path. College coaching allows me to spark that curiosity even earlier, ensuring students are set up for collegiate success from day one.
Why is STEM College Studio unique? As a university professor, I see firsthand too many gifted students struggle because they chose prestige over fit. In a world where unrealistic expectations lead to student burnout, I reveal an accurate pathway for success as only an insider can, ensuring students not only get into a great college - they thrive there.