Integrated Educational Solutions

Your Trusted STEM Graduate Educational Consultants

Expertise with Graduate School Admissions
Specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

About

Why Hire Academically Speaking?

The higher education landscape is rapidly evolving: skyrocketing tuition, declining acceptance rates, the introduction of early action and early decisions, accelerated and combined programs and the growth of online education all conspire to complicate what once was a straightforward application process.

Incredibly, careers are changing at even a faster pace. New technologies, expanding global competition and changing government expenditures are forcing businesses and research laboratories to be increasingly nimble, innovative, creative and competitive.

As an independent educational consultant and scientist I agree that knowledge is power. I frequently attend conferences, visit campuses, talk to admissions officers and read professional literature so that I can share cutting edge information to best position you to make a fully informed choice of your academic and professional pursuits.

You’ve made a good choice choosing to work with an independent educational consultant – recent surveys indicate that more than 25% of all high achieving high school students work with one.

Stephen Asztalos Ph.D.

Steve earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from UC Berkeley in 1998 and spent the next 4 years as an M.I.T. postdoctoral researcher testing the nature of astrophysical dark matter. As a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, he was engaged in solving pressing high energy physics and homeland security problems. Since 2008 he has split his time teaching physics and astronomy at Cal State East Bay while also doing industrial research developing novel radiation detectors.

The rewards of working with his students led Steve to pursue educational advising. Drawing on diverse professional experience, he offers not only formal college and graduate admissions planning but also informal advice on majors and career options. While all IECs must be “students of colleges,” Steve has a particular passion for programs spanning the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). He has visited more than 40 colleges with vibrant STEM programs and is always eager to exploit his knowledge to help a student gain an inside track. The academic learning environment is one with which he is intimately connected.

Steve values the opportunity to give back to his community. He does pro bono work for BUILD in Oakland, CA working on the college application process with disadvantaged high school seniors. He also serves on the Community Advisory Committee advising the Oakland Unified School District School Board on issues related to the students with special needs. He has been a docent at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden for 15 years, is working on an orange belt in Tae Kwon Do with his two pre-teen sons, and is in training for the Oakland Running Festival.

Professional affiliations are a trademark of a reliable consultant. Steve is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the Higher Educational Consultants Association, and the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling. To better his understanding of his clients, Steve obtained a certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from UC Irvine.

Ready to have a conversation?

Give us a call on (510) 508-6548
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