True, Individualized Educational Consulting for Students and Families

Discover your passions, develop your academic skills, and find the school that’s the best fit for your goals

School Search & Applications

Academic Planning & Support

Extracurricular & Enrichment

Essays & Application Components

Interviews & Recommendations

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Portfolio & Talent Development

Specialized Pathways

Group Learning & Programs

Resources & Tools

We’ve Been There – We’re Parents Too

Are you trying to figure out how to complete a private school application?

Are you looking for guidance on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?

Are you moving to a new area and looking for a best-fit school?

Planning anyone’s educational journey, regardless of age, can be stressful and complex. In fact, some schools make it difficult on purpose, with all kinds of hoops to jump through. We’re here to help guide you through a system we’ve spent decades navigating – not just as professional educational consultants and admissions counselors, but as students, parents, employees, and administrators of the types of institutions you’re applying to.

Tiered services for your different needs

Comprehensive Educational Planning and Guidance

Tributaries Educational Consulting (TEC) offers four service tiers that you can seamlessly move between as your needs evolve.

Free

includes:

Foundations

includes:

Comprehensive

includes:

Complete

includes:

Free

includes:

Foundations

includes:

Comprehensive

includes:

Complete

includes:

Before working with Haze and Ben, I wasn’t sure which college would be a good fit. I was also nervous that I couldn’t present a thorough picture of myself. They helped me map out my application strategy and coached me on communicating effectively, which ultimately helped me get into my top choice from the waitlist.

Jack D.

We didn't know which schools would be a good fit for our daughter's talents. Ben and Haze have been great guides throughout the application process.

Aaron K.

Ben and Haze are determined guides throughout the application process. They understand the expectations of Admissions Offices too. They'll deliver your kids' talents to the best schools.

Dustin & Richard M.

Jack D.

We didn't know which schools would be a good fit for our daughter's talents. Ben and Haze have been great guides throughout the application process.

Aaron K.

Ben and Haze are determined guides throughout the application process. They understand the expectations of Admissions Offices too. They'll deliver your kids' talents to the best schools.

Dustin & Richard M.

Jack D.

We didn't know which schools would be a good fit for our daughter's talents. Ben and Haze have been great guides throughout the application process.

Aaron K.

Ben and Haze are determined guides throughout the application process. They understand the expectations of Admissions Offices too. They'll deliver your kids' talents to the best schools.

Dustin & Richard M.

Our Story

Tributaries Educational Consulting started as a husband and wife team – Haze Zhou and Ben Liff. We’ve both been in education for 20 years, starting our careers teaching in China. In the U.S., we’ve gone from Florida to Virginia, Maine, New York, and back to Maine.

Haze ran her own business teaching Mandarin privately and at independent schools, was a curriculum specialist at a Chinese immersion charter school, worked in admissions and fundraising, and led international admissions at boarding and junior boarding schools. Eventually, she pooled her experiences to launch the firm that would become Tributaries EC.

Ben taught college English, directed the English Studies Program at Gould Academy in Maine, designed online learning programs for the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), managed a student-run literary journal, and was an instructional designer at The Roux at Northeastern University before partnering with Haze to help evolve Tributaries EC into what it is today.