hanna-stotland

The College Talk Show

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:23:28 GMT

When a student’s record includes a suspension, disciplinary action, or legal issue, families often assume college doors are closed for good. In reality, that’s rarely the full story.

In this episode of The College Talk Show, college admissions expert Hanna Stotland, JD joins host Chris Bell for an honest and hopeful conversation about second chances in college admissions. For more than two decades, Hanna has helped students recover from serious setbacks and move forward with clarity, integrity, and a well-thought-out strategy.

Rather than hiding from past mistakes, Hanna explains how students can take ownership of what happened, show genuine growth, and communicate their story effectively in the admissions process. From deciding where to address an issue in an application to understanding which colleges are more receptive to second-chance applicants, this conversation offers practical guidance and much-needed reassurance.

If you or your student is worried that a past mistake could define their future, this episode is an essential watch.

Hanna Stotland Is Not Like Other College Consultants

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 18:07:32 GMT

Hanna Stotland isn’t your typical college admissions consultant. From branding herself a “Disaster Girl” to embracing the toughest cases, clients with disciplinary records, Title IX findings, or mental health challenges. Hanna has built a niche in the margins. In this profile, The Harvard Crimson traces Stotland’s transformation: her personal journey through academic struggle, her move into crisis-driven consulting, and the controversies that follow when education, accountability, and reinvention collide.

Read the full article here >

How to Mitigate a Crisis on Campus with Hanna Stotland | The College Advisor

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 18:00:13 GMT

Hanna Stotland, JD has been an independent educational consultant specializing in crisis management for two decades. In this conversation with Hilary Lefitz from The College Advisor, she discusses how to avoid the pitfalls of drug and alcohol abuse as student and other dangers of campus life that can have lasting repercussions, academically, emotionally, and legally.

Hanna's path to becoming an IEC is an interesting journey. After flunking out of high school, she spent two years working odd jobs before applying and being accepted Bryn Mawr College. From there she transferred to Harvard and went on to earn a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

During her time as a campus tour guide while an undergrad at Harvard, Hanna discovered her unique path to college could help others. Eventually she left practicing law to become a full-time IEC, specializing in educational crisis management.

Hanna helps college and graduate school applicants who have to explain an educational interruption or disciplinary record due to mental illness, substance abuse, suspension, expulsion, criminal charges, Title IX problems, etc.

Her experience as a former troubled teen who overcame their mistakes gives her unusual empathy for the challenges young people face.

Watch the episode below:

How to Mitigate a Crisis on Campus with Hanna Stotland

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 16:41:44 GMT

Hanna Stotland’s expertise in helping students move forward after serious academic or disciplinary setbacks has been recognized at the national level. Her work guiding students through complex second-chance admissions pathways was recently featured in U.S. News & World Report, one of the most trusted voices in higher education.

As Hanna explains in the article, the impact of a setback can extend beyond a single institution—but it does not have to define a student’s future:

“For some students, whatever went wrong at the first school might have poisoned that well for them,” says Hanna Stotland, an independent college consultant who helps students pursue higher education following challenges like mental illness, substance abuse, suspension or expulsion.

Read the full U.S. News & World Report article here >

13 Ways to Get Ready to Pay for Law School

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:44:40 GMT

Choosing a school isn’t just about rankings—it’s about outcomes.

College admissions expert Hanna Stotland, JD is frequently quoted by U.S. News & World Report for her practical, student-centered approach to higher education planning. In this article, Hanna explains why understanding how and where you plan to use your degree matters just as much as the name on the diploma—especially outside the top-ranked schools.

Read Hanna’s insight on aligning your education with your career goals and why regional reputation can play a major role in long-term success.

Read the full U.S. News & World Report article here >

Test and Rest

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:49:01 GMT

Curious about how experienced admissions professionals think about today’s college landscape?

Independent educational consultant Hanna Stotland, JD has a remarkable story and deep expertise in helping students navigate complex admissions challenges. From overcoming her own academic setbacks to earning degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Hanna’s journey and philosophy offer insight and encouragement for families facing obstacles in education.

Read her full profile on TestBright to learn more about her background, approach, and work in the college admissions world.

Hanna Stotland Featured on No Vacancy News

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:47:07 GMT

On February 9, 2023, college admissions consultant Hanna Stotland shared her remarkable journey and unique expertise on No Vacancy News. A former high school dropout who fought her way back to graduate from Harvard Law, Hanna now devotes her career to helping students who’ve faced trauma, addiction, or other challenges find their path to higher education. Known for guiding students that most colleges would quickly reject, she empowers them to tell their stories authentically—and to get accepted into the schools where they can thrive.

Hanna Stotland, JD is featured in Chronicle of Higher Education

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:59:46 GMT

College admissions expert Hanna Stotland, JD is featured in Chronicle of Higher Education article examining modern campus culture and the consequences of expanded reporting and disciplinary systems in higher education. Read full article here >

Real Talk Podcast: Educational Crisis Management: Making Higher Educational Dreams a Reality

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:55:38 GMT

When setbacks like disciplinary actions or academic mishaps derail a student’s educational path, it can feel like everything is lost. But as college admissions expert Hanna Stotland, JD explains in a conversation with the Real Talk podcast hosted by Susan Stone and Kristina Supler, there is a way forward—even after serious challenges.

In this episode, Hanna shares her experience helping families manage educational crises, navigate application disclosure questions, and strategically communicate their story so students can continue their higher education dreams.

Listen to “Educational Crisis Management: Making Higher Educational Dreams a Reality” here >

Formerly Imprisoned Students Struggle to Shed Their Past

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:04:12 GMT

Many students who have been incarcerated face persistent barriers even after release, from stigma in admissions to limits on professional licensing and campus participation.

A Inside Higher Ed article explores these ongoing challenges and highlights how educational pathways for formerly incarcerated learners continue to be shaped by systemic obstacles and cultural attitudes.

Read the full article here >

CBSN Originals: “Speaking Frankly – Title IX”

Sun, 24 Nov 2019 16:34:36 GMT

Students accused of sexual misconduct say Title IX isn't working — and victims agree

Hanna Stotland featured on CBSN

Hanna Stotland in The New York Times

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 16:47:07 GMT

Hanna Stotland Opinion Piece in The New York Times

In her video opinion piece, “I Advise Students Accused of Sexual Assault. Expelling Them Isn’t the Answer,” Hanna Stotland draws on her work with students facing accusations of sexual misconduct to make a provocative case: colleges can’t “punish their way” out of the campus sexual assault epidemic. She underscores that sexual assault is unacceptable, survivors deserve full support, and yet the issue must be addressed as a public health crisis. From the “gray zones” of consent to the driving role of alcohol abuse, Stotland argues for prevention, nuanced education, and honest dialogue as the only path forward.

Watch her full piece here →

Hanna Stotland on Harvard’s Revocation of Kyle Kashuv’s Admission

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 17:46:29 GMT

In an era when digital missteps persist indefinitely and the line between youthful indiscretion and lifelong reputation is blurred, few stories capture that tension more sharply than Kyle Kashuv’s. A survivor of the Parkland shooting turned outspoken conservative activist, Kashuv had secured admission to Harvard—only to see it revoked when past racist comments he made resurfaced.

In her Slate piece, Hanna Stotland, who has personal experience navigating admissions setbacks and redemption, tackles the deeper questions his case raises: When should past mistakes disqualify someone? How do we balance accountability and growth?

Read the article here >

“Hanna Stotland on the Grey Area of Sexual Assault”

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 17:06:50 GMT

Since her own rocky road to Harvard University, Hanna Stotland has made a living getting kids with a past into universities across America – a career that has seen her attract a specific and controversial clientele: young men accused of sexual misconduct. Stotland argues that before we decide what to do with “bad men,” we must determine which ones are bad.

On December 12, 2018, Hanna Stotland is featured on PBS discussing the grey area of sexual assault. Watch the episode here >

Radiolab podcast from WNYC: “Into the No Part 2”

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 17:56:32 GMT

Into the No — Part 2, Hanna Stotland joins Radiolab’s conversation at the delicate intersection of misconduct, redemption, and what it means to reenter the world when your past mistakes have very public consequences. Navigating cases of ambiguous consent and institutional discipline, she shares her work helping expelled students reapply to schools and wrestles with generational shifts in accountability. Ultimately, the episode invites us to question: When do we punish? When do we permit growth?

Listen to the episode here: