DormRoom Advising
DormRoom Advising
Meet the Students Behind DormRoom
DormRoom is led by a team of ambitious students who recently navigated the competitive college admissions landscape. We provide practical, relatable, and cost-friendly guidance grounded in first-hand experience.
Garrett Arch
UC Berkeley (Integrative Biology)
Founder/ADVISOR
Garrett Arch is the founder of DormRoom College Advising and an incoming UC Berkeley student studying Integrative Biology. Throughout high school, Garrett excelled in both academic and creative extracurriculars, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the school yearbook and President of the ASL Club. He also played baseball for four years, balancing athletics with a highly competitive GPA. He’s taken numerous AP courses and exam, earning 5s on AP Art, AP Language, and AP Seminar. His strengths include creativity, research, communication, and college guidance. Through DormRoom, Garrett focuses on helping students build organized college plans, develop strong applications, and approach the admissions process with a strategic and a clear sense of direction.
Anya Vaiman
UCLA (Psychology)
Advisor
Anya Vaiman is an incoming UCLA Psychology major with a strong background in journalistic and creative writing, leadership, and communication. In high school, she served as Editor-in-Chief of her school newspaper, where she led a team of writers to produce bi-monthly newspapers and a yearly magazine. She is also the co-founder of LastGeneration Press, a teen-led publishing company. Her poetry has been published online, and in the company’s first anthology, Writing from the End of the World. In addition, Anya is a California Arts Scholar and a 2025 graduate of CSSSA, one of California’s most selective arts programs. At DormRoom, Anya brings a student-centered perspective to planning and editing college essays, helping students find their own creative strengths, and build applications that feel polished and natural.
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Luke Bula
Yale (Physics)
Advisor/tutor
Luke Bula is an incoming Yale Physics student with an exceptional academic background in STEM, competition, and leadership. He scored a 1550 on his SAT with a 790 in Math and a 760 in Reading and Writing.He also scored 5s on all four AP Physics exams, demonstrating strength across advanced physics topics and college-level science coursework. In high school, Luke served as captain of the Science Bowl team and set the school record for the most points earned in an Academic Decathlon competition. He was also a member of the tennis team, balancing athletics with an extremely demanding academic schedule. At DormRoom, Luke brings strong analytical thinking, tutoring and competition experience, and academic strategy to help students strengthen their applications for specifically private and Ivy schools.
Sarah Kovalev
UC Berkeley (Chemical Biology)
Advisor/tutor
Sarah Kovalev is an incoming UC Berkeley College of Chemistry student studying Chemical Biology, and brings an outstanding academic and tutoring background to DormRoom. She is a National Merit Scholar who earned a perfect PSAT score of 1520 and a 1560 SAT score, including an 800 in Math and a 760 in Reading and Writing. In high school, Sarah led her Academic Decathlon team to both state and national competitions, where she developed her strengths of academic coaching, peer tutoring, and competitive preparation. She has tutored many of her peers in both Academic Decathlon and standardized test preparation and is also a certified tutor through Schoolhouse.world. Sarah has scored a 5 on every AP exam she has taken, including Calculus BC, Chemistry, Biology, and English Language. At DormRoom, Sarah provides academic support, SAT and ACT test strategy, and well-rounded guidance for students looking to build strong, competitive applications.
Why Choose DormRoom?
DormRoom offers affordable, current, and relatable guidance that traditional advisors simply can't match.
Recently Went Through It
We do not fall under the category of traditional professionals, which is the whole idea. As a matter of fact, our group has just completed the college application process on our own, and therefore we know firsthand what it means to go through the experience of writing essays, meeting deadlines, making school lists, doing activities, and stressing out.
Significantly More Affordable
The traditional form of college advising can be quite expensive, costing families several thousands of dollars, which may make it seem out of reach even before starting. DormRoom is a solution to those who need professional advice but can’t afford the huge consulting fees. With DormRoom, parents and students receive quality service at an affordable price.
Clear, Organized Support
It is difficult to keep track of everything that needs to be done when students have to write essays, meet deadlines, apply to schools, make school lists, join activities, and think about finance all at the same time. The DormRoom makes the confusion a clear-cut step-by-step approach with practical actions to take. This eliminates guesswork and gives a better sense of direction.