Grad School Femtoring partners with colleges, universities, and educational organizations to strengthen student retention, graduate school preparation, and equitable outcomes without overextending staff capacity.
Our work is designed for program directors, deans, and student success leaders seeking structured and culturally informed support that aligns with program priorities and operational constraints.
Grad School Femtoring (GSF) is a consulting, coaching, and educational services company that supports institutions in advancing student success, retention, and equitable outcomes, particularly for first-generation, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and historically excluded students.
Founded by Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu, she brings over 15 years of experience working across higher education, federally funded programs, and student success initiatives. Our work integrates graduate admissions expertise, executive functioning support, and sustainable productivity frameworks to galvanize students to reach their goals while reducing strain on institutional staff.
GSF is known for delivering structured, culturally informed, and implementation-ready support that aligns with institutional priorities, reporting requirements, and bureaucratic constraints. Our services are designed to be flexible, scalable, and easy to integrate into existing programming.
We work with programs that:
…support first-generation, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and historically excluded students
…are responsible for retention, persistence, and post-graduation outcomes
…manage limited staff capacity during high-demand advising periods
The Reality Programs Are Navigating
Many programs are being asked to support increasingly complex student needs with limited staff capacity, tighter budgets, and growing expectations for measurable outcomes. Faculty and program staff often carry significant emotional labor, particularly when supporting first-generation and historically excluded students, while still being expected to deliver results. Our work is designed with these realities in mind.
Grad School Femtoring is designed to complement your existing advising, mentoring, and academic support structures. We work alongside program staff to provide structured, equity-centered support that helps students move forward while protecting staff capacity. Each service option is designed to support the outcomes listed below in different ways, depending on your program’s goals, structure, and timeline.
Our Work Supports Institutions In:
reducing bottle necks during peak admissions and advising seasons
providing guidance that students can follow through on
Extending capacity without increasing staff workload
As A Result, We Support Outcomes Such As:
Stronger, more cohesive graduate application materials
Increased clarity about academic goals and program fit
Reduced anxiety and increased confidence during high-stakes application cycles
Improved academic writing, communication, and critical thinking skills
Greater follow-through and accountability on complex application tasks
Successful preparation for interviews and competitive fellowships
Programs choose different service models depending on their goals, timelines, and internal capacity. Some need sustained, individualized support across a term, while others benefit from focused interventions at key moments in the academic calendar. The options below are designed to meet programs where they are.
Graduate Admissions Coaching and Consulting
Ongoing, predictable coaching support that allows programs to allocate individualized guidance across students based on need. Coaching hours are flexibly distributed across a cohort depending on readiness, deadlines, and level of support required, making this model especially effective during peak admissions cycles. This approach reduces last-minute advising bottlenecks while ensuring students receive targeted, high-quality support.
Best for programs that need:
Term-long or year-long graduate admissions support
Flexible allocation of coaching across students
Reduced staff strain during high-demand periods
Clear summaries of engagement and outcomes for reporting
Workshops, Keynotes, Trainings, & Speaking Engagements
Interactive speaking engagements for students or staff focused on graduate preparation, productivity, and sustainable success. Sessions are designed to be engaging in both virtual and in-person formats and are adapted for audience size, discipline, and program context. Workshops prioritize practical tools and reflection activities participants can apply immediately.
Best for programs seeking:
Targeted learning experiences aligned with student success goals
Professional development for staff or cohort-based student learning
High-quality facilitation that is accessible, relevant, and engaging
Compassionate Accountability Grad Prep Retreats
Highly structured virtual graduate school preparation experiences designed to help scholars make meaningful progress on their applications in a short time frame. These retreats move scholars from intention to action through dedicated work time, graduate admissions guidance, facilitated accountability, and clear next steps.
The virtual format supports flexibility, accessibility, and sustained engagement by reducing barriers related to travel, scheduling, energy, and location. It also allows scholars to participate in ways that align with their needs and communication styles through features like chat participation, structured prompts, guided accountability, and focused work sessions.
Participants leave with tangible progress on key application materials, greater confidence navigating the admissions process, and tools they can continue using independently, reducing the need for repeated follow-up advising. Content is customized based on program goals and where scholars are in the graduate admissions process.
Best for programs that need:
Focused momentum during critical stages of the grad school application process
A shared cohort experience that produces measurable application progress
An efficient approach for supporting multiple scholars simultaneously
Customizable, ready-to-use resources that extend program capacity without adding staff workload. Licensed tools allow programs to offer consistent, high-quality guidance at scale. Students can access materials asynchronously and revisit them across semesters, reducing repeated questions and one-off explanations. This model supports long-term sustainability while maintaining alignment with program goals.
Best for programs that need:
Scalable, cost-effective student support
Asynchronous resources students can use independently
Repeatable tools that support multiple cohorts over time
Programs partner with Grad School Femtoring in different ways depending on timing, capacity, and their most urgent needs. Most begin with one of the options below:
Focused Workshop or Workshop Series
Programs engage me for a single workshop or short series on high-impact topics students consistently find challenging, such as the hidden curriculum of graduate admissions, funding and financial planning for grad school, goal setting, or sustainable productivity. These sessions provide immediate motivation, momentum, and practical digital tools students can apply right away.
Term-Based Coaching and Consulting Block
Programs engage me for a set number of individualized coaching sessions per scholar (typically 6–8) during peak advising seasons, or through a year-long retainer that allows students to use coaching hours on an as-needed basis. This option is especially effective for programs managing ongoing graduate preparation with limited staff capacity.
Bundled Support Options
Some programs combine a retreat, workshop, or workshop series with individualized coaching, or pair workshops with licensed digital toolkits to extend impact and reduce follow-up advising. Bundled options allow programs to meet multiple needs while maximizing staff capacity and budget efficiency.
A graduate preparation program at a private liberal arts college partnered with Grad School Femtoring to strengthen student readiness without increasing staff workload.
Through a multi-week workshop and coaching program focused on sustainable productivity and goal setting, students demonstrated measurable gains, including a 137% increase in familiarity with sustainable productivity, a 97.9% increase in confidence using productivity tools, and a 66.7% increase in confidence with goal setting and action planning. Students also reported reduced overwhelm and clearer academic direction.
This partnership extended the program’s student success infrastructure and reduced advising bottlenecks during peak periods.
A McNair Scholars Program on the East Coast partnered with Grad School Femtoring during a staffing shortage to ensure continuity of graduate admissions support.
Through a structured six-month coaching program, scholars developed clear, executable application plans, completed funder-ready CVs and Statements of Purpose, and prepared materials for competitive PhD and international graduate programs. Over the coaching period, scholars also demonstrated an 82% increase in confidence related to gaining admission to graduate school.
This partnership preserved program quality, supported scholar persistence, and extended institutional capacity without sacrificing individualized support or outcomes.
An educational nonprofit scholarship program partnered with Grad School Femtoring to provide individualized graduate admissions and career coaching for scholars across the country navigating complex academic and career decisions.
Through up to 8 hours of one-on-one coaching per scholar, participants developed clear application plans, refined graduate school lists, and drafted competitive CVs, resumes, and admissions essays. Scholars reported acceptance into their top-choice programs, increased confidence, follow-through, and sustained momentum across graduate, professional, and creative pathways.
This model allowed the program to deliver high-touch support at scale while minimizing advising strain on staff.
A graduate preparation program partnered with Grad School Femtoring to provide scholars with a custom virtual retreat.
Through a two-day Compassionate Accountability Grad School Prep Retreat, scholars conducted program and faculty research, drafted and revised application materials, developed application plans, and made meaningful progress on an average of 3.2 application components. Scholars also reported a 42% reduction in overwhelm related to graduate admissions and a 79% increase in confidence navigating the application process.
This retreat helped scholars build momentum, make tangible progress on key application tasks, and leave with greater confidence and readiness to continue working toward their graduate school goals.
"Yvette has been extremely helpful throughout my journey. She helped me see different perspectives on how to elevate my applications without losing my voice. She motivated me and pushed me. The power that my story has when communicating with others was a skill she continued to value. She truly sat with everything I put on paper and worked with me step by step. She made sure I never felt like my light would dim." - Shaiyan S., Admitted Grad School Applicant
"The most impactful part of the program was discussing my story with Dr. Yvette. We bonded over our shared experience and she helped me get clarity on how to write more fluid stories. She made me feel prepared for finishing my grad school application and more knowledgeable about the process. I would recommend this program because having someone who cares about you making it into grad school is priceless." - Tavon Hill, Admitted Grad School Applicant
“The session was honest, practical—exactly what our students need to know about grad school… especially for our BIPOC first-generation students.” - McNair / SSS Program Director
“The presentation was very professional and reinforced what we have been teaching them… increased their confidence in the process.” - Anonymous Faculty Participant
"Dra. Yvette is very responsive when it comes to planning and preparing for the workshop, so it's very nice to work with her. She is also very intentional about getting to know the audience she will be presenting to, to ensure it is relevant." - Latino Education Advancement Foundation
“I started off worried about how to stand out and whether my experience was applicable to my field. Dr. Yvette showed me how to write about it in a way that connected to counseling. Without this, I don’t know when or how I would have begun my applications.” - Anonymous Retreat Participant
“The tools provided helped make grad school feasible." | “Being in an accountable space urged me to do my share of work" | "It helped me focus with the help of someone who's got the ins and outs of them understood." - Anonymous Retreat Participants
“This was a unique and effective model for graduate application support. The retreat combined structured work time, individualized guidance, and community in a format that responded to scholars’ different priorities and support needs.” - Program Director
Over 15 years supporting first-generation and historically excluded students
Partnerships with dozens of universities and federally funded programs
Published author, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and award-winning podcaster
Proven ability to support student success without increasing staff burnout
Grad School Femtoring is experienced in working within institutional procurement and compliance processes. Our goal is to make our partnership administratively smooth and substantively impactful. We can provide, upon request:
Custom proposals tailored to your program’s goals
Statements of work (SOWs) with clear scopes and timelines
An up to date capability statement for internal review and approvals
Procurement-friendly documentation and vendor materials
The most effective partnerships begin before peak admissions and advising seasons, when there is time to integrate support into existing programming. Programs that plan early are better able to maximize student engagement and reduce last-minute strain on staff. Availability is limited each term to ensure high-quality delivery.
Most institutional partnerships begin with a short planning call to explore fit and timing with no commitment required. Book a free call today.
