Our Team

At Better College Apps, we understand both sides of the complex college admissions process and how to navigate it successfully. We know firsthand the pressure you face, and our trusted expertise can give you confidence to submit your very best application!

As students:

We’ve been there. We personally crafted successful applications, and we lived the grueling process of college admissions. We tested, applied, interviewed, auditioned, and ultimately navigated the life-changing college decision. As high school seniors, we were collectively:

Above the 99th percentile on SAT/ACT and class rank
Admitted to multiple highly selective colleges
Offered over $1,000,000 in scholarships and awarded multiple top-tier merit fellowships

As reviewers:

We’ve done that. We know how colleges approach admissions and what they seek in prospective students. We know how application reviewers think and what stands out to them. As reviewers, our team has:

Real-life experience reviewing applications for a top 30 public U.S. university
Taught high school courses on college admissions
Thorough research into the application process and conventional advice
Discussions with current and former admissions officers
An impressive list of admissions for our students. Our results speak for themselves.

Every year, top colleges are becoming more and more selective. Our students’ admit rates to top colleges are consistently 5x-15x higher than the overall admit rate. Of our consultation clients who apply to T20 colleges, over 90% have historically been admitted to one or more.

Mark Boerckel, Co-Founder

Mark has reviewed applications for the Clemson University Honors College and National Scholars Program. He is also a member of Clemson's Honors College Advisory Board. He holds an M.B.A. (2015) and a B.S. in Economics (2009) from Clemson. He received the Harvey Wheeler Award for the Most Outstanding Senior in Economics and was inducted the inaugural class of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a Dixon Fellow and National Scholar (Clemson's premier scholarship program). Mark's work experience includes positions as a vice president, strategy analyst, and stock trader at various financial institutions. He is a volunteer magician and enjoys college football.

Bethany Boerckel, Co-Founder

Bethany's admissions experience includes reviewing applications for the Clemson University Honors College and National Scholars Program. She is also a member of Clemson's Honors College Advisory Board. She graduated from the Clemson Honors College with a B.A. in History in 2009. She was a National Scholar (Clemson's premier scholarship program) and was inducted into Clemson's inaugural class of Phi Beta Kappa. Bethany started a violin studio in Marietta, GA, and has performed with the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra. She plays violin, piano, and hammered dulcimer, and loves reading classic children's literature to her three young daughters.

Wyn Boerckel, Senior Consultant

Wyn earned an M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2017. Prior to this, he graduated from Washington and Lee University in 2013 with B.A. degrees in History and Philosophy. He was a R. E. Lee Scholar, a full-ride scholarship, and received the Mahon Award for outstanding creative writing. Wyn has taught courses in history, philosophy, and college essays and admissions strategy at a private high school in Illinois for six years. He enjoys watching college football and taking walks with his wife and two adorable children.

Muriel Unseth, Senior Consultant

Muriel holds an M.A. in English from the University of Tulsa (2021), where she was awarded the Ben Graf Henneke Research Fellowship. As an undergraduate, she received the University of Tulsa’s Presidential Scholarship and completed a dual B.S.B.A. in Accounting and B.A. in English (4.0 GPA). She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received the Outstanding Senior Award in the Collins College of Business. Muriel received a Fulbright grant to teach English in the Czech Republic. She loves reading literature and history (particularly war literature from the 20th century) and is a long-time long distance runner.

Rebekah Schloemann, Consultant

Rebekah attended the Clemson University Honors College, where she earned a B.S. (2007) and M.S. (2010) in Computer Engineering. She received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her research focused on wireless communications, and as an undergraduate, she was the Riggs Most Outstanding Senior in Computer Engineering. She has work experience as a software engineer and an algebra teacher. She enjoys playing modern board games with her husband and three children and also plays tennis competitively.

Kari West, Senior Consultant

Kari attended the University of North Carolina where she was on the Dean’s List for her junior and senior year. She earned a B.A. in English from UNC in 2011. In her past nine years of work in the non-profit world, she has gained a wide array of experience in professional writing and editing. Kari lives in North Carolina with her husband and two lively young daughters. She is an incurable reader of literature and fantasy novels and writes creatively in her free time.

Kevin Tuten, Senior Professional Consultant

Kevin Tuten is an experienced mentor for Engineers and Supply Chain specialists entering early-career roles. He has spent nearly a decade structuring and leading internship, co-op and onboarding programs in Fortune 500 manufacturing sites, training entry-level Engineers and recruiting talented Engineering students from top universities for manufacturing roles. Helping others achieve their career ambitions is Kevin’s top professional passion. Achieving those ambitions starts with the first impression: the resume, the application and the interview. Kevin provides unique insights, tips, and strategies to make students successful in competitive internships, co-ops, and summer programs. Let’s start with the first impression and build your professional experience together!