The Founder
The Admissions Game Is
Won Before You Apply.
Here's Who Wrote the Playbook.
Josef Durand is a Harvard University graduate with a degree in Psychology and over 12 years of experience as a college admissions coach and tutor. He specializes in hyper-competitive applications, including those to Ivy League institutions, top BS/MD programs for aspiring doctors, Stanford, MIT, and other Top 20 programs. He keeps a close finger on the pulse of the industry's latest changes and trends, and one of his most significant insights is the difference between an on-the-fence application and an accepted one: proving passion without ever using the word.
His path to this work started early. Josef began informally tutoring his younger sister and peers in middle school, out of instinct rather than obligation. That natural coaching impulse was sharpened over years of elite athletics under state- and nationally-recognized coaches, many of whom went on to coach at the NCAA and NFL levels. The discipline, preparation, and resilience from those years never left. They show up in how he prepares students: not just strategically, but mentally. It is the same principle Josef applies to every part of his life, on and off the field: Loyalty to Quality.
Professionally, Josef has worked with students across the US, China, Southeast Asia, and the UK, including a group of Beijing-based students he guided to scores above 1500 on the SAT during Summer 2025. He has been teaching and tutoring SAT, ACT, and AP professionally for over a decade and informally since he was 13 years old. Among his recent admissions coaching successes: students accepted to Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Stanford University, MIT, and the Brown Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME). The results speak for themselves. The strategic playbook behind them is what Veritas Hall is built on.
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Harvard University, B.A. Psychology, Class of 2014John DeC. Blondel Memorial Scholar (1 of 2 recipients). Don Bosco Prep Ironmen Valedictorian (2010). 4x NJ State Football Champion and 1x National Champion (2010). Co-founded Spayce, Inc. and raised $2.5M from VCs. Co-managed $100K AUM at Black Diamond Capital, beating the market by 2.5x over 2 years.
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Published Author: The Admissions Playbook, The SAT Playbook and The ACT Playbook (2026)Free guides for students and families, available under Resources below. The Admissions Playbook is the revised and expanded edition of Josef’s first book, Art of Admissions: The Official College Application Strategy Guide (2024, on Amazon), covering the whole season from grade 7 through the first semester of college.
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12 Years of Industry Experience, Global PracticeOver a decade working with established admissions consulting organizations across the US, China, Southeast Asia, and the UK. Students admitted to every Ivy League institution plus Stanford, MIT, and top BS/MD programs worldwide.
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Entrepreneur and Operator Across Multiple IndustriesCo-Founder/CMO of Spayce, Inc. (raised $2.5M, 35,000+ users, featured in USA Today). Business Development Manager at Lango, Inc. ($150K raised via Y-Combinator). Board Member of One Bite Safer, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Former Project Manager at Nasdaq. 4-year Harvard Student Agencies Manager.
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Elite Athlete, The Performance Mindset Behind the Method4x state football champion and national champion under coaches who went on to the NCAA and NFL. The same preparation discipline, adversity resilience, and performance under pressure that defined Josef's athletic career is the operating philosophy behind every student engagement at Veritas Hall.
The Team
Senior Admissions
Counselor.
Louis Leonidas
Louis Leonidas is a Harvard graduate and storyteller who has traveled to more than 40 countries and lived in China, India, Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Thailand, among others. For over 10 years, he's helped students gain admission to top universities and reflect on their lives to craft narratives that carry them well beyond college. He has stories for days, and he helps students tell theirs.
