About Me
When my daughter started at UC Irvine, it didn’t take long before she felt overwhelmed — not by the coursework, but by managing everything around it.
Which classes to take, in what order. What prerequisites did she need. Can she get ahead by taking some community college classes over the summer? She was growing frustrated with not getting a response from an advisor.
She called me. And because I'd spent 16 years working inside California’s college system, I could help her — really help her.
I knew how the systems worked, what advisors could and couldn't do, how to build a degree plan that actually made sense, and how to get her thinking clearly again when everything felt like too much.
It worked. But somewhere in those conversations, I kept thinking the same thing: most students don’t have someone who can translate college confusion into a clear plan.
Most students don't have a parent who can walk them through prerequisite sequencing, or explain what an education plan actually means, or help them figure out why they're procrastinating and what to do about it.
They're navigating it alone, with a 20-minute advisor appointment once a semester if they're lucky.
That's why I started Aaren College Coaching.
I'm Aaren Cobb, Ed.D. My background is in educational leadership and rehabilitation counseling, with a focus on college transition, executive functioning, and student support.
For more than 16 years, I’ve worked directly with college students navigating academic planning, motivation, overwhelm, and the sudden independence college demands.
My approach is structured but personal. I help students build practical systems for planning, organization, accountability, and follow-through while also helping them better understand what motivates them and what tends to derail them.
Together, we build goals and routines that feel manageable and sustainable over time.
Your student is capable. They just need someone in their corner who knows how all of this works.
-Aaren
Ed.D., Educational Leadership (2015) · M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling (2012) · 16+ years in California higher education
If you’d like to learn more about how I support students and families, you can explore my Services page or schedule a consultation.
Professional Background
16+ years working in California higher education
Coordinator of the NextUp foster youth support program at Reedley College for the past 10 years
Experience supporting foster youth, homeless youth, students with disabilities, and first-generation college students
Former DSP&S Counselor and Transition to College Counselor
Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno
Research focused on transition-to-college barriers and student support systems
Experience developing degree plans, transfer pathways, accommodations support, and student success interventions