Central Valley College Quest | 4115 N Van Ness Blvd. Fresno, CA 93704
(559) 930-9413
wldurley@gmail.com

Our Difference

"... where local students find college knowledge"

Get to know who would be helping you/your son or daughter:

W. Laird Durley

Independent Educational Consultant
Retired College Professor

Educational Background:

B.A. English from Ripon College (WI)

B.A. double major Philosophy and Math/History of Science from St. John’s College (NM)

Certificate, Institut Catholique de Paris (FR)

M.A. Liberal Education from St. John’s College (NM)

Paralegal Certificate, (highest honors) College of San Mateo (CA)

Two years Doctoral studies in Rhetoric at UC Berkley (CA)

California Community College Teaching Credentials in:
1) Philosophy & Religion
2) Language Arts & Literature

Independent Educational Consultant Certificate, UC Irvine

IECA Summer Training Institute

Professional Career:

7 years prep-school teaching at the Dunn, Crystal Springs and Uplands, and Woodside Priory Schools in every subject but physics and chemistry
3 1/2 years private tutoring in math, French, English

23 years in Community Colleges teaching English and Philosophy, the last 20 as head of Philosophy at Reedley College (CA)

College Consulting:

I have been working these last 108 months with:
a recently retired public school college counselor of 30 years and
a recently retired independent college counselor of 20 years and
most recently, the highly regarded HECA, IECA, NACAC and WACAC

I have conducted over 255 college visits over the past nine years,
125 of them by invitation and individually over that time.
counseled over 90 individual clients
compleated the UCI Counseling Cert

On the Road for you: the 255 College and University visits I have made over the last 9 years…and a few more:

 Over the past three years I have personally visited each of the colleges or universities on the following list. At each of these schools I have minimally:

1) taken a tour of the campus

2) attended an Information session ( exceptions marked*)

3) interviewed an associate dean (and usually the dean) of admission

for 1 to 4 hours using, minimally, my 32 question standardized form

( exceptions marked**) and supplimented with 10 or more college-specific ones

4) interviewed 5-10 students, usually over a meal or two.


Additionally, at 119 of the colleges that follow I have attended at least one, often two and sometimes more classes.


At various colleges on this list over thes last years I have additionally:
spent the night on campus

attended recitals, concerts, plays, art exhibits and athletic events

talked to coaches, faculty, academic deans, dir.of financial aid, and presidents,

interveiwed college provided student panels,

walked college run nature preserves/study sites with their directors,

participated in Honors Colloquia and exhibitions
….and even, on three occasions,

been invited to ride with the college’s equestrian team!

Trip #1 -10/10/10 – 10/16/10 Maryland & Pennsylvania
Goucher College ( third visit)
McDaniel College
Ursinus College
Juniata College
Bryn Mawr College (my mother-in-law & sister-in-law’s alma mater)
St. John’s College (Annapolis) (multiple visits: my wife’s alma mater)


Trip #2 -11/7/10 – 11/13/10 Pennsylvania, Ohio & NewYork
Allegheny College
College of Wooster
Hiram College
Oberlin College (second visit)
Kenyon college
Denison University (second visit)
Ohio Wesleyan University


Trip #3 -1/19/11 – 1/29/11 Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi & Tennessee
Agnes Scott College
Birmingham Southern College
Millsaps College
Emory College/Oxford College of Emory University
Rhodes University
University of the South (Sewanee) (+visit with colleague)


Trip #4 -2/24/11 – 2/28/11 Florida
Eckerd College ( multiple visits: my second son’s alma mater)
New College of Florida

Trip #5 -3/20/11 – 3/25/11 Claremont, California ( I grew up here: father worked here)
Claremont McKenna College
Harvy Mudd College
Pomona College (my father’s alma mater)
Scripps College ( my mother’s almamater)
Pitzer College


Trip #6 -4/10/11 – 4/16/11 North Carolina & Virginia
Davidson College
Washington and Lee University
Guilford College
Lynchburg College
Emory&Henry College


Trip #7 -4/23/11 – 4/30/11 Oregon & Washington
Willamette University (third visit)
Lewis & Clark College (fourth visit)
Whitman College (third visit)
Reed College (second visit)
The Evergreen State College


Trip #8 -7/25/11-7/30/11 New Mexico
St John’s College (Santa Fe) (my second alma mater)


Trip #9 -10/01/11 California
Thomas Aquinas College


Trip #10 -9/19/11-9/23/11 Massachusetts & Vermont
Amherst College ( second visit)
Smith College ( +visit with colleague )
Mount Holyoke College
Hampshire College
Clark University (3rd visit)
Marlboro College ( +visit with colleague)


Trip #11 -10/31/11-11/4/11 Minnesota & Wisconsin
Carleton College (second visit)
St Olaf’s College (second visit)
Macalester College
Ripon College (my first alma mater)
Lawrence University (second visit)


Trip #12 -11/23/11 California
St Mary’s College (CA) (multiple visits)


Trip #13 -12/6/11-12/7/11 California
University of Santa Clara
Mills College ( my sister’s alma mater) (+ visit with colleague)


Trip #14 -1/21/12-1/28/12 Illinois & Michigan
Shimer College
Wheaton College
Hope College
Hillsdale College
Kalamazoo College


Trip #15 -2/20/12-2/24/12 Indiana. Kentucky & Ohio
Berea College
Centre College
Earlham College
Wabash College
Antioch College


Trip #16 -4/09/12-4/13/12 Iowa, Wisconsin & Illinois
Coe College (second visit)
Cornell College (IA) (second visit)
Beloit College (second visit)
Knox College (second visit)
Grinnell College (second visit)( +visit with client in 2017)


Trip #17 -7/23/12-7/27/12 Pennsylvania
Swarthmore (& the IECA Summer Training Institute)
Bryn Mawr College (tour only) (second visit)
Haverford Colleges (drive by)
(Info sessions with Deans from Drexel University* and Ursinus College*)


Trip #18 -9/23/12-9/27/12 Maine
College of the Atlantic
Unity College
Colby College
Bowdoin College
Bates College**
(“does not deal with IECs” …but I was allowed attend 3 classes)


Trip #19 -11/04/12-11/10/12 Georgia
Agnes Scott College#
Spelman College#
Emory University (Emory College & Oxford College)* (second visit to both)
Ogalthorpe Univiersity*
# [here and all subsequently marked colleges= on a counselor group tour. (i.e. usually 3-4 hours at each college info session with Dean of Admin.,meal, meeting with a student panel, tour of campus, Q&A.)]


Trip #20 02/11/13-02/13/13 California
University of Redlands (+Johnston Center) (my older son’s alma mater)
Chapman University
Whittier College
University of La Vern (drive by+tour+meeting with dean only)


Trip #21 03/13/13-03/23/13 North Carolina and Massechusetts
High Point University (sponsored 2day fly-in but no classes)
Elon University
Brandeis University
Boston College
Wheaton College (MA) (third visit)


Trip #22 04/08/13-04/13/13 Chicago area
University of Chicago **
Northwestern University
Shimer College*(second visit)
Illinois Inst. of Tech.#
Illinois Wesleyan University#
Univ. of Illinois(U-C)#
VanderCook College of Music#
Columbia College Chicago.#
(** Drive by and visit with a client.)


Trip #23 07/31/13-08/02/13 San Francisco Area
Dominican University
Stanford University (usual +visit with a client)


Trip #24 9/15/13- 09/22/13 Conn. and Mass and New York
Yale University (usual + visit with a client)
Vassar College
Bard College
Bard at Simon’s Rock
Wesleyan University


Trip #25 10/20/13-10/26/13 N.Y., Vermont, New Hampshire
Dartmouth College (second visit)
Middlebury College (usual + visit with a client) (third visit)
Union College (second visit)
Landmark College
Bennington College
Skidmore College ( second visit)


Trip #26 11/12/13-11/18/13 San Diego, Los Angeles
USC# (+ visit with client)
UCLA#(+visit with client)
CalTech#
Occidental College# (third visit)
Loyola Marymount University*( +visit with client)
Marymount California University*


Trip #27 5/4/14-5/10/14 Indianapolis envirions
Purdue University#
Indiana University#
IUPUI#
Butler University#
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology#


Trip #28 9/21/14-10/04/14 Pennsylvannia
Haverford College
Villanova University
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Muhlenberg College
Bucknell University
Dickinson College
Gettysburg College
Franklin&Marshall College
University of Pennsylvania


Trip #29 11/7/14-11/8/14 Florida
Beacon College#
Rollins College ( drive by) (third visit)
Eckerd College (multiple visits, drive by)


Trip #30 5/04/15-5/14/15 Maryland, Indiana, Iowa, Wyoming
University of Maryland# (older son’s MA here)
Stevenson University#
Goucher College# (third visit)
US Naval Academy#
St. John’s College# (multiple visits)
University of Baltimore#
Johns Hopkins University#
University of Notre Dame (drive by, tour only)
Grinnell College ( drive by, tour only) ( third visit)
University of Wyoming, Laramie (driveby, tour only)


Trip #31 6/14/15-6/19/15 Ohio
University of Dayton#
University of Cincinnati#
Xavier University#
Dennison University# (third visit)
Ohio Wesleyan University# (second visit)
Ohio State University#
Wittenberg University#


Trip #32 9/20/15-9/28/15 (not all days) Massachusettes, Maryland
Harvard College # ( tour, info session, +short visit with client)
Tufts University# (tour, regional dean of admissions indiv 1 hour meeting)
St. Johns College# (multi day)


Trip #33 11/2/15-11/5/15 Arizona
Univ. of Northern Arizona#
Embry-Riddle Aeronutical#
Prescott# (+ visit with client in 2017)
Thunderbird#
Arizona State#
University of Arizona ( +SALT on my own)


Trip #34 5/02/16-5/075/16 Massachusetts
Worchester Polytechnic Institute#
Clark University# (4th visit)
College of the Holy Cross#
Colleges of the Fenway#
( Emmanuel College, Simmons College, Wentworth Institute of Technology,
Wheelock College, Mass Art and MCPHS University )
Harvard Univesity# (second visit)
Emerson College
Northeastern University


Trip #35 6/01/16-6/03/16 California
Loyola Marymount University (second visit)


Trip #36 6/14/16 California
University of California, Irvine


Trip #37 6/20/16-6/23/16 Pennsylvania
Franklin and Marshall# (second visit)
Philadelphia University#
St. Joseph’s University
Temple University



Trip #38 10/31/16-11/02/16 Louisianna
University of Louisiana (Lafayette)#
LSU#
Tulane University# (+visit with a client in 2017)
Dillard University#
University of New Orleans#
Loyola University, New Orleans#



Trip #39 5/8/2017-5/12/2017 Colorado
U.S. Olympic Training Center#
U.S. Air Force Academy#
Colorado College#
University of Denver#


Trip #40 6/18/2017-6/23/2017 California
Cal Tech# (second visit)
Whittier College# (second visit)
Claremont-McKenna College# (All Claremont’s many times)
Harvey Mudd College#
Pomona College#
Scripps College#
Pitzer College#
Claremont Graduate University
Keck Graduate Institute (Minerva + Medical Post Bac)


Trip #41 9/11/17-9/16/17 Massachusetts and Connecticut
Northeastern University# ( second time)
Boston University#
Trinity University* (Conn)
University of Hartford#
University of Saint Joseph#
Central Connecticut State University#


Trip # 42 Oct 21, 2017 California
University of LaVern ( Graduate school visit for client)


Trip # 43 11/12/17-11/18/17 The DMV (DC,Maryland,Virginia)
The College of William and Mary#
University of Virginia#
Virginia Commonwealth#
University of Richmond#
Georgetown
George Washington
American University (+ visit with a client)


Trip # 44 3/19/18-3/28/18 Western Canada/ Western Washington
University of British Columbia
Quest University
Simon Frazer University
University of Victoria (no classes but 4 prof 3 student interviews)
Western Washington University( Fairhaven also)(no classes)


Trip #45 4/23/18-4/24/18 Texas
Austin College#( second visit)
Southern Methodist University#
Texas Christian University#
Baylor University#
Southwestern University#
St Edward’s University ( a usual private visit)


Trip #46 6/14/18-6/15/18 Texas
Southwesten University#
Trinity University*
UT Austin#
St Edward’s University#


Trip # 47 10/17/18- 10/28/18 New York
New York University ( all but classes)
Columbia University ( all but classes)
Barnard College ( all but classes )
Frordham University( both campuses) (all but classes)
Pace University ( both campuses) ( classes)
The New School-Eugene Lang ( all but classes)
Big Apple College Fair
CUNY- City College (all but classes)
CUNY- Hunter ( classes)
SUNY- Maritime (classes)
Stevens Institute of Technology(classes)
Sarah Lawrence College (all but classes)


Trip #48 11/07/18 California
California Institute of the Arts ( all but classes)


Trip # 49 05/06/19-05/11/19 Chicago Area
Lake Forest College#
Northwestern University#( second visit)
Loyola University Chicago#
DePaul University#
University of Chicago#( second visit)


Trip #50 06/16/19–06/21/19 Rhode Island, Conn, Mass
Trinity (Conn)#
Wesleyan#
Quinnipiac#
Coast Guard Academy#
Connecticut College#
Brown#
Providence#
RISD


Trip #51 06/21/19-06/23/19 Charleston SC
The Citadel
College of Charleston


Trip #52 10/22/21-10/23/21 California
Cal Maritime
University of the Pacific


Trip #52 02/15/22 California
Menlo College


Trip #53 03/28/22-04/01/22 Southern California
Cal Lutheran
Azusa Pacific
Cal Baptist
Marymount California
Mount St. Mary’s


Trip #54 05/16/22-05/20/22 Philidelphia Area
Muhlenberge College
Rider University
Princeston University
Temple University


Trip #55 06/13/22-06/17/22 Denver
United States Airforce Academy
Colorado College
University of Colorado (Colorado Springs)
Colorado School of Mines
University of Colorado (Boulder)
Colorado State University Ft. Collins


Additionally, over the years I have toured, attended information sessions and interviewed at 15 additional colleges:


Whitworth University
Univ. of Puget Sound
UCSC
UCB
UCSD

UCM
Hendrix College
Virginia Military Institute
Williams College
University of San Diego

California Christian College

Fresno Pacific University
Pepperdine
Swarthmore
CSU Fresno





This next year I plan to be visiting at least these additional 10 more :


Deep Springs College
Hamilton College

Washington University of St Louis
Carneige-Mellon University

St Mary’s College of Maryland

DePauw

Wake Forest

USF

Temple

California Maritime