I'm Andy Johnson, and I spent 20 years inside college admissions offices at the VP and Director level — including two years as Director of Admissions at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. I know how admissions offices think, what they're actually looking for, and where the standard college advice families get is designed to serve the industry, not the student.
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The Other 95 exists because that advice left too many families behind. Not the families applying to Harvard — they have plenty of help. It left behind the other 95%: families with a solid student, a real budget, and no idea how to tell the difference between a school that wants their money and a school that will actually graduate their kid.
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I built this practice for those families. I'm working with them in NWA now.
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20 years in admissions offices. Now I'm on your side.
Independent college advising for Northwest Arkansas families who deserve straight answers — not a sales pitch.
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Why Arkansas?
I know this state.
My connection to Arkansas isn't a marketing decision. I spent two years at UA–Fort Smith restructuring how the admissions office served first-generation and underserved students — learning which Arkansas high schools were preparing students well, which ones needed more support, and how families in this region navigate a college search. That work shaped how I advise today.
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The NWA corridor has grown fast. Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville — these communities now have families with real complexity in their college decisions: strong students, international backgrounds, high-earning households who still don't fully understand how financial aid actually works. Most of them are getting advice written for a completely different kind of family.
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That's the gap I'm here to close.
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Positioning - What Families Get
What I actually do - and what I don't
I don't induce anxiety. I don't tell families what they want to hear. And I don't make money when a student enrolls at a particular school — I'm paid by families, not by colleges.
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What I do: I tell you what the list should actually look like, what the real price is likely to be, and what's worth your student's time to apply for. I've sat on the other side of the desk for two decades. The interpretation of what you're seeing — that's what families are missing.
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Credentials
20 years in the room
Before I built The Other 95, I spent two decades as a senior enrollment management professional — VP and Director level — at institutions in Kansas, Arkansas, and California. That's not a credential I earned by attending seminars. It's actual experience running admissions offices, managing financial aid strategy, and recruiting students at institutions that served real families with real budgets.
University of Arkansas – Fort Smith
Director of Admissions
I led admissions operations at a regional Arkansas institution. Restructured scholarship funding to expand access for first-generation and underserved students. Built relationships with high schools and community colleges across the state.
Bethel College, North Newton, KS
Vice President for Admissions
This was a senior cabinet-level role with full responsibility for admissions and financial aid strategy. I worked with my team to build programs that helped students find and afford the college. We restructured financial aid to reduce student debt without sacrificing access.
Director of Undergraduate Admissions
 Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA
I directed undergraduate admissions at a faith-based university in the California market, building my understanding of how students and families navigate college decisions across very different regional contexts.
Background
Journalism & Theology (MDiv)
I came to admissions from a reporting background. The habit of asking "is this actually true?" has served families better than any marketing training.
How it works
Working with NWA families.
The Other 95 serves Northwest Arkansas families both virtually and in person. In-person sessions are available now in Bentonville on a limited basis. Virtual sessions are available to families across NWA and the surrounding region — no commute required.
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Every engagement starts with a Clarity Session: 90 minutes, $175. By the end, you'll have an honest picture of where your student stands, a starting school list, and three specific next steps in writing. If you decide to continue with a full package, the Clarity Session fee credits toward it.
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No sales pitch. No manufactured urgency. A real conversation with someone who has spent 20 years in admissions offices and is now working exclusively for families.
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