About Us

Founders, not handlers.

You work directly with the principals who built Classical. They mentor with rigour and genuine care.

Leadership

The principals behind the work.

Partners and heads of practice take your case themselves. No handlers stand between you and the people doing the work.

Raphael Montes

Partner & CEO

Raphael leads Classical's Admissions practice with over thirteen years tutoring students at the world's most selective secondary schools and universities. A former homeschool student until thirteen, he specialises in building structured, rewarding educations outside the conventional path. His students have matriculated to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, UChicago, UPenn, Cornell, Duke, Northwestern, and Michigan.

He earned a JD/MBA from Columbia Law & Business and studied Applied Mathematics and Classics at Columbia. He works as an Associate at A&O Shearman in London.

Michael Labib

Partner & COO

Michael leads Classical's operations and serves as Head of Career Advising, where his students have secured offers at Goldman Sachs, Related Companies, Eastdil Secured, Apollo, Wells Fargo, UBS, Blue Owl Capital, Girls Who Invest, StepStone, SemiAnalysis, HSS, and more. He guides students through the full recruitment cycle: résumé and cover-letter edits, then technical interview prep in finance, consulting, and engineering.

A published researcher in bioelectronics and biosensors at Weill Cornell Medicine, he earned a B.B.A. from Emory's Goizueta Business School and attended the University of Cambridge as a visiting student at sixteen.

Akshay Raghuram

Head of Academics

Akshay leads Classical's Academics practice, mentoring students through coursework, exam prep, and research. He sees a project the whole way: hypothesis, manuscript, publication. He is pursuing an orthopaedic surgery research fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).

Akshay specialises in advanced STEM tutoring (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Chemistry, Physics) alongside MCAT and USMLE preparation. He earned a B.A. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Emory University.

Advisory Team

Mentors across every discipline.

Elaine Vernoff

Admissions & Career

A current MBA candidate at The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), Elaine holds first-hand insight into elite program admissions in finance and business. A graduate of Emory University (Goizueta), she guides students through the full application, from the narrative on the page to the interview itself. Her clients have secured offers at top MBA programs including Wharton, Columbia, and Harvard Business School.

Nick Sheth

Admissions & Academics

Nick guides Classical's pre-medical and STEM students, drawing on his work as an orthopaedic surgery research fellow at Emory University, where he studies hip and knee arthroplasty before applying to residency.

He earned a B.A. in Biology and Economics from Emory and an MPH from Dartmouth College, with published research across orthopaedic surgery, anaesthesiology, and public health.

Sahaj Anand

Admissions & Career

Sahaj supports Classical's Admissions & Career Advising practices. A graduate of Emory University (Goizueta), he earned a BBA with a concentration in Information Systems and Operations Management. He has guided applicants into top undergraduate programs including UPenn (Wharton), Cornell (Dyson), UCLA, UC Berkeley Engineering, and Michigan (Ross), blending narrative development with strategic positioning.

Lucas Fagan

Academics & Admissions

Lucas supports Classical's Academics & Admissions practices as a PhD candidate in Mathematics at UC Santa Barbara, tutoring students at every level from middle school to advanced college courses. With over ten years of experience, he specialises in strengthening mathematical thinking through a tailored, one-on-one approach.

Ethan Berlant

Academics & Admissions

Ethan brings expertise in advanced mathematics, physics, and standardized-test prep (GMAT, GRE, SAT), with over twenty years tutoring at university and high-school levels. Beyond math and physics, he supports students in Python, machine learning, LSAT prep, and chemistry. Known for a flexible, curiosity-driven style, he meets each student on their own terms.

Keegan McCombie

Academics & Career

Keegan supports Classical's Career Advising practice, helping students secure roles in national security, public affairs, consulting, and international organizations. A Council on Foreign Relations Young Professional, he has spoken at the Harvard Kennedy School's Public Policy Leadership Forum and the NATO Youth Summit, with experience spanning global foreign-policy leadership, legislative drafting, and security consulting.

Partners

In the rooms that matter.

Leading universities and secondary schools partner with Classical as a trusted external resource, bringing our workshops, seminars, presentations, office hours, and classes to their students.

University Partnerships

Harvard Varsity Club

Harvard's official student-athlete association (HVC). We deliver workshops and seminars to its athletes on careers and life beyond competition.

Club Partnerships

Harvard Undergraduate Real Estate Investment Group

A leading student-run organization (HUREIG). We deliver sessions to its members on recruitment and careers in real estate and finance.

More partnerships on the way.

Partner with Us

Work with founders.

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