Build community with other IECs.
Solopreneur? Need a break? Want to build a community while exploring a new culture? Consilium was designed to be deliberately small and slow. We’ll share three nights of meals, programming, activities, and unhurried conversations.
Where
Cundinamarca, Colombia, outside Bogotá
When
February 21–24, 2027
Length
3 nights · 2 full program days
Who
IECs, from first-year to veteran
The place
A working coffee farm in the cloud-forest hills
Stay in a room in the middle of an organic coffee farm designed around principles of sustainability and woven into its natural surroundings in the rolling, green hills of Cundinamarca, a short drive from Bogotá. The coffee grown here is served in some of the best cafés in the world. You will drink it steps from where it was picked.
Choose between a single (limited capacity, first-come first-serve) or double. Each room is fully independent and includes a bedroom area, private bathroom, outdoor shower and a balcony where you can enjoy spectacular views.
Stay on the farm
Lodging is on the property itself, surrounded by coffee trees and birdsong rather than traffic. Mornings start slowly, with very good coffee.
Eat what the region grows
All meals are included, built around Colombian ingredients from the surrounding countryside.
Close to Bogotá, far from routine
Fly into Bogotá's El Dorado airport; the farm is a scenic drive away. For those who want it, we can arrange sightseeing in the city before or after the retreat.
The program
Sharpen your practice, hear from an admissions officer, and slow down.
Sessions are built for a mixed room, so newer IECs leave with foundations and structure while veterans leave with fresh thinking and peers who operate at their level.
- 2 – 5 PM · Staggered airport pickups from Bogotá, coordinated around flight arrivals
- 5 – 6 PM · Welcome dinner
- 6 – 7 PM · Introductions, program overview, and an opening circle
- 7 PM on · Dinner, fireplace, and terrace. No content tonight; just land.
- 7:30 – 9 AM · Breakfast
- 9 AM – 12 PM · Program session on the expanding role of the IEC, with a coffee break
- 12 – 4:30 PM · Lunch and optional activities: coffee tour, fruit tour, bird watching, the bee sanctuary, a guided hike, biking, yoga, or simply relaxing
- 4:30 – 6:30 PM · Happy hour and dinner
- 6:30 – 7:30 PM · Fireside chat with Cornell, questions welcome
- 8 PM · Latin dancing lesson
- 7:30 – 9 AM · Breakfast
- 9 AM – 12:30 PM · Program sessions on building a sustainable IEC practice, with a coffee tasting on the farm as the morning break
- 12:30 – 2 PM · Lunch
- 2 – 3:30 PM · Working session
- 3:30 – 5 PM · Guided nature walk or hike
- 5:30 – 6:30 PM · Dinner
- 6:30 – 7:30 PM · Fireside chat with Cornell, questions welcome
- 8 PM · Fireplace and an optional film night
- 7:30 – 9 AM · Slow breakfast and last coffees
- 9 – 10:30 AM · Closing session on AI and the future of admissions advising
- 10:30 – 11 AM · Closing circle
- From 11 AM · Transfers back toward Bogotá. Optional: stay on for an afternoon or evening in the city, which we’re glad to help arrange
Times, session order, and activities may shift with the weather and the harvest. The shape of the retreat, three nights with two full program days, will not.
Beyond the sessions
Colombia, up close
Every activity is included in the price and entirely optional. Join what sounds fun, skip what doesn’t, and nobody will mind.
Coffee tasting
A guided cupping on one of Colombia's most celebrated specialty farms, led by the people who grow it.
Exotic fruit tour
Lulo, guanábana, granadilla and more. A tasting tour of fruit most of the world has never met.
Latin dancing
Salsa, rumba, or cha-cha in a beginner-friendly lesson, because you cannot come to Colombia and not dance at least once.
Guided hike
Trails through coffee trees and cloud forest, with views worth every step.
Mountain biking
The farm keeps bikes and forest trails for anyone who'd rather roll than walk. All levels welcome.
Bird watching
Colombia has more bird species than any other country on Earth. Come meet the ones living in the trees around you.
Bee sanctuary
Visit the farm's bee sanctuary and meet the pollinators behind the coffee, the fruit, and the flowers all around you.
Hatha yoga
A gentle hatha practice in the mountain air, open to every level.
What's included
Whichever room you choose, all of this is included
Not included: flights to Bogotá and travel insurance. We will send full travel guidance to everyone who joins.
Rooms & pricing
Two ways to stay on the farm
Both options include everything above: three nights of lodging, all meals and coffee, every excursion, and the full program. The only difference is whether you share your room.
Two to a room
Shared room
$1,799 $1,599 per person
Early Bird through October 15
Your own bed in a room shared with one fellow attendee. Tell us in your application if there's someone you'd like to room with; otherwise we'll pair you thoughtfully.
One to a room
Private room
$2,499 $2,299 per person
Early Bird through October 15
A room entirely to yourself, for those who recharge best with their own space at the end of full days. Limited capacity, first-come first-serve.
Every room sits on stilts among the coffee trees with the same private bathroom, deck, lounging net, and forest views; the only difference between the options is the sleeping arrangement. Flights to Bogotá are not included. Private rooms are limited by the size of the farm, so if having your own room matters to you, apply early.
Who it's for
For your first year or your twentieth
If you're newer to the work
You will leave with structure: how experienced IECs run their practices, price their services, and manage families, plus a bench of generous colleagues you can actually call when a hard case lands on your desk.
If you're a veteran
You will leave with what is hardest to find at your stage: peers who operate at your level, honest conversations about where the profession is heading, and a few days of genuine rest in a place worth traveling for.
Your hosts & featured speaker
Both sides of the admissions desk
We built the retreat we wished existed: small enough to actually know everyone, substantive enough to justify the flight, and set somewhere worth remembering.
Organizer · Consultant
Quyen Nguyen, Ed.M.
Quyen has helped over a thousand students navigate undergraduate and graduate admissions with a focus on highly selective schools and international families. Born and raised in the U.S., she has lived abroad in Asia and South America for more than 15 years and has called Bogotá, Colombia home for the past decade.
A professional member of IECA, she chairs the Graduate Committee, previously chaired the Graduate Business Subcommittee, and has served on the Global Committee. She is regularly invited to speak at conferences on college admissions around the world. For nearly a decade, she was also an associate professor at CESA, one of Latin America’s leading business schools, teaching both undergraduate and MBA students.
Beyond admissions expertise, her clients often turn to her as a trusted mentor and coach. She also coaches fellow college consultants.
She holds an Ed.M. from Harvard University and was named a Graduating Senior of the Year from Iowa State University, where she earned dual degrees in Music and Kinesiology on a full merit scholarship. She was also a Fulbright Fellowship recipient. Outside of work, she competes in salsa dancing, hosts Vietnamese food pop-ups, reads voraciously, and loves to spend time with her daughter and her grumpy old dog.
Featured Speaker · Dean of Admission
Cornell B. LeSane II, Ed.D.
LeSane serves as the Vice President for Enrollment Management at the College of the Holy Cross. He has over 20 years of experience, having served six years as Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Admissions at Allegheny College and fourteen years at Carnegie Mellon University in a progression of leadership roles.
He has been highly active in professional associations and the community, participating in steering committees and advisory boards for high schools and community-based initiatives. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Meadville Medical Center, YMCA of Central Massachusetts, Winchendon High School, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Catholic Schools Foundation. He has been published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “The Post-Pandemic College,” and has been interviewed by and featured in several publications, including The New York Times and Forbes.
He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Hampton University, a Master of Public Management with a concentration in Leadership in Higher Education from Carnegie Mellon University, and an Ed.D. from Boston College.
Organizer · Consultant
Caitlin Andersen, M.B.A.
Caitlin has guided graduate school applicants as an educational consultant since 2018. She served as IECA’s Graduate Committee Chair and Business Subcommittee Chair from 2024 - 2026.
At multiple IECA conferences, Caitlin presented on Graduate Business School Admissions topics. She was featured on GMAT Club’s LIVE YouTube Channel (140K+ subscribers) where she spoke about MBA Essays and Interviews and was featured in Fortune Magazine Education Recommends, and the Changing Higher Ed Podcast.
Caitlin has an MBA from the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School (SBS) in Strategy and Program Management. She received graduate-level writing distinctions on individual essays from Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, and Oxford SBS professors.
She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor’s degree in Technical Communication and a GPA of 4.0 / 4.0. She ranked #1 of 1668 in her class.
On a personal note - Caitlin is a former Professional International Latin Dance Competitor. She placed Top 34 in the World in the Professional Rising Star category at the Blackpool Dance Festival in England in 2022. She still dances for fun!
Good to know
Questions we expect you have
How do I get there?
Fly into Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport (BOG), which has direct flights from many US, European, and Latin American cities. The farm is a scenic drive from the city, and we will coordinate arrival logistics with the group.
I've never been to Colombia. Is it beginner-friendly?
Very. You will be with a group the entire time, the venue is accustomed to international guests, and we will send a full travel guide covering everything from packing to pesos before you go.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
No. The program is in English, and the excursions are guided.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancellations made by January 1, 2027 receive a 50% refund. After January 1, registrations are non-refundable.
Can I stay longer and see Bogotá?
Yes, and we would encourage it. Tell us in your application and we will help you arrange sightseeing in the city before or after the retreat.
Join us
Apply for Consilium Colombia
Spots are limited by the size of the farm, and we are curating the room so the mix works for everyone. Applying takes two minutes; choose a shared room ($1,599 Early Bird) or a private room ($2,299 Early Bird) in the form.
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Partners
Interested in sponsoring the retreat?
If your organization serves IECs or admissions professionals and you'd like to put your name in front of this room, we'd love to talk about what a partnership could look like.