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Biography
I have been working with college students on their writing since I was a student, first at Northwestern University and then at the University of Michigan, where I earned my Education degree with High Honors. Since then, I have worked with many populations of students, including homeschoolers, students with learning differences, and the gifted. I am a former Chair of the Gifted Youth Committee of American Mensa and also co-lead the Homeschooling Mensans special interest group. I am the past Scholarship Chair for Mensa of Wisconsin, a Director of the Mensa of Wisconsin Foundation and a Trustee of the Mensa Education and Research Foundation.
I am a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), and their Wisconsin affiliate (WACAC). I subscribe to HECA standards of good practice, as well as the NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice (SPGP). I hold a Certificate in College Admissions Counseling through UCLA (with distinction) and continue to advise students and their families on their best strategies to successfully get to college, and the skills they will need to stay successful once they get there.
My students have been accepted to Harvard, Penn, Georgetown, Duke, Williams, West Point, Notre Dame, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Stanford and Yale, among others. I'm currently working with clients locally, across the country, and around the world via email, text and Skype. I'd love to answer your questions about the college admissions process!
Other
Publications
College at 14: Early College Options for Gifted Students
Mensa Bulletin/American Mensa
August 2017
Acceleration is a great form of accommodation for gifted learners, but often grade-skipped students end up graduating at 16, 15 or even younger. How do colleges look on students who are much younger than the traditional freshman? How does that student gain an advantage in the admissions process? This article, based on original research, addresses the pitfalls and promise of early college for accelerated learners.
2016's Big Changes in College Admissions: What Do They Mean for You?
5ive for Women/Chippewa Valley
August 2016
There are some who think the gods have it in for the Class of 2017. Not only did both college admissions tests change this year, but we also have major changes in the way we apply for financial aid, and even new types of applications! It’s important to remember that, although applying to college may be different than when you or your family members applied, your rising senior has never known the process any other way. Don’t let your stress spill over onto your teen. (They’re like sponges for parental anxiety, whether they admit it or not!)
So let’s quickly run down four ways the admissions process has changed for the Class of 2017:...
Volunteer
FAFSA expert
College Goal Wisconsin (Education)
February 2015 - present
College Goal Wisconsin is a free workshop that provides expert help to students and families filling out the FAFSA. The workshop is held twice a year: once in October and once in January.
That's a great question! I don't believe applicant information is shared before decisions are made, but we have ample evidence that lists of early decision accepted students are shared. Remember that Early Decision is a binding commitment to attend the college if they let you in. You also promise to withdraw all your other submitted applications when you are accepted at your ED school. If you don't follow these rules, your acceptance can be rescinded. This does happen, and the only way they would know you didn't withdraw your other applications is if the colleges shared the names of admitted students. However, trying to share the details of the tens of thousands of Ivy applicants before decisions are made would increase the Admissions Committees workload 8-fold.
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