College Personal Statement Support: Find Your Story to Strategically Position Yourself as the Ultimate Candidate

Holly has a Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and an MBA from NYU Stern. While at New York University, Holly served on the board of admissions for seven years, with two of those as the Director of Admissions. Holly supported applicants in building strong applications, communicating effectively through interviews, and applying for scholarships. As her responsibilities increased, Holly trained new admissions staff on MBA program admission, reading applications, and interviewing candidates. During her tenure as a Leadership Coach to students of low-income backgrounds at Lehman College, Holly also assisted with applying to health, business, and law graduate programs.

Holly cares deeply about access to quality education. Drawing on her own experience with the application process, she understands just how stressful it can be and is empathetic to the pressures students face. She sees the limitless potential in every applicant and aims to create a supportive environment where students feel heard and empowered. 

As a coach, Holly is known for her exceptional listening skills and enthusiastic demeanor. These qualities allow her to effectively serve as a supportive partner to students, assisting them in identifying their goals, fostering self-belief, and navigating the path toward achievement.

Holly firmly believes that when applicants are considering a college, they're not only planning a course of study but a comprehensive experience in which to blossom into a young adult. She has witnessed firsthand the profound impact that the college experience can have on a student's confidence and sense of self, and she is excited to support applicants through this transformative experience.

When Holly isn’t coaching, she enjoys pottery, hiking with her dog, and trying new restaurants.

Holly’s Pro Tip?

Admissions committee members are made up of friendly, down-to-earth people who want to see you succeed. They’ll assess you beyond your test scores and GPA because they want to ensure you’ll thrive at their university. During the application process, reflect on what drives you and how your experiences have shaped your aspirations to create the most comprehensive and authentic application.

Kerry holds a Master’s from Columbia University and a Master’s from Carnegie Mellon University. She has served as an international admissions consultant with multiple global companies, especially those that only hire Ivy League alumni. Kerry has worked on all aspects of admissions consulting, shepherding students through admissions season or working with special cases for over a decade. She has personally coached students accepted into prestigious institutions, such as the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, Rice University, Cambridge University, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, and more!

After working as an adjunct professor throughout her PhD years, sometimes teaching three-hour lectures to 80 students, Kerry realized that her one-on-one work in private tutoring and admissions consulting was her greatest passion, with real-life results always visible. She loves getting to know each student as an individual, helping them figure out how to stand out and their brand, who they are, and who they want to be. Kerry loves leading students through the process, helping make it fun, alleviating anxiety, and watching their admission acceptances roll in.

Kerry excels as a coach due to her ability to navigate substantial work and pivotal life plans with a blend of humor, infusing the admissions process with genuine enjoyment and excitement. Her strengths lie in authenticity, characterized by honesty and diplomacy when offering advice and openly sharing her successes and setbacks in admissions consulting. Thanks to a rich tapestry of life experiences in academia, journalism, diverse careers, and extensive travel, Kerry possesses a unique perspective that enriches her coaching approach. She also excels in her ability to read students well for what makes them unique and how to make them stand out in the admissions process.

Furthermore, Kerry's expertise extends to a comprehensive knowledge of various schools, programs, admissions intricacies, and effective strategies. Over her years as a private admissions consultant, Kerry has learned the intricacies of the systems of the various schools. She has also learned how best to help students depending on their personalities, profiles, goals, and strengths and to let them take a lead role in their own admissions process so that they can grow into the best versions of themselves.

Moreover, as an international writer with over sixty publications in both scholarly and popular outlets, Kerry offers students an unusual opportunity to collaborate and edit with a working writer. 

As a journalist and digital nomad who has lived around the world, Kerry has an immense amount of knowledge to share about places, schools, degrees, and just about anything else, too. When she’s not working, Kerry enjoys studying languages and art. Kerry is extremely into fitness and training, and the gym is her happy place for stress relief. 

Pamela has earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a PhD from Stanford University, where she served in admissions as an Application Reader. In this role, Pamela made admissions decisions and was part of a 40-person committee. This experience gave Pamela a profound understanding of institutional priorities, class balance, and the nuanced factors influencing admission decisions. Professionally, Pamela is an Admissions Interviewer at Stanford University School of Medicine.

As a first-generation international student, Pamela understands the challenges applicants face without access to resources. This personal history fuels her passion for ensuring that aspiring students are well-informed about the expectations of college admissions officers, recognizing the often opaque nature of the process.

With a background deeply rooted in education and academia, Pamela has witnessed the transformative power of learning throughout her professional life. She strategically emphasizes the importance of working hard and smart, instilling a holistic approach to the application process in her students. She navigates the complexities of the admissions process, acknowledging that merit is not the sole determinant. 

Pamela's impressive track record speaks volumes, as applicants she has coached have gained admission to prestigious institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Duke, Penn, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, Emory, Vanderbilt, and many others.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Pamela leads an active lifestyle immersed in nature, residing in the woods and engaging in hiking, rock climbing, running, and various outdoor pursuits. Complementing her coaching role, she dedicates time to teaching in prisons and volunteering as a Search and Rescue aid.