Caltech Admissions Counseling | 7.3x Acceptance Chances

Katelynn earned a BS and BA from Baldwin Wallace University, an MS from Harvard University, and a PhD from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She has over 15 years of admissions and advising experience, including working as a Recruiter in the Office of Admissions at Baldwin Wallace, a Student Admissions Representative and application reader at Harvard University , and a Graduate and Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment Specialist at St. Andrews.

In her diverse admissions roles, Katelynn played a key role in making admissions and scholarship decisions, organizing and leading tours for prospective students, and spearheading recruitment campaigns. She also took the initiative to develop student-focused media resources for potential applicants and conducted interviews to hire new team members. Katelynn has coached students from all over the world, helping numerous individuals gain admission to top-tier institutions such as MIT, Brown, UC schools, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Northwestern, Caltech, UPenn, Cornell, UChicago, Columbia, Rice, Notre Dame, and Carnegie Mellon.

Katelynn is passionate about helping applicants achieve their goals while minimizing stress. She understands how incredibly time-consuming and energy-draining the application process is, so her approach as a coach is to teach strategies that maximize efficiency while optimizing results in a healthy, sustainable way. She believes the most rewarding part is when a student not only submits a strong application but also gains confidence in both the finished product and the personal growth they experience throughout the process—once the weight of the overwhelming demands has been lifted.

Having worked with a wide range of students, Katelynn possesses a deep understanding of the unique needs of each individual and the complexities of the often opaque application process. She is deeply committed to the success of every student, taking a personalized approach to each case. With a background in psychology, Katelynn prioritizes building strong relationships with students and their families, taking the time to understand their motivations and passions. This allows her to collaborate with students in crafting the most distinctive and successful application possible, while ensuring they remain true to themselves throughout the process. 

Rather than focusing solely on what is typically considered “appealing” on paper, Katelynn emphasizes the importance of presenting a unique narrative. She understands that admissions committees value authenticity and personal stories that reflect the student’s genuine interests, strengths, and goals. While every admissions office has baseline criteria, each officer also brings their own set of personal preferences and red flags that may not always be predictable. Katelynn ensures that students avoid the common pitfall of trying to guess what an admissions officer “wants” to hear; instead, she helps them highlight their most authentic voice in their applications.

In her free time, Katelynn loves to travel and to write—she’s particularly keen on live music, extreme destinations, and unique culinary experiences.

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Trinh earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a recipient of the prestigious Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarships, awarded to the top 2% of entering undergraduates. Then, she pursued an MA from San José University. Trinh has over seven years of mentoring and admissions experience, including serving as an undergraduate advisor and application reader on the admissions committee at UC Berkeley.

As part of the UC Berkeley admissions team, Trinh reviews applications to ensure they meet all the minimum requirements and assesses whether applicants have the potential to succeed at UC Berkeley. As an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, Trinh provides academic advising to students, including guidance on degree requirements, graduation eligibility, and academic progression. Additionally, Trinh has experience reviewing and making scholarship decisions. She has a strong understanding of what makes a scholarship application compelling—both in structure and in content.

Growing up in a first-generation household, Trinh did not have any guidance at home to help her apply to colleges. Fortunately, she connected with counselors who helped her navigate the admissions process, and with their support, she got accepted to her dream school—UC Berkeley. This experience showed her how life-changing the right support and resources can be in the college application process. 

Trinh’s personal experiences sparked a deep passion for higher education, particularly in college admissions. After earning her MA, she went on to help many students get accepted into top schools like UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, and UC Irvine. Trinh finds being part of a student’s journey—from the uncertainty at the beginning to the excitement of receiving acceptance letters at the end—incredibly rewarding. She loves knowing that she’s helping students lay the foundation for future success.

One of Trinh's greatest strengths as a coach is helping students recognize their true potential. She’s able to guide them in seeing the strength and resilience they already have, qualities that can make their college applications stand out. She is adept at building strong, genuine relationships with students and their families, which helps create a comfortable space for them to open up and share their stories. Trinh is deeply passionate about helping students succeed and is always willing to go the extra mile, whether that means finding additional resources, gathering information, or anything else to ensure each student builds a competitive application. 

In her spare time, Trinh loves getting outdoors, exploring new hiking trails, and strength training in the gym. She is also a huge foodie and loves checking out new restaurants and trying different types of cuisine from all over the world.

Trinh’s Pro Tip?

There is so much more that goes into a strong application than test scores. It’s important for applicants to show genuine passion, resilience, and a clear sense of purpose. Applications are reviewed holistically; a student’s background, experiences, and growth are all taken into account, not just their numbers. 

Anna earned a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and completed an MS and PhD at the University of California, San Diego, earning multiple research awards, a training grant, and a fellowship during her studies. Anna served as an MIT admissions interviewer for 15 years, evaluating prospective students from across the United States.

As the Area Representative for Oklahoma, Anna coordinated the training and assignment of MIT alumni interviewers for applicants from the state and surrounding areas. Additionally, she acted as a Graduate Student Representative for the Cognitive Science PhD program at UC San Diego, where she supported prospective students, welcomed incoming cohorts, and assisted in organizing graduate interview days.

Anna has applied her work in neuroscience to education policy, collaborating with researchers at prestigious universities including MIT, Harvard, Boston University, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, the University of Chicago, and Columbia University. As an active volunteer with the MIT Alumni Association for over a decade, Anna stays deeply connected to evolving undergraduate admissions expectations and the broader university culture. Additionally, her participation in various departmental and administrative committees at several institutions has further enriched her understanding of the unique identities and cultures of different universities, which allows her to help students build school lists that truly cater to their needs. She also advocates for making and keeping Boston-area universities more welcoming to non-traditional students and ensuring that higher education is accessible and affordable to all.

Anna is dedicated to helping learners with traditional and non-traditional educational paths confidently present their authentic selves throughout the admissions process. She believes a great college coach is both a cheerleader and a strategic guide.

As a coach, Anna’s greatest strengths lie in her ability to combine deep academic insight with practical admissions experience. She excels at helping students authentically present their unique stories, guiding them through complex application processes with clarity and encouragement. Anna takes personal stories very seriously, recognizing that discussing values, life experiences, and other deeply personal topics in admissions interviews can be challenging. She strives to create a safe and supportive space for all personal identities and cultures. Her extensive knowledge of university cultures and admissions expectations allows her to tailor advice to each student’s individual goals and circumstances, ensuring they find the best fit academically, socially, and culturally.

In her spare time, Anna enjoys advocating for the disability, mental health, military veteran/family, and neurodiversity communities through peer support and mental health coaching, engaging in volunteer work, participating in Toastmasters public speaking and speech competitions, playing tabletop role-playing games, and cooking (especially baking bread).

Anna’s Pro Tip?

There is no single formula for admission to elite universities. When institutions say they want to see the “real” student, they mean it! Authenticity is the key to standing out among tens of thousands of applicants.