HECA Webinar | Admissions Tips from READERS - Current/Former Application Readers Share Best Practices to Boost YOUR Students' Applications

Moderator
 Amy Smith
 Owner, Power Hour Editing & Consulting
 HECA Member
 

Amy Kossoff Smith owns Power Hour Editing & Consulting and helps students navigate the constantly-evolving college admissions process and find and amplify their own unique voices. She has an extensive track record coaching students to get to the heart of the story fast to stand out in the competitive admissions process.

Amy graduated in the top 10% of her class from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She was the first Medill student to win the William Randolph Hearst National Championship after placing first in Features for her article on offbeat tactics students used to catch the eye of admissions. 

Amy was a national wire columnist and was featured on The Today Show, ABC National News, and in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times. She authored an essay in Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex & Work in Our ‘40s and was featured in I Love Mondays…and Other Confessions from Devoted Working Moms. Amy presented at the College Education & Entertainment Summit and at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference. She launched and ran a PR firm and online parenting magazine prior to combining her journalism, PR, and marketing skills in the college admissions space.

Married to Mitch for 30 years, Amy has three sons, graduates of Vanderbilt, Duke, and the University of South Carolina. 

Guest
 Kate Kindbom
 HECA Member, IEC, College Compass by Kate
 

Kate Kindbom is a college admissions "lifer”, having worked on both sides of the college admissions desk since graduating from college herself 41 years ago! She has worked in Admissions at Kenyon College, Saint Louis University, and Washington University in St. Louis, and as a college counselor at Eureka High School (MO), Westminster Christian Academy (St Louis), and St Louis University High School. Most recently, she and her husband have moved from St Louis to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and she is blessed to be continuing her college admissions journey serving as a Seasonal Application Reader for the University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign's Grainger School of Engineering as well as guiding students through the college application process independently.

Guest
 Andrea van Niekerk
 HECA Member, IEC, College Goals 
 

For a decade, I served on the admission committee at Brown University. As Associate Director of Admission, I evaluated and presented thousands of prospective students to the admission committee from almost every corner of the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, often traveling to many of those places to talk with students, parents, and educators. I also coordinated university recruitment travel; managed an admission program for non-traditional students; and directed an initiative to increase the number of lower-income students on campus. Finally, I also served as an academic advisor to freshman and sophomore students, a task that itself cast an interesting perspective on the admission process! I left Brown when my husband joined the faculty at Stanford. While I lived for a few years here in a sophomore dorm as a residential fellow – my own children having moved on to undergraduate and graduate schools elsewhere - I chose, in the years since, to work as an independent consultant with families across the US and internationally, rather than rejoin the staff of an admission office.

Guest
 Barry Beach
 HECA Member, IEC, College Advisor & Portfolio Coach 
 

Barry Beach has been an IEC since 2009 with college admissions experience as a Freshman application reader, University of California;  Berkeley; Director of Admissions, Oregon College of Art and Craft; and Admissions counselor, San Francisco Art Institute.

Guest
 Steve Tapper
 HECA Member, IEC, Tapper College Counseling
 

Steve Tapper serves clients nationwide through Tapper College Counseling. Steve obtained his College Counseling Certificate with Distinction from UCLA and then served as a seasonal reader with the Emory University admissions office, where he analyzed students’ curriculum rigor and grades and assessed applications as a partner in the Committee-Based Evaluation process. Steve then worked as an essay specialist for College Essay Guy and with another college counseling firm before founding Tapper College Counseling. 

Steve received a B.A. with Honors from Brown University, where he was a member of the swimming team, and a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. He also served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Brown. As an independent college counselor, Steve loves helping students position themselves for success (including taking the right classes and finding meaningful extracurricular activities), find great-fit colleges, and tell their stories in college applications. 

Steve is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC). He also attended HECA’s Professional Development Institute and is certified by the Myers-Briggs Company to administer the Strong Interest Inventory and Strong Interest Inventory 244 assessments.

Steve lives in Atlanta with his wife. They have two children, a recent college graduate and a college senior. You can find Steve at https://www.tappercollegecounseling.com/ or steve@tappercollegecounseling.com

Guest
 Eva Gelman
 HECA Member, IEC, College Quest
 

Eva Gelman is an Independent Educational Consultant with over 25 years of experience. With a background in Psychology and Communication Studies from the University at Buffalo and a M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, Eva has served in various administrative capacities within both college and high school environments. These roles have included positions such as the Associate Director of Admission and Financial Aid and the Director of Pre-College Programs at Carnegie Mellon University, in addition to serving as the Director of College Guidance at Sewickley Academy.

In 2005, Eva founded College Quest to guide students through high school and as they transition to higher education, empowering and supporting families throughout the process. Throughout her career, Eva has actively visited campuses, tracked programs and admission trends, participated in leading professional conferences and organizations, and served in State (PACAC) and National (NACAC/HECA) Counseling Associations. She collaborates with public/private/charter schools, school districts, and community groups on educational issues of academic achievement, college planning, and career readiness.

Eva resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband Dan and their three children (a 10th grader, 12th grader, and college sophomore), giving her firsthand insight into the hopes, fears, and aspirations of both students and their families. She also serves as a School Board Member for the Mt. Lebanon School District.

Whether guiding families through the college admissions process or working to improve educational systems, Eva Gelman is an advocate for student success and promoting educational excellence.