About the Counselor
Sarah W. Brown, M.Ed, NCC
EDUCATION
B.A. in Psychology, Swarthmore College
M.Ed. in School Counseling, UNC - Chapel Hill
Graduate certificate in College Counseling, UCLA
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
National Certified Counselor (NCC)
former Licensed School Counselor
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Independent Educational Consultants Association
National Association for College Admissions Counseling
Western Association for College Admissions Counseling
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I am passionate about sharing knowledge that can help others. I have learned this information through mistakes I made as a college applicant, extensive education, and experiences guiding students all over the country.
As a parent of two college students, I know that the college admissions journey can be stressful. Having someone else walk your child through the necessary steps can take a load off your plate and preserve your relationship with your child during critical years.
I wish I had had someone walk these steps with me when I applied to college as an international student in need of significant financial aid. I wasted time applying to the wrong colleges, and my mistakes led to mostly rejection letters. At the last minute, a college counselor (and family friend) advised me to apply to Swarthmore College - the only college that accepted me with the financial aid I required.
I am incredibly grateful for this counselor's help. She made me realize how a person who is both caring and knowledgeable can change the course of someone's life. I strive to be that person for others.
My experience has lead me to focus on helping students find colleges that are an excellent academic, social, and financial fit for them. I believe this is the most critical part of the application process. I help students understand how to present themselves in their best light on their applications so they can have their best chance of getting accepted by those colleges.
I work with all kinds of students and specialize in guiding those who are homeschooled, twice-exceptional, military dependents, and/or applying to service academies and ROTC scholarships.
I am a lifelong learner and devote a large portion of my time to researching colleges, keeping up with the constantly changing college admissions landscape, improving my essay coaching skills, and networking with college admissions professionals. I take training, professionalism, and ethics very seriously.
I wish every student could have personalized college counseling. I keep my rates as low as I can, share what I learn via my blog and social media accounts, and provide 100 hours a year of pro bono services to low-income/first-generation students through my volunteer work with ScholarMatch.
Schedule a free consultation here
to meet me and find out whether I might be the right person to guide your family through the college admissions journey.
HOMESCHOOLING EXPERIENCE
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5th-12th grades in Virginia, South Carolina, & Massachusetts
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Planned the classes and assessments strategically, with selective college admissions requirements in mind
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Successfully guided eldest child through the college admissions process and created his homeschool transcript, school profile, course descriptions, and counselor recommendation letter
COLLEGES I HAVE VISITED SINCE 2019:
Private - CA:
Caltech
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna
Harvey Mudd
Loyola Marymount University
Occidental College
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Point Loma Nazarene University
Pomona College
Saint Mary's College of California
Scripps College
Stanford University
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Santa Clara
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
University of Redlands
Westmont College
Public - CA:
Cal Maritime Academy
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
Cal State - San Marcos
San Diego State
San José State
UC Berkely
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
Public - VA:
Christopher Newport
College of William & Mary
George Mason University
James Madison University
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
Federal Service Academy:
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
Private - outside of CA:
American University
Amherst College
Colorado College
Davidson College
Denison University
Dickinson College
George Washington Univ
Gettysburg College
Johns Hopkins University
Juniata College
Landmark University
St. John's College (MD)
Swarthmore College
Trinity College
Union College
University of Richmond
Ursinus College
Wake Forest University
Washington & Lee University
Wesleyan University
Widener University
Williams College
Yale University