Who I Am
My Education
I am a certified educational planner (CEP – American Institute of Certified Educational Planners) who holds a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and is certified by New York State as a secondary school teacher. I graduated magna cum laude from New York University, where I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, and I received a J.D. from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, where I graduated at the top of my class. I practiced law at the New York City Transit Authority and at several NYC law firms, including McDermott, Will and Emery.
My Experience:
I have been working as an independent college consultant for close to 20 years. My interest in working with teens derives from my education background as well as my years as an editor for both print and online publications, especially New York, Westchester and Connecticut Family magazines. As an award-winning editor and writer specializing in higher education and secondary school, I have gained invaluable insight into families, secondary school and higher education. Thanks to my law background, I am an effective advisor to and advocate for my students. My law, writing and editing skills give students an advantage in brainstorming, crafting and polishing essays that sing and in highlighting their individual identities and personalities.
My Media:
I have been a featured expert in the The New York Times Special Supplement, Education Life; in The New York Post; in Westchester Magazine; and in Allbusiness.com.
I am a contributor to Get into College (Atlanta, Georgia: Hundreds of Heads Books, 2009) and How to Survive Getting Into College (Atlanta, Georgia: Hundreds of Heads Books, 2006), and I have shared tips on the college process in the Counselor’s Corner of the Get into College online newsletter. In addition, I have written about college for the RJ Insider’s Guide to College Life and for the newsletter of CACLD, the Connecticut Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities. I was the College Insider columnist in Westchester County, N.Y.
My Presentations:
I have moderated programs and workshops with college deans from across the United States. Programs for college-bound teens and parents include College Ahead! in Greenwich, Connecticut and for the 13-year annual Inside the Admissions Office program in Scarsdale, New York. I have organized and moderated workshops on how to decipher the high school transcript for my colleagues at IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) and on international admissions for the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), an organization of more than 11,000 professionals who assist students in making decisions about pursuing postsecondary education.
I have also presented workshops about applying to college, resume writing and interview preparation for Girls, Inc. and for the GEMS (Girls Empowered through Meaningful Support) high school program at the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester. In 2018, I served on a panel of U.S. college counselors in connection with the British Council/IECA Beyond Four Walls – Experiential Learning at South West UK Universities Tour advising representatives from British universities about the differences between American and United Kingdom universities and the factors influencing American students’ decisions to study in the UK.
My programs feature panelists from the admissions offices of American University, Barnard College, Binghamton University, Bucknell University, Butler University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Case Western Reserve University, Colgate University, College of Charleston, Columbia University, Dickinson College, Emory University, Franklin & Marshall College, Indiana University, Lafayette College, Lawrence University, Mount Holyoke College, Muhlenberg College, Northeastern University, New York University, Oberlin College, The Ohio State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Rice University, SUNY New Paltz, Swarthmore College, Syracuse University, Union College, University of Chicago, University of Connecticut, University of Maryland, University of Rochester, University of Virginia, Worcester Polytechnic University, and Vanderbilt University. Bringing together the decision-makers in college admissions to talk with students, parents and my colleagues is among my greatest pleasures.
My Affiliations:
I am a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC).
My Awards for Editing:
- Medill Editorial Awards, Parenting Publications of America
Gold, 1997; Silver, 1998 - Clarion Journalism Awards, Women In Communications, Westchester
Two Gold, Silver, 1993
How I Keep Up-To-Date
I stay abreast of trends and developments in college and graduate school admissions. I visit numerous colleges and universities both in the United States and abroad every year and attend professional workshops and conferences. And you can keep abreast of college developments by following Woolf College Consulting on Facebook and through my College Blog on this website.
My Personal Touch
I know admissions first-hand, having helped my own children through college and graduate school, so I know what you’re going through. I give a lot of personal attention, and I am always accessible with caring, confidential and capable advice and insight so that each student’s individuality stands out.
My students, as well as their parents, become valued members of my family. I love to hear about students’ experiences in college and as they move through life. My door is always open to both present and past clients.