THE ADMITTEDLY APPROACH

Personal Guidance. Backed by a Team.

Your dedicated Admissions Strategist leads the way, backed by an entire team invested in your student’s journey

From the broader admissions strategy to the details of an essay, our team stays connected around your student’s goals.

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HOW WE WORK

One Student. A Team of Perspectives.

Our Admissions Strategists collaborate, share insights,
and bring different perspectives to help students make
more informed decisions and build stronger applications.

A Dedicated Strategist

Your student works with one primary guide who gets to know their goals, strengths, and full story.

Team Collaboration

Behind the scenes, our team shares questions, ideas, and expertise to bring broader perspective to each student's strategy

Ongoing Support

From early planning to application submission, we provide consistent guidance and adapt as your student's goals evolve.

OUR COLLABORATIVE SPACES

Three Ways We Learn,
Share, and Support

We create dedicated spaces for our team, our students, and familles to ask questions, exchange ideas, and get expert guidance.

Internal Ask Admittedly

FOR OUR ADMISSIONS STRATEGISTS

A collaborative space for our team to share questions, exchange perspectives, and strengthen the ouidance give students.

Weekly Ask Admittedly

FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS

A dedicated opportunity to
ask questions and get guidance
from our Admissions Strategists
on timely topics.

Monthly Admittedly Academies

FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS

In-depth, live sessions on key
admissions topics, designed to
help families stay informed
and proactive.

A CULTURE OF GROWTH

Continuous Learning for a Stronger Student Experience

Our team is committed to ongoing learning and professional development, so we can bring the latest insights, best practices, and admissions perspectives to every student we support.
MEET THE TEAM

Experienced Guidance at Every Step.

Our admissions strategists, student success professionals, and specialized support work together to give every student the right expertise at the right time.

Dr. Sergey

Admissions Strategist

Mariama

Admissions Strategist

Dr. Peggy

Admissions Strategist

George

Admissions Strategist

Tara

Admissions Strategist

Mark

Admissions Strategist

Becca

Admissions Strategist

LET'S BUILD A PLAN

Get Expert Guidance
for Your Student

Learn more about how Admittedly’s collaborative approach backs your student with over 100 years of collective admissions expertise.

Apply for a Strategy Call
team bio image

Dr. Sergey

Admissions Strategist | Former Head Teaching Fellow, Harvard University  | Artificial Intelligence Consultant  | Ph.D., Harvard University | B.S., Cornell University

Ivy League scholar with 10+ years of experience guiding students into the most selective universities in the world.

Dr. Sergey’s students have been accepted to Stanford, Princeton, Brown, Vanderbilt, Cornell, NYU, UC Berkeley, UChicago, and more, with applications that reflect both intellectual depth, academic rigor, and personal authenticity.

Harvard-trained academic and award-winning mentor

Dr. Sergey earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard, where he also completed a secondary field in Film & Media Studies. During his time there, he served as Head Teaching Fellow and faculty across multiple departments, earning multiple awards for excellence in teaching and advising.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • Ph.D. & M.A., Harvard University
  • B.S. in Developmental Psychology, Cornell University
  • Former faculty and mentor at Harvard
  • Expert in personal narratives, academic positioning, and showcasing intellectual depth and nuance, particularly in STEM

Known for:

  • Helping students uncover and express their unique voice
  • Coaching academically curious, creative, and high-achieving students
  • Bridging deep academic knowledge with real-world admissions outcomes

Fun Fact:

Dr. Sergey is an avid cinephile who tracks down rare 35mm screenings, explores New York’s contemporary art scene, and enjoys multilingual conversations that connect people and cultures.

Mariama

Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Officer, Brown | B.A., Brown University

10+ years of admissions insight across Ivy League admissions and premed advising Recent Admits: Brown, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, UChicago, Georgetown, Yale

Mariama brings over a decade of experience in highly selective college admissions. As an admissions officer at Brown University, she reviewed applications from across the U.S. and internationally and read for Brown’s highly selective Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), gaining firsthand insight into how top institutions evaluate both academic and pre-professional candidates. 

She is known for her ability to look beyond grades and test scores to identify intellectual curiosity, character, and potential. In her work with students, she focuses on helping them build applications that are not only strong, but also thoughtful, cohesive, and true to who they are.

Mariama’s advising is grounded in listening. She takes the time to understand each student’s interests and perspective, then helps shape a clear narrative and build the evidence to support it. She is particularly focused on helping students avoid the “checklist” approach to activities, guiding them instead toward profiles that are both authentic and strategically aligned.

She works especially well with humanities students and STEM students with interdisciplinary interests, and brings specialized insight to students pursuing BS/MD and pre-med pathways.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • Former Admissions Officer, Brown University
  • Application reader for Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)
  • 10+ years of experience in highly selective admissions advising

Known For:

  • Seeing beyond metrics to identify intellectual curiosity and potential
  • Building clear, cohesive, and authentic application narratives
  • A thoughtful, steady approach that students and families trust

Fun Fact & Interests:

A first-generation graduate with a strong interest in cultures and languages, Mariama enjoys reading, spending time by the water, and working on puzzles.

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Dr. Peggy

Admissions Strategist | Former Head of Upper School, Crane Country Day School  | Former Director of Studies, Cate School  | Ed.D., UCLA | M.A.T., Brown University

30+ years in independent school leadership, guiding students and families through every stage of the academic journey.

Peggy brings unmatched experience as a middle school Head of Students, college Admissions Strategist, and director of studies at elite California independent schools. She’s served on middle and high school admissions committees and conducted alumni interviews at the college level, offering students and families rare insight into the full admissions pipeline.

Premier educator, Admissions Strategist, and lifelong school leader.

Peggy holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University. Her career spans decades of working directly with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and boards, giving her an intuitive sense of how to build strategy, trust, and alignment throughout the admissions process.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • Ed.D., UCLA | M.A.T., Brown University
  • 30+ years in independent school leadership and counseling
  • Experience on middle school and high school admissions committees
  • Alumni interviewer at the college level

Known for:

  • Helping students and families create grounded, authentic admissions roadmaps
  • Deep listening and holistic support across the emotional and strategic spectrum
  • Building strong, personalized connections rooted in compassion and clarity

Fun Fact:

Peggy’s children had her as their middle school principal — and somehow, they all still talk! She lives with her husband, a lifelong boarding school teacher, on a high school campus where home and school blend seamlessly.

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George

Admissions Strategist | B.A., Harvard University  | M.S., University College London

10 years of global admissions counseling, with offers to every Ivy, Stanford, and Oxbridge

George is a dedicated strategist, mentor, and storyteller who’s spent the last decade guiding students from six continents into the most selective U.S. and U.K. universities. From Harvard and Stanford to Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE, George helps students develop an authentic path, and articulate it with power, clarity, and joy.

An expert in U.S./U.K. dual admissions and creative, cause-driven profiles

George holds a Sociology degree from Harvard and an MSc in Public Policy from UCL. He’s worked exclusively as an admissions strategist since graduation, advising students ages 11-18 on both strategy and self-discovery. His signature strength: helping students identify what truly drives them, and then crafting compelling narratives and projects that stand out globally.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • BA in Sociology, Harvard College (Likely Letter recipient) 
  • MSc in Public Policy, University College London (Dean’s List, top 4 in program)
  • 10 years of admissions counseling experience with U.S. and international students
  • Specialist in U.K. applications (UCAS, Oxford, Cambridge, and concurrent U.S. apps)
  • Expert in the arts, humanities, and social-impact-driven profiles
  • Dozens of students admitted to both Oxbridge and Top 20 U.S. colleges

Known For:

  • Developing standout essays and signature projects with heart and originality
  • Guiding international students through both U.S. and U.K. admissions
  • Empowering students to overcome limiting beliefs and dream boldly
  • A warm, collaborative, and deeply human mentoring style

Fun Fact:

George lives between New York, London, and Amsterdam, where he also works as a visual storyteller. A lifelong learner, his next creative venture is learning how to design and make his own clothes.

Tara Kalinisan

Admissions Strategist | Former Associate Director of Diversity & Access Recruitment, Smith College | Former Associate Director of College Counseling, New York Independent Schools | B.A. in Dance, Muhlenberg College

Tara Kalinisan brings nearly a decade of experience across selective college admissions and college counseling, giving her a nuanced understanding of the process from both sides of the desk. She has evaluated applications in a highly selective admissions office, guided students and families through the college process at independent schools, and developed advising curricula and programs that help students navigate admissions with greater confidence and purpose.

As former Associate Director of Diversity and Access Recruitment at Smith College and former Associate Director of College Counseling at New York independent schools, Tara understands how admissions decisions are made and how students can best communicate what makes them distinctive. Her approach is both strategic and deeply human: she believes the strongest applications emerge when students understand not only how colleges will evaluate them, but also who they are, what they value, and what they hope to contribute.

Rather than encouraging students to fit a predetermined mold, Tara helps them identify the experiences, interests, and perspectives that make them unique—and thoughtfully connect those pieces into a compelling, authentic story. Throughout her career, she has championed access and belonging in education and currently serves on the Executive Board of ABAFAOILSS, a national organization of admissions and financial-aid professionals.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • Nearly 10 years of experience across selective college admissions and college counseling
  • Former Associate Director of Diversity & Access Recruitment, Smith College
  • Former Associate Director of College Counseling at New York independent schools
  • Experience evaluating applications in a highly selective admissions office
  • Experience developing college-advising curricula and programs
  • Executive Board member, ABAFAOILSS
  • NACAC member
  • TEAK Fellow
  • B.A. in Dance, Muhlenberg College
  • Student outcomes include Barnard, Boston University, Bowdoin, Brown, Colby, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, Middlebury, Northwestern, Notre Dame, NYU, Tufts, Tulane, UChicago, UPenn, USC, Vassar, Wake Forest, Washington University in St. Louis, and Wesleyan, among others

Known for:

  • Helping students identify and communicate the experiences, interests, and perspectives that make them distinctive
  • Guiding authentic narrative development without forcing students into a predetermined mold
  • Bringing an access- and belonging-centered lens to selective admissions
  • Helping undecided students explore their interests with purpose and confidence
  • Pairing institutional admissions insight with thoughtful, human-centered advising

Fun Fact:

Though Tara is mostly known for being a dancer, her closest family and friends know that singing was her first love. She has been singing since she could talk, and her memory for lyrics, quotes, and almost anything else she finds interesting is impeccable.

Mark

Admissions Strategist | Independent School & Boarding School Admissions Specialist | Former Senior Associate Director of Admissions, The Taft School | B.A. & M.A.L.S., Wesleyan University

After nearly three decades of experience in New England boarding schools, Mark brings a true insider’s perspective to the complexities of today’s admissions landscape and to the student experience more broadly. His work has centered on helping students and families understand how to navigate competitive school searches with strategy, self-awareness, and confidence.

As Senior Associate Director of Admissions at The Taft School in Connecticut, Mark developed a nuanced understanding of enrollment at elite institutions and of how students can position themselves effectively for successful school searches. He understands the perspectives of both families and admissions committees, helping students identify opportunities that align with their goals and strengths.

Mark has also served as Dean of Students at The Taft School, Kent School in Connecticut, and St. George’s School in Rhode Island. Across more than twenty-five years of teaching History and coaching varsity sports, he has evaluated potential and supported students from every angle. This experience gives him an exceptional understanding of both the distinct value of the boarding-school experience and the demands of succeeding at the highest levels.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • Nearly 30 years of experience in New England boarding schools
  • Former Senior Associate Director of Admissions, The Taft School, Connecticut
  • Former Dean of Students at The Taft School, Kent School, and St. George’s School
  • 25+ years teaching History and coaching varsity sports
  • B.A., Wesleyan University | M.A.L.S., Wesleyan University
  • Direct experience with selective and highly selective admissions, including preparatory-school admissions

Known for:

  • Bringing a 360-degree perspective on boarding-school admissions and student life
  • Helping families navigate competitive school searches with clear, informed strategy
  • Recognizing student potential beyond a single application or achievement
  • Advising students on the distinctive opportunities and expectations of elite boarding-school environments
  • Combining the judgment of an admissions leader with the empathy of an educator, dean, and coach

Becca

Admissions Strategist | Former Admissions Officer, Stanford | B.A., Stanford University 

A decade of admissions expertise from the Stanford farm to selective college admissions consulting

 

Becca’s deep-rooted understanding of the admissions landscape began at Stanford University, where she transitioned from a varsity student-athlete to a Senior Admission Officer. During her tenure in the admissions office, she evaluated thousands of applications from four distinct U.S. regions, gaining a rare, “behind-the-curtain” perspective on how one of the most selective universities in the world builds a class. Since then, she has dedicated her career to demystifying this process for families, working across private consulting and impactful nonprofits to ensure students from all backgrounds can navigate the journey with confidence and clarity.

Credentials & Highlights:

  • Former Stanford Admission Officer & Graduate (BA in English & Creative Writing)
  • Senior College Admissions Strategist with almost a decade of admissions counseling experience
  • Former Division I Student-Athlete (Stanford Track & Field)

Known For:

  • Narrative Development: Helping students find the “gold” in their personal history to write standout essays.
  • Strategic List Building: Identifying schools where students will thrive both academically and socially.
  • Strategic Advising: Thoughtfully breaking down what it takes for CS and engineering applicants to truly stand out 

Fun Fact:

Becca trades the fast-paced world of admissions for life on a cattle ranch in the Greater Sacramento area. When she isn’t working directly with students, she is likely managing a busy household of animals alongside her husband and daughter.

Start your college admission journey today!

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