Admission Consultants
Our admission consultants have admissions committee experience at the top universities and private schools in the country and have read countless personal statements and applications.
They advise applicants on strategic positioning, personal statements, helpful extracurricular activities, and overall admissions applications.
In short, they have unique insight as to what distinguishes the acceptances from the borderline rejections.
Vitaly Borishan
Georgetown Law
Vitaly is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley, and has a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. He is the recipient of the prestigious Warren Christopher Scholarship Award, established in honor of the former U.S. Secretary of State.
Prior to founding Solomon Admissions Consulting, Vitaly worked at two major Am Law 100 international law firms as a Corporate Attorney. Vitaly has extensive experience working with talented high school and college students to perfect their admissions applications to Ivy League and other top institutions in the country. He has assisted and consulted applicants with regards to personal statements, theme development, strategic positioning, and overall applications. He has also prepared both high school and college students for various examinations, including the PSAT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT.
Dan Lee
Georgetown Law
Dan is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and studied engineering and worked as an engineer prior to law school. Dan has also worked as an Intellectual Property Attorney at a major Am Law 100 international law firm.
Dan has over a decade of experience helping talented students gain admission to the top undergraduate and graduate institutions in the country. He has personally edited countless personal statements and has advised applicants on proper structure, language and tone. Dan has also done extensive work with students on strategic positioning consulting to position applicants in the most advantageous light possible. His clients come from all walks of life and have come from California, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, and as far as London and Singapore. Dan is also a former SAT and LSAT prep instructor for Princeton Review.
Founders
College Admissions
Tamy-Feé Meneide
Director of College Counseling
Solomon Admissions Consulting
Former Assistant Director of Admissions Massachusetts Institute of Technology Former Assistant Director of Admissions Dartmouth College 2 Years in Dartmouth College Admissions 1 Years in MIT Admissions 6,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Ms. Meneide is an educational counselor and college coach (both graduate level and undergraduate level), and graduated with her Master's from Boston College in Higher Education Administration. Prior to her consulting work, Ms. Meneide worked as the Assistant Director of Admissions at some of the most selective institutions such as Dartmouth College and MIT. She truly believes in access and equity in education and works within many diverse communities to make this a reality. Tamy-Fee has conducted research at Harvard Medical School and she now brings her expertise from her research and career experiences to diverse constituents ranging from CEOs of non-profit organizations to individual parents and students. She works to empower her audiences to navigate the nuances of educational institutions to achieve maximum potential.
Cathleen Sheils
Senior Associate Director of College Counseling
Solomon Admissions Consulting
Former Director of Admissions Cornell University Former Executive Director of Enrollment Management SUNY 12 Years in Cornell Admissions 20,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Cathleen earned her MPS degree in Policy Analysis and Management and her BS degree in Science and Economics from Cornell University. She conducts research, writes and speaks on higher education enrollment and selective admissions trends. As Director of Admissions at Cornell University, Cathleen was personally responsible for reviewing several thousand applications per year and making admissions decisions for highly selective colleges and academic programs. Based on this experience she has a comprehensive understanding of the college admissions selection process and how to assemble an application that gets attention. Cathleen impresses on students and families, the importance of breaking down the college admissions process into manageable steps. She provides expert guidance and structure throughout the process
John Birney
Associate Director of College Counseling
Solomon Admissions Consulting
Former Senior Associate Director of Admissions for Selection & Constituent Relations, Johns Hopkins Former Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Wofford College Former Senior Enrollment Associate University of Lynchburg 13 Years in Johns Hopkins University Admissions 7 Years in Wofford College Admissions 5 Years at Lynchburg College 75,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Mr. Birney earned his Bachelor’s Degree in history and his Master’s Degree in Education from Lynchburg College, now the University of Lynchburg. Like many admission professionals, John began his higher education career at his alma mater where he focused his efforts on students from the Mid-Atlantic region, athletic recruitment, and building strong personal relationships with his families. In his role as Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Selection at Johns Hopkins University, John evaluated and had final authority on admissions decisions on all applicants to the Whiting School of Engineering and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. He also worked to recruit and evaluate applications from all student-athletes in both their Division I and III programs. In addition, Mr. Birney was responsible for all merit scholarship reviews, and was responsible for the office’s public relations efforts, working with over 30,000 students and families annually to help ensure a successful college visit. John’s 25 years of admissions and selection experience at selective and highly selective colleges culminated as the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. Mr. Birney was responsible for implementing the recruitment and admission decisions for all undergraduate, international, and transfer students, allocation of need, and merit-based scholarships and financial aid. Additionally, Mr. Birney was fully responsible for the Admission and Financial Aid Office’s communication plans, marketing, and event planning. 25 years of enrollment experience has allowed John to understand the nuances of application review, rendering admission decisions, student positioning, and leveraging admission decisions to secure enrollment targets. John is well versed in strategic planning, athletic admission, financial aid and scholarships, and most importantly, building relationships with families to secure a favorable admission outcome.
Will Giles
Associate Director of College Counseling
Solomon Admissions Consulting
Former Admissions Officer Duke University 2 years in Duke University Admissions 4,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Will Giles is a Senior Admissions Consultant. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Duke University (graduating with distinction) with majors in Political Science and Public Policy and a minor in History. He first worked in the admissions office at his alma mater, being responsible for many application reviews and evaluations. Additionally, he served as the office's liaison to the Pratt School of Engineering and as a member of the QuestBridge scholars selection committee. Will enjoys getting to know his students and their interests/passions to help find the best college fit, and he looks forward to helping them put their best foot forward during the admission process.
Marisa Herrera
Associate Director of College Counseling
Solomon Admissions Consulting
Former Assistant Director of Admission Stanford University 17 Years in College Admissions 6,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Dr. Marisa Herrera has an undergraduate degree with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Applied Science with an emphasis in Agribusiness, a Master of Business Management (M.S.M) with an emphasis in International Business and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern California. Dr. Marisa Herrera has worked in higher education for over 17 years at several highly selective institutions including UCLA, Stanford University and USC. As the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions for Stanford University, she oversaw the largest admissions territory for Stanford, which included Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. In addition, she worked with community-based organizations and independent private schools in the Los Angeles area on annual case study programs designed to prepare high school students for competitive college admissions. After a stint traveling the world with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as an Assistant Dean for the Semester at Sea program, she returned to Stanford Admissions to work as an admissions reader for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Senior Consultants
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Nicholas Accrocco
Former Auxiliary Application Reader
University of Pennsylvania
Former Admissions Counselor Vanderbilt University Former Assistant Director of Admissions Kogod School of Business, American University 1 Year in University of Pennsylvania Admissions 1 Year in American University Admissions 3 Years in Vanderbilt University Admissions 7,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Combining years of admissions experience at both the graduate and undergraduate level, as well as helping hundreds of students apply to selective colleges and universities, Dr. Nick J. Accrocco has a passion for helping students in the admissions process. Nick's experience during his time in admissions has given him insight as to what is valued within admissions committees from his work at Vanderbilt University and the University of Pennsylvania. He has helped countless students with understanding the nuances of selective college admissions, fine tuning all aspects of their application, as well as preparation for college interviews. Additionally, he has been a guest speaker and lecturer for high school students, their families and education practitioners on many aspects of the college search process.
Haley Artime
Former Admissions Counselor
Washington University in St. Louis
Former Admissions Reader Washington University in St. Louis Former Transfer Admissions Counselor Lindenwood University 4 years in Washington University in St. Louis Admissions 1 year in Lindenwood University Admissions 2,000+ Applications Read & Evaluated After graduating with her B.S in Communication from Millikin University, Haley worked in the finance industry, before pursuing her passion in higher education. Haley worked in Washington University Undergraduate Admissions for a little over 3 years, then served as a file reader for the 2021-2022 application season. She has read applications and essays across the US- reading and evaluating applications for all undergraduate schools including Olin Business School, McKelvey School of Engineering, and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. She has also read scholarship applications for Olin Business School and Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program. Her favorite part of the application is seeing a student shine through the paper- after all, every student has a name and story. Haley has experience in multiple aspects of the college search process, including financial aid processes, advising, 1:1 interviews, large group information sessions, and more. As a first-generation college student, Haley was left to do the college application process on her own, with little help from her high school counselor and family. Through her own experiences, she became passionate about helping others through the college application process. She is dedicated to making, what can seem like an intimidating process, one of ease.
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Lindsay M. Bigoness
Former Senior Assistant Dean of Admission
Princeton University
Former Admissions Officer Harvard University 4 Years in Princeton University Admissions 5 Years in Harvard University Admissions 10,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Lindsay Bigoness is former Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at Princeton University. Lindsay served on Princeton’s Admissions Committee and evaluated thousands of student admission files annually. She was a team leader for various regional areas during the Committee’s work. Lindsay specializes in working with students with a range of interests and backgrounds seeking admission to highly selective schools. At Princeton, Lindsay’s responsibilities also included directing “Princeton Preview,” the University’s admitted student overnight programs each year. She also organized a number of other academic, advising and recruitment programs. Prior to joining the team at Princeton, Lindsay worked at Harvard College Admissions for five years. Her responsibilities at Harvard Admissions also included supporting visitor, communications and outreach programs and serving as a member of the Board of Freshman Advisers at Harvard College. Lindsay received her Master’s in Higher Education Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2009. At Harvard, Lindsay was involved in student leadership activities and served as student member of a University Faculty Search Committee. Lindsay holds her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Wellesley College. At Wellesley, Lindsay served as student director of first-year orientation and was an instructor for the campus study center.
Ryan Bouziane
Former Senior Assistant Director of Admission
University of Southern California
Former Assistant Dean of Admission Pomona College 3 years in USC Admissions 2.5 years in Pomona College Admissions 10,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Ryan is an alumnus of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, where he completed undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Following the completion of his undergrad, Ryan began working for USC’s central office of undergraduate admission while working part-time as a screenwriter and journalist, though he quickly fell in love with the experience of guiding students through the college admissions process and moved into an admissions leadership role. At USC, he primarily worked with students from California and Arizona while overseeing USC’s legacy student transfer program. While working at USC, he completed a master’s program in Communication Management. His thesis focused on organizational trust factors in education settings. Following his graduate studies and the birth of his first daughter, Ryan transitioned to the admissions office at Pomona College, a premier liberal arts institution and member of the Claremont Colleges. At Pomona, he worked with students from California, the Midwest U.S., and Asia. Ryan has dedicated countless hours guiding students and their families through the nuances and intricacies of the admissions process. These days he works as a college counselor in Los Angeles. Inspired by his background as a writer and journalist, he is a firm believer that every student has a unique and compelling story just waiting to be uncovered, and he sincerely enjoys the opportunity to help students discover and articulate their own narratives. His college counseling philosophy centers on authentic, reflective self-authorship and “fit” discernment – the identification of colleges where an individual student’s values and priorities correlate with the mission and culture of the institution.
Rod Bugarin
Former Assistant Director of Admission & Fin. Aid
Columbia University
Former Assistant Director of Financial Aid Brown University Former Assistant Dean of Admission Wesleyan University Former Sr. Assistant Director of Admission Hampshire College 4 Years in Columbia University Admissions 2 Years in Brown University Financial Aid 2 Years at Wesleyan University in Admissions 3 Years at Hampshire College Admissions 10,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Rod is unique among independent college admissions consultants. Not only does he have extensive hands on experience in selective admissions at several institutions, he is fluent in financial aid and enrollment management policies, particularly for international candidates. Featured in The Gatekeepers (Steinberg, 2002) and Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College (Ferguson, 2011), his career in undergraduate college admissions started as a tour guide and student interviewer at his alma mater. Since then, he has amassed fifteen years of experience at selective institutions and scholarship committees, with particular expertise in working with athletes, legacy candidates, those who seek merit scholarships, and helping students finding which highly selective institution is the right fit. A graduate of the University of Rochester (BA) and Teachers College-Columbia University (MA), Rod looks forward to sharing his experience as a scholar/practitioner in college admissions.
Delphine L. Byrd
Former Assistant Director of Admissions
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Former Associate Director of Admissions University of Michigan Law School Former Assistant Dean for Admissions University of Florida College of Law 18 years (combined) in University of Michigan Ann Arbor Undergraduate and Law School Admissions 2 years in University of Florida College of Law Admissions 20,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Delphine has reviewed more than 20,000 applications, and has read well over 30,000 personal statements, and essays throughout her professional career. She has held decision-making positions at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and the University of Florida. Moreover, she received the University of Michigan Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award, and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition of Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the Community for her efforts in admissions and recruiting. During her tenure at UF Law, Delphine made all final admissions decisions, and was the Ex-officio member of the Faculty Admissions Committee. She was also responsible for all scholarship allocation determinations, including scholarship negotiations. Delphine has traveled domestically and internationally as an ambassador for the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Law School, and the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
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Charles Adams Cogan
Former Assistant Director of Undergrad Admission
Northwestern University
Former Associate Dean of Admissions/Director of International Recruitment Carleton College 5 Years in Northwestern University Admissions 15,000+ applications read and evaluated Charlie earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Carleton College and a master’s degree in African and Middle Eastern History from Northwestern University and was a Ph.D. Candidate in African History for several years before leaving the program to take a job in the admissions office at Northwestern. He has worked in admissions for twenty-two years, starting at Northwestern and then leaving to become the director of international recruitment at Carleton when the college received a multi-million dollar grant from the Starr Foundation to increase its international student presence. When he began, Carleton had less than 1% international students and when he left in 2017 the college’s international student presence was above 10%. At Carleton, he was also a member of the steering committee of the Cross-Cultural Studies minor and served regularly as a guest lecturer and as a Designated School Official (DSO) for international visa and immigration matters. Charlie has taught college courses in African, Asian, World and US Immigration History and keeps in touch with the students whose applications he reviewed during his 22 years of college admissions work. A former Peace Corps Volunteer and Fulbright Scholar, he keeps his international connections alive through his local Rotary Club (especially international development projects and polio eradication) and as a member of the board of directors of Books For Africa, the nation’s leading shipper of new and gently-used educational materials to Africa.
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Alexis Colbert
Former Assistant Director of Admission
Rice University
Former Senior Admissions Fellow Dartmouth College 4,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Alexis earned their B.A. in Anthropology at Dartmouth College. They then received a M.A. in Social Anthropology at the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies with a fellowship award from Dartmouth College. As a Senior Admissions Fellow at Dartmouth College, Alexis conducted outreach, wrote admissions blog posts, and evaluated over 100 applications. Alexis has professional experience in college admissions at Rice University where they recruited students from across the country with an emphasis on the Midwest, evaluated over 4,000 applications, offered sessions on applying to highly selective universities, and advocated for students in admissions committees. Alexis served on Rice’s Access and Inclusion team focused on outreach and recruitment of historically excluded populations. In addition, they participated in strategic planning, and assisted in creating vibrant campus programming for admitted students and visitors.
Kelly Connors
Former Admissions Reader
Duke University
Former Undergraduate Advising Coordinator George Mason University 4 years in Duke University Admissions 2 years in George Mason University Admissions 1000+ Applications Read and Evaluated Kelly earned a Masters of Education at George Mason University where she also engaged in student advising support. Kelly joined the undergraduate admissions team at Duke University where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of applications per year and provided admit recommendations for committee review. As a Solomon Admissions Senior Consultant Kelly uses her extensive admissions background and expertise to help students navigate the often overwhelming admissions process and strives to assist her clients in shaping a compelling application for highly selective colleges and universities. Her passion and commitment in helping students identify the best university fit is evident in the relationships that she builds with each of her clients.
Maura Connors
Former Senior Admissions Counselor
University of Chicago
2 Years in University of Chicago Admissions 4,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated After graduating from the University of Chicago with a major in Geographical Studies and a minor in Art History, Maura joined the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UChicago. In her two years there, she recruited students from across the country, evaluated more than 4,000 UChicago applications, offered information sessions on applying to highly selective universities, led educational essay writing workshops, and advocated for students in the admissions committee. Maura served as a member of UChicago’s outreach team, writing content for print and digital marketing pieces. She has also conducted interviews, served on merit scholarship committees, assisted students in planning a gap year, and helped select UChicago’s essay prompts. Maura has a comprehensive understanding of the overall admissions process and recognizes the importance of storytelling in the college application. She utilizes her admissions and marketing experience to help students fine-tune their writing, illuminate their personal brand, and find their perfect college fit. Maura has been a team member at Solomon since 2017 and has assisted clients in 500 applications to universities across the country.
Carla Crooker
Former Associate Director of Admissions
Cornell University
13 Years in Cornell Admissions 20,000+ Applications Read and Evaluated With more than a dozen years of experience in higher education admissions, recruitment, and program management in both graduate and undergraduate studies, Carla is committed to empowering students to reach their greatest potential through higher education. Carla earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in Comparative Literature and Film Studies and spent many years teaching and working in human services non-profits before beginning in the world of admissions. At Cornell University, responsible for reviewing thousands of applications each year, training a team of application readers, and ultimately selecting candidates for admission, Carla cultivated a unique and comprehensive understanding of the admissions process and the application components that make students truly compell