Melinda P.

With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, I have guided hundreds of students through academic decision-making, personal challenges, and complex pathways toward graduate and professional school. My career began in student affairs at UCLA Medical School, followed by graduate work in Educational Psychology at Columbia University, where I also worked during that time at their medical school. Soon after graduating from Columbia, I began working at New York University and took a pivotal leadership role directing NYU’s career changer Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, where I discovered my passion for supporting aspiring healthcare professionals and mentoring students at critical moments in their academic journeys. Fifteen years later, I've worked with hundreds of college students across all fields of study, helping them navigate the full arc of their undergraduate experience - course selection and academic planning to overcoming setbacks, building strong faculty relationships, and developing the skills needed to thrive independently. As a program director, I have led the redesign and expansion of multiple prehealth programs at institutions including Barnard College and Sarah Lawrence College. I extend this depth of institutional and advising expertise into personalized, one-on-one support for students and applicants. My approach reflects a deep understanding of the challenges students face during college and a commitment to helping them make thoughtful decisions that position them for long-term success academically, professionally, and personally.