Sonya Petkova

Studied at Columbia University

Works at The College Master: Guide to your Dream College – Expert Test Prep and Admissions Essays Consulting

Successful clients at

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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About Sonya

Every student I work with gets my full attention. That's not just a promise — it's my motto. I take on a limited number of students at a time, because quality matters far more to me than the volume. I'd love to get to know you, and to help you find your way to your dream school. I'll build a plan around you — your story, your strengths, and the schools where you can truly thrive, and I'll support you every step of the way. I grew up in Europe, a long way from the American universities. I had to navigate an unfamiliar application system, standardized tests in a second language, and the awareness that I was different. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with writing — with the way the right sentence can make a person feel truly seen. That's what I care about most as a coach: helping a student find their *real* voice, not a polished imitation of what they think admissions officers want to hear. I've spent 8+ years working with ambitious students from all over the world, many of them international and far from home, and I understand the particular mix of hope and pressure they carry. Outside of coaching, I'm a writer and artist, drawn to big questions about meaning, purpose, and how we build a life worth living. I bring that same curiosity to the people I work with: I want to know who you are before we ever talk about where you're applying. Choosing a college is about more than getting in — it’s about finding a place where you can grow and thrive. If you’re ready to begin, I’d love to hear your story and help you find your path forward.

Why do I coach?

I coach because I've been the kid on the other side of the college application. I grew up in Eastern Europe and came to the United States as an international student on a full scholarship —an opportunity that changed the course of my life. As I stood just 100 feet from Steve Jobs as he gave his famous Stanford commencement speech in 2005, I realized just how extraordinary the opportunities around me were. But getting in was only half the story. Once I arrived in college, I struggled with adapting to the culture, the expectations, and the unspoken rules of a world that everyone else already understood. I wish I had had a mentor who could help me make sense of it all so that I could fully leverage my opportunities. That's who I try to be for my students now. I want to be the guide I didn't have—someone who sees not just the application, but the person behind it, and helps students navigate something huge and unfamiliar with greater confidence and perspective. That's also why I stay close to so many of my students long after they're admitted, throughout their college careers and beyond. Watching them grow into the opportunities they've earned is where I find my greatest gratification. This work I do has never been just a transaction for me. It's personal.

Work Experience

Founder & College Admissions Consultant

The College Master: Guide to your Dream College – Expert Test Prep and Admissions Essays Consulting

August 2018 - Present

Founded and run The College Master (www.thecollegemaster.com), a boutique college admissions consulting practice based in Chicago. I specialize in essay strategy and personal narrative — helping students applying to selective US universities develop the story that sets them apart. My clients have achieved a 95% first-or-second-choice placement rate, with acceptances to Ivy League schools and other top programs. I work one-on-one with students and families through every stage of the application process: school selection, positioning, essay development, and final review. My background in literature (Stanford BA, Columbia MPhil) informs everything I do - I help students write essays that admissions readers remember long after the file is closed. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thecollegemaster/

Academic Counselor

IvyTies

December 2016 - June 2018

Wrote and evaluated 90 original paragraphs for an SAT preparation textbook; assessed content for accuracy, pedagogical rigor, and domain quality Edited, proofread, and assessed research papers, motivational letters, and professional documents against established quality standards Delivered individualized instruction to high school students, college students, and business professionals across proficiency levels Prepared students for IELTS, TOEFL, FCE, CAE, and CPE standardized exams; demonstrated measurable score improvements

Chinese Language Instructor

Indiana University

June 2007 - July 2008

Russian Language Instructor at SWSEEL Summer Language Program, Indiana University. Organized, managed and led an intensive summer language course for a large group of students from different backgrounds and academic levels. Created a dialogue-based, open and friendly environment, which was both fun and practical. I prepared the students for the Second-year College Level Russian exam while immersing them in Russian Culture through lectures on art and through various cultural discussions.

English Language Teaching Assistant

Columbia University in the City of New York

September 2006 - December 2010

Taught Russian Literature and College-Level Russian to undergraduate and graduate students at Columbia, designing courses from the ground up. Gave detailed written feedback on student essays — argument, accuracy, how the writing actually landed on the page — and held the bar high across all proficiency levels. Students consistently said the course changed how they thought about reading and writing.

Education

Columbia University

Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy, Slavic Languages and Literatures

2007 - 2016

Recipient of the Harriman Institute Certificate (2015) — Columbia's center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European studies. Conducted doctoral research on metamodernism and Buddhist philosophy in contemporary Russian fiction. Served as Teaching Assistant and Language Instructor in the Slavic Languages Department (2006–2010), designing and delivering Russian Literature and College-Level Russian courses for undergraduate and graduate students.

Stanford University

Bachelor's Degree, English with Interdisciplinary Emphasis

2001 - 2005

Completed a BA in English with Interdisciplinary Emphasis at Stanford University. During my time at Stanford, I studied abroad at Oxford University (Fall 2004) through the Stanford Overseas Program, where I completed a tutorial in Literary Theory and conducted research on European Integration. I also served as Editor Assistant in Stanford's Special Languages Program, evaluating and editing research papers for a published textbook on web-based language teaching, and worked as a counselor at Stanford's EPGY Academic Camp for Gifted Youth, mentoring high school students in Shakespeare Drama and Fiction Writing. Published "Mikhail Bakhtin: A Justification of Literature" in Zhe: Stanford's Student Journal of Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (2005).

Sonya was also personally admitted to