College Admissions

Hi! I am a results-oriented coach who will work with you to create a structured plan to tackle your applications. As a Duke University graduate with dual degrees in Political Science and Computer Science, I bring a unique background in both STEM and humanities. I focus on understanding underlying statistics and which schools to apply to, and how to tie your essays together and sell yourself. My experience as a member of the Duke Debating Society and my leadership roles in the Air Force ROTC have honed my skills in communication, leadership, and innovation. I have a proven track record of success, from joining as an intelligence leader of the highly selective United States Space Force (50/4000 selected in 2021) to the high-stakes environment at the Pentagon where I was 1/12 officers chosen to start my career there. Whether you're aiming for top-tier universities or seeking to stand out in your application, I'm here to help you craft a compelling narrative and achieve your academic goals. Let's connect and make your college dreams a reality!

I understand what it takes to stand out in the most selective college admissions processes because I’ve experienced it myself. As a low-income immigrant student, I earned admission to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, MIT, USC, and the University of Michigan, along with national scholarships such as the Coca-Cola Scholarship and the Elks Most Valuable Student Award. Navigating this process without expensive guidance taught me how to build authentic, high-impact applications grounded in strategy and storytelling. Now, I help students do the same by refining their essays, strengthening their extracurricular narratives, and presenting their achievements with clarity and purpose. My goal is to help each student discover how to tell their story in a way that is both honest and compelling.

Seasoned college counselor with 10 years of experience mentoring dedicated students to gain entry into elite undergraduate programs that truly match their personalities, values, and goals. In the last five years, my students have gained admission to Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, U Penn, U Chicago, Dartmouth, Brown, Rice, Duke, Vanderbilt, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Washington University in St. Louis, Amherst, Bowdoin, Wellesley, Pomona, Middlebury, UVA, UNC, UT Austin, U Michigan, U Washington, NYU, USC, and many other highly selective colleges. I'm proud to have cultivated the industry acumen and 1-1 mentorship skills to guide students with diverse interests and personalities to pursue successful application strategies for top-choice colleges, particularly in the early admissions rounds. For the Class of 2023 alone, my students had a 100% acceptance rate in the early admission round and will be attending Stanford, U Chicago, Brown, Vanderbilt, and Washington University in St. Louis (among others). I've worked hard to refine my coaching methods to achieve such success. Having studied screenwriting at Middlebury College, I relish helping students craft compelling application stories that communicate their identities, showcase their passions, and crystalize their visions. My comprehensive guidance through extracurricular and personal development enables my students to stay authentic and confident — and it achieves results. I'm proud to have worked effectively with students with a diverse range of intellectual, social, and personal interests. I seek to help each student elevate their genuine passions on their own terms, developing not only their intrinsic motivation, but their productivity and vision for the future. I have been blessed to guide and learn from more than a hundred top students interested in STEM and engineering, business or economics, or humanities, arts, and social sciences. I am confident that I can help any teenager explore their future pathways while capitalizing on their present opportunities to craft the most compelling application package possible.

I've spent over a decade on every side of the admissions table — as a Harvard PhD who taught over 30 courses to more than 1,000 undergraduates, reviewed admissions applications, and served as a Senior Advisor on the Tutorial and Advising Board. I've worked alongside Nobel-winning faculty and nationally recognized writers, and I know exactly what the candidacy profile of a student who gets in looks like. More than 300 of my students have been admitted to Stanford, Princeton, Brown, Vanderbilt, Cornell, NYU, UC Berkeley, UChicago, and many more. My approach is personal and narrative-driven. I help students uncover what makes them distinctive and build a cohesive application story — from Common App essays to activity lists to interview prep. I speak five languages and work especially well with international and multilingual families navigating an unfamiliar system.

Welcome to my profile! As a medical student who previously attended Duke University and the University of Oxford, I bring a strong academic foundation to my coaching. I am well versed in the college application process and have received the full-ride Angier B. Duke and Rhodes Scholarships. Furthermore, my experience on the Duke University scholarship selection committee has given me valuable insights into the college admissions process. I have successfully coached 5 students, helping them navigate their college applications and secure spots at their desired institutions. My professional background includes impactful roles at the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where I honed my skills in research and policy analysis. I'm here to help you craft a compelling application that highlights your unique strengths. Let's work together to achieve your college admission goals!

It took me many tears, late nights, and phone calls to mentors and friends to figure out the right topic for my admissions essays. Having gone through the personal statement process twice (for both undergrad and law school), I know how challenging it can be to strike the right balance of concision and creative detail. I'd love to help you excel not only in your essays, but in every other stage of the college admissions journey.

I’m a Harvard-educated admissions consultant who helps high-achieving students stand out. Over the past 14 years, I’ve guided more than 600 applicants to top U.S. colleges and graduate programs — including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, and other Ivies — through strategic storytelling, school list curation, and essay coaching. My clients have earned acceptances to top-25 schools and, in many cases, significant merit scholarships — even without perfect grades or conventional résumés. If your family is aiming for a top-tier school — and wants strategic, honest, high-impact support — I’d love to connect.

Hello and welcome to my profile! With a rich background in college admissions and a passion for increasing college enrollment among underrepresented student populations, I am here to guide you through the college application process. As the Founder and CEO of Shani on Campus, I have been dedicated to coaching college students and recent grads to achieve their personal dreams and career aspirations. My experience includes serving the office of admissions at the University of Michigan, leading international recruiting and admissions efforts for 10+ elite private schools, and working as a DEIB & Admissions Consultant, where I have helped countless families and community groups navigate the complexities of college admissions. I specialize in providing personalized 1-to-1 counseling, essay writing coaching, and advocacy, particularly for women in STEM, Black and Latinx students, first-generation, and low-income students. Let's work together to make your college dreams a reality—reach out to start your journey today!

My approach to coaching comes from lived experience, not theory. I recently navigated the graduate admissions process and earned offers from the following top programs: The University of Toronto Masters of Science in Applied Computing, Carnegie Mellon Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Columbia Dual MBA/Executive MS: Engineering & Applied Science, UC Berkeley Electric Engineering & Computer Sciences Master of Engineering, and Carnegie Mellon Master of Science in Machine Learning program. I have confirmed my decision to attend the Machine Learning program at Carnegie Mellon this fall. Before that, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from UT Austin with a 3.96 GPA in Computer Science. I know firsthand what it takes to build a compelling application because I have done it across both technical and business programs. My strength is narrative strategy. I help you identify the through line in your experiences, position your story for the specific program type you are targeting, and write essays that are punchy, defensible, and free of inflated claims. Beyond admissions, I bring real-world credibility as someone that has worked at startups, big companies, and nonprofits as well as research experience. I will give you honest assessments, not validation, and I will work with you draft by draft until every word earns its place.

Dr. Corinne Smith is a former Ivy League admissions officer with 15+ years of experience in higher education. Corinne completed her BA in Political Science and Sociology as well as her MS in Higher Education at Northwestern University. She also holds a Doctorate in Education through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Corinne spent 12 years working in undergraduate admissions at four highly selective institutions: Yale University, Brown University, Northwestern University, and the University of California. During her eight years at Yale, Corinne covered admissions territories across the U.S. and around the world, voted in hundreds of admissions committees, and oversaw all domestic recruitment. In addition to her work as an admissions officer, Corinne has served as a consultant for the Caltech admissions office and is the co-author of the College Essay Journal: A Mindful Manual for College Applications. Throughout her time in admissions, Corinne covered both domestic and international admissions territories. Her domestic territories included: California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming. Corinne's international territories included: the United World Colleges, Canada, China, Greece, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, southeastern Europe, and the Middle East.