About Us | Collegewise

For 25 years, Collegewise has provided the nation's most trusted personalized college counseling. We help families navigate the complexities of college admissions with a partnership built on two things: top-tier expertise and a truly personal commitment to your student.

Our team of true experts and insiders, including former admissions officers from top universities, replaces the chaos of the process with a clear roadmap for success. We’re here to help your student build a powerful profile and craft an application that tells their unique story, delivering an outstanding result for your family.

Kevin McMullin founded Collegewise in 1999 in Irvine, California. He saw a college admissions process that, for too many families, had become overwhelming and stressful.

Collegewise was built on the simple but powerful belief that students could get admitted to their dream college and still have some fun on their admissions journey.

More than 26 years after Kevin met with his first student at a kitchen table, Collegewise has become the nation’s largest college admissions organization, but that original, personal ethos remains at the heart of everything we do.

We believe the path to a great college doesn't have to be stressful. Our goal is to replace the anxiety of the process with a clearer, more purposeful journey for your entire family.

Our Mission

To be the most trusted source of expert advice to help students access the transformative power of higher education.

Our Vision

To improve the lives of students today so they can improve the world tomorrow.

We Combat Fear with Facts.

The admissions world is full of myths and anxiety. Our first job is to be your family's trusted source of expert information, providing the clarity and data you need to make confident, informed decisions.

We Empower Students to Own Their Journey.

We believe this process should be a student's first real step toward adulthood. We mentor them to take ownership, helping them discover who they are and what they truly want from their college experience.

We Focus on Fit and Future Success.

Getting in is only half the battle. Our guidance ensures that wherever your student lands, they can articulate why they’re there, what they will contribute, and what they want to gain, setting them up for a successful and fulfilling college career.

Our Unique Approach

We Learn From Every Student, Every Year.

We guided more than 1,000 seniors in the Class of 2025 alone. At the end of every admissions cycle, our Learning and Development team compiles all our results and looks for trends. Which schools got more competitive this year? Did test scores matter more or less? What patterns emerged in early decision versus regular decision?

Then we turn around and train our counselors on everything we learned. This is a virtuous cycle that only works because of our history and our volume. You can't do this effectively as a one-person shop.

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98%

of Students Admitted
to One of Top 5 Choices

35,000+

Families Guided

26+

Years of Experience

$73,500

Average Scholarship & Grant Aid

Lindsey Conger was my counselor and she was the ABSOLUTE BEST OF THE BEST. She was especially helpful with the essay writing process... and also super helpful at keeping me organized and on track... Because of Lindsey, I got into my #1 college that I also dreamed of getting into, and I would not have been able to do it without her. She's the best!

Jacob Lieberman

Dec 11, 2025
Working with Collegewise and our counselor, Ida Lonnqvist, was an absolute game-changer for our college application process. Ida not only helped us to focus and organize our timeline - but she also made the process enjoyable and FUN for our family! We highly recommend working with her and Collegewise!

Rebecca Krattiger

Jan 12, 2026
Sarah Turner was my counselor and she was the best!! She was extremely helpful, especially throughout the essay brainstorming process, and supportive of my ideas. She also ensured that I stayed on track and started the application process early. With her help, I got into my top school!

S.A.

Jan 12, 2026
I am so grateful to have worked with Lynne O'Shaughnessy throughout my college process. She consistently helped me stay calm and confident during such a stressful time. At the same time, she made sure that I stayed organized and on top of every deadline. Her guidance and feedback truly strengthened my applications.

Victoria

Jan 10, 2026
Working with Liz Albertelly as a college Counselor was a dream come true! She was so positive all the time, extremely helpful, and a joy to meet with. (And I got into my top school!) I would 100% recommend to anybody interested!

Nora Beach

Dec 19, 2025
We truly could not be happier with our experience at Collegewise. Lynne O'Shaughnessy was our daughter's counselor, and she was exceptional... She brought professionalism, clarity, and structure to a complex and stressful process, while always remaining deeply human and supportive. The outcome was the one we were hoping for.

Marcela Melero

Jan 8, 2026
Our daughter worked with Sarah and we are extremely pleased with how the process worked... Sarah is extremely knowledgeable, professional, respectful, and patient! She was quick to respond to questions... and the fact that Sarah is very easy to talk to, made the college application process smooth for our daughter and with limited stress.

SG

Jan 6, 2026
Collegewise really helped me see beyond the haze of college application anxiety... I was able to center my application on my authenticity and communicate to colleges exactly who I am. Super duper big shout out to my #1 cheerleader in this process, Lori Jones! (...) Her research and attention to detail were also impeccable...

Jana Orief

Jan 1, 2026
Navigating college admissions can be stressful... partnering with Collegewise was the best decision we've made. Having an external counselor allowed us to focus on our role as parents - listening, encouraging and supporting - instead of pilling on the stress... Most importantly, it allowed my daughter to take ownership of the whole process.

Patricia Amaral

Dec 27, 2025
Our experience with this company has been excellent, mainly because of our phenomenal college counselor, Christopher Logan. Christopher ensured that both our daughters were on track with their applications and catered their approach to the girls’ different personalities, interests and skill sets. (...) We could not be happier with the results...

Shahbano Bilgrami

Dec 31, 2025
Hanifa Abdul Sabur was incredible! She was thoughtful, and brought an undeniably experienced view of the college admissions landscape to my son's application! I received this service for free through my workplace benefits and would highly recommend others to take advantage of great counselors like her!

Priya Rajan

Dec 22, 2025
I enrolled my daughter with Collegewise when she was a junior in high school. We have had a fantastic experience working with Collegewise team, especially Melissa Royal... Melissa guided her not only as a counselor, but also as a mentor and friend throughout the college application process. I am extremely grateful and thankful...

Akash Sahni

Dec 19, 2025
We began working with Collegewise a few months ago. While there was a small hiccup at the start, we were quickly connected with Shannon Frankel, the Customer Success Manager. She put us at ease. Though we were anxious, she was calm, organized, and took the time to truly listen to our concerns. Her support made a big difference...

Brianna Sabacinski

Dec 19, 2025
From the very first interaction with the staff, it was total professionalism; they really cared about what we were trying to do... Our coach, Sarah Turner, was absolutely the best. We came in knowing nothing about the college process, and Sarah... walked both my son and me through every step. He was accepted to his first-choice school...

Roxanne Spencer

Nov 10, 2025
I worked with Sarah Turner over the last year for the college admissions process and I can't say enough good things about my experience. She consistently held me accountable for submitting my supplemental essays... and gave me great starting points for finding the perfect institutions for me... With all the stressors of senior year, I can confidently say I was almost never stressed about college.

Al Pirani

Dec 17, 2025
Liz Albertelly, our college counselor at Collegewise, was excellent. Her kindness, positivity, resourcefulness, availability, and attention to detail really stood out and helped our son thrive during the entire college application process. We are so grateful we had her to guide us.

Suzanne Moffitt

Dec 16, 2025
While we are pleased with the college outcomes for our kids, we are even more grateful for the time that we were able to share with Sarah Turner and the steady and supportive guidance that she provided them. (...) The end results were always out of our collective control but the process was not. We are forever thankful to Sarah for making sure it was overseen with compassion and kindness.

Kevin Pirani

Dec 16, 2025
My Collegewise counselor, Ida, was extremely helpful and accommodating to any questions or revisions I went to her for. Thanks to her constructive feedback and comments, by the time my UC application needed to be submitted I truly felt confident in my PIQ essays, activities list, and additional information section!! Thank you Ida!

ayden aryeh

Dec 16, 2025
Collegewise, and especially our counselor Mary Finn, made the college application process so much more manageable for our family. Mary helped my son shape a powerful personal statement, refine his additional information section, and gave clear, practical pointers on how to write about his activities. Her guidance helped him present his strengths authentically and confidently...

Lamont &
Ruthie Cannon

Dec 1, 2025
Collegewise was very helpful in providing feedback and encouragement for my UC application. There is plenty of interaction with counselors, like my counselor Ida Lonnqvist, who provide lots of meaningful comments and suggestions for the application, particularly the PIQs.

Veronika Shidlovskaia

Nov 26, 2025

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Real Students. Real Outcomes.

We guide students to successful outcomes across the entire spectrum of higher education, from the nation's most selective private universities to top-tier public flagships to excellent liberal arts colleges.

Our goal is always the same: help your student gain admission to a college where they will thrive.

Universities and colleges our students have been accepted include:

Excellent Employee Ratings on Glassdoor

Collegewise has a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on Glassdoor, based on 50+ employee reviews.

Strong Employee Recommendation Rate

97% of employees say they would recommend the company to a friend, indicating high levels of employee satisfaction and a positive workplace culture.

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Anjali Bhatia

Chief Executive Officer

Anjali Bhatia

Chief Executive Officer

Anjali is a mission-driven CEO with a lifelong passion for helping students build the right skillsets. She's held a number of executive leadership positions within education over the last 12 years. Anjali holds her MBA from The Wharton School, where she received the Joseph Wharton Fellowship. She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University, where she was the recipient of the full merit scholarship, the Robertson Scholarship. Outside of Collegewise? She is a tea sommelier and loves spending time with her daughter.

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Kevin McMullin

Chief Education Officer

Kevin McMullin

Chief Education Officer

Kevin McMullin is the founder and Chief Education Officer at Collegewise. He has delivered over 500 presentations to discuss college admissions planning, employee engagement, and small business success. As long as the speeches don’t require Kevin to solve any math problems, he always does a bang-up job. Kevin graduated from UC Irvine with majors in English and history (where Kevin also answered, “What will you do with those majors?” approximately 783 times), and he has a college admissions counseling certificate from UCLA.

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Allison Lopour

Chief People Officer

Allison Lopour

Chief People Officer

After graduating from the University of Redlands, Allison worked as an admissions officer there before joining Collegewise in 2007. Since then, she has helped more than 500 students find and apply to the right colleges, and she has been hiring, training, and supporting new Collegewisers for the last 5 years. In her spare time, Allison enjoys watching bad TV, listening to Taylor Swift, and telling her daughters that she’s not a regular mom, she’s a cool mom.

Austin Murtland

Austin Murtland

Chief of Staff

Austin Murtland

Chief of Staff

Austin is the Chief of Staff at Collegewise, where he applies his "engineer-brain" to help our leadership team move fast and stay human. A graduate of Michigan (Go Blue!) and Stanford MBA, Austin spent the last three years moonlighting as a grad school coach, helping students apply to top Master's programs. Prior to joining CW, Austin opened 500+ Airbnbs and lived on an offshore oil rig. He has visited 70 countries, but his most harrowing experience to date remains the Survivor application process.

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Na'ama Landau

Head of Sales and Marketing

Na'ama Landau

Head of Sales and Marketing

Na'ama Landau is the Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at Collegewise. Her journey in the education industry began almost six years ago. Na’ama has had the incredible opportunity to work with families in 12+ countries. She has seen the power of education transform lives, regardless of background or location, and is constantly in awe of what students can accomplish! She has also spoken around the world on admissions topics from NYC to Shanghai to New Zealand to Singapore to Spain and now Los Angeles.

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Grant Cushman

Director of Operations

Grant Cushman

Director of Operations

Grant is the Director of Operations at Collegewise, bringing more than a decade of experience in admissions and candidate management. He began his career in higher education, serving in the admissions offices of Chapman University, University of Richmond, and Pomona College. Outside of admissions, he managed recruitment and internship programs at Riot Games, where he designed training initiatives and attracted top talent. With his mix of admissions expertise and operations know-how, Grant keeps Collegewise running smoothly. In his spare time, he enjoys rock climbing, escape rooms, and some volleyball when his knees are up to the task.

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Patti Miller

Head of Counseling

Patti Miller

Head of Counseling

Patti is the Head of Counseling at Collegewise, where she brings more than a decade of experience in education and an approach that blends professional insight with genuine connection. Her previous work as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, an entrepreneur, and a marketing director deepens her perspective as both a leader and a counselor. Her time at Yale (BA), Wharton (MBA), and UCLA (college counseling certificate), underpins her belief that students thrive when they find their right-fit schools. Outside of work, you can find Patti sampling vegetarian fare around the globe and messily attempting crafts.