Amy McGinniss, College Counselor
After earning her master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, Amy entered the admissions world first as a school counselor at Marion P. Thomas Charter High School in Newark, NJ, then later at Notre Dame School of Manhattan. At Notre Dame, Amy made a successful pitch to her leadership team, resulting in the adoption of Naviance, a college readiness software platform, that now supports the school’s counseling work. Her students have been accepted to more than 75 colleges and universities, including Sacred Heart, Marist, Fairfield, Fordham, Rutgers, Northeastern, Baylor, Texas A&M, University of Connecticut, University of Delaware, Penn State, University of Maryland, Clemson, and University of Florida.
Amy is a project manager at heart, and families who are feeling behind in—or unsure where to start with—their college planning find immediate relief when Amy lays out the necessary steps and pledges her partnership in tackling them. Amy views college planning as a time where every journey has the same checkpoints (choosing colleges, completing applications, meeting deadlines, etc.), but every student’s path is different. Testimonials from Amy’s Collegewise families cite her energy, the relationships she builds with her students, and her ability to remove stress from the process for both students and parents.
A retired gymnast who can still walk on her hands (if given enough time to properly warm up), Amy surprised herself later in life when she came to “actually enjoy running,” having successfully completed multiple 5Ks encouraged by her new runner’s mantra: Will run for pizza.
Education & Experience
Sacred Heart University, B.S.
University of Pennsylvania, M.Phil.Ed, M.S.Ed
School counselor, Montville Township High School
School counselor, Notre Dame School of Manhattan
School counselor, Marion P. Thomas Charter High School
Professional Organization Memberships
NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling
Ready to tackle the admissions process?
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