Meet Charlie!

Charlie Duffy, College Counselor

Charlie has spent his entire professional career working in college admissions, both as a counselor and as an application reader. His students have been accepted to more than 150 colleges, including all of the UC (University of California) schools, Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, Brown, Penn, Georgetown, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt, Amherst, Swarthmore, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, UT-Austin, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Georgia Tech, Colgate, and Emory University. 

In 2024, Charlie was selected as a Counseling Team Lead at Collegewise, a role in which he oversees a team of counselors to ensure they are successful and engaged at work. He is also a frequent webinar presenter and the architect of the Collegewise "Deconstructing College Admission Rankings" presentation.  

Charlie’s colleagues and his Collegewise families praise him for his positivity and the remarkably steady sense of calm he brings to every interaction. This beloved trait was certainly put to the test in 2024 when Charlie was temporarily displaced from his Florida home due to a hurricane. But by all accounts, Charlie remained cheerful and available to both his team and his caseload of students. If even a full-blown natural disaster can’t shake Charlie, the trials and tribulations of college admissions have no chance of doing so. 

Unsurprisingly, Charlie’s counseling style resonates particularly well with students and parents who are anxious about the process and need the calm reassurance of a caring expert who says in both words and actions, “Don’t worry—we’re in this together now.” He also has great rapport with quirky or self-described awkward kids who haven’t quite found their social footing in high school and are looking forward to doing so in college. But as Charlie is quick to point out, he loves all aspects of counseling and can be successful with any student who wants to go to college and is engaged in the process of getting there. 

A Florida native who’s happiest in the outdoors (except during a hurricane), Charlie enjoys hiking in the mountains, spending time at the beach, and continuing his streak of regular long-distance runs that began back in his teenage years.

Education & Experience

Florida Atlantic University, M.Ed.

Florida Atlantic University, BBA

External application reader, University of California, San Diego

Associate Director of College Counseling, Sage Hill School

Assistant Director of College Counseling, Palmer Trinity School

Regional Student Affairs Officer, University of California, San Diego

Professional Organizations Memberships

NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling

SACAC: Southern Association for College Admission Counseling