Jared Rivers, College Counselor
During his 22-year career in college admissions, Jared has read more than 20,000 applications for admissions at four different institutions—Cornell University, Brandeis University, Bates College, and University of Maine. He has also helped thousands of students navigate the college admission process and find their place in higher education. A former college basketball player, Jared served as the lead athletic admission liaison at all four of his previous institutions and has deep experience, not just with the factors that drive college athletic recruitment, but also with the way those athletes are evaluated by the admissions officers who ultimately assemble the class.
Jared’s years spent reading applications has given him insight into the importance colleges place on the potential match between the applicant and the school, a perspective that now drives Jared’s college counseling approach. Because of the help Jared gives his students to thoughtfully and deliberately search for the right learning environments at their prospective colleges, they are even better able to present themselves as compelling college applicants with the potential to thrive at their chosen schools.
Speaking of good matches, experience has taught us at Collegewise that the fit between the counselor and the student is an essential element of successful college counseling. Jared’s personality could best be described as friendly, relatable, and trustworthy. He builds rapport quickly and easily with students, assuming a posture of a wiser, non-judgmental older sibling who’s done this all before and can help you succeed without mistakes. Parents can sense immediately the deep admissions expertise behind Jared’s affable personality, and they are invariably impressed and comforted by his blending of those two elements. His ability to quickly win over each student is like a college counseling superpower, one that lays the foundation for the successful counseling to come.
When he’s not immersed in everything to do with college counseling and admissions, you can find Jared studying waiver wires and performing bye-week plug-ins, all in an effort to reclaim his 2018 fantasy football championship.
Education & Experience
University of Maine at Farmington, B.A.
Senior Associate Dean & Director of Access, Bates College, (10 years)
Associate Dean and Diversity Recruitment Coordinator, Brandeis University, (3 years)
Assistant Director and Multicultural Recruitment Coordinator, Cornell University (6 years)
Admission Counselor, University of Maine at Farmington (3 years)
Professional Organization Memberships
NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling
NEACAC: New England Association for College Admission Counseling
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