Kate Strzelecki, College Counselor
Kate is what we fondly refer to as a "lifer" in the field of admissions, with over a decade of experience working in higher education that includes stints as an application reader at NYU and an assistant director of admissions at Hawaii Pacific University. After reading thousands of applications and rendering countless admission decisions for students across the country, Kate recognized that serving as the gatekeeper for an institution was not her true passion , leading her to make the leap to the other side of the desk to counsel students and eventually join Collegewise in 2021.
Kate’s students have been accepted to more than 200 colleges and universities, including Brown, Cornell, Penn, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Wake Forest, Reed College, Wesleyan, Harvey Mudd, USC, University of Michigan, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Boston University, Emory, Northeastern, LMU, and University of Miami. A regular Collegewise webinar presenter who is frequently invited to facilitate college admissions workshops at local area high schools, Kate is also one of our CTY Scholars Program counselors in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, serving students from limited-income households.
Kate believes that energy and positivity—from both student and counselor—can change this process, and that the more effort a student puts into learning about schools and finding those that fit them best, the easier the process and the better the ultimate results. Rest assured, Kate walks this energetic, positive talk herself, as evidenced by the unbridled enthusiasm she brings not only to her work, but also to her regular distance runs and Pilates sessions.
When she isn’t counseling, you can find Kate shuttling her two young aspiring athlete kids to softball, soccer, hockey and baseball throughout Orange County, and feeding daily mealworms to her reptilian family member, a bearded dragon named Hazelnut.
Education & Experience
Gettysburg College, B.A.
Admission reader, New York University
Admissions Counselor, college planning firm
Assistant Director of Admission, Hawaii Pacific University
Professional Organization Memberships
NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling
Ready to tackle the admissions process?
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