Applying to Berkeley was my dream but I wasn't sure If they were going to accept me since I only did 1 year of community college in the US and the rest in my country. Lori not only helped me through my application process but also encouraged me to persist! I got into the political science program after being told multiple times by different advisors from other places that I wouldn’t. I’m glad that Lori was the one who walked me through this process. Her patience and empathy with my stories helped me to be able to write my essays.

NATALIA

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY

Lori was also an extremely encouraging person to work with. I was quite late to the application process and was handling it somewhat alone. Not once did I feel that Lori doubted me. It felt like she genuinely believed in me and my ability to gain acceptance to the schools I was applying to. Even though we only met a handful of times, Lori made each meeting feel personal and safe, taking note and remembering specific things about me and my interests. I cannot explain how crucial the encouragement, advice and specific answers I received from Lori were to completing the application process confidently.

CLAIRE

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

I really appreciated how Collegewise structured their program; I got concrete feedback through deadlines and essay suggestions, but I also feel like my counselor provided me with emotional support during a stressful application period! Lori was so incredibly patient and had such unwavering faith in me even when I didn't, and her positivity and kindness were a breath of fresh air. I genuinely looked forward to chatting with her every week, and felt like she truly cared about me - from listening to my stories at school or work to consoling me while I cried from uncertainty, she has been there every step of the way and I couldn't have done it without her!

KYRA

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - LOS ANGELES

I cannot thank Lori enough for all the effort she put into my applications—after having felt entirely lost throughout the process before joining Collegewise, and Lori's genuine interest in my application, constant encouragement, and efficacy was so, so appreciated. I cannot emphasize enough how good of an experience this was.

EVELYN

KING'S COLLEGE

Lori was a lifesaver for my family. We had no clue how to get started with the college application process. I also knew that my teen would not appreciate my project management tactics. The Collegewise representative assessed our needs over the phone and determined that Lori would be the best coach for for our needs. A few days later, we hit the ground running with Lori! Lori created a project plan with gating events leading up to various application deadlines. Lori and team kept my teen on track with timelines and essay feedback. The final result was my teen getting accepted into his number one school choice!

EMILY, PARENT OF WARREN

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

1-DSC01174 pattern

Lori Jones, College Counselor

Lori has spent more than 25 years in the world of higher education, having logged stints as both an admissions officer and a college counselor. Her students have been accepted to nearly 200 colleges and universities, including all the Ivy League schools, MIT, Stanford, Northwestern, NYU, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, University of Michigan, Northeastern, Emory, Washington University in St. Louis, UT – Austin, all the UC (University of California) schools, and multiple universities in both the UK and Canada.

 

In 2024, Lori was selected as a Counseling Team Lead at Collegewise, a role in which she oversees a team of counselors to ensure they are successful and engaged at work. In addition to working closely with our recruiting and training teams to interview and train prospective Collegewise counselors, Lori is also a frequent webinar presenter and one of the architects of our internal UK Specialist Series to help colleagues learn more about UK admissions. 

 

Lori’s counseling superpower is her ability to make the complex manageable and the confusing understandable. She loves to hear the collective sighs of relief from families who arrive to their first meeting anxious and overwhelmed, only to be transformed after Lori breaks the process down, step-by-step, and reassures students and parents that they’re all in this together now. Testimonials from Lori’s Collegewise families frequently cite the relationships she builds and the effort she makes to really know each of her students. In fact, that opportunity to work one-on-one with teens is what first drew Lori to college counseling. As she puts it:

 

After giving so many presentations to groups as an admissions officer, I considered it my lucky break when I got a job as a college counselor in a school to work more one-on-one with students. My lucky break has continued now with Collegewise, where I get to do what I love in the company of the most talented, enthusiastic, and supportive counselors out there.

 

An outdoor and travel enthusiast who visited 15 national parks and 22 states during the COVID lockdown, Lori can most frequently be found hiking or skiing with her husband, Marshall, and daughter, Zoë.

Education & Experience

Mercer University, B.A.

University of Georgia, M.Ed.

Head of College Counseling, Atlanta International School

College Counselor, The Northwest School

College Counselor, The Overlake School

Senior Assistant Director of Admission, University of Georgia

Professional Organization Memberships

NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling

RMACAC: Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling

Ready to tackle the admissions process?

TALK TO AN ADVISOR

AS SEEN IN

CBS
Forbes
The New York Times
Business Insider
Good Morning America
The Washington Post