Meet Melissa!

Melissa Williams, College Counselor

Since beginning her work as college admissions consultant in 2021, Melissa’s students have been accepted to dozens of the most selective colleges and universities, including Stanford, Yale, Penn, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, Boston College, Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon, Caltech, USC, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, and all the UC (University of California) schools. She got her start at Crimson Education, a fellow admissions consulting service, eventually rising to the role of Regional Team Lead where she oversaw a team of admissions consultants responsible for more than 100 submitted applications. 

Melissa earned a double major in literary studies and Japanese studies from Middlebury College, a master’s in liberal arts (English) from the Harvard Extension School, and she is currently enrolled in a PhD program at Northeastern University for English Literature. Each of these educational pursuits focused on the art of communication and storytelling—critical skills for college counselors pursuing mastery of their craft.

Successful applicants to selective schools present more than just collections of grades, test scores, and accomplishments; they also weave compelling narratives to help readers better understand the teenager behind the qualifications. This is where Melissa excels as a college counselor. She takes the time to listen to her students, always asking thoughtful questions to better understand their strengths, interests, goals, and areas of potential growth, then helps them discover their most compelling narratives to share with colleges. Not to be confused with the purported strategy of “packaging” students, a hackneyed approach admissions officers are quick to recognize (students are not widgets, after all), Melissa’s students present thoughtful, personal narratives that help readers come to better know the student whose application they’re reviewing.   

A mother and an avid lover of languages who’s fluent in both English and Spanish, Melissa also enjoys watching horror movies, traveling, and indulging in her self-described nerdy love of literature.

Education & Experience

Middlebury College, B.A., Literary Studies and Japanese Studies

Harvard Extension School, Master of Liberal Arts, English Language and Literature