Sam Joustra, College Counselor
Sam has spent more than a decade in the world of college admissions, having logged stints as an admissions officer at both University of Michigan and Vanderbilt, and as a school counseling intern at Bryn Mawr School for girls before joining Collegewise in 2021. Sam’s Collegewise students have been accepted to more than 300 colleges, including Columbia, Georgetown, USC, Vanderbilt, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Miami, William and Mary, Tulane, Rice, Washington University in St. Louis, Boston University, Kenyon, Barnard, Bard, Williams, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego.
A frequent Collegewise webinar presenter, Sam also delivered a professional development workshop, "'Why Us?': What Colleges are Looking for in Supplemental Essays and What Students Reveal about Themselves” at the 2022 National Association for College Admission Counseling’s annual conference. She is the author of our 2024 Collegewise Guide to Finding the Best-Fit College for Jewish Students, and a co-lead of our internal Inclusion, Equity, and Access committee.
The very best college counselors feel a deep sense of responsibility for the students they serve and make a genuine investment in their work. Collegewise families sense this deep engagement from Sam, with testimonials frequently referencing how kind, supportive, and consistently communicative Sam is during their work together. Students often view Sam like a wiser older sister (without the rivalry) who’s here to help, listen, and make their time together both enjoyable and productive. As Sam puts it:
It is really important to me to feel I'm helping students in this process. I want to empower them to feel confident, help them separate fact from fiction, and remind them there is never only one perfect-fit school for a student. When families just want their students to end up at a school that is going to be a great fit for them, where they'll be happy and can thrive, that is invigorating to me.
We’d be remiss not to mention that Sam is a fan favorite with her colleagues at Collegewise, who view her as one of the most earnest, responsible, and trustworthy people we’ve ever met. Sam is the kind of person who, upon finding $5 on the sidewalk, would never consider putting it in her own wallet, choosing instead to post hopeful “Found!” flyers covering a 12-block radius in search of the original owner.
A Michigan transplant who remains deeply enchanted with her home state, Sam maintains a color-coded spreadsheet of her favorite Metro Detroit restaurants. When she’s not curating her stock of Jeni’s Ice Cream flavors (we’ve yet to hear of one she doesn’t love), you’ll find Sam enjoying time with her husband, Jon, and their dog, Miley.
Education & Experience
Goucher College, B.A.
Vanderbilt University, M.S.
Admissions counselor, University of Michigan
Assistant Director of Admissions, Vanderbilt University
Assistant Director of Admissions, Hampshire College
Professional Organization Memberships
NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling
MACAC: Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling
Ready to tackle the admissions process?
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