Meet Sophie!

Sophie Heller, College Counselor

In a higher education career spanning more than a decade, Sophie earned a PhD from Georgetown University in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies while advising and teaching undergraduates. She later accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Teaching at Georgetown with a joint appointment between Georgetown’s Main and Capitol Campuses, the first faculty member to hold such an post. Since joining Collegewise in 2021, Sophie has guided her students to acceptances from more than 150 colleges and universities, including Columbia, Barnard, University of Michigan, UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Barnard College, Boston University, Macalester, Skidmore, Harvey Mudd, and Colorado School of Mines.

Testimonials from her Collegewise families frequently cite the relationships Sophie builds with students, the clear direction she provides, and the kind but direct feedback she offers that leaves her students well-informed and secure in the strong team they have behind them. A popular Collegewise webinar presenter, Sophie has spoken on a variety of topics, including highly selective admissions, summer planning, activity planning, the parents’ guide to college admissions, college visits, and regular decision vs. early decision. 

While Sophie provides excellent support with all elements of the college admissions process, her eight years teaching literature and composition to collegiate undergrads makes her particularly skilled at helping her Collegewise students find and share their best stories for college essays. Great college essays help admissions readers come to better know the applicant in ways an application alone cannot reveal. The relationships Sophie forges with her students, her deep understanding of storytelling, and the sense of comfort she creates for students to talk with her about their lives allows her students to make the most of their opportunity to personalize their applications with memorable and compelling college essays. 

The best college counselors feel privileged to guide students through this pivotal point in their lives. As Sophie describes it: 

As a lifelong educator, I’m able to incorporate so much teaching and mentoring in my role as a counselor. I get to help students cultivate applications that really showcase their talents. I get to see them come into their own as future scholars. I get to assist as they find their own narrative voices and learn to embrace what makes them unique, all as they take this huge step into the next phase of their lives. What could be better than that? 

A Seattle native who enjoys a good hike or mountain road trip, Sophie has found her way back to the Pacific Northwest. She learned to salsa dance over the semester she spent researching in Bogotá, Colombia and regularly returns to Spain to visit friends and family.

Education & Experience

Mount Holyoke College, B.A.
Middlebury College, M.A.
Georgetown University, Ph.D.

Student advisor and Spanish instructor, Georgetown University 

Upper School substitute Spanish teacher and advisor, University Prep Academy

Professional Organizations Memberships

NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling