Meet Zehra!

Zehra Ratani, College Counselor

Zehra has over 15 years of admissions and advising experience, including a stint managing the U.S. Department of State’s Education USA college advising program, where she worked with hundreds of students from over 20 countries to help them with their applications to highly selective colleges and universities in the United States. She has also served as an admissions reader for UCLA and as the Deputy Director of Admission at Rice University, where she evaluated more than 2,000 applications for admission. A student of college admissions, Zehra has consistently engaged in professional development opportunities that include completing both the college advising program certificate from Teachers College at Columbia, as well as Harvard Summer Admissions Institute. 

Our 25 years of recruiting and training counselors has taught us that the best embrace college counseling as a craft, one in which they consistently work to progress towards mastery, never comfortable resting with their current knowledge and skills. Since the day she completed her own formal education with an MBA, Zehra has treated her work in higher education like a calling, always finding new ways to learn, grow, and impact both her colleagues and her students. From attending professional conferences both domestically and internationally, to visiting over 80 U.S. college campuses, Zehra has never stopped progressing in this work, and her students benefit from her career investment. 

Lest she sound like someone who’s all-work, all-the-time, Zehra is also a seasoned traveler, an amateur foodie who’s always looking for a good restaurant recommendation, and a frequent Netflix binge-watcher. 

Education & Experience

Hamdard University (Karachi, Pakistan) BBA, MBA
Drexel University, MS.Ed
Teachers College (Columbia University), College Advisement Program Certificate
EducationUSA Regional Institute on Arts & Design Schools Application & Portfolio 
U.S. Department of State Level 3 EducationUSA Advising Leadership Certificate 
Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions
IECA Summer Training Institute, Swarthmore College
U.S. Department of State United States Based Training (USBT)
Deputy Director of Admission, Rice University (1 year)
Admissions Reader, UCLA (1 year)
Director/EducationUSA Advisor, US Department of Education (6 years)

Professional Organization Memberships

Enrollment Leadership Academy (ELA) College Board Participant
International Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC) (3 years)
NACAC: National Association for College Admission Counseling