Mike

Description

Mike is a former Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Stanford University and previously served as an admissions evaluator for New York University and the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Mike has also worked as the Director of College Counseling at a private high school in New York City and Program Advisor and Counseling Faculty member at a public college in Portland, Oregon.

Mike started his postsecondary education in community college, then transferred to the University of California-Berkeley, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with minors in business and public policy. He also holds a master’s degree in education from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, where his studies focused on college access and success.

During his time at Stanford, Mike recruited high school and transfer students from across the globe and evaluated thousands of first-year and transfer applications. He knows first-hand what highly-selective colleges are looking for in applicants and uses that experience to help his students reach their admissions goals by crafting compelling and authentic applications. In addition to evaluating applications and making admissions decisions, Mike also led presentations on Stanford admissions, college search, and admission case studies. While he oversaw Stanford’s uber-selective transfer admission program, he created the office’s first transfer handbook, led admission and evaluation training, and spearheaded the first and second-ever honors research symposium for community college students.

At NYU, Mike read domestic and international applications for all schools, including engineering, arts, and business, giving him unique insight into how applications are evaluated within specific majors or schools at one of the top universities in the US. In addition, Mike holds admission experience at the premier public university system in the country, evaluating undergraduate and transfer applications and admissions interviews for UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, including for two specialized programs: Life Science, Business, and Entrepreneurship, as well as Global Management.

After earning his master’s degree at Harvard, Mike served as the Director of College Guidance at a private high school in New York City and worked closely with students and families from diverse backgrounds throughout the college admissions and financial aid processes. Later, Mike moved to Portland, Oregon, where he worked at a college providing holistic advising (academic, financial and career) and teaching first-year success and career exploration courses to first- and second-year college students.

As a counselor, Mike is most excited to help students learn more about themselves through the college admissions process, find their own voice, develop meaningful personal and career goals, and tell their unique and inspiring stories through their college essays. Mike believes the student-counselor partnership is critical for a successful experience, so he strives to build trust and rapport with students, actively listen to their needs and interests, and guide them through their journeys through a mix of constant encouragement, optimism, honesty, and humor.

Mike has a passion for travel and has visited 69 different countries and 46 states in the US – and counting! In his spare time, you can also find him cheering for his hometown Lakers and Dodgers, listening to podcasts on basketball, politics, film, finance, psychology, health, and personal development, and indulging in Asian culture and food (sushi, curry, anime, and Korean dramas are among his favorites).