Top Tier AdmissionsShannon is a Senior Private Counselor at Top Tier Admissions with over 25 years of experience in the college admissions field. She has successfully advised students applying to top universities, including the Ivy League, Stanford, and MIT. Shannon previously served as Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Northwestern University and has also held leadership roles at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Chicago Waldorf School. Shannon holds a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Northwestern and a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Penn State.
I have personally toured more than 60 college campuses: first as a prospective student, then as an admissions officer, now as a counselor guiding other families and (most recently) as a parent walking my own child through the process. Each role offers its own lens, and seeing it all converge has been enlightening and sometimes […]
For families thinking strategically about college admissions, boarding school can be a transformative stepping stone. Many of the nation’s most selective colleges draw disproportionately from a small number of top private secondary schools (think Groton School, Deerfield Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy), what some call “feeder schools.” These institutions not only offer rigorous academics and creative, […]
As families craft college lists and weigh big decisions about where their students will thrive, a new and urgent factor has entered the conversation: questions around federal funding in higher education. With elite universities like Harvard, Columbia, Penn, and Princeton facing billions in suspended grants, it’s clear that the ideological tug-of-war playing out in Washington […]
Art is inherently subjective, and this fluidity of interpretation can make selecting top art colleges challenging for students! If you want to pursue a studio art major, then digging deeply into your individual priorities and college research are going to be necessary to find the right fit. Ask yourself: Do you want to be in […]
Submitting your college applications is a monumental milestone—congratulations! For Top Tier Admissions students, the hard work has already paid off, with remarkable results in the early application round. Whether you’ve applied early or are awaiting regular decisions, there are essential steps you can take now to maximize your chances and maintain momentum. From organizing application […]
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