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Casey Near

Casey Near is the Executive Director of Counseling at Collegewise. In 2013, she opened the first Collegewise expansion office in the Bay Area and found her true professional fit. After a year of backpacking and working around the world in 2016 (and collecting a few stories along the way), she returned to her counseling roots to work from our Newton office.

College Essays

How to Write the “Academic Interests” Supplemental Essay
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By Casey Near
February 13, 2025 | 13 minute read

If you’re a senior starting to work on supplemental essays for college applications this fall, it’s likely you’ve encountered some version of this question: what do you want to study, and...

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What Colleges Look For

Questions Every High School Junior Should Ask Themselves (2025)
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By Casey Near
January 22, 2025 | 11 minute read

Junior year is less about striving for perfection and more about using the time to reflect on who you are and who you want to become. In this blog, we'll highlight 3 valuable questions...

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Choosing a College

College Visits When You're Deciding Where to Apply
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By Casey Near
January 12, 2022 | 4 minute read

In the last two years, colleges have continued to adapt their policies for on-campus visits. We've seen a rise in virtual visits and ebbs and flows of the traditional on-campus visit. As of...

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Choosing a College

How to Make the Most of a College Visit
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By Casey Near
January 5, 2022 | 5 minute read

In the last two years, colleges have continued to adapt their policies for on-campus visits. We've seen a rise in virtual visits and ebbs and flows of the traditional on-campus visit. We...

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Choosing a College

So, What *Is* a Women's College?
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By Casey Near
December 1, 2021 | 5 minute read

A few weeks ago, I hosted the presidents of three women's colleges in a panel discussion about the future of higher education: Dr. Carine Feyten of Texas Women's University, Dr. Anne...

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What Colleges Look For

Behind the Holistic Admission Curtain
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By Casey Near
November 10, 2021 | 3 minute read

A few weeks ago, my colleague Arun hosted the leaders of the admission offices at UC Berkeley, Caltech, and Johns Hopkins to discuss highly selective admission, peeling back the layers of...

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