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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

Doing the 'Why Us?' Supplemental Essay Well
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By Casey Near
August 5, 2021 | 4 minute read

This is the classic supplemental essay question – "Why are you interested in us?" – and it's a tricky one to do well. Colleges want to make sure you've been an astute college shopper. Have...

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Choosing a College

What's a Good College in 2021?
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By Casey Near
May 26, 2021 | 12 minute read

Over the last year, I’ve done a lot of reading. It became my quarantine hobby of choice. From memoir to manga to anything the local librarian recommended, I read it all. Regardless of...

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College Research

The Collegewise Guide to Women's Colleges
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By Casey Near
February 24, 2021 | 4 minute read

Author’s note: this letter also appears at the opening of our updated Guide to Women's Colleges, which you can now find on our Resources page.

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Testing/Test Prep

Should Juniors Take the SAT & ACT for Test-Optional Schools?
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By Casey Near
January 13, 2021 | 8 minute read

Author’s note: writing about standardized testing for the last year has felt like juggling whilst on a circus ball; there are a million moving parts, and the ground is shifting beneath you...

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What Colleges Look For

The College Admissions Stories of 2020
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By Casey Near
December 30, 2020 | 5 minute read

After what's been a doozy of a year, I decided to focus this final post of 2020 on establishing a narrative -- as best I could -- for the year that was, and a little bit of the year that...

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College Applications

To Send or Not? …and False Binaries in College Admission
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By Casey Near
December 3, 2020 | 5 minute read

The Myths When I speak with students, parents, and guardians about college, I’m never simply talking to the person in front of me – stay with me; I promise I’m not talking to ghosts. ...

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