Finding Balance: Mental Wellness and the College Admissions Process

Caitlin Harper is proud of and grateful for the life-changing experience she had at a liberal arts and sciences college. She loved her alma mater, Lewis & Clark College, so much that she decided not to leave after graduation, spending the next ten years working her way up to Senior Associate Director of Admission. She went on to spend two years as the Director of Admission Marketing and Events at Willamette University before realizing that she wanted to bring her work and impact back down to the individual level and joined the Collegewise team this year as a College Counselor.

A career-long educator, Ali Springer has spent the last fifteen years helping students on their educational journeys. She served as an Associate Director of Admission at Colorado College, her alma mater, for eight years, where she read thousands of applications, interviewed hundreds of students, and trained the admissions staff on how to identify strong applicants. She worked as an academic advisor while earning her master’s in Higher Education and Student Development, so she also brings the lens of college course selection and academic planning. Ali loves getting to know students throughout the admission process by asking thoughtful questions to encourage self-reflection. During the college research process, she’s incredibly adept at guiding students in procuring data and utilizing critical research skills to connect their passions and interests to the universities and their communities.

With over 25 years in education, Karen Kimball is known for helping students develop confidence in an academically rigorous environment. She finds joy in helping students position themselves well for college applications and in supporting their own discovery of just how great they are and what they have to offer a college environment.