Why Expert Admissions?

Dr. Norman worked as an Admissions Officer at Barnard College/Columbia University. She has been featured as an expert on college admissions by virtually every major media outlet.

Admissions Experience

• Admissions Officer, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Director of Pre-College Programs, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Chair, Pre-College Admissions and Financial Aid, Barnard College/Columbia University

Education

• PhD in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
• MA in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
• AB in Sociology, magna cum laude, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Certificate in College Counseling, UCLA
• Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions

Related Education Experience

• Associate Director of College Counseling, Hillel High School
• Curriculum Consultant, New York University
• Undergraduate Instructor and Academic Advisor, University of Pennsylvania
• Secondary Schools Committee Member, University of Pennsylvania
• Alumnae Admissions Representative, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Board Member and Faculty, University of California – Irvine, Independent Educational Consultant Certificate Program
• Past-Chair, College Committee of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)

Media

See Press.

Professional Development

• American Institute of Certified Educational Planners, Certified Educational Planner (CEP)
• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Member
• Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Professional Member
• Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC), Member
• Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), Member

Mr. Norman received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Columbia College. He served as an Admissions Ambassador at Columbia Business School, advising prospective applicants, helping to lead admissions information sessions, and interviewing candidates for admission. As an alumnus, he continues to serve as a resource and interviewer for Columbia Business School applicants. In addition, Mr. Norman conducts interviews with candidates for undergraduate admission to Columbia University as a member of the Alumni Representative Committee.

Mr. Norman has worked as a consultant to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). At NYSED, he designed innovative performance management systems that more effectively utilized the resources of the 3,500-person department. Mr. Norman’s work impacted New York students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Jacob Hansen is a former admissions officer and recruitment group director at Harvard College. He holds an AB in Government and a secondary in Economics from Harvard College.

While at Harvard, Jacob was responsible for evaluating applicants from all over the US, stretching from Alaska to Florida, as well as international students, and served as an admissions liaison for three athletic programs. He also served as the director of the Harvard College Connection, which focuses on rural and international student recruitment, as well as the director of the Harvard College Admissions tour program. In these roles, Jacob had the pleasure of working with dozens of undergraduate student workers, as well as interacting every day with prospective applicants and their families.

His favorite part of his work was (and is!) helping students feel less intimidated by the college application process and more confident in finding the right college fit for them.

Tova Meyer is a former Assistant Dean of Admission at Princeton University. She holds an AB from Williams College and an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

While at Princeton, Ms. Meyer traveled to recruit students from across the United States and Canada. She reviewed domestic and international applications and led admission committees through their selection process. She was also responsible for training and mentoring new application readers. Additionally, Ms. Meyer was the liaison to the creative and performing arts departments and coordinated the review of performing arts supplements.

Ms. Meyer brings a broad range of experience guiding students and families to Expert Admissions, having previously worked as an Associate Director of Admission at an independent middle and high school and as a Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at an independent high school.

Lia Romeo earned her B.A. from Princeton University, and holds advanced degrees in playwriting from Rutgers and Juilliard. She taught playwriting workshops at Middlebury College and has taught in the M.A. program in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her plays have been produced off-Broadway and regionally around the country, and four of them have been recognized by the Kilroys List of best new plays by women. She has published a novel and a humor book, and her essays have appeared in Newsweek, the Washington Post, and other major national publications.

Tania Asnes holds a BA summa cum laude from Barnard College in English (Creative Writing) with a minor in Russian. She was inducted early into Phi Beta Kappa, participated in the Centennial Scholars independent study program, and received departmental awards in English and Russian. While at Barnard, Tania served as a Writing Fellow, advising peers on their academic papers. She also served as a writer and editor for the DemiDec and World Scholar’s Cup academic competitions.

Dr. Deborah Williams earned her Ph.D. in literature from New York University, where she also taught in the Expository Writing Program, primarily to first-year students. She has been a literature and writing professor for more than twenty years, including eleven years at NYU Abu Dhabi. Her books include Not in Sisterhood (Palgrave), about early twentieth-century women writers; The Necessity of Young Adult Fiction (Oxford), about reading and citizenship; and she co-edited The Oxford History of the Novel in English Volume Eight: US Fiction Since 1940 (Oxford). Dr. Williams’s writings have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Rumpus, The Paris Review Daily, and Brevity.

Higher Education Experience:

• Academic Advisor, Princeton University
• Academic Advisor, University of Pennsylvania
• Education Project Director, New York University
• Academic Advisor, Hamilton College
• Liberal Arts Assessment Project Consultant, Hamilton College

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
• MA in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
• BA in Government and Sociology, summa cum laude, Hamilton College
• Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society inductee
• Study Abroad, Oxford University (England)

University Teaching Experience:

• University of Pennsylvania (undergraduate and graduate)
• Hamilton College

Media:

• Research on higher education published in the American Journal of Education and Social Science Research
• Work features in The New York Times and The Washington Post

Professional Development:

• Sociology of Education Association

Amy McClellan has extensive experience as an administrative professional within a variety of fields. Amy attended John Tyler College, where she studied early education. She is passionate about supporting the vision of the team she’s a part of.  She brings energy and excellence to everything she works on.