Sheila joins Creative College Connections as a 35-year veteran in college admission counseling. She has held admissions positions at Lafayette College, Lake Forest College, and Southwestern University. At Swarthmore College, Sheila served as Director of Admissions, and at Rice University, as Associate Director of Admissions. Sheila has also served as director of college advising at independent schools in Wilmington, DE; Atlanta, GA, and Houston, TX. Her extensive knowledge of the behind-the-scenes processes colleges use to create a first-year class informs how she guides students and their parents through the college search process.
Sheila thoroughly enjoys working with families on both sides of the desk; however, she finds it especially satisfying to introduce families to colleges and universities which may be unfamiliar to them yet present a strong match for personal and academic success. She is a strong believer that with proper guidance and a flexible “to-do” list, students can manage the college search process without being consumed by its tasks. After all, junior and senior years should have enjoyable memories beyond just completing applications and taking standardized tests. Sheila enjoys working with students with a range of academic strengths and personalities. The fun for her is in observing how the process unfolds for individual students as they discover more about themselves as the process evolves.
Looking back, Sheila marvels that she landed at Lafayette College without seeing the campus for the first time until summer orientation. Luckily, it turned out to be a very good fit, despite her lack of knowledge of key information. She found out later that she was in the third class of women to enter the college. Outside the region of the country in which she grew up, the college provided more than just book learning. It also expanded her cultural and social education outside the classroom. She remains close with lifelong friends who were classmates she met in college.
Sheila’s words of advice: Be open to researching unfamiliar colleges and universities. The research process should continue even after you are admitted. People's ultimate success is not determined by the perceived prestige of the college or university they attend. There are hundreds of wonderful gems that you may never have heard of which turn out to be the best match and fit for you. Finally, families should have frank conversations about financing higher education early in the process to ensure that there are several realistic possibilities to choose from. And above all, do not be consumed by the search process. Enjoy all those precious moments of senior year!
Schedule your Initial College Strategy Consultation with Sheila here
