College Admissions Counselor (Bay Area)

Empowerly; United States; Remote; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Empowerly in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking experienced College Admissions Counselors to guide students through the admissions journey. You will develop personalized academic and extracurricular plans, provide strategic application guidance, review essays, and support college list development, alongside families and mentors.

The ideal candidate has multiple years of counseling or admissions officer experience at selective colleges, and a background in STEM or a top-50 institution.

Qualifications

• Graduate from a top 50 national university with strong academic credentials.
• Experience as a college counselor for high school students or admissions officer.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and reliability.
• Ability to develop student-focused plans and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Guide students through the admissions journey with personalized academic/extracurricular plans.
• Provide strategic application guidance and essay review/editing support.
• Help build college lists and advise on tests, visits, and timelines.
• Discuss financial aid resources and merit scholarship options with families.
• Attend monthly team meetings and coordinate with Empowerly resources.
• Support a diverse student population, including transfer and international applicants.

Skills

College counseling

Admissions experience

Strong communication

Essay writing/editing

Time management

Education

Top 50 university graduate

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

NACAC/WACAC/IECA

Job description

About the role

We are currently seeking experienced College Admissions Counselors who live in or have extensive experience working with students in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Many of our students are Bay Area families applying to highly selective colleges, including the University of California system, Ivy League institutions, and other Top 50 universities. A significant number are also pursuing competitive pathways in computer science, engineering, and pre-med/BS/MD programs.

The ideal candidate has several years of college counseling experience and/or previous experience as an admissions officer at a selective college or university. We especially value counselors who graduated from Top 50 institutions and have backgrounds in STEM fields such as computer science, engineering, or medicine.

As a College Admissions Counselor, you will guide students throughout the admissions journey by developing personalized academic and extracurricular plans, providing strategic application guidance, reviewing essays, and supporting college list development, passion exploration, and early career planning.Describe the role and team the candidate will be joining

What you’ll do

• Keep up to date with current college admission changes.
• Available for 20-25 students with flexibility based on schedule and bandwidth.
• Advise students about extracurriculars that expand interests and may potentially present leadership opportunities.
• Help students with meaningful summer plans by applying to internships, explore competitions, research opportunities, and community service options.
• Create a plan for standardized testing that includes strategies for improving scores and help decide which tests are appropriate.
• Help create college lists, rate colleges for students (reach, target, and safety), and offer tips for college visits.
• Guidance through the entire application process: personal statement, activities, resume, recommendation letters, essay review and edits, utilizing research when necessary, reviewing entire application materials before submitting.
• Strategizing plan for early action, early decision, regular decision as well as waitlisted strategies and college choice guidance.
• Discuss financial aid resources and guidance as well as merit scholarship resources.
• Prepare for sessions in advance, be on time, log sessions in a timely manner, stay in touch with students, maintain a healthy relationship with parents, and include parents in all communications.
• Support a wide range of students, including; transfer, undergrad, post graduate, and international.
• Attend monthly team meetings.
• Utilize resources available within Empowerly to provide optimal advice for all students.
• Monitor Empowerly email account and Slack account for up-to-date Empowerly communications.

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduate from a top 50 national university (advanced degrees like MD, PhD, MBA, JD, or Masters are a plus)
• Experience as a college counselor for high school students, with a track record of acceptances into a top 50 national university
• Have consistent availability in the afternoons (after 3:00 p.m.) and/or on weekends to meet with students.
• Possess passion for education, talent for teaching, essay writing, and essay editing.
• Possess exceptional oral and written communication skills
• Able to plan around and meet deadlines
• Possess dedication to client service
• Able to commit to students for multi-year packages

Minimum Qualifications

• Former admissions officers at top 50 colleges
• Experienced independent college counselors (NACAC, WACAC, IECA, etc)