Catherine Northup Email and Phone Number

Today the college application process can seem overwhelming, stressful, and all-consuming. I believe this process should be an exciting time for self-discovery! My expertise focuses on guiding high school students through the college application journey. I partner with students to identify and research strong matches across a number of criteria that reflect each person's individual interests. I advise my clients on classes to take and tests to schedule. I work closely with each student to assess their strengths, identify opportunities, create a balanced college list, and craft a seamless story throughout their application. After developing the college list, one of my favorite parts of the process is to work with the student on creating essays that are authentic and meaningful. As a result of working at Stanford University for seven years, I have read thousands of essays. This part of the application can make a huge difference. A compelling essay can be a tipping factor in the admissions process.Prior to Stanford, I took several years off from full-time work when my son was born. Before this, my career had been in financial institution technology working for companies such as E*Trade, Online Resources and Communications Corporation (IPO in 1999 and acquired by ACI in 2013 ) and VISA. My functional focuses were in account management, product management, and marketing. I have an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Government from Smith College, where I was President of the Student Body, and I volunteered as a Gold Key Tour guide during my entire college career. I also served on the Board of Trustees at Smith College for two years.