Time for Gratitude

In the world of college admissions, this is a stressful time of year. As soon as seniors finished their dash across the finish line of early round deadlines, they barely came up for air before diving back into UC and regular decision applications. Juniors are feeling the pressure, too, as they take the SAT/ACT and discuss specific colleges that may or may not be a good fit. Admissions officers are working around the clock to plow through stacks of applications—while students and parents are anxiously awaiting their decisions.

GRATITUDE IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

The balm to this madness? It just might be gratitude. Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis and the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, has devoted decades to studying the effects of gratitude on our physical, mental, and social well-being. His longitudinal studies of people who consistently practice gratitude have shown that they have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, and higher levels of positive emotions, among a host of other social benefits.

At Top Tier Admissions, we take seriously our responsibility to help quell anxiety and de-stress the college admissions process in an ethical manner. As Thanksgiving approaches, we wanted to pause for a moment to express our gratitude for the work we get to do.

GRATITUDE: OUR TTA FAMILY AND BEYOND

We are grateful for…OUR TTA FAMILIES

Mimi Doe, TTA Co-President/Co-Founder

I am so grateful for the families who have put their trust in Top Tier Admissions year after year, sending siblings, cousins, and friends—and then once these students are in college, working with our team again for graduate schools.

Heidi Steinmetz Lovette, Senior Private Counselor

Working with students and their families at Top Tier draws equally from my previous experiences as an admissions officer and book editor, so I am grateful to have found a perfect fit for my experiences and a collaborative team where both skills are valued. Now I get to help each student find and optimize their college “best fit.” In contrast to making admissions decisions, helping students and their families prepare for the college journey is proactive and impactful, so I love that aspect.

We are grateful for…OUR TTA TEAM

Deanna Proto, Director of Operations and Application Boot Camp

I am grateful for the incredible team of women I am blessed to work with: they’re innovators, leaders, and filled with grace and gratitude for the work we collectively do. They’re warriors in a fight to ethically guide families through a very murky process, incredibly giving of their time, their space, and their minds. I am so incredibly fortunate to call Top Tier… HOME!

Carolyn Garbati-Cronier, Operations Administrator

I’m thankful for the amazing, compassionate team at TTA. I love working with a group of women who support one another as much as we support the students and families we work with.

Nellie Brennan Hall, Senior Private Counselor

I am grateful to work with such inspiring women who each has her own areas of expertise to rely on. For me, that means combining my experiences in college admissions and independent schools to connect with students and demystify the application process for them and their families.

We are grateful for…OUR TTA STUDENTS

Dr. Michele Hernandez, TTA Co-President/Co-Founder

I’m grateful to work with so many talented and brilliant students: professional-level musicians, award-winning mathematicians, physicists, historians, and poets, all of whom I admire greatly. I’m also grateful that my former students and their families keep in touch year after year to let me know how they are doing and how they are making their presence felt in the large world.

Anita Doar, Senior Private Counselor

I am grateful for my front-row seat to lifechanging transformations of young people: a student who has found a passion for urban history and politics while helping to eradicate racially restrictive housing deeds in his community; one who has become an advocate for neurodiversity while researching the neuroscience of autism; and another studying the politics of Islamophobia while supporting Afghan refugees. What work could be more meaningful?

Dr. Eliza Fox, Senior Private Counselor

I’m incredibly grateful that I get to work with such talented students and help them grow not just as scholars, but also as leaders and community members. When my seniors put together their college applications this fall, we got to tell the stories of their development throughout high school. It was incredible to see how much they have accomplished since freshman year!

Maria Laskaris, Senior Private Counselor

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from amazing young people here in the US and around the world. Each day, they inspire me with their commitment to making their communities—and the world—a better place.

Dr. Elizabeth Doe Stone, Senior Private Counselor

I am grateful for the curiosity and enthusiasm of our Top Tier Admissions students. There’s nothing better than getting a call from a junior who has just published their neuroscience research discovery or catching up with a freshman who has turned their commitment to gender equality into an award-winning Op-Ed. We love to nurture the “nerdy” side of our students and watch their curiosity flourish!

Dr. Kristen Wilmott, Senior Private Counselor

I’m grateful to be part of the student experience. Too often, high school and middle school students have adults giving them things to do, places to be, and items on long checklists to accomplish. More teens need confidantes in their corner to bounce ideas off of, to guide them, to suggest new things they might like to do. I aim to provide that.

This Thanksgiving season, we hope you’ll treat yourself to at least a moment of gratitude. Needless to say, to all of our TTA families, we are grateful for YOU!

Author
Recent Posts

Anita Doar

Senior Private Counselor at Top Tier Admissions

Anita has devoted over 15 years to mentoring and motivating students to realize their goals. She taught and coached students in every grade 7-12 in top private schools before founding her own successful business providing personalized support for college and graduate school applicants. Anita’s high standards and skill in connecting with young scholars proved paramount in her students’ admission to undergraduate and graduate programs at selective schools such as UChicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Harvard, UPenn, and Stanford.

Anita holds a BA in Philosophy from Princeton, where she is an alumni class officer and former interviewer, and an MA in English from Middlebury. At Princeton she also contributed her drive and competitiveness to the women’s lacrosse team, winning an NCAA Division I National Championship and three Ivy League Championships while earning national scholar-athlete academic distinction and the Connie McAllister athletic department award for “effort, selfless dedication, enthusiasm and heart.” She brings these qualities to her relationships with students as she helps to bring out the best in them.