Jill Madenberg, MA, CEP
Jill has been a college admission professional in New York since 1993, serving as a high school guidance counselor and independent college consultant in Long Island near New York City. Jill is also a Certified Educational Planner (CEP), a credential held by only a small group of consultants in New York State. She has visited over 1000 college campuses and has also worked as a regional recruiter for two specialized colleges in Massachusetts. Jill earned her bachelor’s from The George Washington University and master’s degree in counseling and guidance Summa Cum Laude from New York University.
A nationally recognized college expert and author of Love the Journey to College, Jill has been interviewed for articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Seventeen Magazine and USA Today, and for features on Good Morning America, National Public Radio and Fox News. Jill is also a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, as well as a longtime member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, and was trained at the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions. Jill speaks regularly to students and their families about the college admissions process and has conducted webinars and seminars to other professionals learning about the college process.
As a former high school guidance counselor, Jill believes the college process should be mostly fun and exciting! Jill has worked with hundreds of high school students, typically beginning in 9th or 10th grade. Jill works as a private guidance counselor: working closely with each student on college selection, creating a vibrant and authentic resume, planning meaningful and appropriate summer activities, creating personalized testing strategies, brainstorming essay ideas and techniques, building interview skills, reviewing scholarship opportunities and more. Most importantly, Jill eases the stress and helps students feel confident about the college planning and selection process.
By the time a student is ready to apply to college, Jill knows his or her strengths and preferences and is able to authentically suggest matches for them academically, financially, geographically, and on every level. To that end, she actively assists students as they research colleges, consider careers and think about where they would like to be after high school graduation. Jill’s counseling philosophy is that of supporting students and their families to explore options, increase transparency, maximize fit, maintain sanity, and enable success.
The close and personal relationships Jill builds with students and their families is evident as her students stay in close touch long after the college process is successfully behind them.
Harvard Summer Institute
on College Admissions