About Alison:

I attended Bucknell University—I wanted to go far enough away from home that my family wouldn’t visit without calling first, and stay close enough to go home for the weekend if I needed to. I believe in the liberal arts and chose a major I loved, without knowing where it would take me after college. Bucknell is also where I first conducted college interviews as an intern in the admissions office.

I worked in selective college admissions for fifteen years after I graduated, and I’ve worked one-on-one with students throughout their college searches for several years. Interviews are my favorite part of the college application, but they can be such a missed opportunity when students arrive nervous or unprepared. Through Interview Prep, I am excited to help students make a strong impression in their interviews by preparing thoughtfully and approaching each interview with confidence and a plan. 

I am an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and completed the IECA Summer Training Institute in 2025. I am also a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). I earned a BA degree from Bucknell University, and I am currently pursing a Certificate in College Admissions Consulting at UC Berkeley (expected 2026). I tour college campuses regularly and always ask about a school’s approach to interviews.

When I’m not working, I am usually reading novels, trying out new recipes, or playing with my favorite niece.

My mom can outpace almost anyone she walks with. Not intentionally, but she really only has one speed, and it’s not leisurely. If she’s walking with a goal or destination in mind, like when she’s at the airport, her loved ones have learned that we had better keep up!

Mom calls her tendency towards speed, “Walking with purpose”. She doesn’t dilly-dally. Maybe this has to do with growing up in a big family surrounded by siblings; Now that I think about it, her sisters never have any trouble keeping up with her on walks. 

In my own way, I do it too. My friends used to laugh at me as I walked directly from Point A to Point B on my college campus, ignoring the paved walkways unless they were going exactly where I was headed. 

Doing something with purpose really resonates with me. I want to help students approach their interviews in that way—knowing what is important to share about themselves and which questions to ask about a school—before the interview even starts. Working in admission, I was always impressed by students who arrived at the interview confident in who they were and what they wanted to convey. They were proactive about sharing their stories rather than just responding to a series of questions from me. 

Fundamentally, admissions interviews are about the whys in a student’s life—the purpose behind your decisions and your aspirations—which you’ll use to add context to the facts included in your applications. You can do more to prep for interviews than just review common questions you think you might encounter. Self-reflection about your motivations and your goals will help you learn articulate your story fully. You’ll approach your interviews intentionally, with more confidence and fewer nerves, which means you will be much more likely to leave a strong impression on the interviewer. 

Students tend to approach a college visits as opportunities to learn about schools, and interviews as a chances to answer questions about themselves—and they are! At the same time, while you’re trying to find the right school, remember that colleges are also searching for great students to join their communities. Being memorable in an interview will make it easier for your interviewer to advocate on your behalf in the admissions process, and it’s more likely that you will become one of the students they feel they can’t miss out on.