Tom has worked across every side of admissions: as an admissions officer at the College of the Holy Cross (his alma mater), where he led diversity fly-in programs and the LGBTQ+ Staff Mentor Program; as an Assistant Dean of Admissions at Pomona College, where he helped implement the school’s test-optional admissions policy; and as a college counselor at a selective Seattle independent school. He has also spent four summers as a faculty member at College Horizons, an organization dedicated to supporting Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students through the college process.
Tom first connected with CEG when, as an admissions officer at Pomona, he encountered a Matchlighters student whose essay stopped him in his tracks. He has been part of the CEG family ever since. Rooted in a deep commitment to equity and authentic storytelling, Tom helps students move from “I don’t know what to write about” to a polished, compelling application that feels unmistakably them.
Tom specializes in highly selective admissions and works closely with students applying to competitive schools nationwide. His students have been admitted to places like Columbia, Harvard, Duke, Stanford, Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, USC, University of Washington, Colorado College, Case Western, Amherst, Yale, Pomona, Northeastern, Northwestern, Pitzer, Williams, Bowdoin, University of Chicago, every UC campus (including Berkeley and UCLA), US Naval Academy, Middlebury, University of Virginia, Notre Dame, Penn, Brown, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, MIT, UIUC, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Caltech, Cornell, Carleton, Scripps, Claremont McKenna and many others.
A passionate Kacey Musgraves fan (all eras, not just star crossed and Golden Hour), breakfast burrito devotee, and committed space tourism skeptic, Tom is the first to acknowledge how high-stakes and personal this process can feel. He has been on both sides of the admissions table, and you will find nothing but genuine empathy and solidarity from him as you navigate your college admissions journey. Tom splits time between Los Angeles and his roots in coastal Maine.
Busting myths, left and right. The college admissions industrial complex has exploited families' fears for far too long, and our algorithms are mirages. I love helping families discern fact from fiction, and helping students become more informed consumers in general (a skill that serves them far beyond applying to college).
Anchor your college process in curiosity, rather than a checklist.
My opinions around "big ticket" summer programs, awards and accolades, which are often viewed as "must-haves" to be admitted to a selective college (news flash: they're not). Colleges are far more inspired by the uncharted applicant who leads with heart and humanity.