Emily Sena: College Admissions Counselor

Hi, I’m Emily Sena! I grew up in San Mateo and live there now with my husband and three high school-aged kids. I have been working on various sides of the admissions world for nearly two decades. I have recently been through the college admissions process with my twin boys (Class of 2019) and am now embarking on it with my daughter (Class of 2022). These have given me new insight into both the parental and student perspective of this exciting time.

I attended Connecticut College where I received a BA in Anthropology, and then to the University of Pennsylvania, where I earned an MSEd in Higher Education Administration. I worked in Law School admissions at Penn, then transitioned to Higher Education Consulting for Coopers & Lybrand post-graduate school.

I began working for Achieva College Prep Centers (where I met Purvi Mody) in 1999 and worked there for many years on a full-time, and then part-time basis after having children. For most of the past 17 years, I worked part-time as an admissions reader for the Stanford Graduate School of Business. I also worked for a few years as the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Sea Crest School (K-8) in Half Moon Bay.

My favorite aspect of college counseling is helping students discover more about themselves than they expect. The college admissions process is so different than anything most 17-year-olds have done, and I love to see the growth that comes when students learn about themselves along the way. I believe there are many great colleges for every student and love to help students in that discovery.

Outside of work, I am obsessed with travel, and run a small business bringing groups of women to Southeast Asia. I spent a year traveling the world with my children when they were younger, and miss life on the road daily!