About Admission Sense
About Admission Sense
Hello there, high schoolers and parents! Looking for expert college and educational counseling that’s all about YOU? Admission Sense is here to make your journey stress-free and rewarding!

Message from the Founder
Welcome!
I’d like to share a little about my journey into college advising so you know why this work means so much to me.
It all started when I was in high school. I was eager to go to college, but I had no idea where to begin. The only thing I knew for sure? Math and I were not friends. My SAT math score felt like a major barrier, and beyond that, I was completely lost in the process.
With little guidance, I made my college decision for all the wrong reasons—taking road trips with friends, focusing on superficial factors, and never truly considering what would be the best fit. That time in my life was filled with uncertainty and self-doubt, and I often felt like I was missing a key piece of the puzzle.
The lessons I learned from my missteps have shaped my entire approach to college advising. It led me to study psychology and clinical social work, determined to help students avoid the same confusion I once felt. I promised myself I would never become the kind of adult who couldn’t relate to what students were going through—because I know firsthand how important it is to feel understood.
Over the years, the college admissions landscape has only grown more complex. With an overwhelming amount of information and mounting pressure, it’s easy for students to feel like they’re simply checking boxes instead of discovering what truly matters to them. That’s why, at Admission Sense, we take a different approach—one that helps students explore their interests, build confidence, and make choices that genuinely reflect who they are.
A core part of our work is helping students find their voices. Through thoughtful conversations, writing exercises, and deep reflection, they develop the ability to tell their stories—not just on applications, but in life. Writing well, speaking with confidence, and advocating for themselves are skills that will serve them far beyond the college process.
Students, this journey isn’t just about getting into college—it’s about finding the place where you’ll thrive and learning how to show up as your best self when you get there.
We’re so glad you found us, and we can’t wait to be part of your next chapter.
With care,
Sara Haberman

Sara Haberman, M.Ed., LCSW
CEO & FOUNDER
With 27 years of experience in college advising and counseling, Sara Haberman is a trusted expert in guiding students and families through the ever-evolving college admissions process. As a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) and licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), she combines deep expertise in education, counseling, and admissions strategy to help students achieve their academic goals. She is also certified in New York City and State as a school counselor and administrator for grades K-12.

Beth Cheikes , M.S.Ed.
College Counselor
Beth has been the Director of College Counseling at a top school in New York City for the past 20 years. She is patient and sees strengths in every student, having helped hundreds of students and families through the college application process. She also supervises and trains college advisors and works closely with college admission offices around the country and abroad. Beth is actively involved with NACAC, NYSACAC, NYSAIS, and CANNY, the leading professional associations for college admissions counseling.

Heather DeVore, M.Ed.
College Counselor
With 20 years of experience as a certified school counselor, Heather has supported students around the world. She was a founding counselor at Bard High School Early College Queens and has counseled students in IB schools in Italy, Ghana, Indonesia, India, and Japan, where she is currently Head of Counseling at an international school. Heather holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Bard College, a Master’s degree in School Counseling, an Advanced Certificate in College Counseling, and is currently completing a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Heather’s work as a counselor is inherently focused on helping students discover and cultivate their personal strengths as they build their college plans.

Lisa Plog Carey, MA
College Counselor
Lisa is an experienced college counselor with a deep commitment to supporting students and families as they navigate the college admissions process. With a background in both history and educational leadership, she has spent years working in independent schools as a teacher, dean, department chair, and director of studies. Since 2016, she has provided personalized, expert, and compassionate college guidance. She loves working with high school students and their families, focusing on each student’s strengths and helping them to thrive in their educational pursuits.

Lennix Foreman, M.Ed.
College Counselor
Lennix Foreman (Lenni) spent ten years as the Director of College Advising at Bard Early College Queens, one of NYC’s most highly selective public schools, and has guided thousands of young people through building their lists, honing essays, crafting stellar applications and getting into high-quality colleges since 2008.
Lennix grew up in Queens, NY, earned a bachelor’s degree 1K miles away at Grinnell College, studied comparative religion in India, won a Fulbright to Indonesia and has completed Master’s degrees in Theatre and School Counseling.

Patricia Howells, MA
College Counselor
Trish Howells is a certified school counselor with over 15 years of experience working in multiple school districts within Westchester and Fairfield Counties. She possesses a comprehensive understanding of academic and career planning, social-emotional development, and the college admissions process. Trish’s expertise in these areas has enabled her to effectively assist students in making informed decisions about their educational pathways.

Stacie Millman, MS
College Counselor
Stacie Millman is a seasoned school counselor and college advisor with over 18 years of experience guiding students and families through the college admissions process. Currently advising at Bard High School Early College in New York City, she supports students navigating both high school and college-level work while providing comprehensive college admissions advising. This includes mentoring students through all stages of the application journey, and facilitating family engagement in the postsecondary planning process.

Zoe Noyes, M.Ed.
College Counselor
Zoe is a certified school counselor with over a decade of experience in college admissions advising. Prior to her tenure as a counselor, she taught academic subjects including English, Social Studies and Chinese language at high school and college levels. She has counseled students from diverse backgrounds, as well as students with varying collegiate plans and academic paths. After working as a college advisor to a cohort of students at a prestigious high school in New York City, Zoe moved upstate where she currently works as a high school counselor guiding students through the college process. She regularly attends college admissions webinars, conferences, open houses and events related to post-secondary planning.

Crystal Sandiford, MS.Ed., MA
College Counselor
Applying to college post-pandemic has become a complicated game of chess. Crystal understands the challenges and enjoys being a source of calm, consistent expertise. She helps students and families take back control of their college application process and their lives.
Her approach is informed by over twelve years of experience working with NYC students in public, charter, and independent school settings. Professionally, she is a trained school counselor (MS. Ed.) and higher education administrator (MA).

Colin Wiseman, M.Ed.
College Counselor
Colin is a certified school counselor earning credentials in both New York State and the State of Maryland, with a decade of experience in counseling and social-emotional learning implementation. Throughout his career, Colin has maintained a student-first approach, paying meticulous attention to detail as he guided students toward acceptance at hundreds of colleges and universities across the country. In his role as the founding counselor of Bard High School Early College Baltimore, Colin spearheaded the design, implementation, and systematization of a robust college-advising process that wrapped students with the knowledge and tools they needed to navigate every phase of the college advising process. As an adjunct instructor of Psychology at the collegiate level, Colin earned gold-star ratings for “exemplary instruction,” evidence of his care for quality guidance.

Raima Evan
Writing Specialist
From 2003 to 2021, Raima was a dean at Bryn Mawr College, where she advised students about their course of study and supported them as they adjusted to college-level work. She was also in charge of the independent major program and an undergraduate summer research program, among other responsibilities.
Before her work as a dean, Raima was an adjunct English professor at Swarthmore College, where she taught for ten years. Over the course of her eighteen years at Bryn Mawr, Raima read countless personal statements, as she read the college applications for every advisee before meeting them for the first time. Raima earned her B.A. in English and French Literature from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and an M.A. and PhD in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania.

Katherine Randall
Writing Specialist
For 15 years, Katherine Randall (B.A., Barnard; M.S., Columbia School of Journalism) helped students at Bard High School Early College in Manhattan craft college essays. Her goal is to coach each writer through the process of choosing a satisfying story to tell, devising an appropriate structure for sharing that story and determining when the story has achieved its purpose–clearly conveying something memorable about the writer.

Kara Vicinelli
Writing Specialist
Kara Vicinelli is a recently retired high-school English teacher who spent her career instructing students on the fundamentals of writing while helping them discover their own unique voices. As part of her work with juniors and seniors, she taught college essay workshops in which she assisted students in all aspects of the essay process, from brainstorming through proofreading, all within a nurturing and supportive environment. For nearly as long as she’s been teaching, Kara has worked privately with students one-on-one, guiding them to express themselves with authenticity and tell their stories with clarity and confidence.
Kara has a bachelor’s degree in English from Colgate University and a master’s degree in English education. Prior to her teaching career, she worked in New York City as a book editor at HarperCollins and Wiley.