Terry Giffen

Independent Educational Consultant (University)

With 43 years of experience, Terry has earned an outstanding reputation in college admissions and counseling. For 30 years he was the Director of College Counseling at the Taft School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Montgomery Bell Academy, and The Kiski School. He also spent 13 years on the college level, as an Associate Dean at Allegheny, Dean of Admissions at Coe College and as Upper School Head and Assistant Headmaster at TASIS — England. A graduate of Allegheny College (BA in English, MA in Education), Terry has been an active member of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling and the College Board. He has served on the Counselors’ Advisory Board for SMU, the University of Michigan, and U.S. News and World Report’s Annual College Ranking Issue. He also has served as an interim director, lecturer, consultant, and advisor for faculty, students, and families at schools in the U.S., Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Paris, and Puerto Rico. Terry’s goals are clear: 1) to empower students to take charge of their college search process; 2) to explain the nuances of selective college admissions; 3) to ask thought provoking questions, 4) to offer advice about courses, testing, activities, and essays; 5) to provide honest assessments of admissions prospects; and 6) to help students maximize their opportunities for admission to colleges or universities that will best serve their post-secondary educational needs.