{"id":8,"date":"2021-12-15T11:41:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T16:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.virginia.edu\/college-compass\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:51:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:51:02","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About College Compass"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-26609\" src=\"https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/APF-ExcitementGraphic_CollegeCompass-300x250.jpg\" alt=\"Introducing College Compass!\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/APF-ExcitementGraphic_CollegeCompass-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/APF-ExcitementGraphic_CollegeCompass-1024x853.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/APF-ExcitementGraphic_CollegeCompass-768x640.jpg 768w, https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/APF-ExcitementGraphic_CollegeCompass.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Led by a team of college advisors with years of experience in college planning, College Compass has helped thousands of families through the college planning process with curated resources, expert advice and more. College Compass does not have any bearing on UVA admissions decisions. Rather, our goal is to help alumni families think about the college that is the best fit for them.<\/p>\n<p>Through College Compass, alumni families gain access to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>resources site<\/strong> for your student that has information about college applications, the transfer process, and life at UVA<\/li>\n<li>An\u00a0<strong>online group for alumni families\u00a0<\/strong>to learn about admission-related topics from our college advisors<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>College Compass Toolkit<\/strong>, a collection of organizers, tools, and resources to help alumni families better organize and plan for college.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Quarterly\u00a0<\/strong><strong>newsletters<\/strong>\u00a0providing insight for students to maximize their high school years and prepare for the application process<\/li>\n<li><strong>Virtual programming and events\u00a0<\/strong>facilitated by our college advisors featuring UVA admission deans and current students<\/li>\n<li>An\u00a0<strong>expert team<\/strong>\u00a0with years of dedicated college planning experience<\/li>\n<li>And more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/uvaalumni.org\/college-compass\/sign-up\/\">Sign Up<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Meet Our Team<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Sarah Waller<\/strong> (<abbr title=\"College of Arts &amp; Sciences\">Col<\/abbr> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">class of <\/span>\u201910)<br \/>\n<em>Director\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>With a decade of experience at the Alumni Association, Sarah has worked with thousands of high school students and hosted hundreds of information sessions to help alumni families plan for college. Sarah works closely with the Office of Undergraduate Admission to stay up to date with trends and innovations across the admission landscape. Additionally, Sarah manages two groups of passionate and dedicated alumni via the Virginia Alumni Admission Network (VAAN) and the First Gen Alumni Network, both of which serve as extensions of the Office of Undergraduate Admission\u2019s efforts to recruit and enroll underserved students. Sarah graduated from UVA with degrees in Art History and English Literature and holds a Master of Arts in Art History from American University.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fun fact:<\/strong> Sarah\u2019s two golden retrievers, Kemper and Nelson, are named after two museums where she worked in Kansas City; The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Mary George<\/strong> (<abbr title=\"College of Arts &amp; Sciences\">Col<\/abbr> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">class of <\/span>\u201993)<br \/>\n<em>Associate Director<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>With over 15 years of experience in education, Mary founded an educational program emphasizing the social and emotional wellbeing of children, parents and educators throughout the country. Also with a background in undergraduate admissions, she applies both sets of experiences at College Compass assisting students in recognizing their strengths and navigating their journey towards a fulfilling college experience. Mary holds a degree in English from UVA and a master\u2019s from Columbia University Teacher&#8217;s College.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fun fact:<\/strong> Mary is a classically trained chef and makes a killer chocolate cake!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Led by a team of college advisors with years of experience in college planning, College Compass has helped thousands of families through the college planning process with curated resources, expert advice and more. College Compass does not have any bearing on UVA admissions decisions. 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