Jason Katz: Associate College Admissions Counselor

Hi! My name is Jason Katz and I’m a proud Bay Area native—born in Berkeley and grew up in Palo Alto. I love working with students, especially on their college application essays.  By carefully crafting their college application essays, students become more introspective and learn a lot about themselves. Nothing makes me happier than to see their smiling faces when their essays are in final draft form, and they know they have done their best work.

After graduating from Palo Alto High School, I headed off to NYU.  However, after two years at NYU in New York City, and a summer and a semester at NYU’s amazing campus in Florence, Italy, I was tired of the New York winters and homesick. So, I transferred to Santa Clara University where I earned my B.A.

Having agonized through my original college application process as a high school student, without the help of an independent college counselor, but then working with an independent college counselor throughout the transfer application process, I know firsthand what a difference working with a college counselor can make. My transfer application process was significantly more organized, efficient, and less stressful.

Therefore, after graduating from Santa Clara, I knew I wanted to pay it forward and become an independent college counselor. I began interning with the independent college counselor that helped me with the transfer application process, and I also enrolled in UCLA Extension’s Certificate Program in College Counseling.  After completing my Certificate and my internship, I started my own independent college counseling business in Redwood City. Throughout the years I ran this business I also wrote more than 165 college admissions/college life newspaper columns for The Palo Alto Daily News (many of which were also published in the online edition of The San Jose Mercury News).

Next, I went back to school and earned my master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. After earning my master’s, had a few different jobs, but nothing that I was as passionate about as helping students, which is why I am so excited to be back in the college admissions field, working for Insight Education, specifically helping students with their application essays. I look forward to meeting you to work on the writing process!

When I am not writing or helping students with their college application essays, you can find me hanging out with family and friends, traveling, exercising, rooting on all the Bay Area sports teams, or taking long walks with my rescue dog, Posey (named after the San Francisco Giants’ catcher).