About Us

At College Click, we’re dedicated to helping students and families find their perfect college match. Whether it’s academic, geographic, athletic, or financial fit, we tailor our approach to each unique situation.

when it “clicks,” everyone wins.

With over 100 years of combined experience, our team consists of Certified Educational Specialists (CEP), former Deans, Admissions Directors, and College Counselors. We work collaboratively to provide personalized guidance and support along the way.

At College Click, we believe the college application journey should be a positive experience for both students and families. With a dedicated team of top professionals, we’re here to simplify the complex admissions landscape as you pursue your educational dreams.

Learn More

Explore Our Services

We will guide students and families about the key factors and use data and fit criteria to craft a winning list so they are setup for success.

Hear From Our Clients

See what our families say about
how we helped them.

Meet Our Team

With experienced admission experts, counseling professionals, and educators, we can help students and families with a diverse set of higher education plans

Meet our team of experts

Donna Siegel, CEP
CEO & College Counselor

Donna started at TBWA/Chiat/Day where she ran Human Resources. She later graduated from UCLA's college counseling program and started College Click. She later earned her Certified Education Planners (CEP) designation.

Cristine Butler
COO & College Counselor

Cristine worked in corporate roles at Bank of America later marketing at Nordstrom. As her family grew, she obtained her counseling credential and started College Click with Donna.

Gary "Gary B" Bednorz
College Counselor

Gary B graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Economics. Later, he was an admission officer at University of New Mexico before transitioning to help families at College Click.

Ellen Parsons
College Counselor

Ellen has a B.A. in American Civilization magna cum laude from Brown University. She also has an M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Ed Schoenberg
College Counselor

Ed has his M.A. in Counseling and Educational Psychology.​ After 40 years working on the “college side” Ed spent 5 years as a College Counselor at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA.

Angela Harris
College Counselor

Angela attended CSUN where she earned a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Studies, a Master’s Degree in School Counseling and a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential.

Allison Syphus
Director of Operations

Ms. Syphus taught junior high and high school biology and physical science for 3 years in Los Angeles before staying home to raise her 4 children.

Erika Stolnitz
Manager of SAT/ACT & Essay Advisor

Erika is a College Click alum from Santa Clarita who now lives and works in New York CIty. She is a graduate of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University.

Discover more

Explore our services

From college list strategy to working on portfolios, see how we can help.

Tutoring and test prep

Great teachers that help students excel.

What students and parents say

“College Click took the guesswork out of our college admissions journey. It meant that I could be my daughter’s cheerleader and support instead of the nagging taskmaster… I could just be go team go!”

Judith, Domestic Goddess

Los Angeles

“I like to gather all of my information and be difficult about things. It was nice to have somebody who was like here’s the information you need and be supportive. With good structure and less pressure, you just move ahead… the built-in schedule keeps you on track.”

Erika, Student

Syracuse University

“College Click has a depth and breadth of experience that few can match. They have an exceptional team of specialists to support everything from test taking to essay writing. But their true superpower is the love they bring to the work. They won’t rest until your child not only gets into a great school but has the college experience they’ve dreamed of.”

Kat, Media Executive

NYC

"A pleasant surprise is the software and data that the kids and parents are able to use. It’s awesome. There’s so much information available all in one place. Every detail - like major, speciality, admit rates - for every college or university is just a few clicks away."

Sue, CFO

Malibu

“For parents out there considering using College Click, the support we received from the whole team at College Click has been so helpful in streamlining and taking the stress out of the process. It’s really been amazing.”

Carmen, Teacher

Los Angeles

“The services of College Click have been great! The college application process can be very stressful for high school kids and they feel a lot of pressure in their life. The team at College Click has been really great at helping guide kids through the process just one step at a time making it seem easy.”

Tanya, HR Consulting

Los Angeles, CA

“College Click's knowledge of the entire college application process and the wealth of insight they brings to each individual's particular situation has been invaluable. Our counselor's ability to formulate a path for each individual that she’s working with according to the specific personality traits, talents, and attributes that they have is incredible.”

Patrick, Creative Professional

Malibu

“We had two high school students with very different personalities. College Click was able to take our daughters’ interests and aptitudes into account and create a unique plan for each. College Click was an invaluable partner in us receiving a merit-based scholarship at a top school. Couldn’t be a bigger thumbs up!”

Jay, Software Executive

Bay Area

“I committed to my dream school today. I could not have done any of this without you! What a privilege!”

Clara, Student

Bryn Mawr College

Unlock Your Potential with College click

Reach out to connect with one of our admissions counselors and find out more.

FAQs

What are the benefits of educational planning?

If students and families are truly staging to have a successful pathway to college and beyond, a comprehensive educational planning process can include helping clarify a student’s early interest, curriculum planning in high school, and a variety of summer and research opportunities to define and show increasing interest well prior to beginning their admissions.

With certified educational planners (CEP) on staff, College Click can help a few years before college lists, essays, and applications start. The CEP certification is the top professional designation in the field.

Engaging during their early high school years, students can ensure they have a directed process to clarity, greater success and significantly raise the odds of a successful university admissions to highly selective majors and schools.

What does college admissions counseling provide?

Expert college counselors are trained professionals, certified by national associations, who can guide students and families to have a clear, effective admissions process to get accepted to a best fit college.

College choice is a combination of academic, social, and economic decisions. Often, parents and students use inaccurate word-of-mouth or outdated knowledge and a non-strategic approach to applying to schools.

College Click professionals help walk students and their families through how college admissions really works with insights gleaned from top experts in the field and accurate data about admissions and college programs.

If you care about getting good counsel and have the benefit of top educational planners then college counseling may be right for you.

What does college admissions counseling typically cover?

College counseling usually covers the most important admissions topics with a clear, guided process informed by both data on admissions and knowledge from the field.

Areas credentialed college counselors can guide students and families include:
-
College Admissions Overview 
- SAT and ACT Test Approach
- Building a Well-Balanced College List
- How to Apply using The Common App
- Preparing College Essays
- COA (cost of attendance) and Financial Aid overview

Other special topics College Click experts cover include:
-
Athletic Recruitment
- Visual and Performing Arts: BFA vs. BA programs
- Performing Arts Portfolio & Audition Preparation
- Pre-med programs and best practices for planning
- Cal State, UC and Canadian School Admissions
- College Essay Advisory and Brainstorming
- Resume Building
- Strategies and admissions counseling for Ivy League and other Highly-Selective Schools

To learn more, see our services.

Who is the team behind College Click?

College Click is a team of top college counselors, ex-admission officers, and education planners who have pooled their knowledge and experience from helping over 1,000 families navigate and plan for college admissions. College Click includes professionals who are certified education planners (CEP) - the highest professional certification available. 

College Click also has a large partner network that can bring in the right expertise for any special or unique circumstances.

Learn more about the team here