I love working one-to-one with teens as they navigate the transition from high school to college.

An educator with a lifetime of experience working with teens and young adults, I am committed to helping students make informed, deliberate choices about their future. 

I have worked successfully with every kind of teenager—with class valedictorians and with those who need to explain what the heck happened junior year. 

I’m a student, too—of teens, colleges, admissions, and trends in higher education. I educate families about what’s happening in today’s college admissions landscape, bringing sanity to this charged transitional phase.

Before becoming an independent educational consultant, or IEC, I taught AP English Language and Composition, journalism, and newspaper production at a Maryland public high school. As a classroom teacher, I was certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and was also a Certified Journalism Educator. Teaching and the art of writing inform my work as a college adviser. 

Education

B.S. in Education, University of Maryland, College Park

M.A. in Liberal Arts, St. John’s College, Annapolis

Certificate in Independent Educational Consulting, University of California, Irvine

Professional affiliations

Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Professional member

Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), Professional member

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

Why “Two Bridges” College Consulting?

I chose the name “Two Bridges” because it works on two levels. On a literal level, it refers to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland, my primary home, and Tampa Bay’s Sunshine Skyway in Florida, where I have a second home. Figuratively, it reflects my belief that every student has more than one pathway to a fulfilling future.

Karen Hott on Essay Writing

I’ve spent a lifetime working with student writing–in a completely ethical manner. My philosophy begins with the premise that your essay belongs entirely to you. You will not send me your essays to revise in isolation. I will sit down with you, and we’ll talk. I will listen to you and question you to help you think through the essay and the sentences you write.

Unfortunately, sometimes voices can get muffled, drowned in excess wordiness and stiff formulas, or in someone idea of what sounds “smart.” I will not be changing your writing; rather, I will help you write what you mean to say. Your essay will be a perfect representation of you. Colleges want to hear your authentic voice, not mine or your mom’s, so we’ll be sure to keep the essay all yours, from start to finish.