About Me

Education and Teaching

After receiving my BA in Classical Languages and Literature from Columbia University (Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude) and my PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, I spent a decade as a professor teaching English and Classical literature at Wellesley and Vassar Colleges. Before that, I taught English, Latin, and writing at Washington Irving High School in New York City as well as test preparation courses to adult learners. Over the course of my teaching career, I’ve taught and mentored many hundreds of students with a wide range of backgrounds, abilities, strengths, and needs – including gifted and talented students as well as students with learning differences, physical disabilities, depression, and anxiety.

Admissions Committee Work

While at Wellesley, I served on the College’s Admissions Committee, vetting hundreds of applications from across the country. There, I witnessed firsthand how college applicants are assessed and how powerfully a stand-out college essay can transform an application. I also began my admission coaching work at this time, guiding future PhD candidates at Princeton, Stanford, Dartmouth, UC Berkeley, and many other schools through the graduate school application process.

Writing Expertise

When working with students on the pivotal written components of their applications, I draw on my expertise as a writer and a teacher of writing. I have published an academic book about translation in ancient Rome, many articles in prestigious scholarly journals, and a prize-winning poetry collection. I have taught numerous writing-intensive courses at both the high school and university levels, and I know how to guide my students to produce their best work – regardless of whether they consider writing a strength or a struggle.

Knowledge of Higher Education

My many years in academia have granted me a unique insider’s knowledge of the higher education landscape. I have lectured and participated in workshops and conferences at over fifty universities throughout the world, and visited many more. In my current role I draw on an extensive network of colleagues - both professors and administrators - developed during this time.

Elizabeth Young: Degrees, Awards, and Publications
-Columbia University: BA in Classical Languages and Literature (Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude)

-University of California, Berkeley: PhD in Comparative Literature

-Wellesley College: Knafel Assistant Professor of Humanities

-Vassar College: Blegen Research Fellow in Greek and Roman Studies

-Harvard University: Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship

-Mellon Foundation: Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities

-American Comparative Literature Association: Prize for best dissertation (2010)

-Numerous articles in peer-reviewed academic journals

-Translation as Muse, Poetic Translation in Catullus’ Rome – scholarly monograph (U Chicago Press, 2015)

-Aim Straight at the Fountain and Press Vaporize – poetry collection (Winner of the Motherwell Prize from Fence Books, 2009)

-National Poetry Series Finalist

Specialty Areas

Students Enrolled

Princeton, Stanford, Dartmouth, UC Berkeley, and many other schools through the graduate school application process

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