About Me

Cathy Costa is an independent educational consultant who partners with students and families to guide their college search and application process while minimizing stress, taking the time to get to know each student individually and help them present their genuine strengths.

Before founding Costa Educational Consulting, Cathy worked at a Brookline college consulting firm with both undergraduate and graduate candidates, and gained an inside perspective on selective admissions through the Boston College MBA admissions office. Earlier roles at a direct marketing agency, a Wall Street investment bank, and a management consulting firm sharpened the communication and organizational skills she now brings to advising students on majors and careers. A Professional Member of IECA and a member of NACAC and HECA, Cathy holds a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA in Finance from NYU, is a certified MBTI practitioner, and is certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid. She lives in Winchester with her husband and four grown sons, and her insights have been featured in US News & World Report, WBZ/CBS Boston, and WBUR.

Specialty Areas

Students Enrolled

Providence College, University of Maine, Syracuse University, Boston College, Boston University, Tufts University, Marist College, University of Vermont, Villanova University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of California, San Diego, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin -- Madison, Carleton College, Northeastern University, Vanderbilt University, University of Pittsburgh, New York University, Lewis and Clark College, Belmont University, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Middlebury College, University of Maryland, College Park, Wake Forest University, University of Richmond, The University of Chicago, Clark University, University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Pace University, Concordia University, DePaul University, Loyola University New Orleans, Fairfield University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, University of Delaware, The Ohio State University -- Columbus, University of Colorado Boulder, Washington University in St. Louis, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Santa Clara University, Fordham University, Tulane University, Cornell University, Saint Anselm College, Loyola University Maryland, Saint Mary's College, Skidmore College, Case Western Reserve University, Purdue University -- West Lafayette, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey -- New Brunswick, Saint Joseph's University, Quinnipiac University, Gonzaga University, Southern Methodist University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, The University of Alabama, College of Charleston, Elon University, University of Rhode Island, Rochester Institute of Technology, Union College, Clarkson University, James Madison University, Bates College, Bryant University, Pennsylvania State University -- University Park, Michigan State University, Miami University -- Oxford, University of California, Davis, Temple University, University of California, Santa Cruz, Colby College, Seton Hall University, Dartmouth College, University of St. Andrews, Clemson University, Texas Christian University, Lafayette College, Assumption University, University of Mississippi, Indiana University Bloomington

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