We know how the college admissions process works, and we’ve personally visited thousands of campuses across the nation. Let us put our expertise to work for your family and the college search journey.
College Solutions is a team of counselors with a remarkable amount of college admission knowledge. They’ve seen over 800 colleges and universities and worked as admission professionals at Northwestern, the University of Virginia, the University of Southern California, the University of California system, Stanford, the Claremont Colleges, Swarthmore, and American University. Each counselor brings his or her own wealth of knowledge from a background full of admission, athletic, and academic accomplishments.
Margaret Bolton Baudinet is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of College Solutions. She also serves as the Scholarship Specialist to College Solutions clients.
Margaret graduated from the University of Virginia with the highest distinction with a political and literary thought degree, finishing her academic tenure with research at Oxford University.
Margaret holds five years of admission experience from the University of Virginia, specializing in legacy admissions. Margaret has served on the selection committee for the Coca-Cola Scholarship Program and the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholarship.
At College Solutions, Margaret has been a Writing Coach, a Counselor, an Application Editor, a Managing Director, and now the CEO of College Solutions. She is the proud mother of seven-year-old quintuplets and a new baby girl.
As a mother and a college advisor, she strives to see the whole person — motivations, fears, blind spots, and goals.
Favorite college course: The Political Novel
Steve Gaines brings more than 20 years of experience as a dynamic leader in small business operations, with expertise spanning strategy and vision, financial management, budgeting, and personnel leadership. His career has been rooted in radio, media, and marketing, with his most recent role in business and consumer banking. Beyond his professional achievements, Steve is deeply committed to his community, serving on multiple nonprofit boards and contributing through volunteer work.
In his personal life, Steve is a devoted husband and father of four adult children. In his free time, he enjoys staying active through working out, playing pickleball, and watching college sports, all while keeping his sense of humor at the forefront. Steve holds a degree from James Madison University.
Favorite college course: Film as a Narrative Art
Lee Ann Cornell has seven years of experience working as a Director of Admissions at several California colleges. She also brings experience in student orientation, academic advising, and student leadership programs. Lee Ann earned a master’s degree from UCLA in counseling in student affairs and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California.
Favorite college courses: Education and Law, Children's Literature, and Globalization
Patrick Zylka spent 15 years working in college admissions, most recently at Northwestern University. During this time, he read more than 10,000 applications and gave presentations to prospective college applicants throughout the United States, China, Indonesia, and Singapore. Patrick works with students interested in pursuing all majors in college, especially those interested in admission to highly selective schools. Patrick earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his master’s degree from the University of Michigan. When not helping students and families navigate the college admissions process, you can find him training for marathons and ultramarathons.
Favorite college course: Literature Across the Curriculum
Terry is an experienced college counselor with a Master of Science in College Student Personnel. She has worked in admissions and orientation at several institutions, mainly at American University and the University of Central Florida. With over 25 years in education, her goal is to empower students preparing for college. Terry enjoys building connections with students to help them realize their potential and achieve their goals. As a mother of two recent graduates from the University of Michigan and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, she understands the college admissions process from a family perspective.
Favorite college courses: Abnormal Psychology
Stephanie has 10 years of experience in college admissions and secondary education. A native of Tidewater, VA, and Atlanta, GA, she earned a B.A. in History and Italian Studies from the University of Virginia. After graduation, she worked in UVa's Office of Undergraduate Admission, guiding students through the admissions process and reviewing applications. She holds a Master’s in Medieval History from the Catholic University of America and has taught Latin and History at a private school in northern Virginia, assisting students with college essays. Stephanie helps develop students’ strengths and interests and enjoys the brainstorming and essay-writing process with her seniors. She also discusses study habits and executive functioning with clients. Currently, she lives in Richmond, VA, where she enjoys running, gardening, and raising her 4 kids.
Favorite college courses: Dante’s Inferno, Greek and Roman Warfare, History of Espionage, History of Vietnam, Women in Italian Drama, Medieval Art, History of Christianity
Mattie, raised in Maui, received the Yale Book Award for character and scholarship but chose Pitzer College for its social justice commitment. She earned a Bachelor’s in English & World Literature: Creative Writing. While at Pitzer, she worked as a tour guide, helping others find their college fit. After graduating, she became an Admission Counselor, starting a 10-year career in college admissions during which she evaluated over 15,000 applications and led the Diversity Fly-In Program. Her recruitment efforts spanned New York, Southeast Asia, India, and Latin America. A traveler, she has been to 22 countries. Students can expect a detail-oriented and empathetic counselor from her. In her free time, she enjoys decoding Taylor Swift lyrics, doing yoga, and spending time with her husband, son, and two cats.
Favorite College Courses: Mathematics in Many Cultures, Philosophy of Religion, Autobiography and Memoir
Anna has over seven years of experience working in higher education in a variety of roles, most recently as an admissions reader at the University of Virginia and a writing coach at College Solutions. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she graduated from UVA with a B.A. in English and an M.Ed. in Higher Education. Anna feels strongly about helping students find the right fit in the college admissions process, as she transferred after her freshman year. She currently lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she enjoys spending time with her three-year-old son and diving into a good book.
Favorite college course: Representations of Slavery in Literature
Taylor has over 15 years of experience working in the education field. She has worked in Rhode Island and New York City in various roles including teacher, tutor, coach, and most recently high school and college counselor. A native to Rhode Island, she graduated from Providence College with a B.A. in Italian and Education and a M.Ed. in School Counseling. Taylor truly enjoys getting to know her students and building a strong connection. She encourages all of her students to realize their full career potential and advocates for their academic, personal, and social success.
Taylor currently lives in Providence with her husband and two kids. She enjoys relaxing at the beach, cooking fun recipes, and traveling to new places.
Favorite College Course: Sociology of Language, Renaissance Art & History
Jennifer has over 15 years of experience with secondary education and college admissions in a variety of roles including college counselor, essay reader, and instructional designer. She grew up in the Midwest and received her BA from Northwestern University and her Masters and PhD from the University of Virginia. Since graduating, she has worked in a variety of educational roles along with entrepreneurship, fundraising, marketing, and sales. When not working in higher education and helping students achieve their academic dreams, Jennifer enjoys staying active with workouts and hikes accompanied by her family and their dog. She’s also an avid reader and lifelong learner and loves cooking, traveling, and spending quality time with loved ones.
Favorite College Courses: Spanish Linguistics: History of the Language and Don Quixote
Katie Andersen was a member of Duke University's first women's soccer team in 1988. She later worked in the software industry in the U.S. and Europe and served as an alumni interviewer for Duke in Southern California. In 2013, she launched her counseling practice, combining college advising and athletic recruiting. Katie holds a B.A. in Sociology from Duke and a College Counseling Certificate from UCLA, receiving the IECA “Making A Difference Award” in 2021. Since 2013, she has guided hundreds of student-athletes through college admissions and recruiting, helping them secure spots at Div I, II, and III institutions. Together with David Stoeckel, she created the first online training course for counselors advising college-bound student-athletes and mentors those new to athletic advising.
Amy Bryant is an 18-time NCAA championship coach and former Division III two-sport student-athlete (soccer and tennis). She is the first female in NCAA history to win the national team tennis championship as both coach and player and is an Emory University Sports Hall of Fame inductee. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration and an Executive Coaching Diploma from Emory, as well as a Master’s in Sports Administration from Georgia State University. Over 20 years, she coached NCAA sports, helping student-athletes achieve 7 NCAA team championships, 11 individual championships, and 98 All-American honors. In 2019, she founded Bryant College Coaching and mentored hundreds of high school student-athletes in finding their college match.
Reid chose Texas Tech University for its baseball program but found it a poor fit academically and personally. He transferred to Weatherford College and attended four colleges in four years. Ultimately, he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Texas - Austin in sport development and youth sport policy. Reid has been working with student-athletes since 2016, when he advised his pitching clients on the admissions process in between drills. Shortly after discovering this passion, Reid founded the company that would eventually become Athletes to Athletes and started working with student-athletes in a more formal capacity all over the country. Reid is a Certified Educational Planner, currently holds a professional membership with IECA, and is a member of both TACAC and NACAC. Reid is also SafeSport Certified through the USOC credentialing program.
Joe played baseball in college at Sonoma State University, where he was part of teams ranked #1 in the nation and earned a trip to the 2008 Division 2 College World Series Semifinals. After college, he spent three years playing overseas in the German Bundesliga. In his final year, he made the switch from player to coach. He returned to the US and spent the next decade working as a coach and athletics administrator at University of San Francisco, University of the Pacific, and UC Berkeley. He has worked on every side of the athletic and academic admissions process. While working at Cal, Joe got heavily involved in the operations and recruiting for many of the most successful collegiate programs in the nation. He completed the UC Berkeley Certificate for College Planning program and decided to utilize his experience to work directly with families. He has worked with hundreds of students to navigate the complex worlds of academic admissions and athletic recruiting. Joe is a member of IECA, HECA, and WACAC and frequently speaks with sports clubs and teams all over Northern California.
We can’t wait to tell you more about how we can help your family on their college search and application journey. The first consultation is free and gives you a low-pressure opportunity to get to know our team, our approach, and what sets College Solutions apart.
