Inspiring Conversations with Katherine Murray of Katherine Murray College Consulting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Murray

Hi Katherine, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2014, I graduated from UCLA with my B.A. in English with a minor in Film, Television, and Digital Media. Living in L.A. was very expensive, so I always worked multiple jobs that included teaching and tutoring. After graduating, I worked in the entertainment industry for three years. I realized that I enjoyed my nights-and-weekends job more than my day job, so I moved to UC San Diego to earn my M.A. in Literature with a specialization in Critical Gender Studies.

I enjoyed working as a professor in California but also enjoyed my second job as a college admissions coach. When my family moved to Raleigh, I thought it would be a great opportunity to start my own college consulting company and try working for myself!

I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of students over the years. High school seniors are such a fantastic age group to work with: they’re smart, motivated, and optimistic. As a college admissions consultant, I get to learn more about their hopes and dreams and help make these a reality.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Working several concurrent jobs was always difficult. As a grad student, I taught my undergraduates in the morning, drove to an office to teach fifth grade reading, drove to another office to tutor SAT prep and guide seniors through college apps, then drove to a student’s house to tutor them every day. I worked from 8 a.m.-10 p.m., then stayed up late writing my grad school stuff.

Like everyone, I was hit hard by the pandemic. Working remotely cut down the number of hours that I spent in the car every day, but I missed being in the classroom and in the office. I tackled the stress of quarantine by working even more.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am really fortunate to have experience working with students in elementary school, middle school, high school, community college, and universities. Working with a diverse population has helped me become a better and more empathetic educator.

College application season is July-January, so the majority of the students that I work with during those months are working on college essays and consulting me about college admissions. January-May is AP test prep and SAT/ ACT test prep. Throughout the year, I also offer writing, editing, and tutoring services.

I offer tutoring in any level of English, AP English Literature, AP English Language, AP World History, AP US History, AP European History, ACT prep, and SAT prep.

My college apps services include admissions consulting, college essay coaching and editing, and academic advising. I also help with graduate school essays, including those for med school, nursing school, business school, and law school.

I am very fortunate to have clients all around the country, so I work completely remotely in order to accommodate everyone.

I love writing, and I’ve been very lucky to be published as both a novelist and as an academic writer. My academic publications focus on pop culture, domestic violence, and baseball. I’m currently an M.F.A. candidate at Emerson College in the Popular Fiction and Publishing program, which has offered incredible insight into the publishing industry and writing in the digital age.

What does success mean to you?
For me, success is defined as achieving a work-life balance that allows you to maximize your opportunities to learn and grow. I think that women especially are burdened with a nonstop sense of guilt that prevents us from feeling successful – we’re expected to be many things for many people, and pursuing self-care or self-improvement (or starting our own business) means that we need to actively prioritize ourselves first sometimes, which is very hard to do.

I would feel successful, if, at the end of the day, my head hit the pillow and I was content with that day’s performance as a business owner, daughter, daughter-in-law, friend, granddaughter, parent, pet parent, sister, sister-in-law, teacher, wife, and writer. (I had to put these in alphabetical order because any other order seemed to suggest a hierarchy).

Gloria Anzaldúa wrote, “What we say and what we do ultimately comes back to us, so let us own our responsibility, place it in our own hands and carry it with dignity and strength.” These are wise words that I try to carry with me every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katherinemurraycollegeconsulting.my.canva.site/
• Instagram: @collegeadmissionskatherine