Adrienne Gilbert

Adrienne Gilbert

Adrienne Gilbert

Former Admissions Reader at Rice University,
2 years at Rice University Admissions
3500+ Applications Read and Evaluated

As college admissions professional for the last 16 years, Adrienne has experience working on all sides of the proverbial admissions desk. She has read thousands of applications in her role as an admissions reader for highly selective Rice University, she has aided in the development of admissions and financial aid strategies for colleges and universities worldwide as a higher education enrollment consultant, and she has served as the Director of College Counseling in an elite K-12 school - a role that she was recognized for in 2015 when she was selected as The University of Chicago's Outstanding Educator of the Year.
Adrienne recognizes the importance of creating a persuasive narrative in the application process. She particularly loves working with students to hone in on their individual strengths and interests and help them see creative ways to bridge those in unique and creative, stand-out ways. Having worked on over 200 college campuses when she served as an enrollment consultant, also means that Adrienne has a unique ability to pair a student's personality and interests with best-fit institutions unique to them.

5 Common Mistakes Made on Supplemental Essays

5 Common Mistakes Made on Supplemental Essays

By Adrienne Gilbert / 11/29/2024

Supplemental college essays are university-specific, meaning that they are something you will write in addition to the Common Application Personal Statement, but they will only be sent to the specific institution that is asking the prompt. As such, these essays pack a lot of power: these are the college and universities’ best chance to really…

Junior Year Spring: The College Search Kick-Off

Junior Year Spring: The College Search Kick-Off

By Adrienne Gilbert / 08/09/2024

For high school juniors, the spring brings more than just a flurry of pollen invaders; introductory meetings with college advisors are scheduled, emails from colleges and universities start to consistently appear in inboxes, and a buzz starts to arise as students get into the tempo of the college search process. While there is often much…

Junior Year Spring: Kick off The College Search!

Junior Year Spring: The College Search Kick-Off 

By Adrienne Gilbert / 06/07/2024

For high school juniors, the spring brings more than just a flurry of pollen invaders; introductory meetings with college advisors are scheduled, emails from colleges and universities start to consistently appear in inboxes, and a buzz starts to arise as students get into the tempo of the college search process. While there is often much…

Senior Year Timeline: College Application Season

Senior Year Timeline: College Application Season

By Adrienne Gilbert / 03/15/2024

For high school seniors, the fall is synonymous with college application season – and rightfully so, most Early Decision and Early Action deadlines fall between October 1 and December 1 each year. While much of the flurry of activity occurs in the fall, the summer before senior year is the perfect time to work on…

Common Application Personal Statement

Essays That Work: How to Write a Strong Common App Personal Statement

By Adrienne Gilbert / 01/26/2024

As a writer myself, I have always loved the art of storytelling. When executed well, stories have not just the power of capturing a reader’s attention and imparting knowledge, but they often also leave a lasting impression on their readers – which, when you think of a college application, is exactly what you want to…