Meet the Newest Counselor Nat

Meet the Newest Member of the Team of Expert Counselors As a Principal College Admissions Counselor at, Nat is excited to help students reach their goals and get into their best-fit schools. He previously served as an Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at his alma mater, Skidmore College, and was the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at New York University and, most recently, at the hyper-selective NYU Abu Dhabi. We asked Nat some questions about his education and admissions history, and we put him on the spot with some of last year's college application questions. What was the subject of your college application essay and why did you choose that topic? I wrote about skateboarding because it was something that an admissions reader wouldn't know about me from the rest of my application. It was a big part of my identity, and probably a big surprise to the admissions committee considering I was a recruited tennis player. What is the most valuable thing that you learned about the college admissions process while working as an Associate Director of Admission at Skidmore and as a Senior Assistant Director of Admission at NYU? Highly-selective colleges don't take the "best and the brightest." They take whom they need to make a well-rounded class. Tell us about working with students as part of NYU Abu Dhabi. NYU Abu Dhabi students are absolutely amazing! Each class of 150 students typically is comprised from over 70 different countries, and it really made me rethink the definition of diversity in the American university system. Working with the students reaffirmed my belief that we all have so much more in common with each other than at the surface, regardless of religious, political and geographical differences. I'm going to miss working with NYUAD students, many of whom I keep in touch with regularly. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? What's the best advice that you could give to someone? Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life! I'd pass this piece of advice on to anyone. What do you like to do during your free time? I love being active. I swim, bike, and run quite a bit. I also love playing tennis with my wife, who was a member of the Skidmore Women's team that won the National Championship. We trained one of our pugs to fetch tennis balls and he acted as our personal ball boy when he was younger. Taking a cue from some of last year's college applications: Quick Takes: One question to which I wish I had the answer is...(asked by Claremont McKenna College) Why do we drive on parkways, and park on driveways? So where is Waldo, really? (asked by University of Chicago) Waldo lives somewhere in Los Angeles. He changed his name to John Krasinski and is most known for his role as Jim Halpert on "The Office." You just put a message in a bottle and threw the bottle out to sea. What is the message? (asked by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Please place me in the appropriate recycle bin! To learn more about Nat, read his full biography and check out his full interview in the September newsletter!