Sarah Tierney founded Mosaic Admissions in 1999. She has over 20 years of experience in college admissions and higher education marketing.

Article and photo by Carin R. Kirkegaard

With many state colleges seeing a surge in applicants, it is safe to say that landing a spot in the incoming freshman class of a desired school is only becoming more competitive. Local Castle Pines North resident, Sarah Tierney, is on top of these statistics and her business, Mosaic Admissions is right there to help high school graduates make sure that the acceptance letter to his or her school of choice is waiting in the mailbox.

On average, a student spends 23 minutes with a high school counselor working on college admissions. According to the American School Counselor Association, the recommended number of students a high school counselor should be advising is one counselor for every 250 students. The national average is 460 students to one counselor and in Colorado the ratio exceeds the national average with 470 students to one counselor. At Rock Canyon High School, the feeder high school for the Castle Pines community, the ratio is 367 students per counselor.

Mosaic Admissions is a company that is designed to help students intent on continuing his or her educational career at the collegiate level to navigate what can be an overwhelming path of preparatory tests, long applications, written essays and nerve-wracking interviews. Mosaic Admissions is designed to be a complement to a student’s high school counselor.

Tierney sits at the helm of Mosaic Admissions and provides 20 years of experience in admissions for some of the nation’s most exclusive colleges, including Harvard University and Northwestern University. Tierney takes the high school student through four phases at Mosaic Admissions.

First she develops a strategy based on the student’s interests and helps uncover the student’s goals for higher education. Next, Tierney helps find the best collegiate fit based on these interests and goals. Then the work really begins. Tierney helps the student formulate a voice based on life experiences that will help the student’s inner light shine through in the college application and essay. Finally, Tierney prepares the student for college interviews. Through mock interviews with the student, she helps students recognize what college interviewers are looking for all the while helping the student remain poised and professional.

Tierney has served as a Schools Committee member for Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Chicago and the Rocky Mountain Harvard Club. As a committee member she has interviewed many potential Harvard applicants. With this first hand experience, Tierney knows that it is not just grades that will produce an acceptance letter. Many perfect SAT and ACT scores come across an admissions counselor’s desk; a student needs something else to catch the counselor’s eye.

“At Mosaic Admissions, we help uncover the qualities that make you unique,” said Tierney.

Tierney said that ideally she would like to start working with a student during his or her freshman year, but it is never too late to start charting the extracurricular activities and academic plan for college admissions. A student needs to “pick a plan that makes sense, inspires and challenges you,” said Tierney.

Mosaic Admissions offers services as a complete package for those students wandering along a confusing college admissions path, or a la carte for those students looking only for a little help with the application essay.

To learn more about Mosaic Admissions visit, www.mosaicadmissions.com, or contact Tierney at 720-289-6936 or contact by e-mail.