About Kate

Kate Brazzale is a Smart College Selection Consultant.

After twelve years working in higher education and on the college side of admissions, Kate joined Smart College Selection to work more directly with students and their families on all aspects of the college search and application process.

As a college admissions officer, Kate reviewed countless college applications for Carnegie Mellon University and Marquette University. This perspective informs her work with students. Kate has read incredible applications constructed by students sharing the very best of themselves. And, of course, she has also read applications from fantastic students whose applications did not effectively share their best selves. From this vantage point, she now helps students understand how their experiences can be most effectively highlighted in their applications and how admissions officers will use the information to guide admissions decisions.

Kate loves helping students find the best fit colleges for their personal preferences, abilities, and potential. With years of experience on the college side, she finds that students trust her and readily accept her advice. She uses humor, coupled with insider information, to ease student and family anxiety throughout the admissions process.

Kate’s goal in working with students and their families is to help demystify the college selection process and to help showcase each student’s unique attributes. Selecting a college should be fun, and it can be with a smart guide, structured tools, and a sensible and sane process.

Kate has an M.Ed. in Higher Educational Policy and Leadership from Marquette University, and a degree in public relations from Creighton University, and is currently pursuing a college counseling certificate through the University of California - Berkeley. She is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) and the Indiana Association for College Admission Counseling (INCAC). Kate is also a scholarship reviewer for the Boone County Foundation.

Kate lives in Zionsville, Indiana, with her husband, three young children and a dog who bring her chaos, joy, and hope for the future.

“Kate was a coach, a mentor, a project manager, a dreamer, a therapist, and an editor all wrapped up into one during what is likely one of the most stressful seasons of a student's life.”