My Story

I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and went on to attend Indiana University, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Psychology with a minor in Spanish. I later completed a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at the University of Denver.

My professional journey began as a school counselor, serving students at Adams City High School in Denver and Aspen High School for ten years. I specialized in academic planning, post-secondary guidance, and social-emotional support during that time. I’ve also worked extensively as a Licensed Professional Counselor, supporting adolescents, families, and adults in various settings.

Now, in my fifth year as an Independent Educational Consultant, I bring a deep understanding of both the academic and emotional aspects of the college planning process. My experience as a school counselor and private therapist elevates my ability to relate and connect with students during this time in their lives.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and three children, connecting with family and friends, skiing, and mountain biking in the beautiful Colorado outdoors. I'm proud to have served on numerous local committees and boards, including the Aspen Education Foundation, Aspen School District Accountability Committee, Elks Scholarship Committee, Snowmass Village Parks, Open Space, Trails and Recreation Board, and the Colorado Mountain College Advisory Board.

  • Working with Emily was extremely helpful in achieving my goals because not only was she very accomplished, she also held me accountable and kept me on track. Emily’s insights were critical to my success and I don’t know what I would have done without her!

    Student Testimonial

  • Working with Emily significantly reduced my stress throughout the college application process. She helped guide me to make the process easier with smaller tasks that felt much more approachable. Overall I felt ahead of many of my peers and created a great relationship with Emily as she helped keep me accountable and on task!

    Student Testimonial

  • Before stepping into the college application processes I had little to no idea about where I wanted to go to school or what I wanted to study. I felt very overwhelmed with the whole process, especially moving far away from home, but Emily supported me through every step and created a very manageable approach. With her guidance and encouragement, I felt a new sense of confidence throughout the process, and I am now at the University of Vermont and it could not be a more perfect school for me!

    Student Testimonial

  • At the start of my college journey I truly had no idea where to start, and without Emily I am not sure how I could have done it. She was extremely helpful and flexible, and would totally recommend to anyone looking for a college consultant.

    Student Testimonial

  • Where would we be without Emily Farrell? As older parents navigating the college application process was not something we had the experience to do anymore. Test optional…we had no idea that was even a thing. Emily was so patient with us and she kept our son on track which we could never have done on our own. The advice and council from Emily resulted in many college acceptances for our son. Simply put there just is no way we could have done it without her.

    Parent Testimonial

  • Emily is a true professional where families need help. College expectations & fright for teenagers is the most stressful thing we’ve ever witnessed with our daughter and Emily really helped when we needed it. Our daughter didn’t have a specific University in mind to attend and Emily was able to really narrow things down for her and brought such excitement and stress relief to an otherwise difficult endeavor.

    Parent Testimonial

  • Thank goodness for Emily! The best decision we made as a family was to hire Emily. Our son loved working with her, she honored his unique talents, listened to what he wanted out of college, and brought out the best in him and his writing. The proof is that he was accepted to every school to which he applied, from CSU to Skidmore!

    Parent Testimonial

  • Emily was incredibly valuable during the college selection and application process. Not only did she alleviate much of the stress and kept my daughter organized, but she was critical in providing suggestions of colleges that were a perfect fit. Her guidance and support made her a joy to work with!

    Parent Testimonial

  • We found Emily through a friend whose son had graduated the previous year, Emily came highly recommended. Our son wanted to pursue a college path in flight school and aviation. These programs are notoriously competitive and small. Emily has been a great support to our family and our son on this journey, working seamlessly with his high school counselor and calling colleges and gathering information so we could make a plan. It was wonderful to have someone experienced help us navigate through this complicated college application process and secondary flight school applications. Emily worked directly with our son to figure out what he wanted and to offer suggestions we had not considered. Emily was instrumental in creating a plan for us and deadlines for schools all over the country and was able to also guide us on which applications to focus first. With Emily's help and guidance, our son was offered 5 flight spots and was able to select which school he wanted to attend and what would work best for our family. We highly recommend Emily, no matter what your college path is; she is a wealth of knowledge, very hardworking, and passionate about helping students achieve their goals and dreams. We will be recommending Emily to all our friends and engaging her again when it's our daughters' turn to start the college application process.

    Parent Testimonial