Deb has been helping students and their families navigate the college process for over 20 years. She started her career as a public school counselor and guidance department chairperson and began working as an Independent Educational Counselor in 2002 when she founded College Coach Deb and Associates (now Personal Best College Coaching). She’s been the Transfer Admissions Advisor for the Kaplan Leadership Program since 2008. Deb loves serving as the supporter, organizer, myth-buster, family peace-maker, and fact-checker for high school students, transfer students, non-traditional students, and the occasional graduate school applicant as they go through their journey of self-discovery.
The Team
The Team
Personal Best College Coaching is based in Northern New Jersey. Since 2002, we have been providing independent college counseling assistance to families in the New
York City Tri-State area as well as throughout the United States.
Jen has been working as a school counselor in Bergen County more than a decade helping high school students transition to appropriate post-secondary options. Jen motivates students to find the balance between academics and outside interests. Passionate about counseling adolescents, she focuses on strong communication skills to connect students and parents together throughout the college search process. Ultimately, this should be a fun and exciting time, and Jen's main goal is to take the stress and guesswork out of the equation. Having traveled the country to research and develop expertise in different types of colleges, she’s excited to share college campus information with you and your family.
Coach Kristen brings 10 years of high school counseling experience to our team. She works with students at all different academic levels and has extensive experience helping students define their post-secondary school goals. She has additional expertise in working with students who will require additional support services in college.
Kristen also specializes in incorporating the financial aid component to the college application process.
For almost three decades, Patty Barlow has helped hundreds of high school students navigate through the college process. Her aim is to simplify the process for each student which ultimately results in a productive and positive experience for all. Her approach is focuses on the unique needs and talents of each student with the goal of finding the college where that student will reach their full potential.
Laura enjoys learning about her students’ unique interests, talents and academic goals. Her main goal is to break down the college process into a manageable one, and make sure there are some laughs along the way! Laura has also been on the road visiting a number of different colleges and is happy to share her first-hand observations.
Laura also specializes in working with student athletes who plan to compete in college.
Coach Melissa brings a broad persepctive to the college admissions process both having worked as a high-school counselor as well as in a university admissions office. Melissa strives to help students and families break down what initally seems to be an overwhelming process. Melissa enjoys identifying options for students with unique and diverse requirements and priorities. Melissa also specializes in working with students interested in health science fields including medicine, nursing as well as physical and occupational therapy
For nearly 20 years, Suzanne has loved being a true partner with families. She gets tremendous joy from helping young people create the lives they want for themselves. Suzanne helps teens identify schools with environments that might best support their personal, academic, and professional growth, based on their unique needs and goals. She strives to create the conditions for a more peaceful and meaningful, stress-free college process, including the structure to complete thoughtful applications way ahead of deadlines. Suzanne also has expertise working with budding artists and designers, teens and young adults seeking career direction and/or early career support, and those applying to graduate school.
About Coach Erica
Erica is our Head Writing Coach and Application Process Director. A certified teacher, she enjoys working one on one with our juniors and seniors, supporting them as they share meaningful stories through their college essays. Her approach combines the goals of teaching college-level writing skills, fostering self-awareness so that students can showcase their best qualities, and helping to lower stress about the college application process through writing workshops and PBCC’s full-service approach.