Jen earned her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, M.A. in Psychology from Boston University, and B.A. from Bucknell University (major in Psychology, minor in English). She also completed her Independent Educational Consultant Certificate from the University of California, Irvine.
After some years spent in the field of psychology, Jen found her true passion counseling students and their families on all aspects of the college admissions process. As colleges and universities have become increasingly more selective, it is hard to avoid the feelings of stress and anxiety that can often accompany the application process. Jen brings her training as an educational consultant and psychologist to her families, which allows her to provide technical and emotional support every step of the way. Each student is unique and it is the goal of Academic Bridges Consulting to match every student with a college/university that is a good academic, social, and financial fit. A resident of Westfield, New Jersey, Jen is a dedicated school and community volunteer. She enjoys sports, baking, reading contemporary fiction, and spending time with her husband, Ross, and their two daughters.
Whitney Scharer Essay Specialist
Whitney Scharer is a writer and teacher who specializes in helping students of all ages find their voice on the page. She teaches fiction writing workshops in the greater Boston area and works as a developmental editor with fiction and nonfiction writers, guiding them from first draft to polished work. At Academic Bridges, Whitney brings that same patient, craft-driven approach to application essays—helping students generate vivid ideas, shape compelling narratives, and revise with clarity and confidence.
Whitney holds a BA in English Literature from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Her short fiction, essays, and interviews have appeared in Vogue, The Telegraph, The Tatler, Bellevue Literary Review, and other outlets. Her debut novel, The Age of Light—about photographer Lee Miller—was published by Little, Brown (US) and Picador (UK), became a Boston Globe and IndieNext bestseller, was named a Best Book of 2019 by multiple publications, and won France’s Prix Rive Gauche à Paris. She was the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artists Fellowship in Fiction and residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Ragdale, and The Mount. Whitney lives in Arlington, MA, where she is at work on her second novel, continues to teach and mentor writers, and is the co-founder of TBR—a writing and publishing conference focused on new work, bold ideas, and the future of books.
