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Steve Fernandez-Brennan

College Admissions Consultant He/Him/His
Steve Brennan
College Admissions Consultant
Former admissions officer Occidental College
Former admissions officer Marquette University
Former admissions officer Loyola University Chicago
Admissions counselor Regis University (CO)

My Background

Before coming to College Coach I worked in admissions at a breadth of institutions. My most recent experience was as associate dean of admission at Occidental College in Los Angeles, where I was responsible for international admissions and read applications from around the world but specifically Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria. While at Oxy I also made the final decision on applications from students applying from all over California; Chicago and the Midwest; and Hawai'i and the Pacific, and I served on the athletics admission review committee and was liaison with baseball as well. I started my career at Marquette University where I reviewed applications for each of the seven undergraduate colleges including engineering, business, and nursing, as well as for the direct entry physical therapy and BS/DDS programs. At Loyola University-Chicago, where I was assistant director of admission, nearly half of the applications I reviewed were applying for pre-medicine. While in Honolulu completing my master’s degree at the University of Hawai'i I served on the graduate admission committee for the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and after graduation I served as the founding director of advising at College Connections Hawai`i, a Honolulu non-profit focused on Native Hawaiian and first generation to college youth, where I worked as an independent counselor helping students and their families with all parts of the college application process. I have presented at the national admission conference as well as state and regional conferences on topics related to keeping the admission process student-centered, helping students write their best essays, and retaining first generation students and students of color.
[My daughter] wanted to ‘own’ her college application process and working with Steve enabled her to do that while giving us the confidence that she was getting expert guidance throughout.
Parent of a George Washington University student

Why I Joined College Coach

The choice of college has the power to be transformative — for the young person making what for many is their first adult decision with long-term impacts, for his or her family, and for the institution she or he chooses. Making a good choice after a thoughtful, proactive process can make all the difference in that young person’s life, and helping students and families through the process is tremendously rewarding. In past positions, I would see time and again how much misinformation there is in the education marketplace, and the core mission of College Coach — empowering families and students with knowledge about higher education opportunities and how to access them — meets that information gap. I’m proud of the work that College Coach does to help people with one of the biggest decisions they make.

Get to Know Me

My Education

Marquette University Bachelor's in History and English Literature
University of Hawaii at Mānoa Master's in Urban and Regional Planning
I have worked with students interested in:
  • Accelerated dental - BS/DDS
  • Aerospace
  • Architecture
  • Business
  • Communication
  • Computer science
  • Data science
  • Economics
  • Engineering
  • Film
  • Game design
  • Government
  • Graduate programs
  • HBCUs
  • Hispanic serving
  • Honors programs
  • Humanities
  • International relations
  • Ivy league
  • Journalism
  • Large State Schools
  • Marine biology
  • Mathematics
  • Military/Service academies
  • Nursing
  • Physical therapy
  • Political science
  • Pre-dentistry
  • Pre-law
  • Pre-med
  • Pre-veterinary
  • Psychology
  • Religiously affiliated schools
  • Religious Studies/Theology
  • Research universities
  • ROTC
  • Science
  • Small liberal arts colleges
  • Social Sciences
  • Teaching/education certification
  • Technology
  • Two year colleges
I have also worked with:
  • Athletes
  • First-generation students
  • Home schooled students
  • IB program
  • International students
  • LGBTQIA+ students
  • Non-traditional students
  • Students with learning differences
  • Transfer students
Steve Brennan

Some of my favorite pastimes

Languages, travel, culture, reading, politics, and flag football

Learn more about other College Coach admission consultants including Brittany Preston today!

Interested?

Interested in learning more about how our college admissions counseling services can help your student succeed?

Call 877-402-6224 or complete the form for information on getting your student started with one of our experts.

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