Who you'll learn from
College Circles is led by a team of three experts — two former admissions officers and a DBT-certified family therapist.
Skyler has extensive experience in admissions consulting, taking a personal approach to advising and supporting candidates and families as they navigate the university admissions process. Skyler has successfully helped students get admitted to Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and more.
Skyler is also passionate about college access, and from Adams Admissions Consulting's inception, supporting low-income, first-generation students has always been core to the company's mission.
When Skyler is not helping students on their applications, he loves hanging out with his two pups and his amazing wife, Rocio.
started Adams Admissions Consulting in 2024 with his wife, Rocio Mendez-Rozo. With over a decade of admissions experience, Skyler has read and rendered admissions decisions for some of the most competitive academic programs in the world. Skyler previously served as associate director of admissions at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and assistant director of admissions in Northwestern University's undergraduate admissions office. He also has a Master's in Higher Education Administration and Policy with an emphasis on university admissions.
Dr. Corinne Smith is a former Ivy League admissions officer based out of Chicago, Illinois. Corinne completed her Bachelors in Political Science and Sociology as well as her Masters in Higher Education at Northwestern University. She received her Doctorate in Education through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Corinne spent two years working in undergraduate admissions at Northwestern, followed by eight years as a senior staff member at Yale University. At Yale, Corinne reviewed tens of thousands of applications and served as a voting member in domestic, international, and QuestBridge committees. She also oversaw all domestic outreach and recruitment. Corinne left Yale in 2024 after her daughter was born. She spent the 2024-2025 admissions cycle consulting for the Caltech admissions office and working as an Adjunct Reader for Brown University, where her admissions territory covered most of the Midwest. At Brown, Corinne voted in committee and read 1,000+ files. Corinne spent the 2025-2026 admissions cycle reading applications for UC San Diego. Corinne is the co-author of the College Essay Journal: A Mindful Manual for College Applications.
Hi, I'm Sydnie Dobkin! I'm a therapist, a DBT enthusiast, and someone who genuinely loves helping people build meaningful lives. I earned my Master's in Counseling from The Family Institute at Northwestern University, where I later completed a post-graduate fellowship on the Mindfulness and Behavioral Therapies Team. I'm also a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™, and I have spent over a decade providing comprehensive, adherent DBT.
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work across different levels of care, including serving as the Director of Adolescent DBT at a DBT-Linehan Certified Program. My experiences have deepened my passion for working with teens and families, especially when emotions are intense, relationships feel strained, or progress seems stalled. Today, I continue to support families and parents through a behavioral, skills-based lens.
I currently provide psychotherapy to adolescents, young adults, and families navigating emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, eating disorders, trauma, suicidality, and self-injurious behaviors. My approach is grounded in evidence-based treatments like DBT, RO-DBT, DBT Prolonged Exposure, SPACE, and ACT. I also integrate psychodynamic thinking, along with yoga-informed therapy and Reiki to treat each person as a whole human.
At the core of my work is a simple goal: to help clients not just feel better, but build skills they can actually use in their real lives, in the moments that matter most. I care deeply about providing thoughtful, culturally responsive care and creating a space where people feel both supported and challenged to grow.
Outside of work, you can usually find me traveling, snuggling with my dog Harold, or on a mission to find the best sushi in the city. I'm also a big fan of Taylor Swift, The 1975, and Harry Styles. When I'm off the clock, I'm probably reading a YA novel, watching a little too much TV, or adding to my ever-growing crystal collection.