Cynthia (Cindy) Muchnick, a graduate of Stanford University, is an expert in the college admission process. She got her start in admission offices before opening a private study skills and college counseling business in Southern California, which she ran for over fifteen years. As an Assistant Director of Admission for the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago, she screened and reviewed over three thousand applications, interviewed prospective students, and served on the admission committee to evaluate borderline applicants and appeals cases. Then, as a private counselor, she helped hundreds of high school students navigate their academic journeys, including course selection, study skills, time management, and college applications. Since closing her private educational practice in 2011, Cindy has focused on public speaking to student, parent, school and business groups on a variety of education-related topics.

Over the course of her career, Cindy has written numerous books; The Parent Compass: Navigating Your Teen’s Wellness and Academic Journey in Today’s Competitive World (Familius/Workman/Hachette, 2020) is her tenth. Her other titles include The Best College Admission Essays (co-author, ARCO/Peterson’s, 1997), The Everything Guide to Study Skills: Strategies, Tips, and Tools You Need to Succeed in School (Simon& Schuster, 2011), Straight-A Study Skills (co-author, Simon& Schuster, 2012), The Everything College Checklist Book (Simon& Schuster, 2013), Writing Successful College Applications: It’s More than Just the Essay (Peterson’s Publishing, 2014), and four other books (Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House). Her essays have appeared on Zibby Owens’ Moms Don’t Have Time To Write Medium platform, Your Teen Magazine, College Confidential, Raising Teens Today, The Los Angeles Times, and The Mom Experience, among others.

Cindy raised her family in Newport Beach, CA, and moved to Menlo Park, CA, in 2018, where she resides with her husband and is parent to two teens who are still at home, a college student, and a college graduate who is a teacher. For further information, or to inquire about a potential speaking engagement, feel free to visit her website at www.cynthiamuchnick.com.

About the author

Sheryl Ziegler, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Play Therapist in private practice in Denver, CO.
She is the author of Mommy Burnout: how to reclaim your life and raise healthier children in the process and the forthcoming book, The Crucial Years: the essential guide to mental health and modern puberty in middle childhood.
She is a regular national and local news contributor on topics related to parenting and mental health and did a Tedx talk on "Why Moms are Miserable" which is all about the power of connection.
She is the host of Dr. Sheryl's PodCouch and the founder of the parent-child puberty course, Start with the Talk.
She is a frequent speaker on chronic stress, parenting and burnout both in the workplace and at home. Dr. Ziegler is Colorado’s NBC affiliate (9News) Parenting Expert for the franchise series Mental Health & Me.

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