Melinda Stanford

Melinda gets teased for admitting that she would rather spend time with teens than anyone else. She has two of her own and has been working with teens for over 25 years, as an admissions coach, a life coach and a vocal coach.

After graduating from Yale, she began teaching voice to students as an adjunct to her performing career and found that her students wanted a life coach as well to talk through their goals with. Soon parents asked for her admissions help, since so much of admissions success hinges on working with a person who gets you and whom you trust. She loves being students’ cheerleader, presenting them in their best light, and ultimately finding the perfect fit school having stretched their potential to the max. Melinda particularly enjoys helping creative and artistic students prepare supplements, whether it be music or visual arts, and has gotten students into conservatories like NEC, as well as top Ivies like Harvard. Having just gone through the admissions process recently with her own kids, she knows what it’s like for parents and teens today to deal with an ever-changing admissions climate.

As a singer, songwriter, pianist and vocal coach, Melinda has worked internationally, from singing in New York’s Rainbow Room to coaching one of Japan’s top pop stars. She has two CD’s out: Tread on My Dreams and Off the Cuff, and is working on finishing her next one. She is also a professionally certified executive coach who has worked with clients all over the world. Melinda lives with her family just outside Boston. She loves to travel, has a bit of a true crime obsession, and (fun fact) is related to the founder of Stanford University.