Our Story

Distinguishes

“I want my child to be happy!”

Casey Gendason has been told this by so many parents that he has made it the mission of Casey Gendason Guidance. To have a well-adjusted, confident, eager, and happy child is priceless. As a former undergraduate admissions officer at Emory University and having worked in college counseling for over 15 years at an independent school full of families with lofty expectations, Casey Gendason knows the value of having a happy child. Casey Gendason Guidance works tirelessly to help families launch their child to a school where they will be happy. Casey is a resource and sounding board to students and parents from the moment he meets a family until the student steps foot on their college campus (and often stays in touch with families way beyond that moment).

College Admissions Experience

Casey Gendason, founder and owner of Casey Gendason Guidance, combines experience in highly selective admissions as a former Emory University Undergraduate Admissions Officer with 16 years of college counseling experience at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas. Casey read and discussed thousands of admission applications, college essays, and recommendations annually when working at Emory. Casey knows what college admission officers prefer on extra-curricular activity lists and enjoy reading in college essays.  He sat around the admission committee and contributed to the magic of shaping a class. He knows the trends, the uncontrollables, the university’s priorities, and the focus points of an admission committee and university.

High School College Counseling Experience

When Casey left the Emory admission office he brought these experiences to the college counseling office at St. Mark’s School of Texas and helped thousands of students and their parents navigate through the college application process. Every student wanted to go to a “good school,” and Casey made sure it happened by offering the highest level of personalized college counseling that emphasized fit and creating compelling applications. In addition, Casey taught an English class, coached the varsity tennis team, advised ninth and tenth graders, and sponsored the Student Council. Casey knows and understands the amount of energy students devote daily to their high school experience, and he empathizes with both students and parents about the pressure they feel to do it all.

Our Main Goal

Casey Gendason Guidance focuses on each student’s strengths, unique personality, goals, and needs to find the best fit schools.  Our goal is for each student to call their family in October of first semester and say, “I LOVE MY COLLEGE!”  We do this with individualized attention, listening closely to both the student and the parent, and a heavy dose of compassion during this transitional time.  We aim to create happy college students!Explore services by year:
Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior

What Distinguishes
Casey Gendason Guidance

1

Casey sees each student as an individual. He loves working with students who are chatty and who are quiet. He loves working with athletes and he loves working with musicians and actors. He loves working with brainiacs and he loves working with students that find making it through the school day to be a huge challenge. He loves working with students who think they know their path and he loves working with those who have no idea what they want for their college experience.
2

Casey has visited 300+ college campuses around the world and knows their personalities and characteristics academically and what the student body values and engages in on and off campus. Every college has a culture, and Casey knows what students love about their college experience hand what they would change about their experience. Many families have joked that Casey is an encyclopedia of colleges – they are correct!
3

Casey doesn’t settle for one piece of good news. The college application process is all about choices. He encourages reaching and stretching during this exciting life chapter while keeping our feet on the ground so students decide where they go to college.
4

Casey is a storyteller, and he helps his students tell their stories. College admission officers love reading compelling stories, and he spends significant time with each student helping each tell their stories to colleges.
5

Casey loves working with students and parents alike and spends time working with both. Casey views this as a family process with a wide range of emotions. The focus is on finding the best fit schools for the student and helping them land at the right school. He keeps the student motivated and energized by keeping the process upbeat. He also believes parents know their child better than anyone, so he highly values parental input and insights.
6

Casey gladly becomes the nagger and delivers messages your student will hear and follow. He knows that parents offer lots of advice to their children, but it often feels judgmental or the student believes “my parents know nothing.” When an outside person delivers the same message, students listen and act on the advice. Casey pushes, encourages, and motivates his students in a loving way.
7

Casey is highly accessible and families value Casey's accessibility. Students and parents value Casey’s accessibility. They text, call, and e-mail with any question, issue, or concern, and he replies quickly with personalized and down-to-earth advice.

Are you ready to take the next step and get started?

Contact Us Now

Dallas, TX 75248

casey@caseygendasonguidance.com

+1-678-613-3466