Experienced, dedicated, personal coaching for college admissions
Where potential meets purpose
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With more than 20 years of executive leadership experience spanning corporate and nonprofit sectors, Margaret Kim founded Higher Ed Prep, LLC to bring personalized college admissions guidance to students across the country. Since 2018, she has helped more than 200 students gain admission to colleges, universities and graduate programs nationwide.
Kim previously held senior roles at AT&T and CheckFree Corporation before serving as president and COO of AllCare of Maryland. She volunteers with Gilchrist Cares, Good Counsel High School, Blossoms of Hope and Araminta. Through pro bono work, she mentors teenage survivors of human trafficking, supporting their path to college and scholarship funding.
What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?
The biggest problems facing educational consulting involve navigating an increasingly volatile, high-stakes and complex environment. Key challenges include the need for specialized knowledge regarding shifting admissions landscapes and artificial intelligence integration, managing client expectations in a prestige-driven market and overcoming business-side challenges such as scaling practices while maintaining personalization.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Be kind always. You never know what someone else may be going through. Have compassion and empathy for others. Love is the purest form of this kindness. When all else fails, sprinkle a little love on it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Always do what you are afraid to do.”
How do you define success?
I define success as making a positive impact and helping others create a life where they can do the same.
The MD500 is The Daily Record’s recognition of 500 of Maryland’s most influential professionals. Selected by the publication’s editorial staff, the list identifies individuals whose work is shaping the state’s major institutions, industries, and communities.
Drawn from law, business, higher education, healthcare, finance, technology, and the nonprofit sector, those named to the MD500 hold positions of significant responsibility and impact across Maryland.
About Margaret Kim
Your Trusted Partner in Navigating the College Admissions Journey with Confidence and Care
Mission: To empower every student to realize their full potential through personalized guidance, meaningful mentorship, and expanded access to educational opportunity.
Margaret Kim is the Founder and Principal Educational Consultant of Higher Ed Prep, LLC. Since 2018, she has guided more than 200 students to successful admission into colleges, universities, and graduate programs across the United States. With a highly personalized and supportive approach, Margaret helps students discover their strengths, build confidence, and present their most authentic selves in a competitive admissions landscape.
With over 20 years of executive leadership experience, Margaret held senior roles at AT&T and CheckFree Corporation before serving as President and COO of AllCare of Maryland. Throughout her career, she has remained deeply committed to mentoring students and helping them achieve their full potential.
Margaret is especially passionate about expanding access to education. Through her pro bono work, she mentors and coaches teenage survivors of human trafficking—supporting them in completing high school, building academic independence, and successfully entering college with strong scholarship support so they can pursue their education as debt-free as possible.
She continues her commitment to community through leadership roles with organizations such as Gilchrist Cares, Good Counsel High School, Blossoms of Hope, Araminta, and many others. She is also the recipient of the Daily Record Maryland 500 distinction for 2026.
Her students have been accepted to leading universities and graduate schools, including:
Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Duke, Northwestern, Northeastern, University of Chicago, Washington University at St. Louis, University of Miami, University of Michigan, Clemson, Wake Forest, Rollins, Elon University, Vanderbilt, University of Maryland, UVA, George Mason, Towson University, American University, Georgetown, George Washington University, Spellman, VCU, Virginia Tech, Villanova, among others.
Above all, Margaret is a dedicated advocate for her students and families—providing thoughtful guidance, honest insight, and unwavering support at every step of the journey.
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What Our Clients are Saying
I didn't know where to start and Margaret made it so much easier...she had me on track to finish all my applications before the deadlines. I got my first choice, John Hopkins University and Margaret also helped me apply for scholarships resulting in a full merit scholarship.
— an undergraduate student
Margaret helped me navigate the process of changing career goals. I had originally wanted to attend law school, but in my senior year, I decided to pursue an MBA. Margaret helped me re-focus, apply and get into the Wharton MBA program with a partial merit scholarship.
-- Graduate school student
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