The process of applying and gaining admission to selective colleges and universities has grown increasingly complex and stressful. High schoolers and their parents face more distractions and greater demands on their time than ever. Arthur Smith Advising offers college consulting services focused on lowering the stress and anxiety for students and their families as they learn more about the range of colleges that provide the right match for their goals and dreams. 

Every client receives one-on-one attention from Dr. Smith, who is adept at communicating with families and is committed to working as a team to position each student for maximum success. Dr. Smith and his team give students the confidence to fully enjoy high school while finding the right fit for their future. The college search can and should be a fulfilling journey.

Arthur Smith

With 25 years of experience working with students and their parents at Cornell and Duke Universities as an advising dean, admissions chair, and Division I head coach, Dr. Arthur Smith is intimately familiar with what it takes to be successful in the selective admissions process.

Dr. Smith, known as Artie to his colleagues and students, studied history and Africana Studies as an undergraduate in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude and with distinction in all subjects. He continued his education at Duke University, where he earned his MA and Ph.D. in history. Returning to Cornell, Artie served as an assistant director of admissions in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and was the athletics liaison between the seven different admissions offices at Cornell and the university’s 36 varsity teams. He then spent nine years as an admissions and advising dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, where he chaired admissions committees and guided hundreds of students through the college’s curriculum. His unique journey in higher education has also been defined by a highly successful 23 years of coaching track and field and cross country at the Division I level. A nationally recognized distance coach who worked with 19 All-Americans, 31 Ivy League champions, and 12 Eastern champions while coaching 19 Ivy League Championship teams, Artie was Cornell’s head women’s track and field and cross country coach.

During his time in the Ivy League, Artie:

• Chaired admissions committees and evaluated over 20,000 applications

• Served as a faculty advisor and advising dean

• Managed the TransAtlantic Series, an Exchange between Cornell University and Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the United Kingdom

• Mentored hundreds of student-athletes

Artie’s teams and athletes were outstanding in the classroom, with six of his students earning CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, two students earning NCAA Elite 89/90 honors, and three going on to win Marshall and Goldwater Scholarships. Notably, every student he coached who applied for medical school, veterinary school, or law school gained admission.

Artie is here to listen and work with each student’s goals. His two decades of mentoring experiences contribute to his firm belief that success in college—and beyond—comes from a person’s creativity, authenticity, and concern for others. He can help you tell your story.