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Summary on HelloCollege
HelloCollege stands out as a coordinated, end-to-end company offering college admission consulting services for families who want strategy, essays, tutoring, testing, and financial guidance managed under one umbrella. Combining a lead counselor plus specialists, the flexible hour model, and the S.A.F.E. framework can reduce stress and improve both application quality and college fit. Treat the headline success metrics as conversation starters, ask for definitions and profile-matched outcome data, and confirm pricing and staffing details during the consult. For many households, the breadth, structure, and personal touch make HelloCollege a strong, confidence-building choice.
HelloCollege At a Glance
What it is: A comprehensive college admissions service that combines counseling, essay coaching, academic tutoring, test prep, and financial-aid guidance under one roof.
How they work: Hour-based bundles you can flex across services; mix of 1:1 support and a student/parent portal with curriculum and workshops.
Signature idea: The S.A.F.E. fit framework, Social, Academic, Financial, Employment, to build balanced, right-fit college lists.
Reach: Significant U.S. and international presence; described as the largest college consulting firm in the Midwest (company-reported).
Founder: Kevin Krebs (Northwestern BA/MA in Journalism), multiple Emmy/Telly award-winning broadcaster and entrepreneur (self-reported).
Overall vibe: Personalized, relationship-forward, and coordinated across specialists so families aren’t juggling multiple vendors.
Services of Hello College
College admissions counseling
Strategy, school list building using S.A.F.E., timeline, course rigor guidance, activities positioning, interview prep, application management.
Essay coaching and editing
Brainstorming, narrative development, drafting, polishing for personal statements and supplements; feedback cycles.
Academic tutoring
Subject support (including AP/IB), executive function coaching, study skills, grade recovery plans.
Test prep tutoring
ACT/SAT strategy, diagnostics, content review, practice testing; adjust intensity based on target score and test dates.
Financial aid and scholarships
FAFSA/CSS guidance, scholarship search and essay support, award comparison, appeal strategy.
Platform and workshops
Access to a portal with planning tools, proprietary resources, and a slate of workshops/classes throughout the program.
How HelloCollege Works
- Intake and goals: You meet your lead counselor (“personal Yoda”) and align on goals, constraints, and student profile.
- Custom plan: A timeline/action plan is built around academics, testing, activities, essays, and finances.
- Specialist team: Tutors, test-prep coaches, essay editors, and financial specialists are added as needed.
- Flexible hours: Hours can shift, more tutoring in a tough term; more essay time near deadlines; more finance time after award letters.
- Ongoing accountability: Portal checklists, workshops, and regular 1:1 check-ins keep momentum high.
- SAFE list-building: Families evaluate schools’ Social, Academic, Financial, and Employment fit, not just prestige.
Quality of Services
Counselors:
9 full-time college admissions consultants.
Qualifications:
All counselors hold master’s degrees; backgrounds include former admissions officers, licensed school counselors, and veteran high school counselors.
Additional credentials:
Several team members with PhDs; many hold multiple master’s degrees; NACAC membership reported.
Tutors and coaches:
15 tutors with extensive classroom and research experience; 24 essay coaches claiming 300+ years of combined coaching/editing; executive-function support available.
Financial expertise:
2 financial specialists for aid strategy and award optimization.
Pricing and Packages
What’s Public
- Pricing model: Hour-based bundles you flex across counseling, essays, tutoring, test prep, and financial-aid support.
- Package sizes shown: “HelloCollege 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100” (numbers = hours). Each includes access to their portal/resources and 1:1 support.
- Exact dollar prices: Not listed online; families are directed to request a custom quote via consultation.
- Ballpark the company gives: Programs range from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars depending on scope and start time. Payment plans available.
- A la carte options: Single essay edit and standalone hourly packages for tutoring, test prep, and essay coaching. Free/low-cost items: Free workshops and downloadable resources.
Helpful industry benchmarks (context, not HC’s own rates)
- Admissions counseling (hourly): typically $100–$300+ per hour.
- ACT/SAT one-on-one tutoring: typically $50–$200 per hour; groups about $30–$100 per hour.
- Essay advising: typically $50–$500 per hour; essay packages ~$1,000–$4,000.
Rough planning math (if HC’s hourly fell within the $100–$300 industry band). These are estimates, to size a budget only:
| Hours | Low @ $100/hr | High @ $300/hr |
| 20 | $2,000 | $6,000 |
| 30 | $3,000 | $9,000 |
| 40 | $4,000 | $12,000 |
| 50 | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| 75 | $7,500 | $22,500 |
| 100 | $10,000 | $30,000 |
(Use the tutoring/essay ranges above if you’re pricing those pieces separately.)
Cost factors to clarify in the quote
How hours can be reallocated (e.g., from test prep to essays) and any minimums per service.
What’s included vs. billed separately (diagnostics, mock interviews, rush edits, materials). Their own blog advises checking for hidden fees, ask directly.
Payment plans, rollover/expiration of unused hours, and refund/cancellation terms.
Results and Metrics
- Acceptances: Students accepted to a wide range of selective institutions (e.g., Ivy League, MIT/Caltech/Stanford, major publics and privates).
- Scholarships: 96% reportedly earn scholarships; examples include full-ride and significant merit awards.
- Acceptance metric: 97% reportedly admitted to a “top college choice.”
- Client loyalty: 97% retention reported; more than 4,000 students guided to date.
- Reviews: High volume of 5-star reviews and an average near 4.9/5.0 reported; robust video/written testimonials on site.
Notes for families:
Like most firms, outcomes are self-reported. Ask how “top choice” is defined, what time frame the stats cover, and for admit/scholarship distributions by student profile (GPA, test, major, demographics).
What Sets Hello College Apart
- Counseling, essays, tutoring, test prep, and financial aid are coordinated in-house.
- Reallocate hours as needs change without switching vendors.
- Lead counselor coordinates with subject tutors, test-prep, essay editors, and finance pros.
- The S.A.F.E. model keeps lists grounded in reality and long-term outcomes, not just brand names.
- Emphasis on strong counselor–family relationships and responsiveness.
Who HelloCollege Is Best Fof?
- Ambitious applicants targeting selective colleges who want coordinated support across strategy, essays, testing, and aid.
- Busy families who prefer a single point of accountability rather than multiple separate providers.
- International families or parents new to U.S. admissions who want structure and steady guidance.
- Students needing executive-function and academic support alongside application strategy.
Good to Know
Pricing transparency:
Packages are sold as hour bundles; exact pricing typically shared in consultation.
Self-reported metrics:
Impressive stats, but not independently audited, clarify definitions and ask for recent, program-wide data.
Scale vs. boutique:
Larger team enables breadth; some families may prefer a single independent counselor’s style, fit matters.
EXAMPLE YEAR-ROUND TIMELINE (JUNIOR SPRING → SENIOR SPRING)
- January–March (Junior): Diagnostics for ACT/SAT; initial S.A.F.E. discussion; academic plan and tutoring (if needed).
- April–June: Test prep ramp; activities audit; early college list; summer planning; essay brainstorming starts.
- July–August: Personal statement drafting; targeted test prep; campus research; finalize balanced list.
- September–October (Senior): Supplement drafts; recommendation strategy; testing wrap; early applications prep.
- November: Early submissions; scholarship list and essays; FAFSA/CSS tasks.
- December–February: Regular application submissions; interview prep; midyear grades; merit/aid tracking.
- March–April: Decisions and award letters; financial comparison; appeal strategy; admitted-student events.
- May: Final choice; waitlist strategy (if needed); transition planning.
| Area |
Example Allocation
|
| Admissions Strategy | 8–12 hours |
| Essay Coaching/Editing | 12–18 hours |
| Test Prep | 10–20 hours |
| Academic Tutoring |
5–15 hours (as needed)
|
| Financial Aid Strategy | 3–6 hours |
| Workshops/Portal Use |
Ongoing (non-hourly content)
|
Actual bundles and hour counts vary by student; families can rebalance as needs shift.
What to Ask During Your Consultation
Definitions and data
How do you define “top college choice”? Over what years were the stats measured?
Admit and scholarship outcomes for students like mine (GPA/test/major/location)?
Scope and staffing
Who will be our lead counselor? What is their caseload during peak season?
Which specialists (tutor, essay coach, finance) will be on our team, and how are hours coordinated?
Process and expectations
How many essay drafts are typical? What’s turnaround time for edits near deadlines?
How do you manage testing strategy (ACT vs. SAT) and practice testing?
How do you handle financial-aid appeals and scholarship targeting?
Pricing and logistics
Hour bundle options; what’s included or excluded; rollover/refund policies.
Communication cadence (meetings, messaging response times); parent vs. student roles.
Fit and philosophy
How do you apply S.A.F.E. to my student’s list and budget?
How do you support mental health and executive function during crunch periods?
Who Should Probably Look Elsewhere
Families seeking a single independent consultant for a hyper-personal boutique experience.
Students who only need a narrow, one-off task (e.g., a quick personal statement polish) and prefer a tiny, fixed-scope engagement.
- True one-stop shop with tightly coordinated services.
- Strong emphasis on right-fit school lists (S.A.F.E. framework).
- Flexible hours to pivot between tutoring, essays, and finance.
- Depth of team experience across admissions, counseling, tutoring, and writing.
- Robust tools and workshops to keep students on track.
- Larger organizations may feel less boutique to some families (a matter of preference).
- Outcomes and “largest in the Midwest” are company-reported; verification may be limited.
- Pricing is typically shared only in consultation.
FAQ
Is HelloCollege legit?
Yes, HelloCollege is an established admissions consultancy with a visible team, long operating history, and extensive testimonials. As with any service, it’s wise to book a consult and confirm the specific counselor you’d work with.
What services does HelloCollege offer?
College admissions counseling, essay coaching and editing, academic tutoring, test-prep tutoring, and financial-aid/scholarship guidance, delivered via one-on-one support plus an online portal with resources and workshops.
How does the S.A.F.E. framework work?
S.A.F.E. stands for Social, Academic, Financial, and Employment fit. Counselors use it to build balanced college lists that match a student’s preferences, readiness, budget, and career goals.
Who will my student work with?
A dedicated lead counselor coordinates a tailored team that can include tutors, test-prep coaches, essay editors, and a financial-aid specialist.
How are packages structured?
Hours-based bundles. You allocate hours across services and can shift them as needs change (e.g., more essay time near deadlines, more tutoring during tough terms). Pricing is shared during a consultation.
Do they guarantee admission or scholarships?
No. Ethical consultants don’t guarantee outcomes. They focus on strategy, quality applications, and fit; families should ask to see recent, profile-relevant results.
What results does HelloCollege report?
They report that most students are admitted to a top-choice college and a high share earn scholarships. These are company-reported metrics, ask for definitions, time frames, and outcomes for students with similar profiles to yours.
Do they help with essays, and will they write them for us?
They coach and edit through brainstorming, structure, drafting, and revision. They do not ghostwrite; the student’s voice remains central.
Do they support test-optional strategy?
Yes. Counselors advise whether to submit scores based on GPA, rigor, target schools, and practice/official test data.
What about financial aid and scholarships?
They assist with FAFSA/CSS, scholarship searches and essays, award comparisons, and appeal strategies to try to improve aid packages.
Are services in-person or virtual?
Primarily virtual. Families across the U.S. (and internationally) meet by video, use the portal, and attend workshops online.
Which grade levels do they serve?
From early high school planning through senior year, including timelines, course selection, testing strategy, and application management.
How do scheduling and communication work?
You’ll set a cadence of meetings and check-ins with your counselor. The portal tracks tasks and deadlines; clarify response times during your consult.
How experienced is the team?
Counselors hold advanced degrees, with backgrounds that include admissions reading, school counseling, and long tenures in student advising. Tutors and essay coaches bring deep subject and writing expertise.
How much do families typically spend?
It varies by goals, starting point, and deadlines. During the consult, ask for an hour-by-hour plan, typical ranges for similar students, and what’s included vs. extra.
Is there a refund or cancellation policy?
Policies can vary by package. Request the full terms in writing, cancellations, unused hours, rollover rules, before you sign.
What’s a typical application timeline?
Junior spring: testing strategy, activities audit, initial list. Summer: essay drafting, test prep, research. Senior fall: supplements and early applications. Winter–spring: regular applications, aid comparisons, appeals, and decision support.
How are tutors and essay coaches assigned?
Matching is based on the student’s needs (subjects, test target, writing style, major). Ask about each specialist’s background and role before starting.
What do clients say?
Client feedback commonly highlights responsiveness, reduced stress, essay guidance, and the ability to pivot hours as needs change. Always read recent, detailed reviews.
Who is HelloCollege best for?
Families wanting a one-stop, coordinated approach, strategy, essays, tutoring, testing, and financial guidance under one roof, with a fit-first philosophy.
Who might prefer alternatives?
Families seeking a single independent consultant for a boutique, ultra-personal style, or students who only need a narrow, one-off task (like a quick essay polish).
