Essay Workshop

Hallock College Consulting offers specialized workshops led by an experienced college admissions counselor on the application essay.  Amy has designed a workshop to bring her expertise, along with the admissions counselor's insider knowledge on the college application essay process, to your student. The college admissions counselor will share his experience on what colleges look for in a college essay, tips on how to write the essay, and the essay review process from a college's perspective.

 College list

Amy analyzes the student’s academic profile as well as their personal interests, preferences, and talents.  She then compiles a list of appropriate colleges that fit both the student and the family's needs. Amy guides students in building a well-rounded college list that includes a strategic mix of likely, target, and reach schools through an included resource of College Planner Pro. This subscription, provided by Hallock College Consulting, provides insights about hundreds of institutions. After Amy researches this extensive list of schools she works with students to understand what the student likes or dislikes about certain colleges.   

Application

Amy collaborates with students in completing the Common Application or the individual applications required by some institutions. The Common Application is a widely used platform that allows students to apply to multiple colleges through a single system. She helps students understand how to complete each section, especially the Activities List. She works closely with students to translate their experiences into the Common Application format, prioritizing achievements and phrasing them in a way that makes them stand out.

Some colleges offer Early Decision or Early Action options, and Amy helps students decide if applying Early Decision or Early Action is the right choice for them. Amy will also review all applications before they are submitted.

Essay Guidance

The student and Amy meet together to brainstorm ideas for a topic that will convey important qualities about the student to the admissions representative who will be evaluating the essay.  Once a topic is selected, Amy helps the student produce an outline and provides guidance on what admissions representatives look for when reading.  When the outline is completed, the student composes a rough draft of their essay.  Amy reviews the rough draft, editing both sentence structure and grammar, while maintaining the student's original voice.  Then, she meets with the student to review and explain the changes that should be made to the rough draft.  At this point, the student will complete a second draft, followed by continuous revisions that will culminate in a final essay.

resume

A resume is an important tool for letters of recommendation, interviews, and supplemental information attached to applications. It helps students highlight significant achievements and extracurricular activities. Amy helps students craft strong, authentic resumes by guiding them through thoughtful reflections on their extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and achievements. She asks the right questions to uncover meaningful experiences and provides clear templates and structure to ensure the resume is polished and effective.

Interview Preparation

An interview, which can be conducted on campus, online, at the high school, or with a local alumnus, demonstrates to the admissions committee that the student is serious about attending the particular college.  This type of demonstrated interest is often an important factor in admission.  Amy provides students with guidance on what to expect, such as typical questions an interviewer might ask, what the interviewer might be trying to ascertain about the student, and what the student should and should not ask the interviewer.  Amy conducts a mock interview with the student. Lastly, she will advise the student on proper follow-up procedures with the admissions office after the interview.

Standardized Tests

The SAT and ACT are standardized tests that many high school students choose to take. These scores can be reported on students' applications. Some colleges do require that these scores be included, while others give students the option to include them. Amy works with students to advise on standardized testing strategies by identifying which colleges require test scores and what score range is competitive for admission. For test-optional schools, she helps students evaluate whether their scores will strengthen or weaken their application, guiding them on whether to submit or withhold their scores. She also provides references for both SAT and ACT tutoring to help students increase their scores.