Help Your Child Land Their Dream School with GuideU’s Personalized College Counseling

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- GuideU offers personalized college counseling services for grades 8-12 in Montgomery County, including Comprehensive College Planning, Application Assistance for College Deadlines, and Degree Plan Course Work Review. Owner, Amy Hollie, has over 18 years of experience in public and private education. Her career background and local knowledge set GuideU apart from larger, less personal companies, as does her unmatched dedication to the students and families she works with.

Amy received her BA in Operations Management from Auburn University. She transferred into the world of education when she became a sixth grade math teacher, educating within the classroom for thirteen years. She continued her education at University of St Thomas where she earned her M.Ed. in School Counseling, later building upon her specialized knowledge by working as a school counselor for several years. College counseling had always been a dream niche for Hollie; a passion that was solidified after she worked with students one-on-one as a high school college counselor.

“I took that opportunity and learned so much,” Amy said. “For a year I just visited with college admissions reps from all over the United States and picked their brains; ‘Tell me a little bit more about what makes your university so unique. What is the ideal student for a campus like yours? What are the things that you want us to communicate to parents when they're talking to us about their student wanting to apply?’ The whole experience felt like the beginning of my research,” she said.

GuideU opened in 2019 and has helped walk over 100 students through the exciting, stressful, confusing, and life-altering process that is preparing and applying for college.

Comprehensive College Planning can start as early as 8th grade. It covers a student’s goals and preferences; What potential college majors are they interested in? Is a large university suited to them, or would they excel in a smaller, cozier school? What course work, extracurriculars, internships, and enrichment programs will put that student in the best light to apply to their dream school?

Grades 8-10 at a Glance:
• Guidance in choosing high school courses
• Identification of optimal extracurricular activities
• Assistance in building the student's high school resume
• Review of high school 4 year plan to match college prerequisites
• Exploration of summer enrichment programs
• Designing a plan of action for standardized testing
• Creating an itinerary for college visits
• Training on the essentials of online college research

Junior year is all about groundwork. Between college visits, taking the SAT and ACT, and application essays inching ever closer, it’s great for students to have someone in their corner. Amy keeps juniors cool, calm, and prepared.

Grade 11 at a Glance:
• Analysis of scores from standardized testing, and creation of tutorial options to increase scores
• Creating an itinerary for college visits (can we say this instead… discussing college visit experiences)
• Assistance in building the student’s high school resume
• Exploration of summer internship programs
• Preparation for writing the college essay

Degree Coursework Review is Amy’s absolute favorite thing to do with seniors. It includes taking a deep dive into the actual curriculum that will be expected of them in college. This is so important because it shows students the reality of what their next four+ years will look like depending on which degree plan they choose. For example: one of Amy’s students was committed to the idea of studying veterinary medicine, but after seeing the amount of chemistry courses it would take, she realized it wasn’t for her. Having this pivotal moment before stepping foot on campus will save students (and parents) from future headaches or confusion.

Speaking of headaches … What if college applications didn’t have to be overwhelming? Amy is present from start to finish to ensure that application deadlines are met. She keeps a spreadsheet of every school an individual student is applying for, which includes the dates each material needs to be sent out and a receipt of when it was completed. This system of tracking, monitoring, and managing works seamlessly to organize the process into a manageable timeline. And when questions arise such as, “Why is Baylor saying that they need my recommendation letter to be delivered like this?” or, “Why does A&M want my teacher to mail a paper copy of the recommendation letter when other schools accept electronic copies?” Amy will be there with answers.

Grade 12 at a Glance:
• Creating an application timeline
• Monitoring the progress of transcripts, test scores, and recommendation letter submission
• Providing resume assistance and final edited copy for college and scholarship applications
• Development of approaches to in-state and out-of-state college options
• Review of available and preferred college majors and/or degrees

“Our kids are under a lot of stress these days,” Amy commented. “An amount of pressure that I’m not sure we understood at that age … So, we always try to create a schedule that will generate an impressive GPA, but also leave room for balance within a student's life, for them to be able to participate in social events and extracurricular activities; one that requires a student’s best, but also provides them with time for self care.”

It’s said that the most expensive investment you make is your home, and the second is your child’s education. It’s critical to plan ahead, find a campus and coursework that’s the perfect fit, and have important discussions pertaining to your child’s interests, expectations, and aspirations. Amy Hollie at GuideU will dot every I and cross every T. She will act as mentor, a coordinator, and an ally. She will provide support, confidence, and a recipe for success.

Visit CollegeGuideU.com for more information.

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