Don headshot

Don Keller

College Counselor

Don brings 30 years of experience in college admissions and counseling, including 10 years as a licensed high school counselor and 8 years as an admissions reader for UC Berkeley, Northeastern, and the QuestBridge Scholars program. Throughout his career, Don has guided more than 10,000 students through the application process, supporting acceptances to institutions like Brown, Dartmouth, UChicago, Northwestern and UT Austin.

  • Experience: 30 years in admissions counseling
  • High School Counseling: 10 years
  • Admissions Experience: 8 years as an Application Reader for UC Berkeley and Northeastern
  • Selective Acceptances: UChicago • Brown • Dartmouth • Georgetown • Emory • Northwestern • Notre Dame • UCLA • NYU • Michigan • UT Austin
  • Credentials: Former FL Licensed School Counselor • NACAC Member
  • Specialties: Highly Selective Admissions • Student Athletes • Midwest Admissions • Southeast Admissions • Student Motivation & Accountability • Strategic Planning for B-Range Students

Clients' Testimonials about Don

Our counselor Don Keller has extensive knowledge of the daunting college application process. If your child is applying to a multitude of top-name schools, you must hire this company! Don has provided invaluable insight to our family throughout this entire process. He has kept our Son organized, focused, and on track to successfully submit 9 Early Action applications. Hello College also offers a multitude of helpful webinars along the way. As full-time working parents, we couldn’t have kept up with the details, nuances and intense logistics of college applications. Don and Hello College provided our family the knowledge our Son needed to apply with confidence. It’s only December, and several acceptance letters and scholarship offers have already arrived in our Son’s email box. Thank you Don!!!!!

Jamie Zinkhan

Parent of Jacob

Braden River High School

I really liked HelloCollege’s customized approach and the team’s expertise. I really appreciated my counselor, Don Keller, and my essay coach, Meg Hall. The guidance was comprehensive and honest.

Sophia Mijatovic

Student

South Walton High School

I can’t speak highly enough of Hello College in general and of counserlor Don Keller in particular. For a great deal he has guided my son through the complicated process of applying to college and we couldn’t have done it without him.

Sara Fernandez

Parent of Billy

Clements High School

University of Chicago

Leslie Riccio has been the biggest help in the world throughout my college application process. She is on top of everything and genuinely cares about her students success. I don’t know how I would have done it without her and I recommend her for all students who meed a helping hand or guide. She is the best!

Nicole Bennett

Parent of Ava

Belvidere North High School

From our very first consultation, Hello College made us feel at home with their approach and their ability to help us! I would highly recommend them to anyone that is applying to a service academy or any other highly competitive institution. They build an entire profile specifically for you, so that you don’t miss any deadlines. They also spend time really getting to know you, so they can help you represent yourself genuinely. Because of them our son received appointments to both of the service academies he applied to. He is about to live his dream! Thank you Hello College! And special thanks to the two people who walked the entire process out with us: Counselor Amanda Yoder and Essay Coach Brooke Kent! Thank you for all of your diligence and care and for celebrating with us when we got the news!!

Catherine Rumfelt

Parent of Dirk

Fairfield High School

United States Naval Academy

I was assigned Asma Wazir as my tutor and she was absolutely fantastic! She gave detailed information and was amazing at listening to what I was struggling with, making my learning efficient and effective. I genuinely don’t think that I could have gotten through my Biology class without her help. I would highly recommend HelloCollege’s tutoring services to anyone who is struggling with a subject and wants clarity!

Allison ElDifrawi

Student

Hinsdale Central High School

Profile

Don Keller has 30 years of experience in college admissions and counseling, including 10 years as a licensed high school counselor and 8 years as an admissions reader for UC Berkeley, Northeastern, and the QuestBridge Scholars program. Over the course of his career, Don has guided more than 10,000 students through the complex college application process, helping them present themselves effectively to admissions committees.

A seasoned expert in highly selective admissions, Don has supported students to acceptances from UChicago, Brown, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Emory, Northwestern, Notre Dame, UCLA, NYU, Michigan, and UT Austin. He also works extensively with student-athletes, students in the Midwest and Southeast, and those seeking guidance in leadership development, visual and performing arts, and other specialized areas.

A data-driven counselor, Don leverages his love of statistics to help students make smart and informed decisions. He specializes in college list building, guiding students to discover schools they might never have considered and ensuring they find the best fit academically, socially, and financially.

More about Don

Location

Palm Harbor, FL

Area of Expertise

  • Highly Selective Admissions
  • Selective Admissions
  • Recruited Student-Athletes
  • Student Motivation & Accountability
  • Southeast Colleges & Universities
  • California Colleges & Universities
  • Midwest Colleges & Universities
  • Visual & Performing Arts Students
  • Extracurricular Development
  • Leadership Development

Don's Education and Certifications

  • Former Admissions Reader - UC Berkeley
  • Former Admissions Reader - Northeastern University
  • Former Admissions Reader - Questbridge Program
  • Former Licensed Florida High School Guidance Counselor (10 yrs)
  • Bachelor's, Elementary Education
  • Master's, Counselor Education and Sports Management
  • NACAC Member
  • Specialist, Higher Education and Counselor Education
  • Former Collegiate Advisor, Student Success
  • Member, National Academic Advising Association
Students Helped
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Trusted Guidance Partner of Students Who’ve Been Accepted to:

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