The services and my college counselor Miracle Husband were extremely helpful throughout the entire college application process. They held webinars with a ton of information, proofread my essays, and gave me a detailed to-do list to keep myself in check.
Supplemental Essays That Impress
- Thu, August 13th, 2026
- 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
- Speaker: Kevin Krebs
Supplemental essays are your chance to show colleges why you belong there — and they can make or break your application. HelloCollege is partnering with NSHSS (the National Society of High School Scholars) to walk you through the most common supplemental prompts, teach you how to showcase the traits colleges look for most, and show you how to write with the specificity and authenticity that sets standout applications apart.
At HelloCollege’s 60-minute workshops, our experts empower your family with the knowledge to take control of college planning, from class and activity choices to tutoring to essays and college applications.
What you will learn:
- What supplemental essays are and why they matter for college admissions
- The 5 traits colleges look for most: Drive, Intellectual Curiosity, Initiative, Contribution, and Diversity of Experience
- How to approach the three most common supplemental prompts: “Why This School?”, “Why This Major?”, and “Describe an Activity”
- Why specificity is the #1 factor that separates strong essays from forgettable ones
- How to structure your essay for clarity and impact — and how to start with a direct, confident answer
- Tips for showcasing initiative, growth, and real-world impact in extracurricular and activity essays
- How to research a school effectively so your “Why Us?” essay stands out
Description:
Supplemental essays are short, targeted pieces of writing that give colleges a clearer picture of who you are and why you’re the right fit for their school. While your Common App personal statement introduces you broadly, supplementals let you go deeper — demonstrating your drive, intellectual curiosity, initiative, contributions, and unique life experiences in ways that speak directly to what each school values most.
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to develop compelling content from your own experiences, how to approach the most common prompts like “Describe an Activity,” “Why This School?”, and “Why This Major?”, and how to structure your essays for maximum impact. You’ll learn how to answer the full prompt, lead with a direct and confident voice, and use specific, sensory details that show admissions readers exactly what makes you a great fit — without just telling them.
Whether you’re just getting started or ready to polish your drafts, this workshop will give you a clear framework and the confidence to write supplemental essays that truly impress.
Speaker:
Kevin Krebs is the Founder and Managing Director of HelloCollege and a nationally recognized college admissions expert with more than two decades of experience. Kevin has mentored tens of thousands of families and leads workshops reaching students nationwide. He is the creator of the proprietary S.A.F.E. framework, which helps students evaluate colleges beyond prestige alone, and his insights have been featured on NPR’s The 1A, PBS, CEOWORLD Magazine, Authority Magazine, and American Entrepreneur with Kevin Harrington, an original Shark on Shark Tank.
Kevin Krebs
Founder and Managing Director
Kevin Krebs
Founder and Managing Director
Kevin Krebs is the Founder and Managing Director of HelloCollege and a nationally recognized college admissions expert with more than two decades of experience. Kevin has mentored tens of thousands of families and leads workshops reaching students nationwide. He is the creator of the proprietary S.A.F.E. framework, which helps students evaluate colleges beyond prestige alone, and his insights have been featured on NPR’s The 1A, PBS, CEOWORLD Magazine, Authority Magazine, and American Entrepreneur with Kevin Harrington, an original Shark on Shark Tank.
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Register below:
What Students & Parents Are Saying About Us
Milo Sáenz Palencia
Student
Wheaton North High School
University of Michigan
I have had Gina T. and Amanda Y. as my counselors throughout my college application process and they have been immensely helpful. From the beginning, both Amanda and Gina have been nothing short of understanding and supportive towards me and guiding me through the extensive application process. Specifically, Amanda has been incredibly flexible and responsive when it came to any questions and concerns I had- she was always able to answer questions in a way that worked for me, as well as working with me rather than against me to build the best application that correlates to who I am as a college applicant. She kept me on a schedule that I was able to follow- as well as giving me access to the notes and spreadsheets we had created together so that I was able to reference anything we talked about at anytime. Gina has been incredibly supportive in my essay comprehension journey as writing the essays is one of the most stressful parts of the application process. She worked with me to create outlines and develop ideas that strengthened who I was as an applicant. She was very responsive and dedicated when it came to my essays. All of her feedback and comments felt personal and positive as she really cares about how you build an essay that reflects you and your best abilities. Hello College has been a great experience and I highly recommend this program when looking to enhance your college application.
Lizzie Donovan
Student
Shorecrest High School
San Diego State University
We could not have been more happy and thankful for the services provided through HelloCollege! Their free seminars are amazingly informative introduction for families – especially for those of us who have not applied to college in over 20 years – a lot has changed! While the fee was initially jarring, the services provided are invaluable – personality tests to assist in determining right major, personalized organization of college choices based on a number of factors (your budget, school sizes, your child’s grades/interests/etc), essay writing workshops/edits, scholarship workshops/advising, time management of all college planning, consistent live communications, etc. Our advisor, Dan Farnesi, was not only an obvious expert in this field, but he was also so kind, gentle and encouraging with my daughter and us throughout the whole process (he was pretty much family therapist at times). When she became discouraged, he knew just how to boost her spirits and motivate her to proactively achieve her goals. Especially during these pandemic years, Dan was more than an academic counselor, but an encouraging friend and cheerleader. Through HelloCollege’s guidance, my daughter was accepted into 11 of the 12 colleges she applied to and received multiple >$15k per year scholarship offers (more than paying off the HC fee just in the first year). Our only regret was not starting with HelloCollege earlier – like freshman/sophomore year. Thanks, Dan and HelloCollege!!
Abigail Cahill
Parent of Alina
York Community High School
University of Iowa
My parents didn’t go through the classic senior college application process so we were very overwhelmed and unknowledgeable on what the steps and process is like when applying to college. When we signed up I was assigned Amanda and my family and I couldn’t have wished for a better counselor. We had a lot of things in common and it felt like Amanda took the extra steps to get to know me as a person, not just a student. Because of all her help I have been able to negotiate an awesome financial aid package ($17k a year) at a school I love very much. Throughout our meetings she would ask me questions like how my life has been and what’s new outside of the college process allowing us to get to know each other very well, as well as asking how the college process is going and telling me what my next steps will be. Everything about HelloCollege, from the workshops on scholarships and the common app, to the essay corrections and career finder, made the process to much more manageable. I asked her hundreds of questions day and night and could always rely on a quick response. I am extremely grateful for Amanda and all that she has done for me and my family. Being able to meet with someone helped me stay on track with tasks I needed to do, and throughout the year, kept my goal in sight. I am forever thankful that my parents signed me up for HelloCollege.
Samantha Johnson
Student
George Mason University
The entire staff is uber-friendly and undeniably committed to the success of the prospective college student. The services, which I have limited to very few of the many, such as
-SAT/ACT prep/tips
-workshops for resume formulating
-instilling the importance, while assisting in acquiring and maintaining a professional digital footprint
-their user friendly college comparison tools (which prioritizes cost, location, population, etc.)
along with the support I received from HelloCollege is unmatched! I 100% recommend!
Amariah Reeves
Student
Plainfield East High School
The Hello College program is fantastic. Through the workshops, essay editing (via Editate), and counselor meetings, I was able to very smoothly make my way through the college admission process. My counselor, Ms. Yoder, was especially helpful. She was detailed, considerate, kind, and fun to talk to. She genuinely cared about me as a person and my navigation of the process. I feel that Hello College has been a large part in my success with college admissions and has allowed me to claim a sense of satisfaction and pride in where I got in. I recommend the service to anyone who is able to utilize it.
Peter LoSavio
Student
Lyons Township High School
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
More Upcoming Workshops
Tue, June 9th, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
College planning starts earlier than most families realize. In this workshop, middle school families will learn how academics, activities, executive functioning skills, and early planning can shape future college opportunities while reducing stress later on.
Thu, June 11th, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
A great college essay can change everything. Save your seat for this workshop, in partnership with the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), and learn how to find your story, craft it powerfully, and stand out in a competitive applicant pool.
Tue, June 16th, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
Join HelloCollege for a step-by-step guide to navigating the college admissions process. Learn how to map milestones, build a balanced college list, and craft standout essays, all while keeping your family aligned and on track. Discover proven strategies to stay organized, meet key deadlines, and position your family for college admission success.
Thu, June 25th, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
Get a clear plan for the transition from junior to senior year, including key milestones, application steps, and what to prioritize first.
Tue, July 7th, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CST
Know what to do before applications open. This session with HelloCollege and NSHSS breaks down the Common App and the key steps you should take now to stay ahead.
Tue, July 14th, 2026
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
Figuring out how to choose the right college can feel overwhelming. That’s why we created S.A.F.E. to help you identify and research the four most important factors and develop a strategy to make the process easier.
Thu, July 16th, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
The personal statement is a student’s chance to make their application stand out. Learn strategies to write essays that impress.
Wed, July 22nd, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
Understand key dates and next steps for high school students and their families as they prepare for applications. This step-by-step walkthrough will help you stay on track and make sure your student’s high school career sets them up for college admission.
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