Our mission is to coach and prepare scholars for acceptance into selective colleges and universities while increasing their scholarship and honors program opportunities.
In the three years of our partnership, the scholars achieved remarkable results, including a 600% increase in attendance at elite and highly selective colleges, among many other successes.
Where St. Laurence Students Are Attending College, with Breakdown by U.S. News Top 25, 50, and 100—Including Competitive Majors Like Engineering, Business, and Computer Science
Where students are attending now compared to the years prior to the HelloCollege partnership.
Tier 1: Elite (<20% acceptance rates)
Tier 2: Highly selective (21-40%)
Tier 3: Selective (41-60%)
Tier 4: Less Selective (61% or higher)
With acceptance rates and U.S. News Rankings.
Bucknell University:
34%, Ranked 30th Nationally
Penn State University:
51%, Ranked 60th Nationally
Purdue University:
68%, Ranked 43rd Nationally
Duke University:
5.9%, Ranked 7th Nationally
University of Chicago:
6.5%, Ranked 12th Nationally
University of Notre Dame:
15%, Ranked 20th Nationally
Middlebury College:
12.7%, Ranked 11th Liberal Arts
University of Miami:
18.9%, Ranked 51st Nationally
University of Illinois (Business):
24%, Ranked 17th Business, 35th Nationally
Notre Dame:
15% accepted, Ranked 20th Nationally
University of Illinois (Business):
23%, Ranked 33rd Nationally, Ranked 14th Business
Purdue University (Engineering):
37%, Ranked 5th Engineering, 46th Nationally
69 out of 73 students
46 out of 73 students
Class of 2025
College chosen, major: University of Notre Dame - Business
A note from Viviana's counselor Raymond Gonzales
When I first met Viviana, she was considering medical school but also wanted to know more about business. Our first initial meetings involved a lot of education around majors and career outcomes. Viviana absorbed everything and asked many questions, but as she learned more about roles in finance, she realized this was her true path.
Over time, we sought out ways to examine business and discuss schools. I noticed Viviana choosing schools that were often considered affordable and explained the “real cost” of college. I gave her an example of how much I paid for college. When I told her how much my spouse paid for Princeton, she immediately started changing her list to apply to more reach schools. Once she knew the “real cost” of college, her confidence in the application process increased immensely.
When Viviana made the first round of acceptance offers from the University of Notre Dame, she was over the moon. From there, other schools were accepting her with scholarships and merit aid. In the end, the University of Notre Dame offered a comprehensive financial aid package that included no student loans, allowing Viviana to not only be the first to graduate college in her family, but also can graduate loan-free.
College chosen, major: Purdue University -Engineering
A note from Lucas' counselor Miracle Husband
Early in our time together, Lucas shared his strong desire to study engineering. He is a well-rounded student and a quiet, confident leader. Lucas is drawn to engineering because he enjoys solving complex problems, building practical solutions, and applying math and science to improve the world around him.
His college list was intentionally small, thoughtfully curated to balance affordability with the strength of each school’s engineering program.
Lucas was directly admitted into Purdue University’s Motorsports Engineering program—the only program of its kind in the United States. For Fall 2024, the program had an acceptance rate of approximately 37% for first-year applicants, with a five-year average acceptance rate of 47%.
Although initially concerned about the affordability of Purdue University’s tuition, Lucas’s family ultimately rallied around him, recognizing the value of the opportunity and committing to support his decision. He will be attending Purdue University in Fall 2025.
College chosen, major: Middlebury College -Biology
A note from Anastasiya's counselor Raymond Gonzales
As a first-generation college student myself, I deeply understand how daunting the college application process can be. However, my own journey showed me that private colleges can be attainable due to their generous financial aid packages. Anastasiya, primarily interested in schools closer to home for their support systems, initially focused on local options. Recognizing her concerns, I introduced her to schools outside her comfort zone that are historically known for exceptional financial aid.
As Anastasiya’s confidence grew in exploring schools beyond the Midwest, so did her college list. Middlebury College emerged as her top choice. Together, we devised a comprehensive strategy to enhance her application, focusing on detailed demonstrated interest and crafting specific essays that highlighted unique aspects of Middlebury. We also discussed ways to showcase her strengths and passions, ensuring her application would stand out.
In the end, Anastasiya was accepted to Middlebury College. This success not only reflects her hard work and determination but also the effective strategies we implemented throughout the application process. Anastasiya’s acceptance to Middlebury College is a testament to her resilience and the power of strategic planning. Her journey serves as an inspiration for future first-generation college students navigating the application process.
College chosen, major: University of Miami - Psychology
A note from Mia's counselor Allison Dahleen
Mia was amazing to work with and attacked every assignment I gave her with purpose and a positive attitude. While her GPA and class rank were higher than average, we were lacking a competitive test score to get her noticed at Tier 1 institutions. We also needed to broaden her horizons when building a college list, always encouraging her to stretch herself and get outside of her comfort zone to show her that her dream schools were within her reach. Finally, we taught Mia how to package herself, even though some of her activities could be considered “common” activities, we really brought the descriptions to life and were able to tell our story throughout our essays.
After all of Mia’s hard work she was able to secure admission to all 19 colleges she applied to including top competitive institutions like The University of Miami and The University of Michigan. Mia was even in the running for a full-ride scholarship from UMiami, and was eventually awarded over 35,000 in scholarships making her dream school much more affordable for her family. Mia was also accepted into multiple 3+3 law programs which would have her done with her undergraduate degree and law school in just 6 years!
College chosen, major: University of Illinois - Business
A note from Vincent's counselor Allison Dahleen
With Vincent’s ACT score and limited resume our strategy was to find ways in his essay and activities list to highlight how much responsibility he really has as a young 17/18 year old. First, we decided to go test-optional because his test score of a 23 did not match his outstanding GPA. When it came to his activities list, we mentioned that he works at his family restaurant and is an integral member of that team.
Early in our partnership we brainstormed how to position things on his activities list like giving his resale business a name or listing the job of Translator for his parents. We also coached Vincent to start diving into his academic passions and his major which led to being able to add the role of “Active Learner” on his activities list with topics like the stock market and studying Mandarin. When it came to essays, Vincent highlighted the “Asian pressure” he feels to succeed from his parents and credits that pressure for starting his own resale business. During Vincent’s “Why this Major” essays he was able to connect learnings from his resale business and restaurant job to form a great essay with realistic examples.
College chosen, major: University of Notre Dame -Theology
A note from Bart's counselor Rabab Darwish
Since Bart aimed to attend Notre Dame, while also looking for potential merit scholarships, the focus at first was for Bart to enhance his ACT scores. After going through our test prep material, Bart was able to increase his ACT composite score to a 33. Thereafter, Bartosz took the test one more time as he completed the test prep material and was able to score a 34. This approach was rather successful as Bart was engaged in robust extracurricular activities, while also working alongside his mother to run their family printing business, so maximizing ACT scores was a component we were able to tackle to strengthen his application. Once Bartosz was able to enhance his ACT score, we focused on showcasing his best personal story throughout the various essay components on the applications.
National Average: 45-50%
My name is Viviana Rodriguez, my experience with Hello College has been amazing. They guided me through every step needed to be successful prior, throughout and after the college application process. With the help of Hello College I was able to get accepted into some of my dream schools such as Notre Dame , Michigan (Ross) and Clemson. My counselor Raymond Gonzalez would always make sure that I was on task and he helped me meet my college deadlines prepared.
Student
St. Laurence High School
My counselor has provided amazing help throughout my application process. Allison Dahleen is amazing and encouraging. She help me set deadlines and think of topics for my essays. I am extremely grateful for Hello College and Allison as well. I am very happy with my acceptances and owe thanks to them!
Student
St. Laurence High School
University of Miami
HelloCollege is an amazing program that helps with the entire college process. They make every aspect of the process less daunting and a much smoother experience. From essays to navigating the common app it couldn’t get any easier. They have many wonderful counselors and essay coaches who make sure that students are stress-free and striving to push themselves to get into the best college for them. I got a lot of help from counselor Allison Dahleen who i was very grateful to be assigned with. She is very nice and friendly and made sure i didn’t feel pressured but still made deadlines. She pushed to have me finish a lot of applications early so i could have an easy senior year and be all set for college next year without having to worry about it.
Student
St. Laurence
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
I am so great full to have such a wonderful opportunity to work with my counselor Allison Dahleen! She has been so helpful through out my whole college application journey! She gave very helpful advice and feedback and never hesitated to reach out to me when I had questions. Allison radiates positive energy that keeps me motivated and on track!
Student
St. Laurence
St. Mary's of Notre Dame
From the college applications to the workshops on financial aid and FAFSA, as well as our counselor meetings, I was able to focus on which universities to apply to, understanding what major I want to consider pursuing through viewing what are my major interests.
Student
St. Laurence High School
Purdue University
Allison and the entire HelloCollege team have been amazing! Our daughter is the oldest, so this is our first time navigating the college gauntlet. We have learned so much from our team. Allison especially has been incredibly helpful, positive, encouraging, and supportive. They have guided us every step of the way from choosing colleges to visit, writing great essays and planning for the financial aspect. We are impressed and can’t say enough great things about them all!
Parent of Emily
St. Laurence High School
Marquette University
I really enjoyed my experience with hello college, as they kept me on track with applying for colleges, scholarships, picking out my major, and so forth. My counselor, Allison Dahleen, was super helpful and supportive with my decisions and allowed me to get me to where I am now. She was also just super friendly and easy to talk to, which made it easier to ask questions and become more knowledgeable on anything I needed. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and highly recommend this experience for anyone else who gets the chance.
Student
St. Laurence High School
University of Missouri
HelloCollege really helped me narrow down what type of college I want to pursue and be a full part of for the next four years of my life. Mr. Gonzales was able to help me figure out what type of university was right for me. Thank you so much for all your help!
Student
St. Laurence High School
University of St. Francis
HelloCollege was very helpful with my college preparation and application journey. They helped me write my essays, gave me advice, answered any questions I had, helped organize information for my applications, and educated me about the college transitioning process. My counselor Allison Dahleen was very kind and guided me throughout the college application process, making it a lot simpler and easy to understand. HelloCollege has made my application journey a lot easier and less confusing.
Student
St. Laurence High School
University of Illinois - Chicago
The Dan & Rone Coughlin Family Scholars program matches the top 25 members of the junior class with the resources to not only gain acceptance at the most competitive colleges and universities in America, but to complete their degree on time without accumulating unmanageable debt. This scholarship program was founded in 2021 by St. Laurence Board Member and CEO of Chicago Pacific Partners, Mary Tolan. Mary named the program in memory of her late parents, Dan & Rone Coughlin. The scholarship provides two years of assistance which includes intensive college counseling and a summer internship experience. Students and their families will also work directly with an advisor who will help them maximize their efforts and results during the application, selection and financial aid processes.
We utilized the well-known US News Rankings as well as our own custom tiering system to benchmark student performance.
US News Rankings
We evaluated the National, Liberal Arts, and Major rankings and grouped students based on ranking.
Acceptance Rates
Colleges were categorized into four tiers based on acceptance rates by major.
