About Hernandez College Consulting:
Brief Biography
| In the News | Testimonials
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Endorsements from Michele’s past clients include:
When my husband first broached the idea of using Michele
for our son's college application process, I was highly skeptical.
Frankly, I thought the services were unnecessary and expensive.
After all, our son was an excellent student at a highly competitive
high school. Our family is fairly organized. Surely, we could
do this on our own. However, my husband persisted and I glanced
through Michele's book and others which had many worrisome
statistics and anecdotes. I relented reluctantly. A year later,
I could not be happier with our decision. Our son got into
Dartmouth early decision and when our younger son applies
to college, we will again call on Michele. Why? Well, the
whole system is complex, nerve-wracking and far more competitive
than the days of yore when our generation was applying to
college. Having an experienced professional to guide him allowed
our son to focus on substance rather than process. Michele
lays out the procedure and the schedule and keeps the student
on track with a firm, persistent but always pleasant hand.
The student is free to focus on the meat of the process --
visiting colleges, examining curricula, writing and rewriting
essays, thinking hard about what a good fit would be -- with
the peace of mind that comes from moving along in a timely
manner. By getting an early start, there was time to change
your mind as our son did several times as he learned more
about various programs. College is such a huge investment
of time and money, one which cannot be easily changed. Why
not allow your child the time and help to really make an informed
decision about where to apply and then, to present the most
effective application? Also, colleges expect students to continue
their high levels of achievement through the end of senior
year. Our son was done with his applications in the very beginning
of September which, again, allowed him to focus on substance
-- his classes and extracurricular activities. Most of his
classmates were not so fortunate and really struggled to complete
their applications while keeping up with their usual intense
schedules. From the parents' perspective, it was a relief
to know that Michele was doing the inevitable nagging. We
could function more as an emotional support and sounding board
for our son. Finally, Michele is a genuine pleasure to work
with. We have all gotten to know her well in the course of
the year. She is highly accessible even with a three-hour
time difference, she is knowledgeable, honest and really a
lot of fun. I highly recommend her services.
-- Mother of Dartmouth 2008 student
Our decision to hire Michele was made in the midst of a crisis
during my daughter’s senior year. The unthinkable happened,
she didn’t get into any school she actually wanted to
go to. Even before hiring Michele she offered to look over
my daughter’s application and give an evaluation. Michele
was able to pinpoint where the application was weak and how
it could be made stronger. Most importantly she helped us
to decide whether it would increase my daughter’s chances
to reapply as a transfer student or apply after taking a gap
year. Even though my daughter’s school was pressuring
her to enroll in a school she didn’t want to go to and
try to transfer, Michele gave compelling reasons and real
statistics in favor of taking a gap year. We went with Michele’s
recommendation and then she and my daughter worked together
on mapping out her gap year and only picking schools she would
definitely want to go if accepted. This story does have a
happy ending, my daughter is having the best year of her life
and she has been accepted to some incredible schools and for
this we have Michele to thank. Seeing how important it is
to have Michele by your side I have also hired her to help
with my son who is a sophomore they have been working together
throughout the year on questions about papers and projects
for the summer. At least this time around I am confident our
family won’t be in a midst of a crisis senior year.
-- Mom of Dartmouth and Oxford University Accept
My son read Michele’s book A is for Admission and knew
he had what it took to go to an Ivy League college, except
the “M” is for money thing. He begged us to talk
to Michele on the phone and because it was free to talk, we
did. I told Michele we were a true blue collar family: both
my husband and I worked in factories in the Midwest and both
had become disabled due to heart problems. We were on a fixed
income. We had absolutely no “blue blood” connections,
which I assumed was a prerequisite to even getting an appointment
with Michele. Michele assured us that our son, who she had
taken the time speak to several times, could get the best
education because of his drive and his natural ability, no
matter what the obstacles and it would not require being wealthy.
So we met with Michele that spring in person. She was upfront
and honest about what it would take for our son to achieve
success. Then came the “M” is for money, which
honestly her fee was more than I would have dreamed of giving
to “just” a college consultant. We believed in
Michele and in our son’s sincerity so we came up with
the money. She told us that if our son listened to her and
worked hard, this just might be the last time we had to pay
for his education. Believe it or not, it happened! We received
full scholarship to many of the nation’s best boarding
schools (including travel to visit them and travel home and
back once he attended) to finish his final 2 years of high
school. He will be graduating from “X” prep school
this June with many academic awards. This December he was
admitted early decision to his first choice school, Princeton
University and guess what – a full financial aid package
came with it! Michele was right – her cost is all we’ve
had to spend for his education, the best money we ever spent,
or as we like to say, the best investment we ever could have
made. Yes it was hard to spend so much money on “just”
an advisor especially being from a small town in the Midwest.
Michele, however, is not “just” an advisor. She
has become one of the most honest and true friends we have
ever known. If our son hadn’t read her books and taken
it upon himself to contact her, he would never have known
the academic joy that was his to behold at a great private
school and his dream of attending an Ivy League college. We
have never seen him so happy, surrounded by brilliant teachers
and like-minded students. Please don’t assume that only
the wealthy have these opportunities like I once did. If your
son or daughter has what it takes, is willing to work and
follow Michele’s direction, his or her dreams can come
true. She will not let you down. Call her (or call me –
I love bragging about my son and how much Michele helped us
every step of the way for 4 years).
-- Mom of Princeton 2008
Deciding to work with Michele is somewhat akin to hiring
a Hollywood agent. She’s friendly, energetic, knowledgeable,
just a phone call away, and best of all, she’s totally
focused on one thing: maximizing your chances at the college
of your choice. Like most academically ambitious high school
students, I was both intrigued and perplexed by the mystique
of the college admissions process at highly selective schools.
I figured that my best shot was to retake the SAT a few times,
get good grades in school and present myself on my application
as the hard-working student I was. After working with Michele,
I now realize that the framing and presentation of a college
application has just as much weight in process as do the actual
achievements of the student in academics, extracurricular
activities, sports or personality traits. Despite my long-held
obsession with admittance to a top-notch school, I seriously
doubt that I could have guessed the practical tips that Michele
offered me as I completed my applications. Michele offers
guidance on every step of the admissions process-- from what
classes to take, to how to spend your summers, to how to prepare
for the many required standardized tests, to how to write
your essays, to filling in basic information on the application
form. Based on Michele’s advice, I completed the vast
majority of my applications before most of my friends had
even begun to fill theirs out. Her candid, humorous style
made this daunting process much more humane— and dare
I say enjoyable?
-- Dartmouth 2008
My husband and I hired Michele as our son approached his
Junior Year. We had worked with another college consultant
but grew dissatisfied with the lack of attention and guidance
we were given. After our first conversation with Michele it
was quickly apparent that her depth of knowledge and intellect
placed her well above anyone we previously dealt with or interviewed.
Throughout the past 18 months her attention to detail, whether
it was to our son’s course selection or co-curriculars
was outstanding only to be equaled by her availability to
all to us. We were also pleased with her focus on finding
the right fit for him, matching his academic ability, outside
interests and passion, specifically with sports, with the
right school. She was clear and consistent about leveraging
his strengths as he would be compared to a national applicant
pool. Although an obvious point, staying on message helped
all of us remain grounded during the process. Completing the
first round of applications re-affirmed our decision regarding
Michele. She brought objectivity and once again clarity to
the process and we were enormously proud when he was accepted
early action to Boston College. We couldn’t be more
pleased with our son’s accomplishments or our decision
to find the right consultant to guide us through this important
process.
-- Parents of BC early acceptance class of 2008
Dr. Hernandez provided excellent, accurate guidance for our
family throughout the complex college admissions process.
She thoroughly assessed the strengths of our applicant and
provided effective counsel in developing applications that
reflected those positive attributes. Her communications with
us were always friendly and timely. She always brought much
energy and enthusiasm to the project. In addition to providing
an understanding of the application process itself, she added
valuable insights as to standardized test (SAT II, AP) choice,
preparation, and timing as well as school selection. Michele
Hernandez merits a 4.0 as a college advisor!!
-- Parents of Duke 2008
"Michele's knowledge of the college admissions process
is excellent, absolutely top-notch. I had first hand experience
working with another college counselor. Michele was always
immediately available by phone or e-mail; she made the 3000
mile distance transparent. Her book Acing the College Application
is a must read before starting the application journey. It
was worth preparing the activity sheet."
-- Proud mother of Vassar Early Decision Acceptance, class
of 2008
I'm so glad I found Dr. Hernandez during the college admissions
process. She first did an initial review of my application
and suggested many points for improvement. Without her help,
I would not have been able to present my application in the
most effective manner. She gave suggestions on creating an
activity chart, instead of the brief descriptions I had earlier.
Before I even started revising, she sent me numerous samples
so that I had references to look at. The activity chart allowed
me to give more detailed information on the activities I had
done and brought life to the application. When I had completed
a draft, Dr. Hernandez looked over multiple copies to strengthen
it. She also helped me to organize my Honors and Awards list,
again providing samples. I was able to condense my list while
still keeping all of the important points. In the end, I had
both an organized, concise, and effective Honors and Awards
list, along with my Activity Chart. Also, Dr. Hernandez looked
over multiple drafts of my essays and gave constructive feedback
in making them better. She even suggested writing a shorter
"Most Meaningful Activity" essay and using my original
one as an additional essay. I think this approach definitely
helped in allowing me to write more about different experiences
and to present different sides of myself. Finally, Dr. Hernandez
provided great help for interview practice. Before each interview,
I called her and she graciously spent time giving me a mock
interview and allowing me to go over some answers. Throughout
my entire college application process, whenever I called or
emailed Dr. Hernandez for help, she responded very quickly
and was willing to devote as much time as needed to look over
written parts or to answer my questions. It was great working
with her personally, rather than with a representative. Her
constant energy made the application process much less overwhelming.
I was still able to project my own voice, but she helped to
hone it in a way that would let my application stand out from
among the thousands of applicants with similar backgrounds.
I was so excited to receive my acceptance letter and knew
that I couldn't have done it without Dr. Hernandez's patience,
effort, and dedication.
-- Amy, class of 2008, Harvard University Early action
acceptance
Dr. Hernandez was a tremendous help to us throughout our
daughter’s entire college application process. She kept
us on schedule, gave us practical and sound counsel on everything
from writing essays to fitting all our information into the
limited spaces of the application forms. Even though we had
read her books on the subject in advance, our daughter and
we kept differing on how to apply the principles Dr. Hernandez
had outlined in these books. There was nothing better than
to be able to talk to Dr. Hernandez herself and hear her opinion
on the best course of action to take given our circumstances
and the particulars of each application.
Dr. Hernandez broke the task down to manageable pieces for
us, sorted out confusing details, reviewed our options and
discussed the possible implications of these choices with
us patiently. This not only helped us make sense of the whole
process, it also reduced the stress level in our home considerably.
Her efficiency and thoroughness was remarkable. If she happened
not to be there when we called, she would return our call
within the day. She read and went over every aspect of each
of our daughter’s many application forms and essays
and gave us her feedback on each one of them in record time.
She also went through each of the packets as if she were one
of the admission officers before we mailed them. We were thus
able to meet all of our deadlines well ahead of time despite
our daughter’s heavy homework load. Dr. Hernandez’s
knowledge and experience about the whole process and the many
pieces of practical advice she gave us helped us make intelligent
strategic choices. Finally, we are really appreciative of
her friendly, encouraging and down to earth manner. She never
made light of any of our questions and she always made sure
that we were comfortable with whatever decisions we ended
up making. In the end, she became a trusted mentor and friend
to all of us. To put it lightly, Dr. Hernandez helped us make
sense of a very difficult process and helped us keep our perspective
throughout the whole course. We are most grateful for her
expert guidance and constant support, which resulted in our
daughter being admitted to the college she had applied to
under Early Action.
-- Parents of Stanford Early Action Acceptance, class of
2008
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testimonials for Class of 2007
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