The Best U College Admissions Consulting

The Best U consists of a team of experienced college counselors that help students to achieve a more seamless college search and application process. Philosophy -  The Best U team uses their experience as university admissions counselor and high school college counselors to take the guesswork out of the college admissions process. This can be a challenging time for students and parents alike, but they can help alleviate the uncertainties that are created by the nuanced, and often mysterious, college admissions process. With insider’s knowledge and individualized attention, they make the process less about managing the stressful process and more about the student’s individual success. We provide strategic, hourly counseling support to self-directed students and their families who want to manage their admissions process independently. We can help with: Admissions Planning  (college choices, college list building, college visits, test planning, high school course selection, netwo...

David Keyek   received his B.S. in Communication and Political Science at Syracuse University and a M.A. Counseling Psychology, School Counseling – University of Colorado Denver. From 2010 to the present day, I have worked as a high school counselor at Niwot High School in Niwot, Colorado serving the college, career, academic and emotional needs of over 250 students annually. I take immense pride in my work in serving students from all economic groups and ethnicities. I specialize in serving high-achieving students within Niwot’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program as well as those engaged in rigorous Advanced Placement courses. As a high school counselor and former special education teacher, I’m highly effective in serving niche populations whose learning differences or language backgrounds might otherwise be a barrier to their college process. As a highly engaged college and school counselor, I pursue active membership and training with the IB World Organization (IBO), th...

A discussion of changes in the academic and admissions environment, and what a student can do this summer to enhance their future in high school and beyond. Families from the USA and All Over The World –  Sign up for a FREE 20-minute phone call or online video meeting now   so we can learn about your family’s college admissions needs and how we can provide support.

With the constant changes happening in the world and within college admissions right now, we are getting lots of questions from families and students. Students are wanting to know about the changes and how they can be involved in supporting others and making positive changes based on the issues that are impacting the USA and/or globally. General Summer To Do’s Work on college applications and essays this summer. The college application process always brings an extra layer of stress to 12th graders. Working on and completing many of your college essays and applications this summer can help you get ahead and de-stress your last year of high school. Focus on researching colleges this summer. With spending more time at home this summer, it is a great time to research different colleges. Use resources such as Big Future, Collegexpress, Campusreel, Niche, Collegedata, and the colleges direct admissions websites. In addition, many colleges are offering virtual visits and it is a great opportu...

Get support with your college affordability needs under the guidance of an experienced financial aid and scholarship specialist. We support self-directed students and their families through the key aspects of the college affordability process. The key pieces of the college affordability process include: Financial Aid – overview of the process, eligibility criteria, application timeline, deadlines, and strategies, how to read financial aid award packages, what to look out for, direction on how to fill out applications, and navigate special circumstances/financial aid appeals Scholarship process – overview of the process, application timelines, deadlines, and strategies, and assist in the scholarship search Overall understanding of the cost of college and creating a college finance plan Structure of Support We provide one to one session hourly sessions. Families book meetings directly and dictate the frequency of sessions. We offer an hourly rate or discounted punch card options. Meeting...

Summer 2020: How To Prepare For Fall Classes, Standardized Tests, and College Admissions Free Webinar A discussion of changes in the academic and admissions environment, and what a student can do this summer to enhance their future in high school and beyond. Tuesday, June 16, 2020 5:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. MT/8:00 p.m. ET USA Free Webinar Register Now Presenters: Patrick Keenan – (Office Director, AJ Tutoring) Stacy Hernandez – College Counselor and Owner of The Best U College Admissions Consulting) Christopher Hunt – (Consultant, CollegeEssayMentor.com) Register Now

Get support with your college admissions process under the guidance of experienced college admission professionals. We support self-directed students through the key aspects of the admissions planning process prior to starting college applications and essays. The key pieces of the college admissions planning process include: College exploration High school course selection College majors/careers Test planning Activities & summer opportunities Create a college list College visits Networking with colleges Admissions strategies/niche Application deadline strategies Design an application timeline Overview of the athletic recruitment process College decisions Resume development Application decision discussion – what to do when waitlisted or deferred, and more Application review and feedback College enrollment discussion College Admissions Tools Free subscription to Custom College Plan – provides access to more in-depth college research, college list development, admissions planning, and...

You can’t listen to the news without hearing daily information about the spread of COVID-19. Colleges and universities around the USA and the world are having to make extreme decisions in order to keep their students safe. The impact has reached both high school and college students around the world. Some of the impacts so far include… Colleges are being asked to be flexible with missing application materials and make application decisions without having updated information since some high schools are closed and cannot provide updated grades, transcripts, etc. Service trips abroad and other school trips that high school students were planning on attending are being canceled, so they are having to plan new activity options. Families are canceling college visits due to their concerns about traveling. Many colleges are canceling or recalling students back from study abroad experiences this semester. Some high schools are postponing or canceling college fairs and college visits and may res...

Stacy Hernandez  received both her B.S. and M.S. from Northeastern University in Boston. From 1999 – 2011, I worked in undergraduate admissions at Johns Hopkins University and Northeastern University with short breaks during these years to have a family, work at Maryland Institute College of Art, and start a yoga business. In admissions, I read thousands of college applications, made admissions decisions, managed a variety of recruitment territories, oversaw the recruitment process and the tour guide program, and developed recruitment programming for underrepresented multicultural students. I switched sides of the desk and served as the Director of College Counseling at Dawson School in Lafayette, CO, from 2011 – 2015. At Dawson, I worked with all types of students to support their college admissions process and developed admissions programming for middle and high school students and parents. Additionally, I served as a College Counselor at Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulde...