28,096Leland Reviews

When I first started on the college application process, I was completely lost. My parents, as first-generation immigrants, had little to no clue where to even start. I was initially apprehensive about reaching out to a college counselor, as I didn't like the feeling of being confined and controlled by an outsider who barely knew anything about me. However, agreeing to meeting Audrey was one of the best decisions I could've done for myself. Immediately from the first call I felt at ease. She didn't tell me what to do; rather, she took the information that I wanted to convey and helped me organize comprehensive essays that truly told the story of who I was. She was a guide that provided tips and tricks to present my best self to college admissions, while also exposing me to colleges and majors that I would've never even considered. College research, essay practice, essay writing, the Common App, UC applications...all these different processes were completed over a month before the deadline, leaving me with ample time to watch my classmates struggle and stress over their unfinished applications. Through her help, I was able to write a wonderfully personal Personal Statement that highlighted all the vulnerabilities of my swimming career, my love for music, my involvement in all my clubs, all in only 650 words!! I was able to capitalize on specific moments in my life such as my volunteering at the library, my job as a lifeguard and swim instructor, my hatred for Ronald Reagan, and my dreams of being a zoning lawyer. My hefty and thorough college research allowed me to write jam-packed college-why essays that showed my genuine appreciation for the school through concrete examples and clear, concise language. She guided me through my many extracurriculars, awards, volunteer hours, and how to best display them on my application for others to see the fullest extent of my effort. Clearly, Audrey worked wonders, because never in a million years would I have thought I was going to UCLA to be a Bruin!

Audrey really puts the counselor in “college counselor," forcing me to reflect on everything from my family’s dynamics to why I hate certain subjects. At the beginning of the process I had no clue what I wanted to study but completing the writing exercises (especially What Do I Want series) before all the college applications helped me discover that I wasn’t a computer science geek who happened to like writing and social science but a social science intellectual who happened to enjoy coding. This system works because partnering with Audrey (and having my parents go hands-off) feels like she cares about me personally. My school counselor asked me what extracurriculars I did and just said “Cool. Seems like you are a busy guy.” Meanwhile, with Audrey, I’ve had whole conversations about not just my extracurriculars, but my hobbies and the stuffed animals in my room. Honestly, I feel like even “college counselor” doesn’t capture her role entirely either. Audrey was more like an agent sifting through my writing to help me articulate my interests. This shows through in the activities sections for UC and CommonApp where she helped make my admittedly bland descriptions more pitch-worthy. Similarly, I think out of all my essays, she rejected the idea or style only once. The rest of the time we found a way to sculpt a compelling narrative out of the different parts I crafted. The personal statement for Common App is probably my favorite example: I would never have thought that an essay about the people I met on Caltrain would be the best way of introducing myself. It’s the same story for my U Chicago application consisting of an essay about Skittles and a two-minute rant about my love for Alpacas. And the best thing was that it worked.

Working with you was genuinely amazing. I was so nervous for our first meeting together, but once I saw your big smile, my anxiety quickly went away. You always made a point to have me express my feelings, whether on something trivial or massive. You are so funny, kind, and genuinely caring, and I cannot say enough good things about the atmosphere you provided. Being able to talk to you helped me learn that it’s okay to question beliefs, and that it is a normal part of life and growing up. This made me feel so comfortable and safe in a time of uncertainty. The relationship that we built is one that has been so important to me the past couple of years. Younger kids, just know that when you work with Audrey, you’re not working with a boring old guidance counselor, you’re getting to have a weekly hangout session with your awesome friend from California. You helped me understand that there is no such thing as a perfect school. There is just a different version of yourself that you would be nurturing at each one. Your advice helped me learn my worth, which will translate into my life beyond our time together, since I hold myself to a much higher standard with who I spend my time and energy on.

I had a wonderful time working with Audrey. Bottom line, she knows what she is doing. A character of energy, motivation, and a sprinkle of wonder. I trust her 100%. If you want a counselor that gets things done when it needs to be done, a counselor that looks out for you, and a counselor that reaches out to help you in whichever way possible, you just met your perfect match.

Audrey was truly the light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel that is college applications. Being a teen pursuing computer science in the Bay Area made the idea of applying to college daunting to say the least. I vividly remember my very first meeting with Audrey when she asked me, “What problems in the world do you want to solve?” I was under the impression that my college counselor would simply ask for my GPA and SAT score before cranking out a list of colleges for me to apply to. Audrey challenged me to explore how I could make a lasting impact on the world and learn more about myself in the process.Between all the girl talk about our latest trips to Sephora or our traumatizing experiences at the gym, meeting with Audrey to work on my college apps became the highlight of my weekends. I was genuinely in awe of how well-written my personal statement and supplemental essays were after working with Audrey and I still reread them to this day as they were just that good. Most of all, Audrey just made me feel so loved and supported and I could always count on her to bring me back to earth in even the most stressful of times.

As Audrey’s first Puerto Rican high school student, she swam through the unknown and did what I had not expected a college counselor to do: make understanding me as a person and where I come from a priority. Getting to truly know me gave her the ability to personalize every advice and correction. My favorite memory was meeting her for brunch in LA after working with her for a year. This encounter filled my heart with happiness because the experience was as if I was meeting a long distance best friend for the first time. This process is not only about finding a possible major, finding the colleges you will apply to and writing essays. This is also about learning how to do research, how to condense your note taking, learn to be extremely specific when writing, how to articulate your emotions and thoughts, and better translation from your first language to English. Which is why throughout this process with Audrey you are able to grow as a student, person, and future professional. Throughout my senior year I struggled a lot with procrastination due to my anxiety, workload and personal situations I was facing. Audrey always kept me on line structuring me when needed without implementing a fear of disappointment or failure. Instead, I felt the pressure of getting the assignments done not because I feared what she might say or do like other teachers or counselors, but because she would remind me that I deserve to do my work on time, and not feel the stress of leaving everything to the last minute.

Amidst a college application process that is as exciting as it is daunting, Audrey was my fearless guide. I knew she was the right college advisor for me when she pulled out a deck of spirit animal cards on the first day and together we picked a nonbinary whale out of the deck who we decided would guide us through this process. Throughout the journey—when finding a major, writing essays, and eventually choosing a college—we thought: what would Mx. Whale do? Guided by Mx. Whale’s emotional openness, compassion, and fearlessness, Audrey and I were rooted in authenticity throughout the whole process. I never felt categorized as a “type” of student or applicant put into a box—Audrey took her sweet time getting to know the nuances and deviations and aspirations that had been ignored or overlooked by my other guidance counselors. This meant that, not only could Audrey provide guidance on schools, majors, and programs that would appeal to me, but she could also help me find and get in touch with relevant internships and even help me turn my Bachelorette obsession into a riveting college essay topic. The great thing about Audrey’s process is that she meets you where you are, whether you come in with a dream school like my cousin did or had no idea as I did.

Audrey Hannah is a beautiful human being, in every way you could interpret that word, and this is why. She realizes the importance of numbers (grades, SAT scores, etcetera), but more importantly she values and helps bring out the most important element in any college’s admission process: YOU. That’s right, I said it. You are more important than your grades. Despite what you may think, colleges care if you eat rainbow rolls with your ex or just happen to like pans or even if you’ve done Shakespeare in drag. Whatever your own personal quirks and stories are, Audrey will help you realize just how much they define you as a person. Admissions officers are not looking for human shaped supercomputers, they are looking for real people. Also, if you ever need help with just, you know, life, Audrey is THERE for you. She doubles as an unofficial therapist and is better than anyone you’ll find in some fancy office. Audrey likes dried mangoes. I do too. Join the club.

Working with Audrey was nothing like school. In fact, our meetings were everything school should’ve been. I’ve always loved creating—whether that be writing, singing, drawing, or even filmmaking—but traditional lessons made my passions feel lifeless, and left me with a burnt-out muse that no longer had the energy to inspire. Audrey reignited that spark. She didn’t make writing feel like a chore; instead, she helped me see the words on the page as a living, breathing part of me again. That’s because she’s not just a college counselor. She’s a fellow artist, a wise and whimsical friend who edits your work like magic and validates your wildest dreams with every conversation, making you say: “Maybe I really can be an author, a Broadway actor, or a renowned cosmologist after all.” From our earliest sessions, she taught me one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned: that I am enough. I didn’t need to mold myself into someone else to be “college-worthy”—I only needed to express my truth as fully and as beautifully as I could. Audrey helped me discover that truth.

Before I began to work with Audrey, the very thought of writing was daunting. The words “college essay,” would evoke nothing but feelings of dread and a sense of looming pressure. I am so glad to say that Audrey was able to single-handedly alleviate any initial feelings of pressure that made writing college essays seem so intimidating, and transform the process into something exciting! With Audrey’s unique writing prompts that always dig out the most unexpected insight, I was able to open my mind to creative new ideas that I continued to reference in my college essays and even in my personal art pieces. Not only did my time with Audrey improve my ability to analyze my own life and identity through introspection, it also greatly improved my ability to write creatively. By taking the time each week to discuss and solidify ideas that were previously only half-baked, I was able to develop my writing voice. Over the course of a year, I noticed drastic improvements in my vocabulary usage, sentence flow, creativity, and self-expression in writing. The constant writing practice implemented in Audrey’s program made the college application process remarkably simple and continues to help me greatly in both my creative and academic writing pursuits. Audrey’s authenticity shines through in her ability to enhance and help develop your ideas without altering their meaning. She centers you, the student, and genuinely cares about your interests, perspectives, and values. I can honestly recommend her as a mentor, a moral support, and most importantly, a friend.