Test Preparation & School Admissions
Our Process
After an initial meeting in which we work together to determine exactly what your student needs to set up his/her admissions journey for success, our team of test prep tutors will work in tandem with an admissions counselor (selected specifically to complement each student’s needs and interests) to help create a complete and successful application profile. We’ll be with you from the first brainstorming session all the way to celebrating your acceptance letters!
Our Staff of Test Preparation and Admissions Consultants can help your student with:
- creating and refining a personalized admissions timeline
- keeping students on track to meet multiple deadlines while keeping up with school and other commitments
- researching schools and determining where to apply
- identifying and obtaining exciting and enriching internship and summer opportunities
- developing and executing a test preparation plan that will best showcase students’ strengths on standardized tests, including SAT, ACT, AP and IB tests.
- advising on letters of recommendation
- brainstorming, drafting, and perfecting memorable and unique application essays
- perfecting the common application and other applications to ensure correct submission according to requirements
- conducting mock interviews and helping students prepare for campus visits
- creating supplemental materials to showcase student interests and talents in the arts, sports, a specific academic field, or other areas
- helping student-athletes navigate the recruitment process and/or reach out to potential schools as appropriate
- researching, selecting and applying for financial aid and scholarships
Click here for A-HTS’® 2021 College Admissions results
We Proudly Present Our A-HTS® Staff of
Test Preparation and Admissions Consultants
Jenna
Director of Test Preparation
Jenna graduated with honors from the University of Maryland, rounding out her schooling with volunteer educational work and fluency acquisition in Central and South America and completing a double major in Fine Arts and Secondary Education.
Following some time as a teacher of media literacy and graphic design, Jenna discovered a passion for tutoring and test prep and has worked intensely to help students achieve success on the ISEE, SSAT, ACT’s and SAT’s, even completing further certification to better assist students with specific learning accommodations.
Jenna is dedicated to helping students and tutors to develop and focus their goals, employ manageable steps to achieve them, while simultaneously assisting students to better manage stress and alleviate the pressure that is associated with standardized testing and school admissions.
Luciana
Director of Admissions
Luciana has guided students and their families through the college admissions process for the past 19 years. Whether it is deciding on classes, extracurricular activities, college majors, career paths, or college choices, Luciana knows how to help you make decisions. She has breadth and depth of knowledge in each of these important areas. In fact, she has visited over 250 universities and attended exclusive programs for counselors and consultants.
Additionally, Luciana has expert knowledge of how to complete college applications, write college essays, and apply for college scholarships and honors programs. She helps students and families make progress at each part of their educational journey. Luciana has helped students prepare applications to state universities, selective universities, and special programs. She also understands the application processes to universities in Canada and the UK.
Luciana’s approach is rooted in counseling. That means she is adept at helping families define their needs and wants, then turn those into actionable steps. Each session involves sharing valuable information, tracking family progress, offering advice in decision-making, and creating a to-do list. Luciana has specialized knowledge in working with students with learning differences, special circumstances, or English as a second language.
Luciana is a graduate of UT-Austin (BA) and Texas State University (M.Ed.), alongside her sister. She lived in Texas for 20 years and has many other family members who attended universities in Texas. Lastly, Luciana is a mom of two who understands the trials and joys of supporting children through school. She is able to help families reach unified goals especially as the student transitions out of high school and into college.
Shymika
Admissions Consultant
Shymika attended Northwestern State University in Louisiana and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She also attended the Texas Woman’s University in Denton and attained a Master of Business Administration.
She has worked in the precollege readiness field for ten years. Shymika has experience with ApplyTexas, Common App, college admission applications, scholarship searches, scholarship applications, financial aid, fafsa, and much more.
Shymika has toured 70 colleges/universities and her goal is to visit 100. She has been practicing vegetarianism for six years. She has a 9 year old box terrier/pitbull named Lady.
Shymika is very dependable and willing to go the extra mile for her students!
Nina
Admissions Consultant
Nina has been an English teacher for almost a decade and enjoys all things connected with English, especially essay writing. She has worked with students on college and scholarship applications and has a proven track record of helping students get into the college of their choice. She thoroughly enjoys the chance to help students craft their essays for college and scholarship applications, in addition to career and college exploration. All discussions are grounded in, not only the students’ end goals, but also in supporting her clients in finding their voice and conveying their true self through story. Nina has a masters degree in psychology, which provides a depth of insight into her clients’ strengths and how best to apply them.
Nina focuses on honoring each students’ unique needs and honing her support for each individual client to fit that and make the most of the college application process. She believes the time with her clients should provide them with more than an end result and, ultimately, be empowering and provide an opportunity for growth and improved understanding of what is important to them. She feels privileged to be part of this important process.
Dina
Admissions Consultant
Dina has been teaching nearly 20 years in multiple subjects and school districts throughout the United States and beyond. Her particular area of interest is writing, and she has taught advanced composition and college writing classes for the past 10 years. Dina also worked for 12 years in the private sector as a communications specialist. Dina has guided students through the college admissions process, college essay, and Commonapp for the past seven years.
Most recently, she experienced the process from the inside as her son navigated the steps of finding the college that was the perfect match for his skills and interests. Dina is tri-lingual and brings a world perspective and cultural appreciation to her interactions with students of all backgrounds, She holds a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of California and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of St. Thomas.
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A certified teacher with a Masters in educational leadership, Alexandra Wax first became interested in the college admissions process during her time as an undergraduate transfer student at Rice University. She has since gone on to build expertise in all aspects of test preparation and admissions beginning in 2004, with thousands of hours of experience teaching and tutoring the ISEE, SSAT, PSAT, SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, MCAT, LSAT, AP, and other exams. She has also contributed original material to several commercially available test prep books and served as content reviewer and editor for Cracking the SAT Literature Exam (2016 edition). She’s also a published poet who loves tutoring writing-based subjects like literature and history. From an admissions perspective, Alexandra’s philosophy is that every student’s needs are unique, and their college process should be just as personalized. Her process helps students find the right fit and to put together memorable, successful applications, and her clients have received offers of admission from a long list of competitive institutions, including all of the Ivy League, public university honors programs (such as UT’s Plan II), The Actors Studio Drama School, and dozens of others. She is a member of the Texas Association of College Admissions Counselors, National Association of College Admissions Counselors and holds a credential in college admissions counseling from the University of California system.