My student has strong grades. Do they really need this?

Strong grades are the floor, not the ceiling. Selective schools see thousands of high-GPA students every year. What sets your student apart is who they are: their story, their perspective, their genuine passion. That's what I help them find and communicate clearly in every part of their application.

How is this different from working with my school counselor?

School counselors do important work, but they typically work with hundreds of students simultaneously. I work with a small number of families at a time and give you direct, focused, personalized attention from start to finish. Every session is with me, not a junior staff member or a rotating team.

Do you work with students outside of Colorado?

Yes. I work primarily with Colorado families but am available to work remotely with families nationwide via video call. The process works just as well virtually.

What does a typical engagement look like?

Every engagement is different, intentionally. Some families want a full multi-year plan starting in middle school. Others want help with a specific piece: the essay, the college list, passion projects, the video, interview prep, financial aid negotiation, and more. We figure out what you need in the first conversation and build from there.

How do I know if we're a good fit?

That's exactly what the free 30-minute consultation is for. Come with your questions and your worries. There's no commitment, no sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about where your student is, what they're working toward, and whether and how I can help.

HM College Consulting

From Your Story to Your College.

Book Free Consultation

From Your Story to Your College.

Your Student Has a Story. HM College Consulting offers story-first college admissions strategy and consulting.

Let's Make Sure Colleges Hear It.

Most students apply with a list of achievements. The ones who get in, and get funded, apply with a strategy. The right story, told the right way, changes everything.

Book Your Free 30-Minute Consultation See How It Works ↓

Graduation ceremony at Folsom Field, University of Colorado Boulder

★

Top Schools

Student acceptances and merit scholarship offers at top schools across the country

🎓

Harvard Masters

Higher Ed Administration

✓

20+ Years

of Experience

📍

Colorado-Based

Available Nationwide

The Problem

Strategy Changes Everything

Every year, students get admissions rejections, miss scholarships, and overlook strong-fit schools, not because they weren't good enough, but because their strategy wasn't.

★

My son earned $1M+ in merit scholarship offers, including full tuition at Vanderbilt University.

Not because of the highest GPA. Because he had the right story, told the right way.

Herb Miller, Founder, HM College Consulting

Student visiting Vanderbilt University campus

About Herb

I Know This Process From Both Sides

The admissions office. And the kitchen tables of my kids and yours.

I'm Herb Miller, founder of HM College Consulting. I hold a Master's in Higher Education Administration from Harvard University and spent years working in admissions at Harvard graduate schools and a selective Boston-area college. I have been counseling families through this process for 20+ years, helping countless students save money and get to the right-fit schools, including Ivy League.

But my most important credential isn't on any diploma: I am a parent.

My son just earned over a million dollars in merit scholarship offers, including a full-tuition scholarship to Vanderbilt University. Not because he had the highest GPA or the longest activity list. Because he had a clear, genuine story, and every part of his application told it. Now I am guiding my own high school daughter through the same process.

Which means when I sit across from your family, I am not speaking from a textbook. I know how to work with each individual student to put their best foot forward.

M.Ed., Harvard University

Former Graduate and Undergraduate Admissions Officer

20+ Years Reducing Stress and Increasing Successes for Families

Parent, In the Process

Trained Hundreds of Guidance Counselors

Our Approach

The HM Approach

Everything flows from one thing: your student's story.

Find and Develop Your Story

Not grades. Not a list of activities. The unique perspective, passion, or personality that makes your student genuinely compelling to an admissions reader. We help them find and plan it.

Align Everything

Essays, courses, extracurriculars, recommendations, and many more components, all pointing the same direction. This is the Golden Thread. Every part of the application proves the same story.

Find the Right Colleges

Build a strategic list, engage with colleges intentionally, and negotiate to get there for less money. Apply where your story resonates most.

Services

Areas Where We Can Work Together

Middle school through senior year. Wherever you are, now is the right time to start.

Pick any combination of what your family needs, from one small piece of help to a full multi-year package across every area below. You decide the scope.

Plan Your High School Journey

●Discover your student's unique story
●Develop the story across every component
●Course selection strategy
●Extracurricular planning
●Essay development
●Test-taking approach
●Passion projects
●Other items no one thinks about

College Selection & Strategy

●Exploring the right colleges
●Building a balanced college list
●Application strategy
●Finding colleges where your story resonates
●Early Decision / Early Action
●Financial aid and scholarship forms

Implementation & Follow-Up

●Keep students on track
●Regular parent check-ins
●Guiding communication with colleges
●Financial aid negotiation
●Accountability & adjustments

Working Together

What Working Together CAN Look Like

Flexible, personalized, and built around your student, not a package.

You choose how much or little help you need.

Middle school through senior year. As much or as little as you want.

1
Step 1: Free 30-Minute Consultation
You don't need to have it figured out first. Just come with your questions, or your worries. We'll go from there together.
2
Step 2: Story Discovery
A focused conversation to uncover what's genuinely compelling about who your student is, often a surprise to everyone.
3
Step 3: Application Blueprint
Develop the plan to make the story as authentic, compelling, and complete as possible. A clear, personalized strategy: every component of the application mapped to the story, with timelines and clear ownership.
4
Step 4: Implementation & Follow-Up
Regular check-ins, accountability, guidance on college communication and financial aid negotiation, with parents informed at every step.

Results

What Families Are Saying

$1M+ in merit scholarship offers. Full tuition to Vanderbilt University.

"This is what the right story, executed with the right strategy, produces."

Family celebrating on a college campus visit

A student was set on one school and had overlooked everything else. We expanded her list, found stronger fits, and then helped her parents negotiate more money from her first choice before she committed.

A student had extraordinary experiences but didn't know how to make them tell a story. Through essays, a passion project, and carefully chosen letters of recommendation, he showed colleges who he really was, and earned acceptance at his top Ivy League choice.

A younger student wasn't sure what made him different from anyone else. We started early, identifying his unique strengths and building a narrative plan. He now has a clear story developing, with years to bring it to life before he applies.

Thank you Herb for helping our daughter explore new colleges and ultimately get more money from her top choice. You were a huge help.

Parents of a graduating senior

We did not think of the importance of having a real story in that way. Now we have a plan for how to move forward. You made us realize how the pieces need to fit together.

Parent of a high school junior

We were overwhelmed with all the guidance out there. You helped us make sense of what to focus on and how to put it all together.

Parents of a high school senior

With all the little nuances of the college process, you helped us think through everything and ultimately find the perfect fit.

Graduating senior

The Difference

Why Families Choose HM Consulting

The credentials of a top-tier firm. The price of a partner who actually cares.

HM College Consulting

Other Private Consultants

Pricing

$150/hour

$300–$600+/hour or packages $10K–$20K+

Approach

You decide how intensive. Story-first strategy.

Package-based or generic

Personal Experience

Parent currently in the process

Don't fully understand parent perspective. Typically corporate.

Direct Access

Herb Miller, every session

Often junior staff

Financial Aid

Document preparation, strategy, and negotiation

Often extra or separate

Free Consultation

Yes, 30 minutes

Rarely

Pricing

Simple, Transparent Pricing

You deserve to know exactly what you're getting before we talk.

No commitment

FREE 30-Minute Consultation

No commitment. Come with your questions or your worries. We'll go from there together.

Book Now

Hourly

$150/hour

From a CommonApp or scholarship review to a full multi-year plan starting in middle school, and anything in between.

Most counselors charge 2-4x and lock you into expensive packages.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

No. A focused, strategic approach makes an enormous difference at any stage. Many of the families I work with come to me in junior or senior year, and the work we do together on story, essays, college list, and financial aid still dramatically changes outcomes. The earlier you start, the more options you have. But wherever you are, now is the right time.