Fahey Associates — California College Consulting Boutique Services

We Transform Our Students

We are a bespoke company composed of passionate educators and advisors who support teens to find fulfillment in their high school years. We take students on a journey of self-reflection and refinement to achieve alignment and a stand-out dossier for their college applications. Our creative Writing Advisors – from Disney and the Helen Zell Writers’ Program – use playful coaching to help students meet the requirements of successful admissions essays.

Our Roadmap Is Clear

Students perform best when they are held accountable to a plan of action. Our structured approach prevents overwhelm and ensures that students work effectively and efficiently. Students always know where they are in the process. We provide a syllabus, calendar, online course and dedicate a team to each student – College Counselor, Writing Advisor, Administrative Assistant. We make certain that no opportunity to stand out goes missed. When it comes time to write essays, one of our creative writing advisors will propel you to capture your unique experiences in your own voice.

We Manage All Risks

We don’t improvise. At Fahey Associates, we invest time in monitoring the academic world trends. Our Data Scientist tracks the ever-changing terrain of admissions, major trends, and graduation outcomes. With this research, we ensure our students eliminate risk, by leaving nothing to chance. We coach them to carefully strategize their positioning in preparation for the most recent admission expectations, the major pathway, and the building of a sound college list.

Who We Are

Over the last 14 years, our Founder, Felicia Fahey, has built her bespoke method by blending her own experience with the expertise of her network: colleagues and advisors from Stanford, the University of California, and UPenn-Jerome Fisher admissions teams, MIT alumni, Apple User Experience veterans, and creatives from the Storytelling Project and the University of Michigan. As a progressive educator, Felicia has shaped the core values of Fahey Associates. We lift all our students to their potential: high achieving students of all disciplines, athletes, artists, and students who are underserved or have faced medical and learning challenges. In our effort to make college more accessible, we donate our time to providing pro-bono support to underserved students and to educating the public sector including libraries, high school counseling departments, and learning enrichment programs.

As a member of The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Fahey Associates abide by its Code of Ethics and Professional Practices (ECPP).

Products

We have perfected a structured, caring, rigorous process to elicit the essential qualities that bring students’ accomplishments and potential to life.

High School Package

The High School Package provides a strategic development plan. It includes a student assessment and evaluation phase, followed by a 2-hour family meeting. In the meeting, we identify 3-4 goals to be carried out during the high school years. These goals put students on track to maximize the best admission results. The summary Report includes the following:

Counselor assessment of preparation for admission
Counselor recommendations
4 well-defined goals
Specific summer and extracurricular recommendations
A preliminary college list
Instructions for taking exams and requesting letters of recommendation
6 follow-ups are included to make sure the student is held accountable to the Goals outlined in the Report

College Application Package

The College Application Package is a comprehensive positioning program that runs from the winter of the junior year through April of the senior year. It includes:

application materials (resume, applications, activities lists)
college list and college fit for up to 10 applications
application strategy: early applications (early action/early decision)
majors and a major strategy
brainstorming of essays and essay strategy
drafting and editing of long personal statements (Common App, The Coalition, Univ. of California, Ivy League, UCAS)
drafting and editing of a total of 20 - 40 supplement essays
interview preparation
general advising on financial aid and scholarships
all post-application actions and decisions

The program follows a syllabus that brings time efficiency and serenity to the student journey. Weekly meetings are planned ahead with a Creative Writing Advisor, and all key touchpoints are arranged between the student and College Counselor. The Counselor is always available to answer the student’s questions and meet as needed.

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Our Curated College List

It is our mission to match students with colleges that are a social, academic and financial fit. We share our curated list of favorite schools that we have found offer a valuable, meaningful and safe college experience.

Application Dossier

Resumes, portfolios, sample work, and video interviews are often required admission items, especially for students who are pursuing competitive, technical, or creative or technical majors. Additionally, providing an artistic supplement can improve a student’s admission chances. Our creative team helps each student tailor their dossier.

The Summer Edge

Summer is a great time for students to explore their leadership, interests and skills through coursework, internships, paid work, and volunteering. Our students pursue serious summer offerings and dive into “organic” self-designed projects.

Our Comprehensive Process

Our caring, structured process inspires students to actualize their potential and develop distinctive qualities that will bring their applications to life.

High School Package

prior to sophomore year

Extracurriculars, Major & Career

sophomore-senior years

Leadership & Networking

sophomore-senior years

Prepare Applications

Feb-Nov of Jr-Sr years

Write Essays

Jun-Nov Sr. year.

1 · High School Package

We want you to maximize every opportunity to feel confident and flourish during your high school years. We consider this the best preparation for college admissions. Our services begin with our High School Package which consists of four steps: (a) You complete evaluative forms and prepare a dossier of materials for our assessment. (b) We review your materials. (c) We then gather for a two-hour appointment to address your questions and review our evaluation. (d) After the meeting, we present you with our concluding report and recommendations, including a detailed strategy for progressing through the high school years.

2 · Extracurriculars, Major & Career

In their college applications, students indicate what majors they plan to explore. These major selections should align with the students' course selection and their resume of extracurricular activities. We prepare our students to develop their extracurriculars, investigate majors, and comprehend the relationship between their college study and the vast field of careers.

3 · Leadership & Networking

Colleges are looking for leadership. Our personalized process builds students’ confidence and prepares them to grow their leadership in their extracurriculars. Learning to network is critical to this step.

4 · Preparing Application Materials

In the winter of the junior year, the college application process commences. At this time, Fahey Associates ensure that students are taking all preparatory steps in a timely manner.

5 · Write Essays and Apply

The essay writing process begins in June after the junior year and comprises the most laborious work in the college application process. We will pair you with one of our writing advisors to compose compelling and authentic personal narratives that capture your voice. In August prior to the senior year, the college application process goes live. From August through November, Fahey Associates ensure that students’ applications are accurate and submitted in a timely manner.

Note Addressed to Foreign Families:

Families new to the US may find the academic system daunting. As a globally fluent team, we work with students from all parts of the world, whether they are living in the United States or abroad. This year Fahey Associates is working with students from China, India, Ecuador, England, Spain, and Germany.

备注（致移民家庭）

也许新移民家庭会发现美国的教育体系令人生畏。无论您身在美国国内还是国外，作为一支国际团队，我们都将协助您和来自世界各地的学生们深造。今年，Fahey Associates 斐弈协会就正一直在辅导来自中国、英国、西班牙、德国、印度和厄瓜多尔的学生们。

Nota dirigida a familias inmigrantes

Las nuevas familias inmigrantes pueden encontrar el sistema académico de los Estados Unidos de una manera abrumadora. Como equipo con fluidez global, trabajamos con estudiantes de todas partes del mundo, ya sea que vivan en los Estados Unidos o en el extranjero. Este año, Fahey Associates está trabajando con estudiantes de China, India, Ecuador, Inglaterra, España y Alemania.

Hinweis an Familien mit Migrationshintergrund

Neue Einwandererfamilien könnten das US-amerikanische akademische System als entmutigend empfinden. Als global fließendes Team arbeiten wir mit Studenten aus allen Teilen der Welt zusammen, unabhängig davon, ob sie in den USA oder im Ausland leben. In diesem Jahr arbeitet Fahey Associates mit Studenten aus China, Indien, Ecuador, England, Spanien und Deutschland zusammen.

Appréhender les us et coutumes américaines

Les familles Française fraichement installées aux US peuvent trouver le fonctionnement du monde universitaire américain un rien exotique. Nous sommes une équipe aguerrie à l'accompagnement de ces changement de repères.
Nous travaillons avec des familles et des étudiants qui habitent près ou loin de chez eux. Cette année, Fahey Associates travaille avec des étudiants de Chine, d'Inde, d'Équateur, d'Angleterre et d'Allemagne. Inversement nous préparons nos étudiants américains à postuler pour les écoles françaises (ex: Sciences Po cette année).

नोट आप्रवासी परिवारों के लिए जोड़ा गया

नए आप्रवासी परिवारों को अमेरिकी शैक्षणिक व्यवस्था कठिन लग सकती है। विश्व स्तर पर धाराप्रवाह टीम के रूप में, हम दुनिया के सभी हिस्सों के छात्रों के साथ काम करते हैं, चाहे वे संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका में रह रहे हों या विदेश में। इस साल फही एसोसिएट्स चीन, भारत, इक्वाडोर, इंग्लैंड, स्पेन और जर्मनी के छात्रों के साथ काम कर रहा है।

Our College Counselors

Kate Givens

Kate Givens has extensive experience working with teenagers in academic and extracurricular settings to discover their unique interests and achieve their goals. Kate has a B.A. in English from The George Washington University and a Masters in English Education from The University of Virginia and spent over a decade working with high school students teaching professional skills such as correspondence, resume development, and public speaking. She has worked with hundreds of students to develop college plans and work on their application materials.

Shanley Jacobs

Shanley Jacobs is a dedicated educator and writer. She is inspired by students and devoted to their growth and success. She joined Fahey Associates after six years as the Administrative Manager for the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking at Stanford University. Before joining the Hume Center, she served as a Program Assistant at the University of San Francisco in the department of Art + Architecture, as well as the department of Modern and Classical Languages. She supported a range of students as a writing center mentor and tutor for three years at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Our Creativity: Writing Advisors

In our many years of advising, Fahey Associates has observed that the majority of students are lacking the skills to elaborate a compelling narrative about their own person. With an average of 30 personal statements to write, students entering the application process must quickly learn how to tell a compelling story about themselves. To handle this challenge we've enrolled talented, creative writers to guide the delicate process of combining story-telling and self-reflective essay writing.

Danny Garrett

Danny received his BA in English from Loyola University New Orleans and an MA in the same field from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He first started his career as a journalist. His work is published at the National Association of Black Journalists where he has also interviewed and worked closely with White House Correspondents and journalists from CBS, NPR, and the Boston Globe. Danny left journalism to become an academic. Currently, he is an English instructor at Louisiana State University, where he teaches composition and literature.

Graham Barnhart

Graham Barnhart earned a BA in English from Allegheny College and an MFA in Poetry from The Ohio State University. He is a US Army veteran, former Stanford University Wallace Stegner Fellow, and the author of The War Makes Everyone Lonely. His work has been awarded a Pushcart Prize and has been published in The Gettysburg Review, Gulf Coast, and the anthology The Mind Has Cliffs of Fall from W.W. Norton. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Allegheny College.

Kenneth Ong

Kenneth earned a B.S. in Commerce (Finance & Marketing) from the University of Virginia, as well as an M.B.A. from the University of California Los Angeles where he worked with both admissions committees as either a student representative or alumni reader. He spent almost a decade working in the entertainment industry around film and TV Development for Walt Disney Company and a number of Oscar-winning producers. Kenneth now integrates the same storytelling and writing principles into his college counseling, writing instruction, and high school teaching over the past three years.

Susanna Daniel

Susanna earned her BA in English and Anthropology from Columbia University. Her MFA in creative writing comes from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She is the author of two widely published, award-winning novels, Stiltsville and Sea Creatures with HarperCollins. She has placed numerous essays and stories in literary magazines such as Slate and Newsweek. She is the co-owner of the Madison Writers' Workshop where she coaches writers toward greater meaning, sense, and clarity.

Happy Customers

“Fahey Associates have far surpassed my high expectations. They tune into the student, and the family dynamics so that they can effectively work with both student and parents in a positive way. They have expanded our horizons as to possible colleges, and motivated everyone.”

Carol Danaher Sebastopol High School

“Ms. Fahey and her very well-organized team tremendously helped me get into my dream school! She was able to figure out what type of person I am and what schools are the best fit for me, in just one meeting. As an extremely cohesive group, they always made sure to check in with me every two weeks during the college application process, and Ms. Fahey was always available to chat and de-stress me during the overwhelming time. I even worked with Ms. Fahey on a Capstone Research Project that helped solidify my own academic interests. I absolutely recommend Fahey Associates for professional college counseling!”

Anaika Bedi Student

“ If you are looking for peace of mind, thoughtful connection with your child, and resourceful insights on the journey to college, Felica and her team are the ones for you. My husband and I wanted to preserve our parental relationship with our son so finding a college coach was top of our list. We allowed our son to interview a few other local resources and out of the three Felicia just "got him". That is what set us in motion. She quickly matched him with a coach that helped him discover and refine his college essays. That was a huge help. Our son had a good list and had done some research on colleges he was interested in. From there Felica was able to guide the tactical steps to getting into a place where we all feel is absolutely the best fit. I highly recommend Felica and will not hesitate to engage her again as our daughter gets closer to investigating colleges. ”

Charlyn Everett Parent

“We are so very thankful for Felicia Fahey's disciplined, thorough, and realistic approach to the college application process. Her vast experience and detailed knowledge proved invaluable in identifying colleges compatible with our son's interests and academic passions beyond reputation and name. Felicia and Margaret's process was holistic by encouraging deep self-reflection, harvesting only his genuine strengths, academic interests, and experiential expectations. Felicia and Margaret helped our son to develop an iterative composition strategy to transform those ideas into a heartfelt personal statement. They also worked conscientiously throughout the process to mitigate the stress and inevitable tension that is part and parcel of the college application process. We plan to seek Felicia's guidance once again when our daughter’s turn to apply to college arrives in the not too distant future.”

Norma Medina Parent

“Fahey Associates have far surpassed my high expectations. They tune into the student, and the family dynamics so that they can effectively work with both student and parents in a positive way. They are respectful and can be firm when the student is not keeping up with promised deadlines. They have expanded our horizons as to possible colleges, and motivated everyone.”

Carol Danaher Sebastopol High School

“Felicia was very positive and supportive to our children, and clear to them about the strengths and weaknesses of their writing. She reminded them to stay focused on their overall goal and to make every word count. We were impressed at their prompt, sensitive responses to their essays, and how they were able to sharpen their work to reflect their individual spirits.”

Doug abd Kristina Palo Alto High School

“The people at Fahey Associates were excellent guides through the entire college admissions process; having their help drastically reduced the stress and uncertainty of it all. Above all, they understand our son's ambitions, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. supporting him to come up with a college list and ideas for writing essays and adapting them for each school. We couldn’t be happier with their support.”

Janet S. Mountain View High School