CollegeHound

05/24/2026

I built CollegeHound, and I am still stressed about college planning.

My son is a rising senior, so I’m asking the same questions every other parent is asking:

Is his list realistic?
Which schools are worth researching?
Are we doing enough?
Are we missing something?

That is exactly why I use Scout inside CollegeHound.

I asked Scout to help find target computer engineering schools for my son. It used his profile, suggested schools by category, asked follow-up questions about cost, size, and setting, then helped turn the conversation into actual schools we could add to his list.

That is the part I love.

Not just a spreadsheet.
Not just a search.
A real planning conversation that becomes an organized next step.

If you are the parent of a rising senior and feel like everyone else has this figured out, they don’t.

Start your Binder and level up with Scout.
Free for the first 500 families through May 2027.

Comment SCOUT and I’ll send you the Launch Pass link.

05/24/2026

I built CollegeHound, and I am still stressed about college planning.

People assume that because I created a college planning tool, I have it all figured out.

I do not.

My son is a rising senior. Right now, I am doing the same things every other junior parent is doing:

Worrying about whether his SAT score is good enough.
Wondering if his college list is realistic.
Trying to figure out which schools are actually worth the application fee.
Hoping he starts his essay this summer.
Asking myself if we are doing enough, too much, or the wrong things entirely.

I built CollegeHound because I needed it.

Not as a founder.

As a mom.

And the part that is helping me the most right now is Scout.

Scout is the AI advisor inside CollegeHound. When I asked about computer engineering programs for Gabe, Scout did not just give me a generic list of schools. It looked at his GPA, test scores, and preferences, then organized recommendations by category: public flagships, mid-size hidden gems, reach schools worth considering, and programs with strong engineering or co-op opportunities.

Then Scout asked the questions that actually matter:

What is the cost ceiling?
Big school or mid-size?
Urban campus or college town?
Which schools are interesting enough to research further?

And when we narrowed things down, Scout suggested schools we could add directly to Gabe’s college list.

Now Gabe can review colleges he may never have known about and decide whether they are worth exploring. Every time he makes a decision, adds a school, rejects a school, or shows a preference, Scout learns more and can make better recommendations for him.

That is not what a spreadsheet does.

That is not what a random Google search does.

It is a conversation that helps a family think through a decision and then turns that thinking into an organized plan.

Scout also helps with scholarships, essay brainstorming, testing timelines, financial aid questions, and figuring out what to do next based on where your student actually is in the process. It knows your student’s profile and gets more useful every time you use it.

I do have a college admissions certification, and I belong to ASCA. But I earned that certification after we started building CollegeHound because I wanted to understand this process better for my own family.

The certification does not make me less anxious about Gabe’s college list.

It just means I know exactly how many things there are to worry about.

The difference is that Scout helps me turn the worry into action.

And the Binder keeps everything organized so nothing falls through the cracks.

So if you are the parent of a rising senior and you feel like everyone else has this figured out except you, they do not.

I promise.

Start your family’s Binder. Try Scout. See what it feels like to have one place for the list, the deadlines, the essays, the scholarships, the testing, and the next steps.

Free for the first 500 families through May 2027.

👉 collegehound.com/get-started/seniors

Follow along in the photos to see what happened when I used Scout for Gabe’s college list:

05/21/2026

If your student plays a sport, you're already managing a LOT.

I know — I lived it. With two volleyball players, our family spent years in the car between practices, at tournaments all weekend, and somehow still trying to keep track of transcripts, activities, and college deadlines in between. The recruiting side was its own world, but the academic side of college planning didn't stop just because we had a 3-day tournament in Texas.

That's actually one of the reasons we built CollegeHound. We wanted a place where athlete families could keep everything organized — the college list, activities, test scores, essays — without having to sit at a desk to do it. You can add things right from your phone while you're sitting in the car waiting for practice to end or between games/matches at a tournament. Five minutes here and there adds up, and by senior year you're not scrambling to reconstruct everything from memory.

We wrote a new blog post about what athlete families need to track beyond recruiting — and why starting early matters even if your student is in 9th or 10th grade:

👉 https://collegehound.com/blog/college-planning-for-student-athletes-what-parents-need-to-track-beyond-recruiting

We're already seeing families with football, volleyball, softball, and lacrosse players using CollegeHound to stay on top of the non-recruiting side — and we love it.

Shoutout to Lauren and Chase Watts for being one of our student-athlete families on the platform! 🏈

If your family is juggling sports and college planning, CollegeHound was built for you. The first 500 families get Plus free through May 2027 — claim your Launch Pass and get organized before the next busy season hits.

🐾 https://app.collegehound.com/users/register?promo=LAUNCHPASS

05/18/2026

Still smiling after the Felton Grove FFA May Market. ❤️

We loved meeting so many amazing families, students, and local vendors. The best part? Watching students light up when they realized CollegeHound was actually built for them, not just their parents.

Huge thank you to Felton Grove FFA for having us, to the families who stopped by, and to Mark Simmons at SpeedPro Apex for helping our booth look so good.

Apex families, we loved meeting you. 🐾

05/18/2026

We are still smiling after the Felton Grove FFA May Market.

Thank you to Felton Grove FFA for having us, to the other vendors for making it such a fun and welcoming event, and to all the families who stopped by our table. We had such a wonderful day.

First, a huge shoutout to Mark Simmons of SpeedPro Apex for helping us pull together such a great booth. He did an outstanding job, and somehow managed to be as speedy as the name promises. We were so happy with how everything turned out. SpeedPro Imaging of Apex

One of the sweetest surprises of the day was having a family come to the Market specifically to meet us. Lexi, a rising senior with Gabe at Apex Friendship, and her family came by after seeing that CollegeHound would be there. Then Lexi and Gabe were both surprised to see each other there, which made it even more fun. We loved getting to talk with the Vicki Yang family, and it meant so much to see how engaged and excited Lexi seemed while exploring CollegeHound. They feel like one of our special first families.

We also loved meeting Mere Blair and so much of her family, who stopped by at the recommendation of my dear friend, Kathleen Flanagan Cole. Griffin (Mr. Hart) and Eve (Doralee) were exceptional in Apex Friendship Theatre’s 9 to 5, and it was such a good reminder that creative students often have extra layers to think through in the college process. Theater, band, chorus, art, auditions, portfolios, programs, fit, and the big question of whether to follow a dream. These students carry a special kind of stress, and we hope CollegeHound can help start those family conversations and make the process feel a little more manageable.

What meant the most to us all day was the student response.

Parents really seemed to appreciate CollegeHound, but we were especially excited to see students genuinely connect with it. We had students say things like, “I love to be organized, so this is really for me,” and others who first looked a little resigned about the whole college process, but then got visibly more engaged once they started exploring and said they could really see themselves using it.

That is exactly why we do this.

CollegeHound began because of Izzy’s stress around the college search and application process. Now she is a second-year PA student, making her way from NC State to Pitt and getting closer to graduation. Then came Maddie’s journey, from Ithaca College to Carolina. And now poor Gabe is our rising senior and, maybe somewhat unwillingly, our rising Senior Ambassador.

Because of Gabe, we are offering CollegeHound free to the Apex Class of 2027 through Decision Day. No add-ons, everything included, as a gift to local families.

And for everyone else, we are celebrating the launch of CollegeHound Plus Scout with our Launch Pass for the first 500 families anywhere in the United States.

Thank you again to Felton Grove, to the families who came looking for us, to the families who found us by chance, and to the students who reminded us why this matters so much. We loved meeting you. ❤️

05/18/2026

Thank you, Felton Grove FFA, for having us at the first-ever May Market!

We had such a great time meeting so many wonderful families, connecting with other vendors, and being part of a fun, welcoming community event.

What really stayed with us from the day was seeing students interact with CollegeHound.

Parents were excited and appreciated how organized and helpful it felt, but honestly, one of the best parts was watching students light up when they started using it for themselves.

We heard things like, “I love to be organized, so this is really for me,” and saw students who first looked a little unsure or resigned suddenly get engaged, start exploring, and say things like, “I’d definitely use this.”

That meant so much to us.

Thank you to the families who stopped by, those who came specifically to see CollegeHound - it was great talking to you and your family - Vicki Yang!, and those we met by chance. We loved talking with you.

And thank you to the other vendors and everyone who helped make the day so special. We’re grateful to have been part of it. ❤️

CollegeHound.com/get-started/launch-pass

05/16/2026

Great turnout at the Felton Grove FFA May Market today! Thanks to everyone who's stopped by to check out CollegeHound.

We're here until 2pm. If you have a rising sophomore, junior, or senior, come grab a free look at the digital binder that replaces the spreadsheets, sticky notes, and scattered docs.

collegehound.com/get-started/launch-pass

The first 500 families get CollegeHound Plus free through May 1, 2027. The Binder is free forever.

05/16/2026

05/16/2026

First ever Felton Grove FFA May Market!

05/16/2026

We're here at the Felton Grove FFA May Market! Come find us today from 10am to 2pm.

Stop by our booth to see how CollegeHound keeps college planning organized in one place. The Binder is free forever.

Plus, there's a petting zoo, local vendors, a pickleball tournament, and baby highland cows. Bring the whole family.

Felton Grove High School: 5100 Thriftwood Dr, Apex NC

05/16/2026

We'll be at the Felton Grove FFA May Market tomorrow! Come find us at booth #10 near the food trucks.

If you've been meaning to get organized for college planning — or just curious about what CollegeHound and Scout can do — stop by and say hi. We'll have live demos and can get you set up on the spot.

And even if you're not thinking about college yet... there's a petting zoo, a pickleball tournament, food trucks, and a baby highland cow. So really, there's no reason not to come.

See you there!

Felton Grove High School
5100 Thriftwood Drive, Apex, NC 27539