College Counseling Services at Breakaway

Helping you choose with confidence and calm.

Selecting a college is one of the most meaningful, transformative decisions any student will ever make.  And the investment in that college will be one of the most significant any family will ever make.

But each family and student comes to the college selection process with different needs and concerns.  Our college counseling services are tailored to meet your family where you’re at and help you navigate this time with confidence and calm.  We also strive to understand not only the person your student is now, but the person they hope to become.

Our college counseling services support your family and student by:

  • Identifying colleges that match your student’s academic promise and interests, your student’s personality, and your family’s finances.
  • Demystifying the application process.
  • Building your student’s self-awareness and independence as well as the organization, time-management, and decision-making skills that will help them thrive in college.

Whatever your family’s needs or concerns, we’d like to help.

Request a no-fee, 45-minute consultation to learn more about Breakaway’s college counseling services and help you decide if they are right for your family.

Counseling Services

  • Academic advising: Assist with high school curriculum planning to satisfy the requirements of your student’s schools of interest.
  • College lists: Develop for-consideration and apply-to college lists tailored to interests, ability, family finances, and other college search factors.
  • Campus visits: Make the campus visit a decision-making tool.
  • Admissions interview practice: Prepare your student for interviews with college admissions officers or alumni.
  • Essays and supplements: Help your student tell their story through guided reflection, topic selection, draft development, and proofreading.
  • Activities and resumes: Assist your student to focus and express their interests, activities, and employment.
  • Application support: Manage your student toward deadlines; provide organizational guidance and content counsel as they assemble materials.
  • Decision support: Help your student think through offers if admission to make a calm and confident decision! Assistance managing waitlist offers, requests to defer admission, and aid appeals.

Wherever you are in the process, our knowledge, experience, and perspective can help, whether you’re looking for a pre-determined set of services or services contracted by the hour.

Request a no-fee, 45-minute consultation to learn what level of support makes sense for your family!

Julie Ekkers, Director of College Counseling

Julie graduated from Northwestern University and later earned a law degree from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. She worked on the admissions side of the desk for more than a decade, serving most recently as the Assistant Dean of Admissions at William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul. She has also read applications and interviewed applicants for Macalester College and, as an alumna, interviewed Northwestern applicants. She has also volunteered her time as a College Possible mentor. She is currently earning a Certificate in Independent Education Consulting from the University of California-Irvine.

She lives in St. Louis Park with her husband and two children—class of 2030 and 2032.

Julie can be reached at [email protected].