ABOUT
Trish Dew is passionate about helping students and their families navigate the college admissions process. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor who believes a student's mental health should be a priority while helping them realize their goals. She aims to reduce the amount of stress on students and their families throughout the college planning process. She can relate to all the emotions parents go through on this journey, as she is going through it herself! Her oldest son will graduate high school in May 2023 and attend Texas A&M University in the fall. She has two other sons and a daughter, so she'll be riding this roller coaster a few more times! In addition, she is well-versed in assisting students with special education and 504 accommodations from her over two decades of experience, and because two of her children have dyslexia and math calculation disabilities. She is originally from New Jersey but has lived in Austin/Dripping Springs with her husband since 1998.
She earned a B.A. Degree in Communications from West Virginia University and her M.A. Degree in Counseling from The University of Texas at San Antonio (way back when you applied on paper). She has presented at both regional and national conferences, such as The National College Board Conference in Washington, D.C. She worked at The University of Texas at Austin in The Career Exploration Center, where she helped college students discover their major and career interests, create resumes, and prepare for interviews. Trish is a Certified Essay Reader for The Hispanic Scholarship Fund. In addition, she created the first College and Career Center at Crockett High School in July 2002 and worked there until July 2013 as The College and Career Counselor. During that time, she supervised St. Edward’s University psychology student interns. Prior to launching Apex, she was an independent contractor (college counselor) for a private college counseling company for 12 years.
Trish started Apex College Counseling in 2013 as a boutique firm specializing in one-on-one college counseling. She only takes on a small number of full-time clients per graduation year, which allows me to give each student the attention they deserve. In addition, Apex has completed educational consulting work for GearUp, AVID, Lubbock Independent School District, San Antonio Independent School District, UT Austin Institute for Public School Initiatives, Raise Achievement, and AMS Pictures. Trish has also volunteered with The Austin Independent School District and The Austin Chamber of Commerce in various capacities, such as The UpClose Leadership Class, School Changes Think Tank, and FAFSA completion.
Trish loves helping students use all of their resources effectively in order to create a plan for successfully applying to colleges. She gets to know each student on a personal level and holds their hand throughout the journey. Families will be given her personal cell phone number and are encouraged to contact her with all questions, large or small, any time of day or night. She guides students in discovering their unique personality styles, interests, values, and abilities and how these things translate into finding the best-fit college, major, and career for them. Most importantly, she guides students and their families and assures them that they are not alone in this ever-changing, often overwhelming process.​
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Corinne Oh is a college admissions essay expert! She received her master's degree from Teacher's College, Columbia University and began her career as a high school counselor in New Rochelle, NY. She has three kids who have each taken their own path toward college and career exploration. Her oldest daughter graduated from SCAD with a degree in Fibers and is now working as a print designer at Aerie; her middle daughter is a pre-med student at the University of Texas, Austin, where her youngest son will join her this fall as a Computer Science major. Corinne stayed home with her three kids moving from New York to Ann Arbor, MI to Dallas, and finally settled in Austin, TX. Here she continued her career in school counseling and discovered her love of the college admissions essay process.
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She currently works full-time as a middle school counselor and seasonally as a college application screener for New York University. As a screener, she has read countless college applications and essays, giving her unique insight to help her client's essays stand out in the sea of standard fare. Additionally, she conducted interviews for NYU Shanghai students to showcase their English communication skills.
Corinne really enjoys guiding students one-on-one through the college essay process, from self-reflection and brainstorming, through edits and revisions. She has a knack for helping students discover their unique qualities, strengths, and experiences and highlighting these important pieces in their admissions essays and personal statements. Through careful and thoughtful collaboration with her students, Corinne is able to help them express and present their best selves in an essay that is both well-crafted and attention-grabbing and will help them stand out among their peers.
