About Amy

Amy McVeigh is the founder of Smart College Selection, and a Smart College Selection Consultant.

Amy is a problem solver, an organizer, a writer, a learner, an author, a mom, a grandma, and a huge fan of teenagers. After helping her own children and many friends through the admissions process, Amy realized that what had been an avocation needed to become her vocation. For years, she’d been an informal consultant to countless young people – they’d talk about hopes and fears, careers and colleges, and plans and contingencies. And she loved it.

In 2014, Amy started Smart College Selection, and she had no idea the tremendous demand there would be for full-time, comprehensive, informed, and caring guidance through the college selection process. The best part? She has teenagers in her world daily, dreaming and scheming. 

Prior to becoming a college selection consultant, Amy spent more than two decades running a business performance consulting firm predominantly in the sales, marketing, and training areas. She also held corporate positions in finance, public relations, sales, marketing, and communication at Fortune 100 companies. 

Amy earned a college counseling certificate from UCLA, an MBA from Harvard, and a degree in public relations from Boston University. Amy frequently attends conferences and webinars and has visited over 170 colleges to continue to build her knowledge in this ever changing field.

Amy is one of the few members of the Independent Educational Consultants Association in Indiana and Michigan named as a Professional Member, and she also serves on IECA’s Board of Directors as the Vice President of Education & Training. She is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling and its Michigan chapter.

In addition to her consulting work, Amy is a contributing editor for the new edition of A Student of Colleges: Fundamentals of Independent Educational Consulting, and she was honored to be asked to write the U.S. chapter and serve as one of the overall editors for NACAC's Guide to International University Admission. She also operates a group coaching program for new consultants as they launch and grow their practices.

Amy has presented at national conferences for IECA and the Higher Education Consultants Association sharing her expertise on topics from college essay writing to working collaboratively with high school counselors. Amy also works with the University of California – Berkeley, creating its college counseling curriculum, writing its courses, and teaching courses in college counseling through its Extension program. She also serves on Berkeley’s Advisory Board for its college counseling program.

Amy lives in Frankfort, Michigan, and has two adult daughters who bring great joy, new recipes, and fun adventures into her world. In her free time, she runs, hikes, sails, and travels.