by This week’s feature is on the Kelly MacLean Achievement Center based in Westlake, Ohio. The story of what Kelly does for her students, along with where she came from and how hard she has worked, is more inspirational then 10 Disney Movies and a Herb Brooks pre-match speech put together, she is that good at what she does.
Before you read another word, be sure to swing over to Online Tutoring, College Readiness and ACT Prep Serving Northeast Ohio (kelly-mac.com) to being your students journey towards the next level today.
Do you remember being in High School? Your 10th grade year was fancy free and fun, but once Fall of your Junior year set in, it was time to start giving colleges a serious look and begin very real college preparation. If you were like me at the time, you had very little help and may have been lucky enough to get one 20-minute conference with a school counselor.
Those days are long gone as now families start looking at possible colleges in 8th grade. Now more than ever is it extremely important to do well on your ACT’s, SAT’s, college entrance exams and filling out your college applications and essays. The top colleges not just in the state, but nationally will be interested in your son and daughter and be anxious to hand them a fully paid scholarship after they work with Kelly MacLean of Kelly MacLean Achievement Center.
At KMAC, they have been working with some of the brightest, driven and determined young minds in the area. Since their start in 2011, MacLean has built a trusted center for parents to send their young men and women to be guided towards the very top of what each college is looking for in their prospective students.
But here’s the thing folks, her reputation has become so well-known and respected, she now has clients from Willoughby to Wazoo. Her reputation is nationally known, and she is right in our backyard of Westlake Ohio. She is nationally known but locally grown, bringing the students the best exposure of both worlds.
With over 20 years of coaching, college recruiting, athletic recruiting, admissions counseling, and scholarship expertise, her impact reaches beyond the students’ high school and college lives; the life skills and decision-making tools can transform their entire way of thinking!
Kelly and the KMAC team become part of each family, coaching students on how to learn, how to study, how to achieve their academic potential while discovering their true goals. All of this is accomplished with a strengths–driven approach and comprehensive plan to help students demystify college selection and career planning.
For years she has successfully been guiding high school student-athletes to earn Division I and Division II athletic scholarships. She has collaborated with professional athletes to help inner city students understand recruiting, NCAA rules, etc.
The success of KMAC’s students can be contributed to the holistic, yet uniquely tailored and relentlessly thoughtful approach. It is not just about improving ACT/SAT scores, or gaining admission to the perfect college, or getting recruited to play sports; it is the total package.
Kelly and the KMAC team of mentors are invested in piecing the journey together for students during high school & throughout the college transition, ultimately into adulthood and a career that are both satisfying and rewarding.
KMAC has become the number one trusted and employed service of parents with student athletes, several of which who have been featured right here on Kee On Sports. Best of all, she doesn’t disappear once they get to college either, Kelly has heart and commitment it shines through when she continues to guide them during their freshman year making the transition to college athletics. Students often get discouraged and need additional support and guidance to excel.
Here are just a few of the many services they provide to get your student athletes ready for the next level in their education.
Develop impactful Resume and Recruiting Forms that contain info that the coaches are looking for and help your athlete stand out from the thousands of other applicants.
Recruiting Forms: Assistance with completing college forms.
Selecting appropriate programs where an athletic student is likely to achieve their goals, no matter how big or small.
Mailing to targeted coaches: These are specific to schools/programs where your student is likely to be successful. We do not take the approach of mailing to anyone and everyone hoping something sticks.
We target schools where a student will be happy, even if their athletic career is cut short. By planning ahead, your student can stay in the same school, and retain all earned credits.
Guidance on coaching visits to make the most of those limited face-to-face sessions.
NCAA eligibility center: Ensuring your student is registered in the clearinghouse and meets all guidelines. If a student is not registered, they are ineligible to receive scholarship money.
NLI signing media coverage- This is a big event. Be sure your student gets the recognition they deserve!
Shortly after meeting with Kelly MacLean, I was blown away by her passion and commitment to guiding students towards success. Here are just a few items that jumped out the most about my conversation with this self-driven, self-made visionary!
Kee On Sports – Why did you decide to get into this field of helping young students prepare for college?
Kelly – While working in college admissions and coaching high school varsity soccer, I saw kids coming into the college, me going into high schools, and my own soccer players not knowing what to do.
When I asked, “Why did you do this, or not do that?” I received the same answer – “No one told me.” As my own kids started high school, I realized that most college information is shared in the auditorium with an entire class (freshman/sophomore/junior).
It is not personalized. There is no distinction between those applying to selective schools and those applying to community college. And there is no information regarding athletic recruiting. I knew there was a better way and began helping a few of my players and then had people I did not even know call and ask for help.
Kee On Sports – What percentage of your students graduate High School and move on to a Division 1 college?
Kelly – Currently only about 30% of our students are actively pursuing an athletic scholarship. While we love helping athletes continue their careers beyond high school, the reality is that we offer so many academic services that we help students who are not interested in being recruited but want to gain acceptance to their first-choice school and save money on college costs. And even our athletes need those academic services.
More importantly is the fact that even if you are a student-athlete, you need the perfect fit in a school. If your athletic career is cut short, or you are injured you need to be at a school where you would still be happy!
Fit of the school is the number one predictor in how a student does at the school and with their first job offer!!! People often underestimate this factor, and it costs kids when looking for a job, or applying for grad school.
Kee On Sports – What types of skills do you feel you specialize in teaching both student athletes, and non-student athletes to get them ready for the next stage of their student career?
Kelly – We want to help our students move into their potential. We love helping students see their unique qualities and how they can be used in multiple careers – providing detailed info on those careers so students can select wisely and not end up changing majors in college- which costs time and money. Career options are rarely discussed in depth in high school.
Most students can name 12-15 careers but cannot go in depth when discussing them- how are they supposed to select a major that leads to a meaningful career if they do not even know the options available. We love helping students navigate this process and then hear about their success in college and beyond. It is exciting to see the stress and anxiety melt away as they begin to understand their purpose.
We also want to build a student’s confidence – so often students have accepted limiting labels- I am bad at math, for instance, when they are really not bad at math, but had a teacher who made them feel that way when they didn’t “get it” right away.
Everyone learns a little different and we want to provide a space where kids can begin to feel good about learning – instead of feeling like it is punishment or a task just to check off. Students are more successful when they see value in mastering concepts and becoming good problem solvers. – they will be solving problems the rest of their life. We celebrate successes and stress that unique attributes are just as important – often more important than just being good at 4 subjects in school.
Kee On Sports – How important is time management for any student, and what can you teach them to help them best utilize their time?
Kelly – We actually created a book on time management and study skills. It is the 168 Planner. It often amazes me that students will complain that they are so busy – but when asked, they do not know how many hours are in a week. We named the planner “168” for the number of hours in the week. You would not go to a store to purchase something without knowing how much money you had available to spend, but kids have no idea how many hours they have or how they are using them.
The 168 Planner allows them to time block and to get the most out of their time. This is not like a school planner, filled with tasks- no one wants to see. A bunch of to-dos and feel bad if they don’t get done. Instead, we encourage students to understand the time available and then block off time for things that are important to them- hanging with friends, decompressing after school, studying, homework, projects, workouts, games, events….. etc.
Getting a handle on time management before heading off to college can be a difference maker for a student’s success.
Kee On Sports – What do you feel are some of the most common mistakes made by parents and students as they prepare to apply for college?
Kelly – One of the most important things a parent can do is to start early!! Too often they think this is a junior year task. The earlier you begin- the more options you can discuss with your child. If you have a student-athlete wanting to continue their sport- it is never too early to understand the process! Too often students wait way too long to get in front of a coach and lose their opportunity. Parents misinterpret no contact periods.
Kee On Sports – Who would say are some of your biggest success stories?
Kelly – I have a great kid who just received a nice offer to play soccer at Bucknell – considered a minor Ivy, great school. Coach gave an offer, and I coached the parents on asking for more- They were able to get to the dollar amount they had budgeted!!!! Win for everyone.
We have students attending Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, Boston College, U of Miami (Fla), West Point, U of Michigan, Clemson, Georgetown, Princeton, U of Kentucky and everywhere between— thousands of schools!
But more importantly is the success the students have when they find the perfect school, the right major and feel positive about their career path. We have had athletes win All American awards and athletes who were thrilled to have the chance to play.
We have had numerous students come back to us and help negotiate their first job offer and oh how I love seeing a kid get an extra $3k- $10k a year!!!
Kee On Sports Who are some of the schools in the area you have worked with the most and which ones would you like to further grow your exposure with?
Kelly – We worked closely with Avon schools, Olmsted Falls High School, and students from Rocky River, Bay, Avon Lake, Westlake, Lake Ridge Academy, Lakewood, St. Ignatius, St. Eds, Magnificat, St. Joes, Strongsville, Brunswick, Medina, Highland, Copley and even Hudson but we do work Nationwide so we work with high school students across the country.
Kee On Sports – You are noted for your tough love, respect given and guidance for not only college, but life afterwards. Student athletes, non-athletes, boys, girls, everyone comes to Kelly, how does that make you feel?
Kelly – Haha – tough love yes- I have had parents threaten their kids with. “you are going to go live with Kelly if you don’t get grades up!” I love to be a positive influence and if I can help a student stretch, gain confidence, and realize their goals, I am thrilled!! I love working with high school students and see their potential and get them to lean into the uncomfortable to realize the dream!
Reach out to her today at
29550 Detroit Road, Suite K
Westlake, OH 44145
