We built this because we needed it.
Organization without direction is just a really tidy pile of stress.
Why we built CollegeHound
I am Shelley Psyk. I am a speech-language pathologist with 30 years of experience helping students and families communicate. I have ADHD. I love to get organized. Staying organized is a different story.
I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania where college was not expected. Most kids stayed local. I worked for a few years after high school, took a few classes at community college, and discovered I loved learning once I actually learned how to learn. I went to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, a school with a 93% acceptance rate, and graduated with honors. I got into the University of Pittsburgh's MA/PhD program and Edinboro on a full ride. College is what you make of it. That never stopped me from achieving, and it shaped everything I believe about helping families find the right fit.
Between us, my husband Ed and I have seven kids. Two chose careers right out of high school. One went straight to a four-year university. One started at community college, worked for years, and is back in school now in her thirties. Two went through the volleyball recruiting process and ended up at very different schools for very different reasons. And our youngest is a rising senior going through it right now.
The volleyball years are what broke us. Two daughters in recruiting at the same time. NCAA rules, camp schedules, coach contacts, highlight reels, academic requirements, visit logistics. All of it scattered across emails, spreadsheets, text threads, and notebooks I could never find when it mattered. For someone with executive function challenges, it was impossible.
So we started building the system we wished we had.
One thing we know about this process.
If you are true to finding best fit, things work out. It might not feel like it at the time. It almost never looks the way you expected. But when a kid ends up where they actually belong, you can see it.
One of our daughters chose the full college experience over playing volleyball. She went to NC State and is now finishing PA school at 23. The other chose D3 so she could play and still have a full college life. She discovered ROTC, double majored in biology and chemistry, and transferred to UNC Chapel Hill. Both made the right choice. They were just different choices.
Each of our seven kids had a different path. Some went straight to college. Some didn't. Some started, stopped, and came back. Every single one of those paths was the right one for that kid. CollegeHound is built on that belief.
Our youngest is a rising senior interested in computer science and computer engineering. We have told him honestly that college is his decision to make, and that prestige matters less than fit. It is a weird world for these kids right now, and we mean it when we say the right path is the one that is right for him. He is using CollegeHound right now. We are living this process alongside every family who signs up.
What we believe
Every path counts
Four-year university, community college, trade school, military, straight to work. CollegeHound helps families find what fits. Not what looks impressive on someone else's timeline.
Guidance, not replacement
Scout helps families organize and understand the process. It does not replace school counselors, teachers, or the student's own work. It fills the gaps between meetings.
Your data is yours
We don't sell student data. We don't let ad networks use it. We don't recommend colleges that pay us. Scout works for your family because your family is the customer.
Built close to home
We launched by giving free CollegeHound Plus to the Class of 2027 at our local high schools in Apex, North Carolina. This summer, interns from the Academy of Engineering and Academy of Information Technology put CollegeHound through the paces. We build with real families, not focus groups.
Meet the founders
Shelley Psyk
Co-Founder & CEO · College Planning Specialist
Shelley leads CollegeHound's product, design, and educator partnerships. She is a speech-language pathologist with more than 30 years of experience working with students and families, a member of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and holds a College Admissions Specialist certification.
She has ADHD, a blended family of seven kids, and has lived every stage of the college process more than once. She built CollegeHound because she watched too many families wrestle with the same disorganization and stress hers did.
Ed Psyk
Co-Founder & CTO
Ed was accepted to several prestigious universities, including Stanford. He chose the University at Buffalo, started working in their nuclear reactor, and had a job before he even graduated. He began in electrical engineering but followed his curiosity into computer science. That decision shaped a career that includes senior technical leadership roles including CTO, Chief Security Officer, and VP of Engineering at Microsoft, Deutsche Bank, and Itron, along with multiple startups.
His path is another example of fit over prestige. That belief shapes how CollegeHound is built: privacy and security are the foundation, not an afterthought. Your data is never sold, never used to profile a child.
We are real people and this is our real passion. Every CollegeHound family can reach us directly. No ticket system, no chatbot wall. Just us.
CollegeHound is free. Add Scout when you are ready.
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