Robin Colt, a University of California, Los Angeles-certified college admissions consultant, knows what it takes to help students shine in the admissions room.
“What we want is to create a story,” Colt said. “The admissions person wants to see that whole person on the page and not just a checklist. I’m here to help connect the dots.”
Since launching Robin Colt College Consulting a few years ago, the Carbondale resident has been empowering students to create compelling applications for their best-fit schools. She offers multiple one-on-one comprehensive packages that span the entire arc of college admissions from ninth grade to college move-in day. And now, Colt is thrilled to announce her latest offering, Star Map: a self-paced, online college planning course for high school students.
“Star Map has been in the corner of my mind since I started consulting,” Colt said. “I am so excited to bring the same content and resources I use with my one-on-one students to a broader community at a fraction of the price.”
According to the American School Counselor’s Association, guidance counselors only spend 38 minutes per student discussing college admissions. Colt said Star Map is a great access point for students.
“There is a wide range of access to college counseling in the U.S., and some schools are lucky to have an integrative curriculum in place, many are not,” Colt said. “School-based counselors often have more than 300 students on their caseload and that individualized time becomes challenging. I see my work as another opportunity and resource to lean on.”
Star Map is unique in that it provides trusted, high-quality consulting at a self-guided pace. Already adopted by college-prep institutions nationwide, the cumulative program includes eight online modules, supplemental materials and live office hours. With over five hours of instruction the program begins with a self-discovery module that illuminates the student’s north star through personal inventories, career quizzes and strength surveys. Onward, the modules focus on college list inventories, test strategies, resumes and letters of recommendation, financial aid, an essay workshop, understanding the Common Application (an online platform where students can apply to over 1,000 colleges and universities), the decisions and enrollment period and special circumstances.
“Module eight you can choose your own adventure,” Colt said. “I wanted to provide individualized lessons on things like military academies and ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps), student athletes, neurodivergence and LGBTQ+ support on campuses. This last module spans this wide range of both student interest and special circumstances.”
Star Map students stay organized with the College Research Tracker that monitors details like upcoming college visits, scholarships and supplemental essays for the student’s prospective schools. In a clear spreadsheet, students can share their progress with parents or a guidance counselor for additional accountability.
More than a “plug and play” online course, Colt provides three live Zoom sessions. In these meetings, students ask questions and receive additional guidance during critical application periods in the fall. The sessions are recorded and archived for revisiting even years later.
Fit over fame philosophy
An educator with over 15 years of classroom experience, Colt became interested in college consulting while teaching at Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS). She was also a dorm parent and often spent those hours advising seniors on academic course selection, college lists and essay writing. It was also during that time she connected with Betsy Bingham-John, CRMS’s former director of College Counseling and Colt’s mentor.
“She is such an incredible and experienced college counselor and wonderful member of our community,” Colt said. “So much of her legacy and now my work in terms of best practices and approach of working with students is really student-
centered. It’s balanced and very focused on fit over fame.”
With fit over fame, Colt helps students become less concerned about the school’s name and more interested in how they fit into the campus community.
“I want to throw prestige and college rankings out the window and not focus on the bumper sticker,” Colt said. “Instead I want to understand the student’s Four P’s: people, passion, place and price.”
By taking the time to better understand their Four P’s and details, like learning styles and preferred environments, students can find their best-fit school. Citing a Wake Forest University study, Colt said the best indicator for student success is a sense of belonging. When a student can see themself on campus they feel safe enough to stretch their comfort zone and apply for a research position or internship, study abroad or try out for the team.
“I want to make sure students are feeling confident that they can be a little bit of that big fish in a small pond,” Colt said. “There are 4,000 undergraduate institutions in the U.S. with an average acceptance rate of 73% … the data is starting to show that if you find a school with the Four P’s and the best fit and you’re in the top third you’re going to thrive.”
Robin Colt is currently offering a special price for Found Star Map members through July 31. Stay tuned for upcoming affordable programming, including an in-person essay workshop in Carbondale. Visit robincoltconsulting.com to learn more.