About

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Karen Herbst:

I grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee surrounded by family and educators who showed me, by example, that there is no worthier aspiration than to become a well-educated contributing citizen. I pursued my own education at Duke University where I earned my undergraduate degree in biology and later entered Duke’s graduate school in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology. I later left my career as a scientist to raise my 3 boys as a stay-at-home mom. As a volunteer and leader in many educational programs, I immersed myself in not only the educations of my own children but also in the educations of children around the state of Colorado. As my interests and expertise became more and more focused on higher education and guiding students to reach their educational goals, I completed my Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA in 2010 so that I could become an educational consultant well versed in college and medical school consulting.

I have been an independent college and medical school consultant for many years. I constantly challenge myself to read more and research more and observe more so that I will be a better counselor each day. I am committed to staying current about trends in high schools, in individual colleges, in higher education, in medicine, and medical school. I travel extensively with my husband visiting colleges around the country and speaking with admissions representatives. I have many colleagues whom I respect and with whom I continue to grow, learn, and share. I approach the world of admissions  with nuance, always trying to stay grounded in my students’ best interests.

I thoroughly enjoy working with students and families as they embark on the admissions process. My goal is to guide my students to discover many things about themselves as they explore and come to understand the numerous opportunities out there in the world of higher education. Together we thoughtfully craft a college list consisting of colleges and universities that are well suited for the student academically, socially, and financially. I find that by the time application season rolls around, my students have the confidence to use their authentic voices to present their best selves to colleges in a manner that creates strong, accurate, and compelling applications. I measure my success by how happy each of my students is once they are settled into college life. The path to medical school starts early in a student’s educational journey. Some of my medical students first started working with me in high school.

I respect my students and haven’t met the student yet who isn’t thoughtful and concerned about their future. I admire the parents with whom I work. I encourage my families to understand that this is the student’s journey, and I see parents’ discovering for themselves the right amount of involvement in the process for them. Above all else, I insist on integrity in the process from my students.

Director of Scholastic Chess, Colorado State Chess Association (2001-2004) 

Chairman of the Governing Board of the Challenge School, a Cherry Creek School District magnet school for academically advanced and highly motivated students (2004-2006)

Education for Prospective Parents Program at the Challenge School, developing and leading their tour guide program (2002 – 2011)

Leadership Cherry Creek (2007-2008)

Interviewer and Representative, Duke Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee and Denver Discover Duke Program (1998-2012)

College Consultants of Colorado, president 2014

Afghan Community Center, volunteer (2022-present), volunteer of the month April 2023

First Friend with Refugee Resettlement Program (2022-present)

Independent College Consultant (2010-present)

Sorah’s Way, founder 2022-present, organization facilitating refugees’ successful transitions to America 

 

 

Rich Herbst:

Rich is co-founder and president of Admission Intuition. He brings invaluable behind the scenes insight into higher education trends, business acumen, and a wide-view into the political landscape of education. Spanning decades of work in non profits and in business, his wisdom is infused in every part of our process.

 

 

Robbie Herbst:

Robbie Herbst is a writer and editor based in both Colorado and Chicago. He graduated from Dartmouth College and then earned a Master’s degree in violin performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2016 Robbie began helping high school seniors write and refine their college application essays. Since then Robbie has expanded his work to include all parts of the college admissions process. Robbie also has extensive experience with graduate school essays, including medical and law school. It is a particular joy of his to introduce bright, young students to the world of creative writing and personal narrative. At Dartmouth, he was the editor-in-chief of Humbug, the campus literary magazine. His own writing has appeared in literary publications such as New World Writing, Mosaic, Necessary Fiction, Craft, Hobart, Witness, Gulf Coast and many other journals. He has also won or been nominated for several prestigious writing awards from organizations including the Pushcart Prize, American Short Fiction, Fractured Literary, the Lorian Hemmingway Short Fiction Contest, the Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers- shortlist, the Center for the American West, and others. Robbie’s students compete successfully at many of their top colleges, gaining the communication skills in the process to succeed there.

In his other existence, Robbie is a violinist. He performs with a variety of orchestras and ensembles, notably the Chicago Civic Orchestra and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. He also enjoys rock climbing, reading, and going on adventures in his Subaru Outback. 

 

 

What Makes Admission Intuition Unique? 

1. Personal attention extraordinaire!! I am uniquely accessible to my students. I do not limit the amount of time a student wants or needs to work with me for my stated services. I welcome impromptu meetings. You will always feel welcome in my practice because YOU ARE.

2. I limit the number of students I see so that I can give my full attention and dedicated time to each one to whom I commit.

3. I stay committed to my own ongoing education so that I stay current about issues that concern higher education. I am constantly learning. I make visiting colleges a priority for my own education. (Here’s the current list of colleges I’ve visited.)

4. I am proud of my nuanced approach to researching and evaluating institutions of higher learning, to understanding what each admissions office seeks, and especially to knowing my students so that I can best encourage them to present themselves with applications that ring with authenticity and promise.

5. I offer a tremendous amount of personal support in writing essays. I help my students uncover their own creativity—they all have it. My students famously gain confidence in their own voices, and they evidence this in unique and compelling essays.

6. I am in the unique position of being able to offer expertise not only in college admissions but also in understanding college costs and financial aid. For families who desire, financial fit can be a priority in constructing a college list. Admission Intuition is fluent in the financial aid process and in writing financial aid appeal letters.

7. With my background in science, I am uniquely prepared to help students apply to medical school.

8. My measure of success is when my students are happy and thriving once they are deeply entrenched in their first years away.
I LOVE WHAT I DO. I am honored to serve your student and your family.
 

Admission Intuition Philosophy

1. I respect teenagers and believe that they will make good decisions about their futures with the proper guidance and support of parents, teachers, and counselors.

2. I know that parents choose their own level of involvement in their child’s college process based on their personal values and their unique parenting styles and with their child’s best interests at heart. My hope is that with my guidance, parents and students can experience the college process with mutual respect and common sense, remembering to keep the student’s transition into this next most exciting time of life as the primary goal. It’s a new concept to some families that the student should drive this process. This is a time of growth for everyone.

3. I believe that my role is to guide the student in finding his or her best-fit college from a comprehensive list of well-researched and appropriate college choices. I also believe my role is to help each student present himself or herself in the best light possible with compelling and authentic applications.

4. The greatest value to me in my practice is maintaining integrity in the college process. I encourage each student to be as honest as possible on each college application, knowing that his or her own voice is the best and most effective voice. I insist that each student submit only his or her own work to colleges. I encourage open and honest communication with other professionals in the student’s academic life including, but not limited to, the high school counselor. As an active member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, I abide by the NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice. https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/advocacy-and-ethics/statement-of-principles-of-good-practice/2017_spgp_cepp_final.pdf


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