Estrela Consulting

13/08/2026

Our first “Dooley Noted” walk featuring our Estrela Founder, Kristina Dooley, and her sweet pup, Kai 🐾. Kristina will be sharing advice for families and her own musings about the college process each week…and cameos from Kai ❤️.

12/08/2026

Last week, Alyson was a guest at the Counselor Getaway! This incredible 3 day program hosted numerous school counselors and IECs to their gorgeous campus in Newport, RI. Salve Regina is located on the Atlantic coast right along the infamous Newport Cliff Walk. Salve's admission building is a former Gilded Age mansion that is just one of the many stunning historic buildings on campus.

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1947, this Catholic institution is home to over 2,000 undergraduate students. With strong programs in Nursing, Education, Biology and Environmental Studies, Salve also is known for its niche Cultural and Historical Preservation major. Walking the campus is a lesson in history, as the end of Ochre Court (Salve's main road) is the world-famous Breakers Home - former summer home of the Vanderbilt's.

The Salve Compass program is a keystone of a Salve education, providing life-design mapping and professional opportunities and skills for ALL Salve students. Using Newport as a learning lab and as a way to live our their Mercy mission, all students get hands-on opportunities with real-world applications. When parents ask what their "return on investment" will be for a private school education, THIS is it! (Not to mention, Salve is extremely generous with their student merit and financial aid).

The staff and students at Salve Regina (as well as the Newport citizens) were so kind, welcoming, and hospitable. Thank you to our Ohio rep, Carolyn Wiest, for always taking such great care of us here at Estrela. We cannot wait to share more about Salve with our students!

11/08/2026

If you have been following our stories on IG and Facebook, you will have followed Alyson around the great state of Rhode Island! She visited five schools in 24 hours 😲 walking all over the city, meeting with admissions officers, and taking in all the sights and sounds of gorgeous Providence + Smithfield!

📍Brown University, Providence (pics 1-3)
📍Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence (pic 4 & 5)
📍Johnson & Wales University, Providence (pic 6 & 7)
📍Providence College, Providence (pic 8 & 9)
📍Bryant University, Smithfield (pic 10)

Providence is an INCREDIBLE college town. The history, culture, food, and coastal location is also a major plus. If you want to see many incredible colleges, eat amazing food, and enjoy the friendliness of Rhode Islanders, add this to your travel list!

Check back here tomorrow for a recap of Alyson's experience on the "Counselor Getaway" to Salve Regina University in Newport, RI!

09/08/2026

Today is 📚 and as you may know, we LOVE to read here at Estrela! A few months ago, we shared our "summer" stack and as we head back to school, we wanted to share our "college admissions" faves!

Comment below if you have read any of these, or if you'd like to! (They are ALL excellent!) ⬇

08/08/2026

Close to our Northeast Ohio hub, thousands of people have flocked to Twinsburg, Ohio for this weekend... but at Estrela Consulting, our team has one-upped the twins, with not one - but TWO sets of TRIPLETS!

Kristina's triplets are 15, and Alyson's just turned 12. And soon enough - they will be navigating the college process x 3! It's a lot of work, but we just consider ourselves 3x as blessed.

If you are reading this and you are a parents to twins, triplets, or more (😮) - check out this Estrela blog that highlights programs and scholarships that are just for multiples!

🎓🎓🎓 https://blog.estrelaconsulting.com/scholarshipsformultiples

07/08/2026

⏰ ATTENTION: Estrela Class of 2027! ⏰

We are hosting our final LIVE Common App camp + Common App Activities webinar of the season over the next two Sundays! These complimentary webinars will walk you through the steps of setting up the Common App, as well as helping you with the individual sections (including the art + science of the Activities section)!

If you have not attended these sessions yet, or want to re-join for extra time with our consultant team - please reach out for the registration links, or check your Estrela email on your Custom College Plan! ☑📩

03/08/2026

🍎📚 August has officially arrived... and that means one thing:

**College application season is officially HERE for the Class of 2027!** 🎉

To every senior getting ready to hit “submit” over the next few months—we’re cheering you on! This process can feel overwhelming at times, but take it one step at a time. You’ve worked hard to get here, and you’ve got this. 💙

And to the parents... we know you’re on this journey too. There will be exciting moments, stressful moments, and probably a few emotional ones along the way. Just remember: your student doesn’t have to have everything figured out today. One application, one essay, one decision at a time.

✨ We’re excited to walk alongside you throughout this application season with tips, advice, and encouragement every step of the way.

🎥 **And... we’ve got something NEW coming soon!** A fun weekly video series featuring a very special guest. 🐾

Any guesses who my co-host might be? Drop your prediction in the comments! 👇

01/08/2026

August is here and in the world of college admission that means (drumroll, please 🥁... the Common App is OPEN!

The Common App is an application platform that allows students to apply with one click* to over 1,100 universities in the US and internationally. Our Estrela Class of 2027 students have been working over the summer on their applications through our Common App Bootcamps and Common App Activities webinars so they will be ready to hit SUBMIT!

If you have not created your Common App account, here is the link to get started 🔗
https://apply.commonapp.org/login

If you are feeling behind or overwhelmed - reach out to us to see how we can help your student on their Common App + application journey! 📲 https://meetings.hubspot.com/kristen-kolar/schedule-your-estrela-discovery-call

31/07/2026

As we wrap up the month of July, we want to celebrate warm weather, waves, sand, and easy living! If going to a "coastal college" is on your higher ed wish list - check out our blog "College Surf 101: 15 Colleges by the Beach" 😎🏖🌴

https://blog.estrelaconsulting.com/colleges-near-the-beach

After a long winter, you may be dreaming of a stroll on the sand. Check out our list of 15 colleges offering both beach access and a top-notch education!

27/07/2026

Update for Class of 2027 Families (who are not yet working with us!)…

Discovery Call Link in Our Website Here: www.EstrelaConsulting.com