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Cara Ray, Founder and Owner of Climb to College, LLC
Waterbury Center, VT 

Former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions
Cara Ray comes to independent educational consulting from the world of college admissions.  Most recently, she served as Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Colorado Boulder where she read thousands of applications, essays, letters of recommendation, and resumes.  In addition, she worked closely with honors students, scholarship recipients, legacies, and other diverse populations of students. She chaired an application reading committee and established the Admitted Student Day program on campus. Cara recruited students through extensive travel in New England, Southern California, Colorado’s Western Slope, and the Denver area and worked closely with high school students and high school counselors. 

Experience With Talented and Gifted Students
While at CU Boulder, Cara directed talented scholar recruitment for the office of admission. She worked closely with the campus honors, leadership, and residential academic programs. In addition, she served on interview panels for the Presidents Leadership Class and reviewed applications for the selective Norlin Scholarship. Cara also served on the Finalist Review Committee for Colorado’s very competitive, state-wide Boettcher Scholarship and had the opportunity to work closely with Boettcher Scholar recruitment in her role at CU.

Expert in Planning Campus Visits
As Campus Visit Coordinator, Cara ran the student ambassador tour guide program and organized full day visit events, including daily information sessions and tours. Now, she brings that expertise to families. Cara is well-equipped to share insights with families on how to make the most of visits to campus, what questions to ask while on tours, and how to learn what makes one campus stand out from another.

Loves Helping Students With College Essays
Essays are a very important component of an admissions application at all selective colleges. Cara has the experience to help her students write about themselves in ways that are honest, effective, and engaging. Cara also serves as a part-time essay reviewer for College Coach, helping students from all across the country with their college essays.

Education
  • University of Denver, MA
Cara earned her Master’s Degree in Higher Education from the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education where her focus was on college student development. Specifically, Cara spent much of her coursework researching and learning about student transitions from high school to college, and how to ensure student success and retention once enrolled on campus. Using that expertise, Cara guides current high school students to find schools that ensure a rewarding educational experience.
  • Colgate University, BA
During Cara's undergraduate experience at Colgate University, she served as a campus tour guide, summer assistant, and senior intern in the Office of Admission where she enjoyed the opportunity to facilitate prospective student interviews and gain insight into the reading and evaluation process. Cara remains active with Colgate’s Office of Admission by volunteering at college fairs, speaking at Summer Send-Offs, and participating in admitted student receptions in the Denver area. She has interviewed prospective applicants and made countless phone calls to admitted students while serving as an alumni admission representative. 


Active With Regional and National College Admissions Organizations
Personal
Cara Ray lives in Waterbury Center, VT with her husband and daughter,  She loves to travel, sing, read, try new restaurants, and spend time outdoors with her two dogs, Guinness and Stella.