Escuchar The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast! Many of you have been following Cassidy, a current high school senior, as she navigates the college application process. We've walked through her brainstorming exercises, her personal statement writing, and her supplemental essays. And now, at long last, Cassidy has received her college acceptances. Rather than reading the email she sent me, I replied, "Hey, I know you got your acceptances. What if we do a live reveal on the podcast?" So, I genuinely don’t know yet where she's been accepted. Huge shoutout to Cassidy for agreeing to do this live! In this conversation, we dive into a range of things, including: * The extent to which Cassidy felt she had a successful application process vs. successful outcomes (and the difference) * Which schools she was accepted into * Important factors in making her final college decision, focusing on what my team calls the "6 Fs" of college fit: focus, fellowship, finances, future, family, and feeling * What she did well, and what she’d do differently I also guide Cassidy through a fun, quick exercise—one you (or your student) can also try—that can be completed in one day, one hour, or even one minute. Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, identifies as a “yapper,” and knows a lot about Biology. Hope you enjoy it.   Play-by-Play * 2:11 – Welcome and check-in * 3:31 – To what extent does Cassidy feel like she had a successful application process? * 4:48 – Cassidy shares her college decision results! * 8:13 – To what extent does Cassidy feel she had successful outcomes?  * 9:02 – Ethan introduces the six F’s of college fit for Cassidy’s top choice schools   * 10:43 – Focus * 12:12 – Fellowship * 13:32 – Financial  * 14:52 – Future * 16:53 – Family * 17:41 – Feeling * 20:36 – Cassidy reflects on what stands out at each school she is considering * 23:40 – How to choose which college to attend in one day, one hour, or one minute * 29:39 – Reflecting on this process, is there anything Cassidy wishes she had done differently?  * 31:10 – Wrap up and closing thoughts   Resources: * How to choose which college to attend: Key factors to consider [http://collegeessayguy.com/blog/how-to-choose-which-college-to-attend-key-factors-to-consider] * College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement] * College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub]

Welcome back to the podcast! Ethan is joined today by Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC [https://www.nacacnet.org/]). Angel has just written a new book on leadership called The Hottest Seat on Campus [https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570210/the-hottest-seat-on-campus/]. It’s written for leaders on college campuses, but the advice he gives is applicable to leaders everywhere, whether you are a college counselor leading in your office, a parent leading in your home, or even a student leading in your school or community. In their conversation, Angel and Ethan discuss: * How does Angel define leadership? * Why is detachment so important (and how do we do it)? * What’s the number one thing Angel believes will lead leaders to success in the future? * What is deep work and why do we love it so much? * Lots more. The advice is practical, given the challenges facing higher education, we believe it’s timely… and we hope you find it useful. If you haven’t met Angel Pérez, he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC [https://www.nacacnet.org/]). In this role, he represents more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. Named by a Forbes article in 2019 as the most influential voice in college admissions, he strives to build an educational ecosystem that better represents today’s society. Prior to joining NACAC in July of 2020, Dr. Pérez served in secondary and higher education leadership positions across America, most recently, as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Connecticut. He is an advocate for counselors everywhere, an important ally in the work of increasing access to higher education, and I’m so glad to call him my friend.   Play-by-Play * 2:03 – Welcome and check-in * 3:56 – Angel shares what his book is about, why he wrote it, and who it’s for * 5:50 – Why is it important to talk about leadership right now?  * 9:04 – Superpower #1: The Power of Solitude  * 15:23 – Superpower #2: The Art of Detachment * 24:00 – Superpower #3: Inspiration through Inclusivity * 36:45 – Superpower #4: Mastering Self-Management * 42:31 – Superpower #5: The Power of Showing Up * 50:24 – Superpower #6: The Power of Focus * 54:55 – Superpower #7: Shift Your Mindset * 1:04:26 – Getting comfortable saying “I don’t know”  * 1:12:57 – Which superpowers do Angel and Ethan want to work on over the next year?  * 1:20:07 – Closing thoughts and sharing goals   Resources * The Hottest Seat on Campus [https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570210/the-hottest-seat-on-campus/] by Angel Pérez * The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success by Diana Chapman, Jim Dethmer, and Kaley Klemp  [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-15-commitments-of-conscious-leadership-a-new-paradigm-for-sustainable-success-diana-chapman/14574335] * Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout [https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-productivity-the-lost-art-of-accomplishment-without-burnout-cal-newport/20143790?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7pO_BhAlEiwA4pMQvImmoROezgUar2KEXHhvjxAuOL9qp9XXM5jtO1tsk4ID93oH4WTcoxoCCZYQAvD_BwE] by Cal Newport  * Maker Time vs. Manager Time [https://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html] * College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement] * College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub]

To kick off Season 6, Ethan shares some practical resources based on a new framework he's been exploring.  If you’re a regular listener, you’ll already be familiar with something we call the Roles and Identities List, which is a huge menu of roles (things like “catalyst” and “change-maker” and “party-bringer”) — Ethan has used it as a get-to-know-you exercise with a number of previous guests.  In case you missed it, check out Part 1 [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/podcast-stream/roles-and-identities-exercises-for-students-and-parents] of this mini-series where Ethan walked through some practical exercises for students and parents based on the Roles and Identities framework.  But what about counselors? We who spend our days (and often nights) answering emails, phone calls, texting and generally caretaking in 100 different ways…  Today’s episode is the second of two where Ethan will share some exercises that counselors can use to recognize patterns they may fall into at times and how they might practice more self-care and show up more fully for their students. Ethan explores:  * How can counselors make sure we fill our own cups (and not just our coffee cups)?  * How can we make sure we’re even more spacious and resourced… so that we’re able to give back from a full cup, and with a full heart? * And more.  We hope you enjoy!   Play-by-Play * 0:08 - What is the Roles & Identities Framework?  * 5:34 - Exercise #1 : The Roles & Identities List  * 11:39 - Exercise #2: The “shadow” version * 21:30 - Exercise #3: The “foil” to your role  * 23:20 - Closing thoughts    Resources: * The Roles and Identities Exercise [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/roles-and-identities-exercise]  * College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement] * College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub]

To kick off Season 6, Ethan shares some practical resources based on a new framework he's been exploring.  If you’re a regular listener, you’ll already be familiar with something we call the Roles and Identities List, which is a huge menu of roles (things like “catalyst” and “change-maker” and “party-bringer”) — Ethan has used it as a get-to-know-you exercise with a number of previous guests.  Today’s episode is the first of two where Ethan will dive into a few short, practical exercises for students and parents that can help them figure out things like how they’d like to focus their time as they go through this process. He gets into, among other things:  * The philosophy behind the Roles and Identities framework * Some hands-on exercises that students can do — whether in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade — that can help them, for example, plan summer/EC activities, or even map out their college application.  * A simple but powerful exercise for parents thinking about who they want to be in this process—since let’s be honest it isn’t the students who are learning about themselves here.  Stay tuned for Part 2 where Ethan will share some exercises that counselors can use to recognize patterns they may fall into at times and how they might practice more self-care and show up more fully for their students.  We hope you enjoy!   Play-by-Play * 3:36 - What is the Roles & Identities Framework?  * 6:57 - Exercise #1 (for both students and parents): The Roles & Identities List  * 8:59 - Exercise #2 (for students): Using the Roles & Identities list to plan your summer or extracurricular activities * 11:30 - Using The Values list to expand on your roles and identities * 13:23 - Which parts of you will you show in your college application? * 18:21 - Exercise #3 (for parents): Who do you want to be in this process?  * 27:50 - Closing thoughts   Resources * The Roles and Identities Exercise [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/roles-and-identities-exercise]  * The Values Exercise [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/the-values-exercise] * 100+ Summer and Extracurricular Ideas — Based on Your Roles and Identities [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/100-plus-ec-ideas-roles-and-identities] * 100+ Summer and Extracurricular Ideas — Based on Your Values [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/100-plus-summer-ideas-values] * College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement] * College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub]

In today’s episode, Ethan is joined by Akil Bello to talk about standardized tests, rankings, and the cost of college. They dig into some common misconceptions about college including:  * Are most colleges returning to requiring standardized testing scores?  * Is it too hard to get into college?  * Are highly-ranked colleges better?  * Is it true that most colleges now cost more than $100,000 per year to attend?  * And more!   Akil Bello is an educator, strategist, researcher, policy consultant, and advocate for equitable access to education. For more than 30 years, he’s worked every job you can imagine related to admission testing and college access from tutor, to test prep company founder to CEO and now works as the Senior Director of Advocacy at Fair Test. When he is not moonlighting reading college applications for a public university, he serves on several advisory boards, writes articles for Forbes, and helps his wife parent their college freshman and HS junior.   We hope you enjoy!   Play-by-Play: *  1:56 - Akil shares a bit about his background and identities  *  3:57 - What is Fair Test and what does Akil do as Senior Director of Advocacy?  *  6:03 - Myth #1: Most colleges are returning to requiring standardized testing scores.  * 11:25 - Myth #2: Universities are returning to standardized tests because they help attract students of color? * 13:40 - Myth #3: Standardized test scores are a reliable predictor of GPA in college.  * 16:18 - Myth #4: It is harder than ever to get into college.  * 19:25 - Myth #5: The higher the ranking, the better the school. * 27:59 - What are some good questions that students can ask themselves when developing a college list?  * 29:52 - Myth #6: College is expensive.  * 33:59 - Myth #7: A particular essay, extracurricular, or passion project gets students into college.   * 37:34 - What are some good questions that students can ask themselves when considering whether or not to submit a test score? * 43:26 - What are some good questions that students can ask themselves if they are considering writing about race in their college essay or application? * 46:44 - Akil shares advice to parents and students who are navigating this process * 51:28 - Wrap up and closing thoughts    Resources: * College Essay Guy’s Roles and Identities Exercise [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UkH4oP97M3tWnzsBXd9QyE9kmF3IBCKrek_l2_AEyz0/edit?tab=t.0]  * CEG Resources Post-SCOTUS Decision [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/scotus] * College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement] * College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub [https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub]