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

614: 13 Mistakes High School Students Make When Creating Their College List

Sep 3, 2025

Harlan Cohen, a New York Times bestselling author and college success coach, shares insights on common pitfalls students face when crafting their college lists. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on personal desires over external pressures. Harlan critiques the reliance on rankings and advises considering social and academic fit. He introduces the SEPFA framework for planning and stresses the necessity of understanding long-term costs. With practical tips and a focus on curiosity, he encourages students to embrace their unique college journey.

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INSIGHT

Stop Chasing Other People's Approval

Focusing on being wanted lets external approval steer major life decisions like college choice.
Harlan Cohen says cultivating what you want is a stronger long-term skill than chasing desirability.

ADVICE

Don't Start With Rankings

Avoid starting your college search with rankings because they mislead and give away your power.
Choose schools that fit socially, emotionally, physically, financially, and academically instead.

ADVICE

Don't Let Scarcity Drive Choices

Resist scarcity and fear; you will be okay regardless of where you go.
Work hard to broaden realistic options instead of fixating on ultra-selective schools.

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Welcome back to the podcast. It's September, which means many students are building the list of colleges they're applying to.

Today I'm joined by New York Times Bestselling Author, Harlan Cohen, who walks us through his 13 most common mistakes students make when they're creating their college list.

We cover, among other things:
The importance of shifting from what "they" want… to what you want
The problem with rankings
The importance of doing "future math"
Why treating college as a one-year experiment can lower the stakes
And more

Harlan Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College and six other titles (over 1 million copies in print). His social media accounts have over 1.5 million followers and he hosts a popular podcast. He is the founder of Best First Year, a college success coaching program for students and parents. Harlan lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and three children.

Harlan also has a wonderful college readiness and success program called Best First Year. His coaching guides parents and students from college search all the way through the first year on campus. You can use code CEG for a nice little discount.

We hope you enjoy.

Play-by-Play:

3:12 – Understanding the importance of college choices
5:54 – Mistake #1: Focus on being wanted
12:12 – Mistake #2: Start with rankings
16:45 – Mistake #3: Let scarcity and fear guide you.
19:56 – Mistake #4: Make this about the rest of your life.
23: 11 – Mistake #5: Don't have a plan (SEPFA).
27:21 – Mistake #6: Expect instant access to clubs and activities.
34:01 – Mistake #7: Don't look for merit aid and financial aid.
38:21 – Mistake #8: Don't do future math.
41:26 – Mistake #9: Don't talk to current students on campus.
44:02 – Mistake #10: Want to impress friends and family.
46:06 – Mistake #11: Don't visit at the best time.
47:01 – Mistake #12: Follow friends and significant others to campus.
47:54 – Mistake #13: Assume everyone graduates (nope).
54:38 – What does Harlan hope students and families will keep in mind as they go through this process?

Resources:

Harlan Cohen's Best First Year (enter the code "CEG" for a discount)
CEG Podcast Episode 207: 17 Things to Do Before Going to College
CEG Podcast Episode 109: How to Figure Out Which School is Right for You
CEG Podcast Episode 121: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (US Version)
Murphyjitsu: an Inner Simulator algorithm
College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources
College Essay Guy's College Application Hub