The Art of Standing Out: College Admissions Tips from Becky Munsterer Sabky

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Becky Munsterer Sabky, an author, columnist, and former director of international admissions at Dartmouth College. Together, we explore the college admissions process. From the importance of authenticity in college essays to extracurricular activities, we touch on what makes an application stand out from the rest. We also discuss Becky’s book, Valedictorians At The Gate and her viral New York Times op-ed piece Check This Box If You’re a Good Person. We highlight the college recruiting process and admission rates and consider why students shouldn’t measure their value based on whether or not they get into the best college. Tune in to gain valuable insights that will help you and your highschool student navigate the college admissions process.

[00:00] Why students shouldn’t view college admission as a prize.
[00:56] Intro- Valedictorians At The Gate by Becky Munster Sabky.
[02:44] Becky shares how college admissions officers evaluate applications, and helps students put their best applications forward.
[05:42] Talking numbers: application fees, recruiting, and admission rates.
[9:24] Three priorities that colleges are really after.
[12:00] The college athletics recruiting process.
[14:17] Becky talks about the story behind “Check This Box If You’re a Good Person” and writing her book.
[21:04] Highlighting the importance of authenticity in a college application.
[24:39] How important are extracurricular activities?
[28:39] Taking advantage of the opportunity to try new things in college.
[32:29] A story about a frog.
[36:35] The world is changing.

Resources:

Valedictorians At The Gate by Becky Munster Secchi- https://www.amazon.com/Valedictorians-Gate-Standing-Getting-Applying/dp/1250619033
Check This Box If You’re a Good Person- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/opinion/check-this-box-if-youre-a-good-person.html
Prep Matters- https://prepmatters.com/

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If you have a high school aged student and would like to talk about putting a tutoring or college plan together, reach out to Ned's company, PrepMatters at www.prepmatters.com