604: Inside the Application (Part 5): How to Decide Which College to Attend with Cassidy, HS Senior

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
• College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources
• College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub