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

In this three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode 2, Ethan is joined by screenwriter Whit Anderson, known for her work on Daredevil, The Twilight Zone, and Ozark.  Whit and Ethan talk about, among other things:  How a life-changing illness inspired one of her screenplays The cultural role that storytellers and screenwriters play Whit’s approach to writing, including the use of visuals and detailed outlines The challenges of working in a male-dominated industry And more Content warning: In our conversation we talk briefly about suicidal ideation — both in the context of a movie Whit is working on but also in the context of the illness she experienced.  Whit Anderson has written both original and adapted content for HBO, Showtime, NBC, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Stars, Netflix, and Sky UK. She’s also worked on such shows as Daredevil, The Twilight Zone, and Ozark, as well as on screenplays for her original film Players, and the Netflix hit, Damsel. Most recently for Netflix she wrote a feature script for the epic space opera Empress and she’s currently in development with Paramount Studios, George Clooney’s company Smokehouse, Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap, and Jude Law’s Riff Raff, among others.  And, like Ethan, Whit studied Theater at Northwestern University. We hope you enjoy.    Play-by-Play: 1:47 - When did Whit realize she was a storyteller? 3:48 - How has her storytelling shifted over the years? 5:56 - How has Whit’s identity and experiences influenced her writing?  11:30 - Where does “Whit” show up in her stories? 17:47 - How does Whit decide what to write about next?  22:00 - What is Whit’s writing process like? 23:14 - How does music influence Whit’s writing?  28:15 - What does a typical week look like when working on a project?  31:30 - How does Whit work through writer’s block or moments of feeling uninspired?  35:12 - What is something Whit wants to share about screenwriting? 47:58 - What has Whit learned about being a writer since starting?  56:00 - What change would Whit like to see in Hollywood?  1:05:01 - If Whit could do college again, what might she do differently? 1:09:23 - What upcoming projects is Whit excited to work on? 1:11:14 - Wrap up and closing thoughts   Resources: The Little Porch and a Dog College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub  

In this new three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode 1, Ethan is joined by screenwriter Dave Callaham, known best for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Wonder Woman 1984 and many others. Dave and Ethan discuss, among other things:  When Dave knew he was a storyteller The “armor” that Dave wears (how he presents physically vs. who he is) What the process of writing Shang-Chi was like, especially when much of the source material included outdated stereotypes and problematic portrayals. Dave’s advice to writers on finding their voice And more   Fun fact: You can find the video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel by clicking here. This is a longer episode format we’re experimenting with, so feel free to use the chapters on the video to skip around, and let us know what you think in the YouTube comments. Rather than give you the typical bio, Ethan and Dave kick things off with an improv game where Dave shares what he loves and knows a lot about — an activity that is great for brainstorming ideas for the personal statement! We hope you enjoy.      Play-by-Play: 2:02 - Dave plays “I love, I know” – a brainstorming exercise  3:45 - What was Dave like in high school? 7:46 - When did Dave start writing? 11:08 - When did Dave realize he was a storyteller? 12:12 - What did Dave study in college?  13:11 - What was it like writing Shang-Chi? 16:57 - Where does “Dave” show up in Shang-Chi?  28:39 - What is Dave’s writing process like when working on a movie? 32:42 - How is writing for animation different from live-action? 35:14 - How does writing change through the movie process? 39:01 -  How does Dave decide what to write about next?  51:59 - How important is structure when it comes to screenwriting? 58:30 - The “armor” that Dave wears (how he presents physically vs. who he is) 1:09:33 - What did Dave learn about fight scenes when writing Shang-Chi? 1:16:58 - Dave’s advice to writers on finding their voice 1:24:09 - What did Dave write about in his college essay? 1:29:07 - How much time does Dave dedicate to brainstorming in his writing process? 1:32:30 - If Dave could do college again, what might he do differently? 1:39:20 - Why is representation so important on screen?  1:44:06 - What is something Dave wants to share about screenwriting? 1:48:50 - What advice would you give to young people who are considering writing for a living? 1:50:32 - Rapid-fire questions  Resources: YouTube video version of this episode I love, I know – a brainstorming exercise College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub  

Today’s episode is part four of our series Inside the Application. Ethan is joined by Cassidy, a current high school senior who is working on her college applications for the Fall 2025 term.  Cassidy’s application deadlines are coming up, so Ethan and Cassidy check out what she has so far through a process called the “Almost Done” review. They discuss about, among other things: Where do things stand & how’s Cassidy feeling about the application? What values come through in each piece of Cassidy’s writing?  Where do Ethan (and Cassidy) see opportunities for revision to bring more of herself into the application?  And more Stay tuned, as we’ll continue to check in with Cassidy to find out how her process went and what she ended up hearing back from colleges. Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, knows a lot about Biology, and identifies as a “yapper.”  We hope you enjoy.   Play-by-play:  2:05 - How’s the writing process going for Cassidy? 2:50 - How much time has Cassidy been putting into her application lately? 4:50 - Does Cassidy consider herself a writer? 5:45 - What is an “Almost Done” review?  6:39 - What is a Values Scan?  8:55 - Reviewing Cassidy’s most recent draft of the personal statement  23:20 - Cassidy shares some of her activities list descriptions 34:35 - Highlights from Cassidy’s additional information section 38:25 - Cassidy’s draft of her “excitement for learning” essay  48:08 - Cassidy’s draft of her “roommate” essay 53:20 - Cassidy’s draft of her “community” essay 1:03:08 - Cassidy shares her short answer responses (50 words each)  1:12:55 - Ethan shares closing advice for Cassidy as she prepares to submit  1:14:20 - Final thoughts     Resources Part 1 of this series, Inside the Application  Part 2 of this series, Inside the Application Part 3 of this series, Inside the Application Cassidy’s Supplemental Essay Doc The Roles and Identities Exercise How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay + Examples A How-To Guide for the Short Answer Questions for Highly-Selective Colleges How to Choose a College: A Step-By-Step Guide CEG's College Application Resource Hub A List of Activities You May Not Have Considered Including—But That Count! What do colleges look for in students?

Today’s episode is part three of our series, Inside the Application. Ethan is joined by Cassidy, a current high school senior who is working on her college applications for the Fall 2025 term.  This episode is a deep dive into the supplemental essays — specific essays that many selective colleges and universities require. In particular, Cassidy and Ethan get into:  How to write the “What would you bring to our campus” essay How to write an essay that focuses on “intellectual vitality”  How to write the “roommate” essay Tips on the short answer questions (50 words or less) And more Finally, we close the episode out with a special guest appearance from Renee Ferrerio to review Cassidy’s college list. Renee has been working in college admission for three decades. She has a Masters in school counseling, has worked as both a public and independent school counselor, and serves on numerous college advisory boards and committees, including the Common Application Outreach Advisory Board, and many others.  Stay tuned for future episodes where Ethan and Cassidy continue the conversation. We’ll continue to check in with Cassidy to see how things are going, and you’ll find out how it turned out a few months from now. Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, knows a lot about Biology, and identifies as a “yapper”—more on that in our conversation.  We hope you enjoy!    Play-by-play 1:55 - How’s Cassidy doing on her supplemental essays so far? 4:00 - Ethan reads Cassidy’s “what would you bring to our campus” essay draft 8:48 - Ethan’s feedback on the essay 15:38 - Additional supplemental essay prompts + Ethan’s impressions 19:28 - Using the Roles and Identities Exercise to brainstorm ideas 24:48 - Ethan reads & reviews Cassidy’s draft of her “community” essay 35:41 - Ethan reads and reviews Cassidy’s draft of her “roommate” essay 44:42 - Reviewing Cassiday’s “short answer” prompts (and why they’re like an advent calendar) 53:45 - Introducing Renee Ferrerio  (CEG college counselor with 25+ years experience) 59:28 - Discussing impacted majors, Colleges That Change Lives, and suggestions for Cassidy’s college list Resources Part 1 of this series, Inside the Application  Part 2 of this series, Inside the Application Cassidy’s Supplemental Essay Doc The Roles and Identities Exercise How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay + Examples A How-To Guide for the Short Answer Questions for Highly-Selective Colleges How to Choose a College: A Step-By-Step Guide

Today’s episode is part two of our series, Inside the Application. Ethan is joined by Cassidy, a current high school senior who is working on her college applications for the Fall 2025 term. Ethan and Cassidy will be walking step-by-step through the college application process as it unfolds this school year. In episode 2, they get into:  How is Cassidy’s personal statement coming along? What does Cassidy want colleges to know about her? How is Cassidy approaching her supplemental essays? What is Cassidy looking for in a college and how did she develop her list? And more Stay tuned for future episodes where Ethan and Cassidy continue the conversation! This series is a bit different in that, normally, we share episodes-in-a-series consecutively. For these, we’re releasing them pretty much as we record them, so you’ll notice them interspersed among other topics we’ll be covering. We’ll continue to check in with Cassidy to see how things are going, and you’ll find out how it turned out a few months from now. Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, knows a lot about Biology, and identifies as a “yapper”—more on that in our conversation.  We hope you enjoy!    Play-by-play 1:36 - What has Cassidy been working on since last episode? 3:28 - Cassidy reads draft two of her personal statement  7:51 - Cassidy shares her thoughts on her draft 9:18 - Ethan gives feedback and shares suggestions for the next draft  12:57 -  Ethan reviews Cassidy’s "Everything I Want Colleges to Know About Me" list 21:38 - Ethan reviews Cassidy’s CommonApp Activities List and Additional Info sections 26:09 - What is Cassidy looking for in a college and how did she develop her list? 25:00 - Ethan reads the supplemental prompts from Cassidy’s college list tracker  35:56  - What is a “super topic" and how might it help Cassidy? 50:50 - What is the Roles and Identities exercise? 58:55 - What are Cassidy’s next steps in her drafting process?    Resources Part 1 of this series, Inside the Application Cassidy’s brainstorming and second draft The "Everything I Want Colleges to Know About Me" List: A Brainstorm Exercise 8 First Choices: An Expert's Strategies for Getting into College by Joyce Slayton Mitchell How to Combine Your College Essay Prompts (To Save 20+ Writing Hours) College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources Learn How to Write Great Supplemental College Essays College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub College Essay Guy’s Roles and Identities Exercise Funko Pops

Today’s episode kicks off a new series, Inside the Application. Ethan is joined by Cassidy, a current high school senior who is working on her college applications for the Fall 2025 term. Ethan and Cassidy will be walking step-by-step through the college application process as it unfolds this school year. In episode 1, they get into:  How did Cassidy approach brainstorming and outlining for her personal statement?  What brainstorming activities helped Cassidy pick her topic? Cassidy’s first draft of her personal statement  Ethan’s suggestions for revision  And more This series will also be different in that, normally, we share episodes-in-a-series consecutively. For these, we’re releasing them pretty much as we record them, so you’ll notice them interspersed among other topics we’ll be covering.  Stay tuned for future episodes where Ethan and Cassidy continue the conversation! They’ll revisit her personal statement, talk about supplemental essays, go over how Cassidy developed her college list, and even talk a little bit about the activities list and the additional information section. We’ll continue to check in with Cassidy to see how things are going, and you’ll find out how it turned out a few months from now. Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, knows a lot about Biology, and identifies as a “yapper”—more on that in our conversation.  We hope you enjoy!    Play-by-play:  2:57 - Getting to know Cassidy through her brainstorming materials 3:27 - Cassidy’s social identities 4:29 - Cassidy’s values 7:05 - Cassidy’s superpower 8:12 - Cassidy’s islands of personality 8:40 - What were some of the topics Cassidy considered for her essay? 13:51 - Cassidy walks through her essay outline and examples 16:01 - How did outlining make things easier for Cassidy?  18:48 - Cassidy reads the first draft of her personal statement  22:42 - Cassidy shares her thoughts on her draft 26:04 - Ethan gives feedback  39:18 - Ethan shares suggestions for the next draft  41:52 - Closing thoughts     Resources Cassidy’s brainstorming and first draft College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub Funko Pops  

In this insightful discussion, Emi Nietfeld, author of the acclaimed memoir 'Acceptance,' shares her journey through foster care and homelessness while applying to Harvard. She dives into the complexities of disclosing mental health challenges in college applications. Emi emphasizes the need for students to navigate their narratives thoughtfully and the critical role high school counselors can play in this process. Her personal experiences also highlight the transformative power of writing in reclaiming one's story and identity amidst the admissions landscape.

Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College, shares her 18 years of experience incollege admissions. She dives into why mental health disclosures are vital, emphasizing personal growth and authenticity in applications. Christina advises students on when and how to disclose their mental health challenges, while also exploring the healing power of writing. She highlights the importance of crafting authentic personal statements and encourages open discussions around mental health, ensuring students approach their applications with confidence.

Welcome to our special three-part series on mental health disclosures in college applications.  To kick things off, Ethan interviews Chris Loo, Director of College Counseling at The Stony Brook School, where Chris has been working to help students navigate mental health disclosures in their applications for years. In this episode, they explore: Which student populations does Chris see struggle with mental health challenges? When to disclose mental health issues and when it might not be necessary How and where in their applications students can disclose, from their additional info section to the counselor recommendation letter to the personal statement Advice for counselors and an exploration of the question: "Are we discussing this too much?" This episode is informed by conversations with many admission officers over the years and by direct work with students. If you’d like to hear from an admission officer directly, check out episode two in this series with Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College, and episode three with Emi Nietfeld, who discusses what it was like to navigate mental health disclosures from the student perspective.  Chris Loo immigrated from South Korea at the age of 5 with her parents. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in American History and received her Masters in Clinical Social Work. She has also worked as a music teacher, a campus chaplain and a mental health counselor at a refugee resettlement organization. She also serves as a board director for the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC).  We hope you enjoy the conversation.     Play-by-Play 2:24 - Chris’ background in mental health and college counseling 6:11 - Should students disclose mental health challenges in their college application? 10:20 - What questions can students ask themselves to help decide? 15:08 - What is the Additional Information section and how could it be used to disclose mental health challenges? 17:20 - Chris and Ethan review an example disclosure from the Additional Information section 24:06 - What information could be shared through the counselor letter of recommendation? 24:42 - Chris shares a sample counselor letter example  34:33 - Ethan reads a personal statement sample where a student chose to disclose  47:15 - What is the role of the counselor in this process for students? 54:44 - Are we talking about mental health too much?  57:27 - Closing thoughts for students and families     Resources Blog post inspired by this episode: Should I Discuss Mental Health in My Personal Statement or College Application? (And If So, How)? How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section: Guide + Examples CEG Podcast Episode 507: What Colleges Want (Part 7A): Recommendation Letter Crash Course for Students and Families CEG Podcast Episode 508: What Colleges Want (Part 7B): Recommendation Letter Crash Courses for Counselors and Teachers NYTimes Article: Are We Talking Too Much About Mental Health?

In today's episode, Ethan connects with Angel Pérez (CEO of the National Association of College Admission Counselors) to discuss identity, his personal journey with self-care, and where he sees the college admission profession heading.  On the episode, you’ll hear Angel and Ethan discuss: Angel’s brainstorming work for his own imagined college essay (yes, really) What Angel’s core values have to do with his self-care journey Strategies and techniques Angel (and Ethan) use for self care How does Angel see the US college landscape (and/or admissions process) changing in the next 5 years?  Fun fact: You’ll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel. Check out last year’s conversation, CEG Podcast Episode 401: Self-care for counselors, leaders, and professionals in helping roles. If you haven’t met Angel Pérez, he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). 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 lucky to call him my friend… Hope you enjoy this episode.    Play-by-Play 2:43 - Introductions and welcome 4:15 - Values Exercise 9:13 - Social Identities Exercise 11:47 - What life experiences have influenced Angel’s identities?  19:58 - How do Angel’s core values connect to identity?  22:46 - How has self-care for Angel and Ethan evolved since their conversation last year? 27:06 - What are Angel and Ethan still working on for self-care? 33:39 - Accountability, pausing, and intention in self-care  39:24 - How does Angel see the US college landscape (and/or admissions process) changing in the next 5 years?  44:14 - How has the ban on race-conscious admission impacted students?  46:07 - Advice for students  48:20 - Is college still worth the cost? 50:56 - Advice for counselors and admission professionals 53:23 - Closing thoughts   Resources YouTube video version of this episode (511) Values Exercise Social Identities Exercise Counting Up vs. Counting Down by Duncan Sabien   30-Day Phone Breakup Course (Catherine Price) Rocket Fuel by Mark C. Winters, Gino Wickman CEG Podcast Episode 401: Self-care for counselors, leaders, and professionals in helping roles CEG Podcast Episode 406: Why You Don’t Have to Write about Trauma in Your College Essay to Stand Out—and What You Can Do Instead