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

Ayesha King, the Director of College Counseling at the International School of Los Angeles, brings over twelve years of admissions experience to the discussion. She reveals how recommendation letters play a crucial role in college admissions and shares tips on selecting the right recommenders. Ayesha explains the importance of 'letters of advocacy' that highlight student stories, and offers guidance on requesting personalized letters. Discover how to navigate the process and make your requests count for a standout college application.

Christine Bowman, Assistant VP for Admission at Southwestern University, shares her expertise in college admissions with nearly 30 years of experience. She discusses what demonstrated interest is and why it’s crucial for admissions decisions. Bowman explains how colleges track this interest and offers practical strategies for students to engage effectively. The conversation also covers the concept of 'yield' and how it affects enrollment projections, helping students understand the importance of their interactions with prospective colleges.

On this week’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 5 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about some of the other written parts of the application—the activities list, additional information section, and supplemental essays. Tom and Ethan get into: How can students write a great Activities List?  How can you find out what colleges are looking for in the supplemental essays? And what even is the additional information section? What is a ‘Super Essay’ and how might it be useful? How does a student know when their application is complete? Fun fact: You’ll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.   Play-by-Play 1:09 - What are the other writing components of a college application? 5:26 - How can students write a great Activities List?  9:33 - Does the order of the activities matter? 11:41 - Are activities from 9th and 10th grade worth putting in the Activities List? 13:37 - When should students elaborate on Activities in their Additional Info section? 17:05 - What else can go into the Additional Info section?  23:14 - What are some things to avoid putting in the Additional Info section? 24:41 - How should students format the Additional Info section? 26:19 - Why do some colleges have supplemental essays? 27:31 - What are some of the most common supplemental essays prompts? 34:11 - How might institutional priorities impact an individual applicant?  44:14 - What is a ‘Super Essay’ and how is it used? 49:12 - How does a student know when their application is complete?   Resources How to Write a Successful Common App Activities List How to Use the Common App Additional Information Section: Guide + Examples My College List (Research + Essay Topic Tracker) School-Specific Supplemental Essays Why This College Essay Guide + Examples How to Combine Your College Essay Prompts (To Save 20+ Writing Hours) What the Heck are "Hooks" and "Institutional Priorities"? The Values Exercise CEG Podcast Episode 101: Life As an Undocumented Student at Harvard CEG Podcast Episode 504: What Colleges Want (Part 4): A Crash Course in the Personal Statement with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy)

On this week’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) sits down with Ethan Sawyer (College Essay Guy) for Part 4 in our What Colleges Want series to talk about the personal statement. According to the latest State of College Admission report – after grades, course rigor, and positive character traits (see previous episodes), the college essay is what colleges care about most. Tom and Ethan get into:  What is the purpose of the personal statement?  How do you find a topic, especially if you’re not writing about challenges?   Why do I recommend students NOT choose a common extracurricular activity as their main college essay topic?  How do you stand out?  And how do you know when you’re done? Fun fact: You’ll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.   Play-by-Play 1:38 - What is the purpose of the personal statement in the college admission process? 2:53 - How might students use this statement for multiple schools?  3:48 - Should students talk about challenges they’ve faced in a personal statement?  6:47 - Should students talk about their major or career goals? 8:33 - Where is the best place to discuss extracurricular activities?  10:20 - Should students explain red flags in their personal statement? 11:26 - How can students brainstorm potential topics for their personal statement? 17:56 - What is the structure of a personal statement? 21:11 - How can students stand out? 28:57 - Case Study: What does the process look like from brainstorming to final draft? 35:39 - How does a student know when their essay is done? 38:27 - Is there a place for artificial intelligence in the college essay? 41:47 - have personal statements shifted since the Supreme Court ruling on Race-Conscious Admissions? 44:04 - Why does the personal statement process matter? 49:14 - Closing thoughts   Resources YouTube Video version of this episode (504) Sample personal statements 7 Brainstorming Exercises (YouTube video) The “Food” essay (YouTube video analysis) The Great College Essay Test Why You Don’t Have to Write about Trauma in Your College Essay to Stand Out—and What You Can Do Instead Matchlighters Informaiton CEG Podcast Episode 404: Race-Conscious Admission Was Struck Down—What Does This Mean and What Can Students and College Counselors Do? w/ Jay Rosner Is It “Okay” to Talk About Race in Your College Application and Essays—And If So, How Should You Do It?  

Guests Tom Bear, VP for Enrollment at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Bob Massa, former chief admissions officer at top universities, and Trisha Ross Anderson from Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project discuss the crucial role of positive character attributes in college admissions. They explore how these traits impact a student's fit within college communities and how students can effectively exhibit them in their applications. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of persistence, curiosity, and understanding individual student backgrounds in creating equitable admissions processes.

On today’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) and Nitzya Cuevas-Macias (Director of College Programs at Downtown College Prep) cover: How do students decide which classes to take—and what questions should they ask when deciding? Key recommendations for selecting English, math, science, social studies, language, and elective courses The most frequently asked questions we get asked about courses and grades Nitzya Cuevas-Macias was a first-gen college student at UC Berkeley where she studied History and Legal Studies, and earned her Master’s in Mexican American Studies from San José State. She’s been working in education for 16 years where the majority of her time has been in college access and success, in the CBO, non-profit world, k-12 public and charter, and community college. Currently, she is the Director of College Programs at Downtown College Prep, a free public charter in San José, CA and serves as a board member of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling.  We hope you enjoy!   Play-by-Play: 2:21 - Introductions 6:02 - What are key things to keep in mind when planning your high school experience?  10:21 - Subject area recommendations 11:40 - English  16:04 - Math 21:34 - Science  28:02 - Social Studies 31:11 - Languages 33:06 - Visual/Performing Arts  36:17 - Electives 36:39 - Rapid-fire FAQs about grades 37:43 How do colleges evaluate my course grades and transcript? 38:22 - Is it important to only get Straight-As to have a chance?  40:29 - How do colleges evaluate my GPA? 42:05 - How can students balance a high GPA with challenging courses? 44:28 - Should students increase their rigor every year? 45:23 - Is it a good idea to take additional summer or online courses? 49:43 - How important is class rank? 51:19 - Should I pick Honors, AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment?  54:17 - Are AP and IB scores important if my school doesn’t offer AP courses? 57:28 - How do I know what classes to take if I don't know what I want to study or where I want to go to college? 59:59 - Wrap up / closing thoughts Resources: Coursera UC Scout Episode 403: AP, IB, Honors, Oh My!: How Admissions Officers View Your High School Courses, Rigor, and School Context - Susan Tree Episode 213: Self-Directed Learning (Why You Can Quit HS & Be Okay) What are AP classes? IB vs AP Easiest AP Classes Hardest AP Classes

Show Notes On today's episode, Ethan sits down with David Hawkins, Chief Education and Policy Officer at National Association of College Admission Counselors (aka NACAC), and they get discuss, among other things:  What are the most important factors colleges consider?  What significant changes has he seen in the college admission landscape in the past few years? How has the emphasis on college essays (aka the personal statement) shifted?  Why has the emphasis in standardized testing changed? What have the impacts been of the Supreme Court decision to ban race conscious admission?  How can students, counselors, and parents use the info in this report to make their college admission process easier?  For over 20 years, David Hawkins has worked in enrollment management and admissions to alleviate systemic barriers to accessing higher education. Hawkins has played a key role in setting NACAC's strategic direction, which involved hearing and representing the collective voice of NACAC’s more than 25,000 high school counselors and college admission officers. His priorities include making NACAC a more effective learning organization, with an emphasis on ethics and redefining advocacy.  We hope you enjoy the conversation.   Play-by-Play 2:04 - Introductions 3:03 - What is the State of College Admission report? 5:48 - How can students, parents, and counselors use this report? 9:50 - Which factors of admissions decisions are most important to colleges? 13:34 - How are “positive character attributes” assessed? 18:00 - What are some specific qualities that are important to colleges? 20:46 - How do students show these qualities in their applications? 25:33 - How has the importance of the college essay shifted in recent years? 27:13 - Which colleges seem to value the essay more highly? 28:47 - How does a student’s interest in attending a particular school influence admissions decisions? 32:30 - How are counselor & teacher recommendations assessed? 33:58 - What are admissions officers looking for in extracurricular activities? 37:38 - Why is high school class rank dropping in rank of importance?  39:30 - Do colleges still want to see standardized test scores? 42:52 - Quick thoughts on creative portfolios, interviews, work experience, state exam scores, and subject test scores 44:49 - David shares predictions on shifts in equity and inclusion in the future of admissions 48:57 - Closing thoughts    Resources State of College Admission Report What is Demonstrated Interest? A Practical How-To Guide A List of Activities You May Not Have Considered Including—But That Count! How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation for College: Step-by-Step Guide for Students How to Write a Letter of Recommendation: Counselor's Guide + Samples How to Write a Recommendation Letter for a Student: Teacher’s Guide + Samples Crash Course to Standardized Testing Podcast Episodes: 204: What You Need to Know About Standardized Tests and Mistakes to Avoid 411: Finding Your Why, What a Liberal Arts Education Really Is, and How to Figure out What You Actually Want  

Financial aid specialist Amanda Miller joins the host to discuss paying for college, winning scholarships, avoiding debt, and finding affordable colleges. They debunk myths about financial aid appeals and out-of-state tuition, providing valuable tips for navigating college affordability and financial planning.

Tom Campbell (CEG's Community Manager) and Susan Tree, a college counseling and admissions legend, discuss intellectual curiosity in college admissions. They cover topics such as framing accomplishments as superpowers, identifying learning styles, the value of communicating curiosity to admissions officers, and aligning academic and non-academic interests in applications.

Hey all, today’s episode is a special one. We had one of our rockstar essay coaches, Shira Harris, sit down with two of her former Matchlighter students, Milena Veliz and Sayem Kamal, to discuss their experiences navigating the college application process as First Generation Low Income Students. At the time of the recording, Milena was an incoming sophomore at Macaulay Honors College at John Jay and Sayem was an incoming freshman at Columbia University. They both received full scholarships at their respective schools.  In the episode, we’ll listen to Shira, Milena, and Sayem discuss (among other things):  Milena and Sayem’s backgrounds and how they found out about the Matchlighters program The process of working with Shira and some of the most helpful resources they used to write their essays Leveraging scholarships to pay for college Difficulties Milena and Sayem encountered in the application process and why having a mentor was so helpful What Milena and Sayem wrote in their personal statements Tips, hacks, and guidance for students going through the process right now If you’ve never heard of Matchlighters, it’s our 1-on-1 coaching support program where we pair students from low-income households with volunteer counselors. We’re in our 8th year of the program with over 2,000+ Scholars supported from 45 states and 5 continents — with our scholars attending more than 150 colleges and universities. Shira Harris, whom you’ll meet in a moment, is an alternative educator, mediator, former civil rights attorney and queer activist who received a BA from UC Berkeley, law degree from New York University, and an international masters on migration and mediation in the Mediterranean region. We hope you enjoy the conversation.    Play-by-Play 2:20 - Milena & Sayem share their backgrounds  5:13 - How they found Matchlighters and what their sessions were like  9:41 - What resources did they find helpful in the college essay writing process?   12:36 - How did Milena & Sayem start to build their college lists?  15:35 - What was difficult or unexpected about this process?  19:45 - What tips do Sayem & Milena have for students going through this process right now?  23:20 - How did they overcome concerns about college affordability as low-income students?  26:35 -What scholarship resources did Milena & Sayem find in their search? 29:29 - How are Milena & Sayem connecting with their college campuses? 33:03 - What parts of the application process have stuck with Milena & Sayem?  36:55 - What advice would Sayem & Milena give to their former selves?  38:45 - Resources for First-Gen, Low-Income students  41:11 - Wrap-up / closing thoughts Resources Matchlighters The Values Exercise Corsava Card Sort CollegeXpress QuestBridge Why Us Guides Super Essays Macaulay Honors Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni Reddit - r/applying to college Reddit - r/questbridge CollegeBoard CEG Discord First Gen Support Discord UStrive (mentorship program for FGLI students)