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

Katie Andersen, a former NCAA Division 1 soccer player at Duke, now champions student-athletes through her organization, College Fit OC. She shares critical advice on navigating college athletic recruiting, from identifying whether a sport is viable at the college level to when to start the recruiting process. Tips include using social media wisely and understanding college coaches' roles in admissions. Andersen emphasizes the importance of being proactive and staying informed about recent NCAA rule changes to enhance recruitment chances.

On this episode I had the honor of sitting down with Sam and Shannon Bergeron. Sam is a transgender man who transitioned in high school (in Texas) and who now works in college admissions at his alma mater, Hampshire College. Shannon is Founder of Core College Consulting, where she specializes in using a whole child college counseling™ approach. She’s been a school counselor for more than 20 years, a volunteer with Matchlighters Scholars program, and she’s also Sam’s mom, an ally, and an advocate for trans students.  We discuss a number of critical things trans youth, their counselors and caregivers should know as they navigate the college admission process, including: The importance of understanding student information systems at your school How to ensure safety in gendered spaces on campus The value of offering, or improving trans-specific counseling services Conversation starters for teachers, counselors, and administrators How to research colleges And much more   Play-by-play 0:00 - Introduction - Who are Shannon and Sam? 1:43 - Welcome to the podcast 1:55 - Shannon and Sam share their backstories in advocating for trans youth 4:39 - What was Shannon’s experience of Sam’s transition in high school? 6:42 - Why is it important to talk about and advocate for trans youth? 9:57 - Ethan shares his personal ties to trans youth advocacy 10:45 - What are some of trans students' rights at school? 15:19 - What are Shannon’s strategies for identifying places in the school system that protect trans youth?  17:38 - What are some of the impacts of calling a student by the wrong name?  19:20 - How can parents, caregivers, and counselors better support trans students?  21:55 - How do you find and create safe spaces in high school? 28:00 - What is Shannon’s advice for parents in similar situations? 32:15 - The power of grounding techniques   34:38 - What are some ways of sharing your story in a way that is impactful for others? 37:20 - What should counselors keep in mind? 39:25 - Sharing common terminology surrounding LGBTQIA+ identities  44:04 - What is Sam’s experience and advice in the college search process? 49:26 - ICYMI: CEG Podcast Episode 214 - Resources for LGBTQ+ Students from Campus Pride with Shane Windmeyer 49:53 - Advice and considerations for writing the college essay 56:32 - Closing advice for supporting the trans people in your life   Resources:  Blog Article: 10 Critical Things Trans Youth (and Their Counselors and Caregivers) Should Know in High School and When Applying to College The Protect Trans Students Resource 50+ LGBTQ Resources for Students and Their Counselors Grounding techniques resources: https://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/distress-tolerance/grounding/ https://www.inclusivetherapists.com/blog/understanding-different-types-of-grounding https://www2.winona.edu/resilience/media/grounding-worksheet.pdf https://www.acesdv.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Grounding-Worksheet.pdf

On today’s episode I got to sit down with Rick Diaz, the Regional Director of Admission for Southern Methodist University (SMU) and someone I’ve known for more than 15 years. We have a pretty wide ranging discussion that covers: A behind-the-scenes look at how SMU reads applications and how they shape a class—and what that even means  Then we dive into supplemental essays — in particular the impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admission — and how that decision has led to a large number of selective schools changing or adding new supplemental essay prompts.  We nerd out on Rick’s favorite supplemental essay—the “Why us” essay—talk a little about college majors and then—I think, Rick maybe has a little a-ha moment about when his interest in his own college major began We play a little game I made up on the chat called “What do students get wrong about…” And finally we discuss dos and don’ts for making a connection with your regional admission officers including (spoiler alert) why you maybe shouldn’t show up at their house with a box of their favorite cookies… unless you kinda’ want to freak them out a little?   I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.    Play-by-play 0:00 - Welcome to the podcast 01:32 - Who is Rick Diaz? 02:35 - What’s Rick’s role at Southern Methodist University (SMU)? 06:04 - How does SMU read applications? 08:44 - How long does Rick spend on reading an application?  10:42 - What are institutional priorities and how do they shape decisions in a college? 13:05 - What is the relationship between supplemental essays and institutional priorities? 16:29 - What are colleges looking for when their supplemental question is “Why us?” 17:21 - This year’s supplemental prompts at SMU 18:14 - Should you talk about your diversity in your college essays? 21:01 - An exercise in diversity 23:32 - What are colleges thinking about right now surrounding supplemental essays? 25:55 - Rick reacts to supplemental prompts from other schools 26:07 - Rick reacts to a prompt about being different 27:34 - Rick reacts to a prompt about your identity and goals 29:41 - How did Rick figure out his major in college? 32:46 - What is demonstrated interest and how important is it? 38:16 - Why do colleges care who is more likely to enroll? 40:25 - Do’s and Don’t’s of reaching out to your admissions officer 43:01 - What students get wrong about admissions 43:14 - How important are extracurriculars & summer planning? 44:41 - What about the personal statement? 47:03 - Is it true that the personal statement or supplemental essay can impact some students more than others? 49:00 - What about Standardized testing? 51:00 - What Rick loves about this work 52:41 - What should families keep in mind during this process? 57:07 - Wrap-up and additional resources   Resources The “If You Really, Really Knew Me” Exercise (Template) This practical, comprehensive exercise helps students generate a list of identities, skills, qualities, and skills they can share with colleges. It’s one of our favorites here at CEG—if you use it, just give us a shout-out. :) The Social Identities Exercise (Template)This exercise is another favorite and is useful for helping students think about diversity and identity in both broader and more nuanced ways. Includes a guide for counselors, facilitators, and parents. How to Answer the “Diversity” (and Other Related) Supplemental Essay Prompts (Blog Article) Colleges and Universities that Changed Their Supplemental Essay Prompts After the SCOTUS Decision Was Released (Blog Article) Why You Don’t Have to Write about Trauma in Your College Essay to Stand Out—and What You Can Do Instead (Blog Article)  

In a thought-provoking discussion, TED speaker Tina Yong shares her insights on college essay narratives, emphasizing that students shouldn’t feel pressured to write about trauma to stand out. She reflects on the systemic issues around personal storytelling, especially for students of color. Yong highlights the importance of taking ownership of one's identity and offers practical exercises to help articulate personal narratives. The conversation also touches on the implications of recent Supreme Court rulings regarding race in college applications.

Lorenzo Gamboa, Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach at Santa Clara University, shares invaluable insights for Latinx families preparing for college. He addresses common misconceptions, like the belief that undocumented students can't attend college and the pressure to choose high-paying careers. Lorenzo emphasizes the importance of embracing personal and cultural narratives in college applications, especially in light of recent Supreme Court rulings. His firsthand experiences help demystify the college journey and highlight the vital role of family support.

Jay Rosner, who has devoted his career to law and college admissions, discusses the recent Supreme Court decision on race-conscious admission. Topics covered include the ruling's practical implications for college admissions, fears of underrepresented students, burden on students versus colleges, and advice for counselors. The podcast also explores the importance of diversity, providing context in applications, colleges' perspective on diversity, and the ideological twisting of the 14th Amendment. It concludes by emphasizing the changes in race-conscious admissions and college expectations.

In today’s episode, Tom Campbell (CEG’s Community Manager) and Susan Tree (a college counseling and admissions legend with 40+ years of experience) chat about all things related to the academic part of a student’s college application— which, at many selective colleges, is seen as the “foot in the door” of their selection process. This is part 1 of a series we’ll be doing around students’ academic background and interests and how they factor into the admissions process. Part 2 is all about “intellectual curiosity”: a quality that many colleges actively look for in students, yet is a little more ambiguous and nuanced compared to mapping out a high school course plan. On the episode you’ll hear Susan and Tom discuss: Why taking five solid academic courses (English, math, social studies, science and language) each year of high school gives students the broadest range of exciting college options How advanced course rigor (including Advanced Placement/AP and International Baccalaureate/IB courses) is evaluated by colleges The potential danger of “overspecialization” in an academic subject too early The value of demonstrating self-directedness in your academic journey— and where do to that in an application How admissions officers evaluate and contextualize your transcript and high scho0l profile when making admissions decisions1   Why these episodes? According to the 2018-2019 National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Admission Trend Survey, students’ grades and strength of curriculum are the top two application components that are of “considerable importance” to colleges During CEG’s Applying to Highly Selective Colleges & Universities Course, the section on academics received the most questions out of all other application components— and elicited the most confusion! While we aren’t able to give all students and families who come to us for support individualized guidance about their particular high school (though we do offer comprehensive college counseling at CEG!), we wanted this podcast to provide the most comprehensive advice possible around academic choices   Play-by-play 5:33 - So… Why are we talking about planning your HS Academic Journey? 8:28 - What are the benefits of planning your HS experience early? 10:39 - What do colleges expect from students? 11:08 - How do you check a college website for their required HS coursework? 12:48 - How is it different at more competitive universities? 13:14 - What if your HS doesn’t offer opportunities for the classes you want to take? 14:44 - What is the value of self-directedness? 15:06 - How do I better understand how my school is viewed by admissions officers? 17:19 - What do admissions officers want to know about the school as it relates to your academic record? 19:24 - Why you should be looking at your transcript and school profile side-by-side 21:32 - Thinking like an admissions reader  22:26 - Transcripts vs. report cards 23:38 - How being aware of what colleges have access to can help you be strategic  25:44 - How do you put your academic experience into perspective? 27:18 - What students often don’t realize about their application evaluation  29:50 - How important is it to tell your own story 31:28 - HS Counselor Tip: Your School Profile 32:56 - AP (Advanced Placement) course considerations 35:11 - How will colleges view XYZ  courses? Which course is better? 42:24 - Why are some independent schools getting rid of AP (Advanced Placement) course offerings? 44:00 What does Susan think about IB (International Baccalaureate) Curriculum considerations? 47:50 What if my high school doesn’t offer AP or IB course options? 49:58 Key Takeaways from Today’s Episode

If you’re ever wondering, how did Ethan land on those words, “ease, purpose, and joy,” well to be honest — it came from a brainstorming conversation with today's podcast guest, Sage Howard. Sage is a meditation & yoga teacher and wellness coach whom I have known for more than 15 years, and who fully embodies ease, purpose, and joy.    On this episode we talk about, among other things:  Why mornings are so darn important A little of the science behind our nervous system (including our sympathetic and parasympathetic states get triggered) A few ways morning rituals can improve our creativity, health, and relationships Then we get super practical with a bunch of ways to not only create a morning routine but ALSO raise the likelihood that we can make that morning routine stick Fun fact: Since I recorded this episode with Sage, I’m proud to say I was inspired to start my own morning routine and so far it’s brought so much more slowness, presence — and okay, yes, ease, purpose and joy to my life.    Play-by-play: [0:29] Who is our guest, Sage? [0:44]  ICYMI - brief recap of Episode 401 with Angel Perez, CEO of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling [1:41 ] Today’s focus: How can morning rituals improve health, creativity, and relationships? How can you create a morning routine that actually sticks? [4:15] Sage shares a story of her earliest memories with morning rituals  [6:42] What is Sage’s relationship to mornings?  [7:21] Morning A: Tuning into the outside world and constant productivity through phones, email, work, news, and podcasts [8:22] Morning B: Tuning inward by choosing meditation, journaling, yoga instead of reaching for the phone [9:30] Why do mornings matter so darn much? [12:15] The science of morning routines & your nervous system [15:12] What are some of the ways that morning rituals can help us? [20:25] Is it bad to reach for your phone first thing in the morning?  [24:18] How do I actually start a morning routine?  [26:08] A list of practical ideas to choose from in your morning and why they work [26:29] Water, coffee, or tea [27:06] Wake up your body by stretching [27:36] The power of breathwork [28:11] Singing and dancing! [28:33] Incorporating nature [29:09] Why and how should you try meditation?  [30:05] Journaling [30:56] Reading [31:48] Setting intentions for the day [32:20] Joy and laughter [33:18] What has Ethan tried in his mornings? [34:49] How do you make the morning ritual a more consistent part of your life?  [44:14] Episode Takeaways 

On this episode I chat with Angel Perez to discuss his personal journey with burnout, self-care, and therapy, and I even share some of my own personal journey — and we connect on what it might mean to find more ease, purpose, and joy in our own lives. This is part 1 of a series I’ll be doing on self-care this year. You’ll notice Angel mentions a morning routine — in part 2 you’ll meet wellness coach Sage Simpson, who will get into the practical specifics of how to create a morning routine for yourself.     On the episode you’ll hear Angel and I discuss: Angel’s personal experience with burnout How did he address it in writing an article on self-care in college admissions Why self-care is especially important for caretakers and professionals in helping roles Strategies and techniques Angel (and Ethan) use for self care Ways to address shame, and why therapy has been important for Angel What to look forward to at NACAC 2023   Why these episodes? Self-care has become a bigger theme at CEG in the past couple of years, particularly coming out of the pandemic—and in my own life. Anxiety and depression are at an all-time high in students, while counselors, leaders, and educators are burning out and switching jobs (Chronicle of Higher Ed reported on a study by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, or CUPA-HR” noting that 71 percent of coordinators and counselors in the college admissions field have been in their jobs for just three years or less.   Resources: Blog post Angel wrote: One CEO's Story of Executive Burnout   Play-by-play: [00:00] Intro [2:34] Who is Angel Perez? (Spoiler: he’s awesome) [4:44] What led Angel back towards self-care in recent years? [8:10] How did Angel’s childhood affect his work life today?  [10:15] What inspired Angel’s article on burnout?  [12:30] What are Ethan’s boundaries and personal habits with work? [13:30] How do you recognize when you need self-care, or have behaviors that signal it’s time to step back? [15:36] What is Angel’s morning routine?  [19:00] How to deal with the shame that comes with self-care [21:39] What have Angel (and Ethan) learned in therapy? [26:40] Finding balance vs. coming into balance [28:50] What are some of Angel’s & Ethan’s other self-care and health practices? [32:45] What helps Angel and Ethan get into flow? [39:35] What is NACAC and the college admission field doing well, and what could we do better (in regards to self-care, rest, work culture, etc.)? [43:45] What is NACAC committed to? What should we look forward to at this year’s conference? [46:35] What are we committed to (in regards to increasing access to self-care in our personal/work lives)?

Tom Campbell is back for another episode in our series that goes behind the scenes of an admissions office to let you know what happens when you click submit on your application—where does it go? Who reads it? What are they thinking? How do they make decisions? At the time of this recording, Tom Campbell was Assistant Dean Of Admissions at Pomona College. Tom was formerly the Assistant Director Of Admissions at College of the Holy Cross, his alma mater, and also serves as a Group Leader, Essay Specialist and Faculty Member at the very awesome College Horizons. In part 2, we cover a ton of listener questions that we didn’t get to during the first episode (and some questions folks didn’t ask) and dig deeper on all things admissions at Pomona.   We covered: What is demonstrated interest? Does Pomona track demonstrated interest? Why is it important for colleges to know how likely a student is to enroll (aka college yield)? Do’s and don’ts for students at a college fair What can folks learn about Pomona based on their supplemental essay prompts? How does Pomona decide which prompts to use? Does it matter which Common App personal statement prompt you choose? Should students stick closely to the prompt for the supplemental essays? Does it matter which major a student chooses when applying? What are some “red flags” Tom remembers that got students immediately rejected?   Resources: Crash Course on Writing Pomona’s Supplemental Essays What is Demonstrated Interest? A Practical How-To Guide How to Create a Great College List How to Write the “Why this College” Essay   Play-by-play: [4:20] What is demonstrated interest? [6:30] Does Pomona track demonstrated interest? [9:20] Why is it important for colleges to know how likely a student is to enroll (aka college yield)? [11:10] What is “yield”? [13:50] What student data does Pomona track compared to other highly selective schools? [15:37] How much do interviews matter at Pomona? [20:46] Why it’s important to ask questions to admissions officers directly [22:20] Do’s and don’ts for students at a college fair [27:10] What can folks learn about Pomona based on their supplemental essay prompts? How does Pomona decide which prompts to use? [39:00] In Tom’s opinion, what makes a memorable personal statement? [44:00] Does it matter which Common App personal statement prompt you choose? [45:45] Do students have a better or worse chance of getting in if they choose the “topic of your choice?” prompt? [46:40] Should students stick closely to the prompt for the supplemental essays? [50:20] Does it matter which major a student chooses when applying? [53:55] Tom reacts to a sample email from a student asking about major choice [60:45] What are some “red flags” Tom remembers that got students immediately rejected? [1:03:50] Are there ever situations where a student had amazing grades/test scores/essays, and yet they were rejected? [1:07:20] Ultimately, how much can students and families control in the admissions process?