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

On this podcast we discuss: Why parents should stop telling their students that there are tons of school and to not worry about where they will go Why (and how) to limit the amount of time you spend talking about college When the best time to start talking about college is  The three most stressful parts of college admissions for students--and how to mitigate that stress What Lisa is most and least proud of as a parent when it came to helping her own kids through the college application process

On this episode we discuss, among other things: How common testing anxiety is (you may be surprised) How anxiety functions in the body Strategies for changing how you think about anxiety #reframing Some ways you can understand and adjust self-talk What cognitive rehearsal is and how it can help A brief intro to the emotional freedom technique How regulating your breathing can help

On this episode we discuss: Are standardized tests evil? What are some other standardized test myths that people tend to believe? To what extent does the SAT or ACT measure what students need to know in college? Important statistics from “Crossing the Finish Line,” a book that outlines the research around how well standardized test scores predict actual student performance in life and in college. What is the difference between “test optional” and “test flexible”? If students don’t submit standardized test scores, does this have an impact on scholarships and financial aid? Does applying to a college without a test score hurt a student’s chances? Advice for students with test scores that are “just okay”

This episode is an interview… on interviews! Monica James--whom you may’ve heard previously on the podcast in the episode on Demonstrated Interest--absolutely crushes it in this interview, offering more practical advice than you’ll find in most weekend workshops on this topic. And it’s no wonder: for years she’s been teaching people (and in particular high school students) how to give great interviews. We cover, among other things: Why do colleges give interviews? Can a bad interview actually hurt your application chances? How do you prepare for the interview? What’s the one thing that colleges are looking for above all else? How do you answer the “Why this college” interview question? How do you answer the Strengths and Weaknesses interview Question? How do you answer the Tell Me About Your Reading Life or “What books have you read recently” question? What is the hardest interview question and how do you handle it? What if you get a “bad” interviewer? What if you’re asked a question in an interview that you truly don’t know the answer to? How much does body language matter in an interview? What should you wear to an interview? How do I handle a Skype or Phone Interview? How do I set up an interview? How should I practice? What about Scholarship Interviews—are they different?

Should you apply Early Decision or not? Is there a statistical advantage to applying early or not? When making this decision, it might help to know what the regular decision acceptance rate is for a school and what the Early Decision acceptance rate for a school is and then compare those numbers. That’s the first thing we cover on this episode. After that we discuss: Why did they choose the metrics they chose (i.e. why do these numbers matter)? What are some of the dangers of interpreting this data Who is early decision right for and who is it not right for? And, of course: How can you use this chart practically in when applying to college?  

  On this episode I talk with Jennie about: Why she created the chart in the first place She explains why your student doesn’t have to be incredible in order to get merit aid How much students’ ability to pay matters in admissions How to use the chart, including how Jennie walks students through a consultation Why students might decline to ask for merit-based aid Links: The excel sheet of universities sorted by financial aid generosity (international students) How to sort an excel sheet by column FAFSA Forecaster Jennie Kent’s website A PDF version of the chart with financial aid generosity for international students Duolingo Moment: an app for tracking your screen time

They discuss myths about financial planning for college, the biggest problem with financial aid, and how to use a spreadsheet resource for choosing the right school. The episode also explores the speaker's transition from the film industry to college consulting, debunking misconceptions about paying for college and providing a chart to evaluate financial aid offerings. Additionally, they discuss the Common Data Set as a reliable source of information, creating an indispensable resource for comparing financial aid. The speakers share their recent reads and movies, and reflect on an inspiring podcast interview.

On this episode I interview Anne Wager, who used to work for many years in data and technology but made the transition to counseling and, as she puts it, “out of desperation”, developed a set of cards that she uses with students to help them identify, not just their preferences for what they’re looking for in a college, but what she called “deeper preferences”. We’ll explore what she means by deeper preferences, explain why they’re important, talk about common mistakes that students make when picking colleges, and how parents can best support their students. All this and more. Enjoy!

This episode represents part four of four in my epic mini-series with Tutor Ted and in this one I share what steps to take to turn your essay from “just okay” to “great.” Specifically, though, I share: What I believe the qualities of a great college essay are An example essay that demonstrates those four qualities A step-by-step process for bringing more of each of those qualities into your essay Lots of examples for all the qualities I discuss Even (get this) a step-by-step process for how to make your reader cry Finally, some advice to parents and teachers offering essay feedback FYI: You’ll hear Amie's voice at the start, not mine, since she was interviewing me for this one. Enjoy.

This is part three of my four-part series with Amie Dorsey (aka Tutor Ted). On the last two episodes I interviewed Amie, while on this episode (and on the next one), Amie turns the tables on and interviews me. On this episode Amie just wanted to give folks a chance to get to know me better, so we discussed: How I ended up as the College Essay Guy (Spoiler: that wasn’t the plan) What applying to college was like for me How I learned the importance of asking good questions Why I never tell students to “write in their voice” How I believe writing your essay can actually change your self-image What it’s like working with me one-on-one   PLAY-BY-PLAY How I came to be the College Essay Guy [1:44 ] Surprising similarities between Amie and my stories [4:58] My earlier days applying to college [5:12] If I had gotten admissions help at 17… [7:16] How I learned the importance of asking good questions [7:50] How I use the Essence Object Exercise [10:44] How writing your essay can change your self-image [11:40] “What is your story?” and other bad questions to ask students [13:47] Why telling students to “write in their voice” is bad writing advice [14:25] Two great stories about awesome students I worked with [15:54] My approach to working with students one-on-one [21:11] The importance of picking a great essay topic [27:28 LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Essence Object Exercise Ethan walks Amie through her personal statement exercises Ethan’s Pay-What-You-Can Courses and PDFs The Free Guide to the UC Personal Insight Questions