College Essay Guy

Episodes

1. 124

   124: College Interview Tips and Strategies

   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:...

   Jan 15, 2018

   1h 02m
2. 122

   122: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (International Version)

   Jennie and Jeff have painstakingly pored over many many college websites and talked over the phone with many many colleges to put together a spreadsheet that lists over 400 colleges and not only what their total cost of attendance is (because that’s easy to find), but what percentage of financial...

   Dec 7, 2017

   43m
3. 121

   121: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (US Version)

   On this episode Jeff and I discuss this rad resource on which schools are most generous with financial aid and after he shares with us his story, we discuss: -Three huge myths that students and parents have about financially planning for college -Why parents should ignore the school’s sticker…

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   Dec 7, 2017

   43m
4. 120

   120: College List Hacking: Better Fit, Less Time, More Fun

   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...

   Dec 7, 2017

   47m
5. 119

   119: How to Improve Your Personal Statement in 20 Minutes

   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...

   Dec 7, 2017

   34m
6. 118

   118: Who is the College Essay Guy?

   This is part three of my four-part series with Ted Dorsey (aka Tutor Ted). On the last two episodes I interviewed Ted, while on this episode (and on the next one), Ted turns the tables on and interviews me. On this episode Ted just wanted to give folks a chance to get to know me better, so we...

   Dec 7, 2017

   30m
7. 117

   117: How to Improve Your ACT Score By 2 Points in 20 Minutes

   Typically my job is to take some of the most awesome and rad people in the college admissions world (I’m not sure if there is a difference, but I’m sure there is), analyze their genius, and break it down for you into practical and actionable steps whether you’re applying to college yourself or...

   Dec 7, 2017

   22m
8. 116

   116: Who is Tutor Ted? (and Resources for Brainstorming a Personal Statement)

   This is the first of two podcasts with Ted Dorsey, also known as Tutor Ted, who scored perfectly on the ACT, SAT, PSAT and runs a cool test prep company called (what else?) Tutor Ted. Now, in the second part of this podcast he’ll show you how to improve your ACT score by 2 points… in just 20...

   Dec 1, 2017

   44m
9. 114

   114: Free College Application Tools That Students (and Counselors!) Should Know About

   If you know me, or if you’ve listened to the podcast before you know what a resource junkie I am… the same can be said, I think, for my guest on this episode, Shaun McElroy. Shaun is the publisher of two blogs: www.internationalcounselor.org which focuses on all things college admissions and…

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   Dec 1, 2017

   1h 10m
10. 113

    113: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist

    My guest on this episode is Laura Young, a friend of mine who is the director of enrollment management at the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. She was (and I think still is) an “art kid” and in our conversation we talk about why that’s cool, how that has served her in her current job, and…

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    Dec 1, 2017

    57m
11. 112

    112: How to Listen (and Why)

    On this episode I interview an old friend of mine, Ben Mathes, founder of the Urban Confessional, which is a free listening project. A few years ago Ben started posting up outside bus stops and on street corners with a sign that reads “Free Listening” and he would do just that: listen. Over the...

    Dec 1, 2017

    42m
12. 111

    111: Using the Secrets of Screenwriting to Write Your College Essay

    Now, because my specialty is the college essay, I thought I would take the mic for this podcast and share with you a presentation I started giving in 2011, called Using the Secrets of Screenwriting to Write Your college Essay. In this podcast, I’ll dive into: -The story behind how I started...

    Dec 1, 2017

    46m
13. 110

    110: How to Find and Research Great Colleges: The Fiske Guide

    My guest for this episode is Edward B. Fiske (known to most as “Ted”). Ted served as Education Editor for the New York Times from 1974 until 1991, and is well-known to college bound students and their parents as the editor of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, a staple of any high school counselor...

    Dec 1, 2017

    1h 00m
14. 109

    109: How to Figure Out Which School is Right for You

    I first met Steven Antonoff at a NACAC Conference when I heard him telling a story about how he used to spend his spare time reading the Fiske Guide cover-to-cover--in fact, he’d do it while running on a treadmill--and I thought to myself, Who does that? That’s amazing. Needless to say, Steven...

    Dec 1, 2017

    1h 15m
15. 108

    108: Demonstrated Interest: How to Build Authentic Relationships with Colleges

    While my goal is to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college application process, my topic today is demonstrated interest, and at first blush this may not sound like a great way to do that, but I hope by the time you finish this episode and read the accompanying practical guide you’ll...

    Dec 1, 2017

    48m
16. 107

    107: What I've Learned from Reading Over 10,000 College Essays

    This episode is special because it’s an interview with one of my heroes of the college admissions world. In fact, his experience is so deep and he knows so much about so many different aspects about college counseling that if there were a “Master College Counselor” designation he would have...

    Dec 1, 2017

    1h 24m
17. 106

    106: Colleges That Change Lives: Great Schools You May Not (Yet!) Know About

    While Episode 105 was about how workshops can change lives, on this episode you’ll learn about some Colleges That Change Lives. My guest is Maria Furtado, the Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives (aka CTCL), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a...

    Dec 1, 2017

    1h 03m
18. 105

    105: How to Lead a Life-Changing Essay Workshop

    Over the past ten years I’ve delivered hundreds of personal statement workshops--some as small as 4 and some as large as 800--and earlier this year I was getting a bunch of workshop requests and thinking: I can’t deliver all these--in large part because I like spending time with my wife and baby....

    Dec 1, 2017

    46m
19. 104

    104: How to Plan a Fulfilling and Productive Summer

    Welcome to the podcast! This episode’s theme is SUUUUUMMMMER and I’ve got the nation’s #1 summer expert to school us on pre-college summers. Who is she, you ask? Check it out: Jill Tipograph is a youth development expert who has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today,...

    Dec 1, 2017

    41m
20. 102

    102: How to Advocate for Undocumented Students

    In this episode, which is Part 2 of 2, I speak with veteran counselor Dr. Aliza Gilbert about how counselors and teachers can best advocate for undocumented youth. And who better to discuss this with than someone whose PhD examined how schools support (or fail to support) undocumented students.…

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    Dec 1, 2017

    57m
21. 101

    101: Life As an Undocumented Student at Harvard

    I chat with current Harvard student Daishi Tanaka. We chat about: -What a typical day is like for a Harvard student -What it might mean for him and 700,000+ other undocumented students if the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy is repealed -What Daishi wrote his college essay…

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    Nov 29, 2017

    54m