The #1 Secret to Getting Your Teen Into a Top College (It’s Not GPA!)

In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, college admissions coach Dyllen Nellis reveals the secret to crafting standout college applications—authentic storytelling. Forget obsessing over GPAs—top schools want students who can articulate their core values, intellectual curiosity, and unique experiences. Dyllen shares expert strategies to help your teen write compelling essays, develop passion projects, and stand out in a competitive admissions landscape—without parental hovering. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE Why authenticity matters more than perfect essaysHow to help your teen find their unique storyThe role of passion projects in top college applicationsThe right way to support your teen—without taking over 5 KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR PARENTS OF TEENS Story Over Stats – Grades alone won’t get your teen into top schools. Their story and values matter more.Authenticity Wins – Admissions officers can spot fake or forced narratives. Encourage honesty.Passion Projects Stand Out – Schools want students who create real impact through their interests.Curiosity is Key – Support your teen’s genuine interests instead of pushing “impressive” activities.Guide, Don’t Hover – Give your teen space to explore, make mistakes, and develop their own voice. ❤️ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Don’t keep it to yourself! Share this episode and leave a rating & review. Your support helps other parents find expert advice to help their teens thrive. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Free Masterclass: The Top School Admissions FormulaDyllen’s Website: NextGen Admit CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST: Dyllen Nellis Instagram: @nextgenadmitYouTube: Dyllen NellisTikTok: @nextgenadmitLinkedIn: Dyllen Nellis CONNECT WITH YOUR HOST: Dr. Cam Caswell Website: AskDrCam.comInstagram: @DrCamCaswellTikTok: @the.teen.translatorYouTube: Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam FULL TRANSCRIPT Dr. Cam (00:00.942) Hey parents, Dr. Cam here. College admissions are no joke, trust me. I'm right in the thick of it with my own teen and it is stressful. And if you're like most parents, you're probably think that the GPA and your test scores are the golden ticket to getting into the top school. But what if I told you they're not the most important things? In this episode, I'm joined by Dyllen Nellis, a college admissions coach and founder of NextGen Admin who helps students craft applications that make them stand out beyond just grades. After getting accepted to every single school she applied to, including Stanford, yes, parents, she now helps students around the world to do the same. So we're gonna talk about the number one thing that gives your teens a competitive edge. You wanna hear it? Keep listening, welcome Dylan. Dyllen Nellis (00:52.595) Thank you for having me. Dr. Cam (00:54.698) This is such a hot topic, especially now. I know right now my daughter's waiting back to hear back from school. She's hearing from schools and a lot of juniors are in that like frantic mode of, my gosh, grades, grades, grades, grades, grades, building my resume. Why are you telling us that's not the most important thing? Dyllen Nellis (01:16.501) Well, I think people are so focused on grades, especially parents, you know, when putting a lot of pressure on their kids to do well in school. That's a very normal thing. And it is important, yes, to have good grades, but they are not the thing that's going to help you stand out at a top school, especially, you know, I know a lot of people are really excited about hopefully getting into a really competitive school. That's what I help people do. And what they have to understand is that the people applying to those schools will have those top grades and top test scores. Maybe not perfect, so you don't have to be ultra perfect in terms of grades and scores. the thing is, it's not going to be like, what's the difference between you and some other kid who has the same exact score? So the stats don't show the admissions officers who you are as a person or what you're going to contribute to their university. And that's what they want to know. So what I teach students is that their superpower is their story and it's their unique core values and how they can effectively articulate them in standout, powerful college essays. Dr. Cam (02:40.396) Right? So now parents are going, okay, so how do I craft a great story for my teen? How do I make sure my teen has a great story? What do you say to that? Dyllen Nellis (02:51.143) The first thing they need to do is understand who they are. A lot of students will think, okay, what do I write my college essay about? Let me just pick the worst thing that's ever happened to me and write about that. Or the parents will force something onto them and be like, well, you did that one leadership thing that one time, right? So shouldn't you write about that? I guess. And then a lot of times there's this, like, this force in a way that you try to contrive a ...