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

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

De: Ethan Sawyer
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Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions, financial aid, personal statements, test prep and more. Ethan Sawyer (aka College Essay Guy), interviews deans of admission, financial aid experts, and veterans of the admissions field to extract, then distill their advice into practical steps for students and those guiding them through the process. From creating an awesome college list to appealing a financial aid letter, Ethan skips the general advice and gets right to the action items, all in an effort to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admissions process.Copyright College Essay Guy LLC Ciencias Sociales
Episodios
  • 623: Standing Out in STEM: Practical Advice for Future Scientists, Engineers and Techies

    623: Standing Out in STEM: Practical Advice for Future Scientists, Engineers and Techies
    Dec 23 2025

    Welcome back to the College Essay Guy Podcast. Today's episode is hosted by Tom Campbell, Community Manager & Senior Essay Specialist at College Essay Guy and a former admission officer at Pomona College and Holy Cross.

    We've polled the thousands of students who participate in our live webinars and courses and ask what they're favorite subject is, and consistently, STEM reigns supreme. By a lot. In this episode, Tom sits down with Jay Zhang, college counselor at College Essay Guy, to dig into the biggest questions students and families have about preparing for and applying to STEM programs. Together, they explore:

    • What students should know about STEM coursework, rigor, and testing—and where there's more flexibility than most people realize
    • How to think about majors, specialization, and which colleges to consider beyond the usual short list
    • Common STEM student archetypes, including late starters, students unsure which direction to take, those in high-pressure STEM "bubbles," and students worried that elite summer programs are the only path forward
    • And more.

    Jay Zhang holds a B.S. in Microbiology from UCLA and an M.A. in School Counseling from NYU, and he's spent over a decade helping STEM students navigate selective admissions—especially within the UC system. He's also a former UCLA scholarship reader and interviewer, so he's seen exactly what works. Jay brings a strength-based, big-picture approach to STEM planning—and when he's not counseling students, you'll probably find him hiking at Crystal Cove or driving all the way from Orange County to LA for his haircut (hey, clearly, this is a man who knows his priorities).

    We hope you enjoy the episode.

    Play-by-Play:

    • 2:14 – What are some early memories of Jay and Tom learning STEM in school?
    • 5:44 – Jay shares his background and where he grew up
    • 7:55 – What are some high school courses that students interested in STEM could plan to take?
    • 11:33 – What should STEM students know about standardized testing?
    • 14:33 – How can students better understand different STEM pathways and majors?
    • 17:55 – What are some lesser-known colleges or programs that students could explore?
    • 24:03 – What are some strategies for broadening a student's college list?
    • 30:01 – How can students balance prestige with selectivity and other factors that are important to them in finding the right fit?
    • 32:46 – How can students explore diverse interests in STEM?
    • 38:52 – What can high school juniors and seniors do to show interest in STEM if they're just getting started?
    • 46:11 – What helps students in competitive STEM "bubbles" move beyond comparison culture?
    • 50:26 – How can students build on personal experiences that spark their interest in STEM?
    • 53:30 – How important are prestigious summer programs for students interested in STEM?
    • 59:25 – Closing thoughts

    Resources:

    • Firestarter Exercise
    • What is STEM?
    • STEM Majors
    • College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources
    • College Essay Guy's College Application Hub
    Más Menos
    1 h
  • 622: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 4): Supplemental Essay Deep Dive with Alisha, HS Senior

    622: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 4): Supplemental Essay Deep Dive with Alisha, HS Senior
    Dec 9 2025

    Hey friends, and welcome back to the College Essay Guy podcast. Today's episode is a behind-the-scenes look at Alisha's supplemental essays. If you've been following our Inside the Personal Statement Process series, this episode zooms out a bit—you'll hear us work live through several of her supplements and talk through how to bring clarity, intention, and personality into each one.

    In this session, Alisha and I explore:

    • What makes a great "list" response for Columbia—and how to avoid filler
    • How to refine a topic that feels "too common" into something that might stand out a little more
    • A simple way to use the roles & identities exercise to focus a short essay
    • Strategies for approaching the "navigating differences" essay, and
    • How to tackle a "Why us" and a "why major" essay

    Whether you're a student working on your own essays right now, a parent supporting from the sidelines, or a counselor guiding students through this process, I hope you'll find something useful here.

    Alisha is a current high school senior going through the application process who loves science, movies, and discovering new places. When she's not studying the brain, she's mentoring younger students through her program Running Start or planning her next adventure.

    Hope you enjoy our session.

    Play-by-Play:

    • 1:24 – How is Alisha's writing coming along?
    • 2:56 – Alisha reads her Columbia list responses.
    • 5:45 – Ethan gives feedback on the list draft.
    • 7:31 – Ethan introduces the Columbia lived-experience prompt.
    • 8:25 – Alisha reads her draft.
    • 9:30 – How did Alisha choose her topic?
    • 16:31 – Ethan suggests an exercise for refining her draft.
    • 25:41 – Alisha reads her draft of the "navigating differences" prompt.
    • 31:37 – Ethan helps Alisha clarify each side's perspective in her disagreement example.
    • 38:41 – Ethan introduces the adversity prompt and Alisha reads her response.
    • 45:27 – Ethan encourages Alisha to center the essay on the value she names (autonomy) and make the story more specific.
    • 48:29 – Alisha reads her response to the "Why Columbia" prompt.
    • 50:27 – Ethan and Alisha identify what genuinely sets Columbia apart for her.
    • 56:17 – Alisha reads her response to the "Why major" prompt.
    • 58:12 – Ethan helps Alisha frame her essay around the central theme she has chosen: the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience.
    • 1:04:36 – Ethan and Alisha explore how students can research their major when they're unsure what career they want.
    • 1:15:15 – Ethan and Alisha reflect on the drafting process and what comes next.

    Resources:

    • The Values Exercise
    • The Roles and Identities Exercise
    • Why This College Essay Guide + Examples
    • How to Write the "Why this Major" College Essay
    • How to Write the Columbia University Supplemental Essays: Examples + Guide 2025/2026
    • O*NET Career Research Tool
    • College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources
    • College Essay Guy's College Application Hub
    Más Menos
    1 h y 18 m
  • 621: Financial Aid Tips for International Students (and Their Counselors)—2025 Edition

    621: Financial Aid Tips for International Students (and Their Counselors)—2025 Edition
    Nov 25 2025
    Welcome back to the College Essay Guy Podcast. This is a very special session with a dear friend of mine and an honored guest in my world, Joan Liu. Joan is the founder of Second Chance, an organization that helps high achieving students from around the world secure full scholarships to universities after their original offers fall through. This conversation is adapted from a live webinar that we hosted where Joan shares some of the most practical, candid advice I've heard for international students who are looking for full financial aid and for the counselors who support them. In our conversation, we talk about: What a competitive, full-need international applicant really looks likeSome common mistakes that students make when applying to colleges and universities in the United StatesWhy creating a global list and not just a US-centric list can open up new opportunitiesJoan's advice for counselors who are guiding students through this sometimes really complex process. And more. Joan Liu has been a college counselor for the past 25 years, across top secondary schools in the US, UK, Turkey, and Singapore. She is a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia University. Joan is known in the admissions field for her financial aid expertise, and her ability to place students at universities with a full ride. In 2018, Joan mobilized a team of colleagues to support 60 Nepali students who had lost their scholarships from a university in Texas, USA. Joan did not stand by and watch this higher ed crisis. She assembled a team, and these teams stepped forward and re-seated all of the students at universities in the US, Canada, Middle East, and East Asia, with 10+ million in financial aid and scholarships - after the admissions cycle was OVER for that year. That experience led to Joan founding the non profit, Second Chance at Higher Ed, which supports talented students needing financial support, in accessing higher education at the last minute, after the US cycle is over. Folks, that's full rides after April 1 - no other organization has ever done this - and Second Chance is first in its category. Just a few months ago, SC went into its 7th cycle, helping 53 students from 23 countries earn a full ride in less than eight weeks. These students included refugees from Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Whether you're a student dreaming of studying abroad or a counselor helping students try to reach that dream, we're hoping that you'll find something useful in this episode. Play-by-Play: 2:36 – What is Second Chance and how did it get started? 3:34 – What is the typical profile that colleges look for in an international student who is competitive for full financial aid in the United States?8:00 – How do admissions officers evaluate international applicants compared to U.S. students?11:59 – What are the most common mistakes that full-need international students make when applying to colleges and universities in the US?21:53 – What does it mean when a college says they are need-blind for international students?23:02 – How important is early action for international students?23:53 – How should international students think about SAT/ACT? What if testing is difficult to access?31:34 – How important is English proficiency?32:51 – How should full-need international students think about developing their college list?41:22 – How does the financial aid process differ for full-need international students?46:03 – How can students learn more about Second Chance?51:35 – If a student is rejected from Early Decision, can they still be considered for Regular Decision? 53:09 – If a student does not have a school counselor, how do they submit a school report or other documentation required for applications? 55:11 – How is the application process different this year than in the past? 56:35 – How can students compensate for an average or low GPA?58:13 – How can counselors best advocate for their full-need international students?1:02:17 – Closing advice Financial Aid Resources: Second ChanceEducationUSARESOURCES — BigJ Educational ConsultingInternational Applicants – CSS Profile | College Board International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA)International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) College Essay Guy Resources: College Application Hub for International Students How to Use Jennie Kent and Jeff Levy's Financial Aid Information Excel Sheets 4 Major College Application Deadlines to Keep in MindCollege Essay Guy's Personal Statement ResourcesCollege Essay Guy's College Application Hub Podcasts: CEG Podcast Episode 205: That One Time a University Revoked More Than 60 Full Scholarships (And What You Can Do About It) CEG Podcast Episode 211: Financial Aid Tips for International Students (and Their Counselors)—2019 Version CEG Podcast Episode 122: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (International Version)
    Más Menos
    1 h y 4 m
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