714: A Live Essay and Application Review with Anna, HS Senior

Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast.

Today's episode is a special behind-the-scenes look at a live application review I did with Anna, a high school senior I met last year. We recorded this about ten days before her early deadlines, and she was kind enough to let me walk through her entire application in real time: her personal statement, her activities list, and all of her supplemental essays for Yale.

Fun fact: Anna emailed me a couple months later to let me know she actually got into Yale (congrats again, Anna!).

In this episode, we get into:

What it was like for Anna to pivot away from a topic that wasn't serving her (ten drafts about her favorite socks, which started to sound like a list) Her pivot to a new topic: Trivial Pursuit, a board game that's close to my heart A live read-through of her final personal statement, which touches on family, curiosity, and community How applying test-optional led her to sprinkle a few more high-level academic moments into her writing Her supplemental essays for Yale, including her "why us" essay and an academic prompt essay Anna is a recent high school graduate who loves cooking, sustainable agriculture, and spending time in nature. When she's not cross-country skiing with her school team, she's mentoring friends in the library or volunteering at her local synagogue.

Whether you're a student navigating this process right now, or a parent or counselor supporting students from the sidelines, I hope you find this useful.

Hope you enjoy our conversation.

Play-by-Play:

1:58 – Ten days from her early deadlines, how is Anna feeling? 2:33 – When did Anna start working on her essays, and how much time has she put in? 3:35 – What has Anna learned about herself through this process?  4:26 – Anna walks through her journey to finding a personal statement topic 8:10 – Anna reads her personal statement 12:35 – What values are coming through in Anna's personal statement? 14:26 – What questions does Anna have about her essay? 19:23 – Ethan reviews Anna's activities list and additional information section 21:33 – Anna reads her "Why Yale" essay 23:14 – What academic opportunities and programs excite Anna about Yale? 29:06 – Anna reads her "Why Major" essay 31:25 – How can Anna weave more specific, "geeky" language into her soil health essay? 38:48 – The short takes: four 200-character response 38:48 – What inspires you? 42:28 – A course, book, or piece of art you'd create 47:14 – A significant influence outside your family 48:56 – Something not included elsewhere in your application 56:44 – Anna reads her community essay  1:02:35 – How Anna might sharpen the essay with a couple more specific details? 1:04:41 – Closing thoughts

Resources:

How to Write the Yale Supplemental Essays: Guide + Examples  College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy's College Application Hub