Beyond the Numbers

Webinar Transcription

2025-03-11 – Beyond the Numbers

Anesha: Hi everyone, and welcome to tonight’s webinar. My name is Anesha Grant. I’m a senior advisor at CollegeAdvisor and I will be your moderator today. Today’s webinar is, “Beyond the Numbers.” Uh, before we get started, just to orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’ll spend the first half of our session with the presentation and then we’ll open up to answer your questions in a live q and a.

You can start so many of your questions under the q and A tab, and you can also take a look at the slides ahead of time under the handouts tab on the left hand side. Um, but first, let’s meet our presenter, Kane Willis. Hi Kane, how are you doing?

Kane: Hi everyone. How’s it going? Um, my name is Kane Willis. Um, I am formerly an admissions officer. Um, at Haverford College I was the Assistant director of admission and access and diversity initiatives. Um, lovely place. It’s outside of Philadelphia. Um, in Pennsylvania, um, about, you know, 15, 20 minutes depending on how you wanna commute there. Um, I originally attended Amherst College for my undergrad in Jazz, Hopkins University for my graduate education.

Um, and you know, I’ve been around the country, um, in terms of my, you know, college admissions and, and college counseling expertise. I’ve been a college counselor in Hawaii, New York, Los Angeles now, um, amongst a variety of other great places. Awesome.

Anesha: We’re looking forward to hearing from you and excited about you going beyond kind of the, the numbers of, of it all.

Uh, before we let you get started, we’re gonna do a quick poll. So let us know, uh, for those who are attending, what grade level you are in, um, and if you are a parent or a teacher, we welcome you. You can go ahead and select other, and as we’re waiting, um, for some responses to come in. I guess my question to you, Kane, is, so we’re gonna talk about things beyond the numbers, but what would you say is, um, I.

An important aspect of the numbers that students should keep in mind before we kind of go past them and, and, and deeper into the application process.

Kane: Yeah, of course. So when we’re talking about, uh, numbers, right? We’re talking about data, um, right? And data can be incredibly valuable in, um, giving you an idea of your, um, likelihood of admission at an institution, right?

And so for example, does an admit rate, um, necessarily tell us your likelihood of admission? Not necessarily. When we’re talking about data, we’re talking about numbers specifically. We’re talking about, um, what colleges tend to report as the mid 50 percentile of their quote, GPA quote, standardized test scores.

Now in itself, um, I know that is a little bit nuance and complex because just because a number says something specific doesn’t tell you all, um, that there is behind that number, for example. Um, you may have a three six, but it doesn’t tell you how rigorous your courses are, right? That three six would be, you know, filled with AP bio, AP, you know, calculus AB for example, as opposed to other courses that, uh, might not be as rigorous, for example.

And so, um, you know, something to keep in mind, um, as you’re looking to, um, figure out what college is gonna be appropriate for me. So if you find yourself in the context of that middle 50%, that school is likely, uh, numbers being like your GPA, um, your, um, your test averages, um, and also utilizing your college counselor will help, will be helpful as well at your, um, home institution.

Um, and so. When you find yourself in that mid 50%, that school’s typically gonna be what we call like a target school. You have like basically kind of like anywhere between a 30 to 60% chance of being admitted to that institution. Um, if you are, you know, if that school is a bit out of your range, for example, and you find yourself not to be within the top 25% of those, um, numbers and data, um, we’ll call that a reach school, for example.

Um, and then if you are well within that, uh, we’ll call that a likely school, um, now you’ll find that, um, there’s a difference between a, people refer to reach schools as like, you know, institutions that have really, really low admit rates. Um, and that’s not necessarily what a reach school is. A reach school is gonna be in the context of each applicant.

Um, right. And each and, um, and the, um, I, I think the fluency of, of their, um, you know, academic endeavors and the extracurriculars, um, you know, in context as well. Um, so yeah, I think that overall just be mindful of, um, kind of where you sit in the context of an admissions school.

Anesha: Sorry, I realized I was on mute. Um, so I think all that to say, um, you, what, what I feel like you’re sharing is that all of that is the first step and then I guess the conversation today will kind of dive deeper into, after you understand where you sit, um, with the numbers, what else can you be doing, what more should you be paying attention to in order to move your application forward?

All right, I’m gonna stop talking. I’m gonna close our poll and let you know that, um, we have about some folks in the room with us today. Uh, one of them is a 10th grader, 57%, so about four students are in the 11th grade, so majority of 11th graders and then 25% are, um, other, so assuming parents or teachers out there.

So I’ll stop talking, hand it over to you and be back in a little bit.

Kane: Awesome. Beautiful. Um, I welcome friends. It’s always such a pleasure to speak with any student regardless of where they are in their, um, you know, academic endeavors and college admissions process. Um, so basically we’re gonna start off with what components makes up the college application, right?

And so what we’re, what we’re, what are we talking about, right? We’re talking about the, uh, points of evaluation, right? Not necessarily the points that, you know, make up the, um, college application itself, like the personal statement, a transcript, right? And so in of itself, when we’re looking at the seven criteria now, um, this is gonna generally apply to institutions, right?

It’s, you’re not gonna find that an institutions evaluating this specifically. But this is again, just general context, right? So the first, um, you know, piece is gonna be a student’s academic achievement. Um, now what’s important to understand about academic achievement is that. Academic achievement is just that your achievement academically, it does not include context.

So like for example, let’s say that, um, you suffer from Crohn’s disease, right? And you, um, had to leave your math exam. Um, in of itself, academic achievement does not take into context. That you had Crohn’s disease and you need to leave your math exam, that’s going to be saved for something, something else, right?

Um, again, so again, academic achievement is specifically your numbers, right? And, and, and, and the achievement. You’ve, you’ve, uh, been able to attain. Um, you know, the next piece is gonna be in inte curiosity and students level learning. Um, right. And so this can be shown throughout, um, you know, so many different aspects.

I think throughout the, um, the college application. You can find this in the student’s writing. You can find this, um, in a student’s, um, extracurricular activities and in a, in, its in, um, teacher’s recommendation letters. Um, so, you know, another piece that I think is very, very important, you know, to college office around the country, um, and around the world.

Um, and the third piece is gonna be, um, academic potential, right? And so this is where some of that context, you know, is able to come in. So yes, the student may not have, you know, gotten a great grade on, you know, their math final, but in itself there’s context here to explain it and understand, you know, who the student really is and how they’re gonna actually be, um, you know.

How they’re gonna actually fit in the context of our academic, our academic community, and how they’re gonna fit as a community member. Um, right. Uh, the fourth piece is gonna be quality of writing. Um, and so, um, I’ve always said this like, great writing, get students into college. It doesn’t matter if you are an English major or a math major or whatever, anything in between.

Um, and anything outside that context, um, quality of your writing is gonna, is so incredibly important. Um, right. Um, the fifth piece is gonna be communication. Um, so what is, what exactly is that? And not the same thing as, um, quality of writing, not necessarily, but communication is gonna be, um, understanding your fit, I think, in the context of that school.

So how are you communicating, um, throughout the application that this is actually gonna be a good fit for you, um, and that you’ve actually resonated with some of the pieces that the colleges and the admission officer are presenting to you? Six is gonna be citizenship, community engagement and impact. Um, right.

And so basically citizenship is like how you are as, um, you know, a, a member of a community, um Right. You know, how do you engage in that community? Um, and, and what level of impact are you having, you know, throughout like, and, and, and in itself? I think that, um, people, I think the word impact can, um, might, um, allow people, um, or, or are called to a level of curiosity.

Like, what do you mean impact? Like, or you mean like impact can be, can mean anything in the context of that student, right? Um, right. And, and not everyone’s gonna have, you know, a, um. Overt, you know, impact in a way that’s, um, you know, incredibly, you know, outgoing and, and, and, you know, something that an extrovert might present, right?

Impact’s gonna be in the context of the student. Um, and what that means for them and impact, um, has as powerful, I think means these implications, um, depending on that context. Um, and then you have agency and initiative, um, right? And so in itself, you know, this, this can apply to anything that the student does.

It can be your agency and initiative and the c of the classroom outside the classroom, um, and your academic, uh, of course like your academic endeavors, but also your ex extracurricular achievement as well. Um, and so, you know, what are you and stuff like what are you doing to, um, I think, you know, make, uh, um, significant, um, contribution, um, you know, to those around you and, and to the work that you’re doing.

Um, and, and, and what initiative are you showing as such? Um, let’s see. Boom. One moment. Sorry about that. Um. Here we’re awesome. And so, um, when we’re looking at the context of the college application timeline, you know, what does that typically look like? So I know that most of you all are juniors in the room, um, right.

And so we’re gonna, you know, in itself, so if you were before a junior, what is your job right now? Right? Your job is to get great grades and it’s to be curious to go learn, to figure out what you love to do, to figure out what you might be passionate about. Um, and just know that, you know, even if you’re a junior, let’s say you haven’t found, like maybe your, your deep passion, I mean, that’s totally fair.

You’re like 16 or 17 years old. I don’t think a lot of 16 or 17 years old. Like, know what they want to do with their life and know what their passion is. That’s not fair. Um, you’re incredibly young people and, um, you know, there, there’s so much, I think to be, to be learned and had. And so with that context is, um, you are utilizing, um, you know, your, your first, you know, few years to understand who you are, um, you know, as an academic and, and, and as a someone who is, um, a, a, a lifelong learn, but also just understanding who you are as a person and what you care about, um, and what kind of gets, what gives you your why, what gives you.

Um, yeah, I think your purpose and intention, um, as you wake up every single day. Um, right. And so, um, with that being said, 11th graders, um, you know, I know that I think you, some of you might have actually just taken the March SAT on Saturday. Congrats if you did. Um, but with that being said, um, understanding your long-term, uh, testing strategy plan, I think is incredibly important.

Um, some of you will go test optional. Some of you will, um, you know, go test flexible. Um, some of you will just go just, you’ll be submitting tests. Um, each option is a personal. Choice to that specific student and to the context of their application. So, um, if you are trying to figure out, should I be submitting, um, you know, my, um, you know, my SAT/ACT/AP scores, you know, to schools and the context of who you are as an academic, have that conversation with your counselor, um, and, you know, with the college admissions professional, um, and I think they’ll be able to best guide you in terms of whether you not should be, whether you, whether you should be submitting a test or not, regardless of where that score might fall in, in, in the context of the range.

Um, overall, um, we’re looking from, um, you know, a, a overall 11th grade to 11th grade summer. Um, you’re gonna be getting you, even now you’ll be, you’ll beginning to learn, um, about different types of college universities. Um, and, um, in itself, I think that everyone, you know, um, has, you know, quote that dream college or that dream school.

Um, what I encourage you all is to actually dive, make a deep dive, like what? About that school makes it your dream, right? Is it because it is a specific name or because people have talked about it, like what aspects, you know, do you really resonate with? And I challenge you to ask yourself that question and write those down, right?

Why? Because if this is your dream school, right? There are gonna be other schools that have attributes that are your dream school, right? And so understanding what that means for you and being able to see that and apply that throughout your college, um, admissions list and your co sorry, your college list and your co your college admissions profile, um, is incredibly important.

Um, and so, um, and another piece is, is determine, um, you know, or have some idea and start to explore what you might want to major or pursue in college. Now it’s totally fine to go undecided, right? Um, but in itself, I think even undecided students have. You know, they have leanings, right? There are things that they might be more passionate than others, and it’s just really trying to unpack what that means for you specifically.

Um, just note that anyone can pursue anything in their life that they really, truly love and, and are very much, um, passionate and show a deep amount of care for. Um, so just remember that like if, you know for context, right? Like let’s say you are a big lover of Pokemon, right? And you’re like, you know, I wanna do this, and your parents are like, is that unreasonable?

Um, career? There’s a lot of great things you can do with Pokemon in the business world, in the content of the gaming world, in the art world, right? So many different and beautiful things, right? So understanding that truly I think unpack your passions and what you love to do and see how academics can help you pursue that passion.

Um, and then, um. With that being said as well, um, as you kind of, you know, um, are looking towards, you know, the, the 12th grade, um, and the end of summer, um, as well, you’re gonna be wanting to narrow down your college list at that point. You should probably have an early decision choice, um, right, if you’re applying early decision, and you should also have your early action, um, you know, uh, schools sorted out as well.

Um, there are gonna be also schools that are gonna be rolling in mission. Um, but in itself, typically when we’re talking about early action, those will, um, those deadlines will be November 1st and November 15th. However, there are southern schools, for example, like the University of North Carolina, chapel Hill, who has a.

Um, a, um, regular decision, early action deadline of, you know, October 15th. Right? And so, um, some of you might have to make some of those choices sooner rather than later. Um, in addition to some of these schools, for example, especially some of the big public schools will require testing. And so understanding that in context as well, in the context of your major, um, right.

And then as you’re looking, um, you know, towards your first grade, uh, sorry, your, uh, first semester, 12th grade year, um, you’re writing yourself up to essays and continuing to do so, and building upon all that you’ve done. Um, over summer, um, you’re, you’re showing specific, demonstrated interest to colleges.

What does that mean? That’s gonna be college specific and I’ll get into that a bit later. Um, but also that you’re interviewing as well, and then also you’re completing all your financial aid and scholarship applications. You know, all I think really key and critical, um, you know, to, um, your college admissions process.

One of the most important things as you look into a college. Is this affordable? Right. I think that’s, that should be the first question you’re asking yourself. Um, a a college can be a fantastic institution, but it might not be an option just because it might be affordable. And in itself, let’s say you do wanna go to set school, right?

Asking yourself what you are willing to do to go to set school and attain set education is, is really important, right? For example, I, I, you can be an engineer at X school and an engineer at white school just because, you know, uh, the engineer at X school went to this school and the engineer at white school went to that school.

That doesn’t mean, um, you know, that engineer is better than the other one. They learn the same things. Right? Um, so something to keep in mind, um, in terms of, um, you know, your college choices and making sure this is, you know, something feasible for you. Um. And so, um, so after you submit your application in some, um, you’ll typically receive, um, admissions decisions from December all the way until April, depending on the round, um, that you apply to each college, right?

And so for example, a lot of the big state schools, um, like, um, university of Michigan, um, university of Wisconsin, et cetera, um, those typical, you know, like big, I forget what they’ve changed. So Big 10, big 12, big East, whatever, they’ll come out. Uh, typically, um. The last week of January on January 31st ish.

Um, right. And then, um, with that being said as well, like if you have Big O you have other big, uh, publics, um, that will come out, um, sometime in March. Um, prior to that will be early decision applications. If you apply early decision, they’ll come out typically, um, December 1st and 15th. Um, and then early decision two, they’ll come out typically sometime in, in in February.

And then all the rest of the decisions will either if rolling, they’ll come out probably every three to six weeks. And then regular decision is gonna be regular decisions sometime in March and April. Um, and then each student is gonna choose one school to attend, um, and deposit at um, uh, even if for example, you want to stand away a set of school, um, that’s totally grand, totally fantastic.

Um. You have to deposit at a school though you don’t, don’t, you know, say, I’m gonna stay on this wait list because you might not get off that wait list, right? Um, so keep in mind you need to make a decision and you need to have a home. And then if you wanna stay on a wait list, that’s also fantastic too.

Um, and, and no colleges are gonna be hurt, um, because you’re staying on a wait list, right? Um, and in itself, colleges do the exact same thing that you do. So remember that you have agency, um, you know, and control when it comes to, um, your decisions. Um, and so I know this is gonna be a, a hot button topic, right?

So when we’re looking at the college application, um, what parts of the college application carry the most weight? Now I’m like, oh my gosh, what a big question, right? And I’m sure like, if you wanna feel free to use a chat, take a guess by all means. Um, in of itself. Um. What’s important to remember when we talk about the college application, and, and this is gonna, you’re gonna see this throughout the, the rest of the presentation, is that the college application is your application, right?

You paint your picture, right? And so the emphasis is where you decide to put it. Now, there might be portions of your college application that might, you know, receive emphasis that you might not want to have emphasis on. For example, um, like if you get a C in your senior year, like in itself, like, yeah, okay, great, that happened.

That’s gonna be a point of emphasis, you know, on, on, uh, for a college, especially if that’s, um, you know, that, that, that lower grade, whether it’s a c, b, whatever it is for you, whatever low grade is, um, is in the context of your major. Um, and so understanding that, um, I think is really important. But for the most part, um, I always say, you know, college admissions decisions and, and college just, and just college, you know, acceptances are these decisions are made on the margins.

Um, right. And so, um. Each student holds, you know, a variety of different strengths and, and weaknesses. And, um, and each, um, of those strengths and weaknesses are, are, are held in light of our, our colleges or universities. Um, institutional priorities, um, researchers and capacity. What does institutional priorities mean?

Great question. You’ll never know what an institutional priority, um, is because those are just that the institution’s priorities only they know their priorities. But if itself, for example, let’s say that, um, you play the bassoon, right? And like they really need a bassoon, and you are a great bassoonist and you are the only one in the applicant pool.

Well, welcome to ex College. Congratulations. You are admitted, right? Um, and so they’re gonna be, um, a variety of different, you know, factors, um, that colleges are gonna be looking into that you might, you, you’re just not gonna know about. Um, and so something to I think, you know, um, be mindful of. Um, and so you always wanna make sure that, um, as you’re articulating, um, your pursuits, you know, throughout, you know, your life and throughout your high school career, that you are just giving everything your all.

Um, and so, um, a aha, you know, button, you know, phrase or definition, oh, sorry, uh, phrase or, uh, a word is gonna be a holistic review. Um, and so what does holistic review mean? Um, holistic review is understanding the student. Um, that means they’re academics. That means their extracurricular, uh, profile, that means their testing profile on the context of which they are coming from, right?

Um, you know, what access to resources did this student have? You know, what type of adversity did the student face? What type of privileges they have, what type of Es they don’t have. And it’s about understanding a student’s, um, you know, applicant, sorry, um, a student’s application and their candidacy within the context of where they’re coming from and, and who they are now.

Um, no student is, I think, held to unreasonable expectations, right? Um, in of itself. Just because, for example, um, I know there’s a lot of, um, buzz around like, you know, well, I don’t have my soft story, right? I don’t have, you know, this is it. It’s really not about. A, a, a holistic review is not about understanding someone’s, you know, trauma and, and context.

Right. What’s, it’s, what, what holistic review really is. It’s just to encapsulate that student and, you know, paint a, you know, um, a snapshot of who they are in the best possible way. Um, you know, for the admission officers because in itself, like, you know, um, everyone is their own unique person and, um, the goal of the holistic review is to make sure that shines through.

Um, and that’s something that’s I think, incredibly important to, to remember and to, to. Have confidence in. Um, and so, um, now we’re kind of getting a little bit, you know, into the, um, into, you know, the main point of, you know, our presentation is gonna be, you know, how can students develop a strong college application if they don’t have the best GPA or test score, right?

And so, um, like I was just saying, um, remember that your college application is, is just that it is yours. You get to tell your story in the way you want to tell, you get to paint your picture, right? And so, for example, um, you know, just ’cause you don’t have a, um, you know, excellent GPA for example, doesn’t mean you can’t take great courses, right?

Um, taking great courses is a, and courses that interest you, um, is, is so important. And if you’re able to show, um, a, a. Significant passion, um, or, um, fluency in regards to those courses that you’ve taken on the subject matter. That is a really special thing, right? So for example, you might not necessarily have the best academic achievement score, but your in self curiosity score is gonna be shooting out the window if you’re really talking about, you know, truly like, I really love forensics because, and then you kind of able to kind of, um, you know, paint just a wonderful narrative about your passion specifically and how, um, you know, traditional matters are, aren’t necessarily the best way to, to encapsulate those, uh, mediums.

Um, and so with that being said as well, um, you know, another piece is, is continue to thrive, you know, in the classroom and beyond the classroom, right? And so, um, with that being said, what does that mean? Remember when you’re pursuing, remember, as you’re pursuing, you know, anything just in general, like in life in general, you’re pursuing that because you really want to pursue them because you have a passion for them, right?

Um, when you are pursuing something to pursue it and that’s it. Like that’s not gonna resonate with anyone ’cause you’re gonna have nothing to say about it, right? Um, and so with that being said, you want to make sure that, um, when you continue, as you continue to quote Thrive outside the classroom that you’re pursuing, the, um, the passions that really get you going, that really get you fired up and get you really, really excited.

You know, and that might be solving a math problem, um, that might be being a part of the athletes that might be cheering. Um, you know, that, that there’s so many that might be hiking. Um, there, there’s so many different aspects, um, that someone can find special about, you know, their lived context and, um, something to I think, you know, um, ensure that you are, um, being able to, I think, articulate in, in the most, um, distinct way possible.

Um. And so, um, with that being said as well, um, sorry to try, try to, um, lead off a little bit, but, um, when we’re talking about, I wanna jump back to kind of a strong and sound curriculum. What does that mean? What does that look like? Right? Um, so you’re taking basically five core solid classes each year, right?

And you wanna make sure you’re taking five core solids classes each year. And you also wanna make sure that those core saws that you’re taking are found within the curriculum of the schools that you’re applying to, for example, right? And so when we’re talking about, uh, core halls, what are those? And, and English class?

You know, by law you have to take that. Um, we’re talking about foreign language classes, foreign language, um, you know, Spanish, Mandarin, um, uh, French, et cetera. Um, I wrote in the fifth bullet point are hard science. Now, what I mean by hard science, I mean, um, disciplines found within the context of biology, physics, and chemistry, right?

Um, so that is something to, to keep incredibly, um, to, to be incredibly mindful of, right? So for example, let’s say you might be taking, um, a course like in, um. Oceanography, but oceanography is not taught at that school. Um, they might not necessarily view that class as, um, you know, something that is valuable to them.

And so in some, you wanna make sure that your courses as well are aligning, uh, to the institution that you are applying to as well. Um, history courses, um, right in of itself. Um, people actually tend to drop history, um, as they, you know, go deeper in their, um, you know, um, high school career. Um, but regardless of whether class, whatever class you choose to drop, um, don’t drop English, don’t drop math, uh, don’t drop science, uh, don’t drop any class.

Um, but you know, typically in some, you just wanna make sure that, um, if you’re choosing to like omit, let’s say a, a hard science class, your, um, your, your senior year of, of high school, that you are replacing that with a great core class that is found within your academic, academic, um, interest that is in the context of a core curriculum, right?

Um, and so with all that being said as well, um. I think that math has, um, been also I think a hot, um, you know, button in the college, in, in the college admissions process. And, and, and I think that, um, there has been so much dialogue surrounding math and proficiency and of itself. Um, the goal, if you can get to calculus, that, that, that is your goal.

So like, let’s say you’re a sophomore and you’re like, man, I’m not gonna get there. Um, or you’re a junior, like, I’m definitely not gonna get there. Do your best just to reach out there, for example, so let’s say you’re in algebra two. And you have the option between choosing pre-calc and stats. Well take both maybe, right?

But, um, take the pre-calc, right? Strive for the calculus, right? Something to keep, to be incredibly mindful of. Um, another piece is, um, I wrote SMART recommendations, um, and recommender. What I mean by SMART is that, like I said before, and I’ll continue to say this, this is your college application. You get to paint the picture that you.

Want to paint, right? So let’s say for example, you might have been struggling in a course, right? But when someone struggles in a course, they actually see that teacher very often, right? Um, you’re meeting with that teacher and they’re able to see, um, the adversity that you, um, have to have overcome, um, the, the, the influence that you’ve had, you know, on your classmates.

And so for example, just because at the end of the year, um, a course has a letter grade of a C doesn’t tell you what that student is actually like, right? Maybe that class did start off, you know, with, with an F, but now at the end of the year, even though they have a C in the overall class, they have an A, right?

And so being able to, I think, you know, call for example to a teacher where, um, you might have struggling in the class might be something interesting to talk about. Um, might be something valuable I think, to add to your application as opposed to just staying with your strengths. ’cause your strengths are just that, your strength, they’re gonna be highlighted in so many different ways in the college application.

Um, and then, um, uh, another piece is that, um, pick an appropriate major and aim for those majors that have higher admit rates Now. What I mean by appropriate major, if you wanna be an astrophysics major and you’re not taking physics right, like I or haven’t taken physics, like that’s gonna be a stretch, right?

Like, great, you can definitely take an astrophysics, you can, you can be an astronaut if you want in college, that’s fantastic without having taken, uh, physics in college. But you need to actually have that physics course first right before you can do that. Um, and so you always just wanna make sure that your courses are aligning.

Um, and so for example, let’s say you wanna, um, you know, go to a conservatory, um, right? And you, but you haven’t been taking, um, you know, any type of, you know, art classes, you know, in the context of your high school. And rather that’s, you know, mostly seen in al endeavors. That’s something to be mindful of and think about and, and have a conversation with your college counselor.

Um, and so one thing that is important to remember is always, um, remember, um, that you can always transfer to a different major once you’re admitted to a college university. Now. That’s also a hot topic ’cause you’re not gonna always be able to transfer. Right. Um, so for example, the hardest schools to get into, um, at a, at a school are gonna be the schools of engineering and the schools of business typically.

Right. Um, and the easier schools are gonna be schools that are not those schools with the exception of, you know, conservatories, um, anything that’s highly specialized. Um, right. And so for example, like, you know, in of itself, like trying to get into a school as an artist is the most difficult thing that anyone will ever have to pursue in their life is very difficult to be admitted to the conservatory at UCLA.

Um, right. And so, um, with all that being said, um. Understanding the context of, um, you know, your, what you are representing right, and what you’re presenting to, you know, college admission officers. So let’s say you wanna major, you know, in business, but like your math co your math courses aren’t that great and like, your writing needs work.

Well, maybe you pre, maybe you pivot for a little bit to like, I know political economics, right? That’s something that, or, or, or, or stats or, you know, that’s something that is attainable, that’s something that you’re gonna be able to, I think, you know, strive in. And so understanding, um, your major and, and context, I think is gonna be incredibly important as you apply to each and every single college.

Um, and so, um, how can students develop, you know, an application that showcases their strength and unique experiences? Right? Um, and so one of the key aspects, and this this is so important to remember, is that I. Demonstrated interest is everything to a college. Now they’re gonna be schools that genuinely do not track demonstrated interest, but just because they don’t track gem student interest does not mean they don’t track demonstrated disinterest.

And we’ll talk about what that means. Um, but basically, uh, demonstrated interest in of itself visiting colleges. Even if a college doesn’t track demonstrated interest, you should still go visit that college. Why? Because when you go and visit a college, you’re gonna have a, you’re gonna have a, a, a more in-depth understanding and, and a more, um, a more in-depth understanding of what it’s actually like to attend that college.

Which means your supplements your right now are gonna be naturally better. Your, your interviews are gonna be better. Why? ’cause you know a lot more because you visited that college. Right? Um, you know, and so, you know, and the things that follow is going to be, you know, um, very, very similar, right? Attending college, high school visits.

Yes. Colleges do attend. Uh, or do go to co do go to actual high schools and, and do visits there. Um, and so how do you find that out? Um, go to a college’s website. It’s gonna see, say, see where we travel, and you can figure out if they’re going to your school now, or ask your school counselor. Now, if this college is not coming to your school, just email them.

Right? Be like, Hey, like, can you come to my school? If not, can I meet, you know, the local representative? Um, there’s gonna be ways to find that, but in general, um, always just email demand admissions in the box. They will get back to you. Um, right. And so people always get worried about, you know, big, um, you know.

Emails, um, like that because they can get locks in context. Um, there’s nothing worse than getting lost in an admissions officer’s in mailbox. Um, they will take care of you, trust me on that one. They’re fantastic. Um, attending ritual events is gonna be incredibly important, very similar to, you know, visiting, um, uh, visiting a campus or, or visiting a, uh, uh, with an admissions officer at your school.

Um, you’re just gonna have a larger and more significant understanding of what that school is about and where, um, you find a fit or niche within that context of that school, um, interview if they offer interviews, um, right. And, um, practice. Um, it’s very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very hard to just show up to an interview, like with, with no practice at all.

Um, and just bang it out. Like, you’re incredibly amazing. Some people do that. Fantastic. Um, what I recommend is this, um, one of the biggest mistakes I think in the context of the College of Mission process is that high school students, they tend to be kind of gung-ho, right? Um, what does that mean? It means they like to interview with their top choice first.

That’s kind of scary if you ask me. Um, right, because it’s your top choice, right? It’s like you wanna be as refined as possible. Um, and so, you know, I I, I’ve interviewed students where like I, they, I’ve interviewed students. This is their first interview. This is the 10th interview. Like then the nearest might not change, whatever, but in itself, just know that the first interview is always the hardest interview ever.

Um, it’s always gonna be the interview you feel worse about. And you’re always, always, always, always gonna feel like everything after that is infinitely better. So my recommendation is, um, interview at a college that you’re not applying to. Right? Learn about everything about. Learn everything about that college, right?

You know, it, it’s gonna be, it’ll teach you how to research, right? It’ll teach you actually how to articulate, um, and how to find, um, I think specific interests of yours. Um, and, and put that to the, put that to the test by looking at a college like that you might not be necessarily interested, that maybe you become interested in, but use them as like a, don’t say like, Hey, I’m here for a practice test or a practice interview.

Like, don’t do that, but. Utilize these resources as such, they are there. You just have to be smart when you use them. Right. Um, if, um, no regional representative, um, what does that mean? Every student at every high school is assigned a regional representative, typically at a college. Right now, this person, um, is responsible for first reading that student’s application, um, right.

And so, um, they are the person who’s advocating for you in committee. They’re the person who’s writing your pros to the, the person who’s presenting you to the, um, committee. Like they’re your everything. Now, depending on the institution, they might not necessarily have single admit power, typically, especially at the highest elective institutions.

Um, high elective, honestly being anyone who has a committee and, and above, um. That, like, not, not one single person has admit power like that, but in itself it’s always, always nice to have a fundamental relationship with your admissions officer. Um, if you do not know how to college or university track demonstrating interests, just ask.

There’s a lot of colleges that say they don’t track demonstrate interests, but they do. Right? So for example, if you go to a colleges. Mission office and they’re having you sign in for your tour and they’re having you sign in for your college visit, they’re tracking your interest. Right? If they weren’t interested in it, then they wouldn’t be tracking it, right?

Um, and so, um, it’s always, always, always helpful to just ask how to track demonstrated interest. Um, and if you feel like you’re not kind of getting a strong understanding, always just attend a campus visit or an interview or just connect with someone and you will cover your bases on average. Um, and then as I said before, demonstrated disinterest.

So for example, um, a school like the University of Pennsylvania does not track demonstrated interest. Why they don’t have the time. Um, now mind you, they do have foreign demonstrated interest. For example, um, they do have alumni interviews, right? And so, um, if you say no to the alumni interview and they offer you one, um, are you that interested?

I’m not sure. Um, right. And so I know the form of demonstrated interest is. Um, you know, you are careless with your essays. Um, right. And so let’s say you’re applying to Penn, but you’re writing all about Dartmouth. Um, you know, something to, um, you know, be mindful of, um, in terms of that kind of, you know, your, your unique interests and you wanna be specific.

Um, one of the biggest things that, that students do, and I always have experience about this, is that they reuse essays. Right? Which is fine. It’s, it’s, it’s good to repeat information that is inherently specific to you, right? But everything that is specific to a college, you wanna make sure that is just that specific to each college application that you’re writing.

Um, right? I mean, you have to remember, you know, I have a master’s degree, I went to great schools. Um, you know, people have doctors in these positions. You’re not gonna fool them students, right? Like, they know what good writing is and they know when they’re, when, when the, when there isn’t good writing or when something’s reused, being reused.

And so understand that like you have to bring, you have to bring your full self to this, to this process, right? Bring your full self to the writing. Um, because only you can advocate for your spot, truly at the end of the day. Um. Another piece is, um, you know, in terms of highlighting your strengths and, um, your unique experiences, um, is gonna be use the whole application now and understand that there is a whole application.

You have to remember when you’re submitting your college application, you’re just submitting your part. There are other parts that are being submitted on behalf of you too, that you won’t ever look at or read about, like, for example, your college recommendation letters. Um, and so, um, with that being said, um, you know, there’s an academic progression section.

So, um, there are times where students, for example, um, and this is, this is appropriate where you might want to make your academic woes, um, your personal statement. And I want your personal statement to be about your, your, your, your, um, your, your adversity through, you know, various academic, you know, challenges, you know, hurdles, et cetera.

Um, but in itself you wanna make sure that you are, if you, for example, feel like you have to explain something academically, use this section. Even if you talk about it somewhere else in an essay, you wanna be as specific and, and point it as possible. Um, the additional comment section, like if you feel like there is something that you want to say, like just say it.

See it are like, should I say this? Should I say it? I’m like, if it’s gonna bother you that much, just write it down. Right? And if they don’t have an additional comment section, like for example, the, um, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they don’t have the biggest additional comment section, but if you want to email them right?

And say like, Hey, I, I just, I want to include this part of my application. Can you attach it? They will attach it. You’re not bugging anyone. It takes two seconds to attach it. It’s totally fine, right? Um, another piece is, um, you know, if they offer you to submit a resume, go ahead and do that. People often ask like, are the extracurricular, uh, is it extracurricular activity?

And the resume, um, in of itself. The same thing, not necessarily depending on how you approach it. Right. Um, in, in itself, like, you know, an extracurricular list is, is, you know, just doing that. It’s, it’s giving them a list of things that you do and understanding, um, you know, where you have had impact. Right.

However, um, you know, a resume is, is talking a little bit more about the skills that you learn and how you’ve applied them. Right. And so something to I think be incredibly mindful of. Um, and so, um, like I was just saying, do not be afraid to email if you do not know where, um, your specific thing goes, um, just ask that.

It’s so hard to ask. And honestly, if no one’s giving you a straight answer, just put it in the additional comments section. Right. Just something that’s so valuable and in itself, um, students oftentimes don’t, and families as well just generally don’t want to put all that they should, you know, in the college application.

And while there is some value to that, to a degree, it’s always important to. Input something in the context of your application that has, has significant effect on you and that has resulted in, you know, an academic difference, for example, in, in, in your ability to, um, you know, it has reflected basically, um, on your ability to, to, to attend the grades that you, um.

That, that, that you should have achieved or they’re preventing you from, I think, accomplishing, um, pursuits outside of the academic, sorry, sorry, outside of the academic sphere as well. So something to, um, you know, to keep note of and also always consult your, um, you know, your college counselor. Um, and then, you know, kind of the, the, the last piece of all, of all this is gonna be always ask questions.

Um, you’re never bothering anyone. Um, trust me. Like, and there’s always someone on duty at a speci at each institution around the world. Like they wanna talk to you. They’re sitting there waiting for you to call. Um, and it’s so, it’s okay to pick up the phone. I know people don’t do that anymore, but pick up the phone.

It’s okay. Um, you know, email, just ask the question, right? Um, if it’s burning that much, just go ahead and ask it. You’ll find yourself relieved after you get your answer. Um, and so. With all that being said, I know we touched upon this a a bit, um, you know, prior. Um, but I want to, you know, bring, um, some more, uh, attention to how students should build your college list in light of your specific situation or in light of, um, your numbers or not in light of your numbers, right?

Um, with that being said, um, you know, always have your dream schools there. Um, you know, you might not feel like you will be admitted to your dream school, but like if it’s your dream school, and you know exactly why, and I say in this next bullet point, know your why for each college. If you can’t specifically with microscopic detail, explain why you’re interested in college, you need to dig deeper, right?

If you’re just saying very, very sp just like non-specific stuff that can be generally applied to each and every single college, you don’t really want to go there. You’re more, um, interested in the idea of that college rather than what they actually have to offer you. So something to I think be mindful of.

Um, I think that it’s important to have a balanced list, um, with four to five likely schools, um, in the context of, um, having lower numbers and utilizing I think other, um. Uh, other pieces of affect to boost your application, so your extracurricular activities, your own personal story, et cetera. Um, and so the reason why I say have a balanced list, and so, um, and have four to five likes, typically I say have two to three likes, but in some, if you’re really shooting your shot, right, and you’re really, you’re making the effort and you’re applying to all 20 sort of common app, five of those should be, you know, um, you know, four to five likely schools.

And at least half of those schools should be, um, schools that offer some type of, um, early, um, form or early way to apply to that institution. Whether it’s rolling, um, whether it’s ea, um, or they have a really early release state for regular decision.

Anesha: Um, yeah. So, all right, I’m gonna give you a break to take a sip, um, and do another poll really quickly. I think we have a few more folks in the room and, um, have had some more questions come in. Um, all right. So yeah, for the question, the, the question in the poll is where are you in the application process?

Um, so let us know how far you have gotten into the application process. If you’re starting, if you’re almost done, if you’re still researching schools. I really appreciate what you shared Kane, uh, and going a little bit deeper into. Completing the whole application. I think a lot of times in a few webinars I hear students kind of focusing on like the essay and then test scores, and then how do I talk about the, uh, believing that they have to talk about a little bit of everything in the essay.

And it’s like, you don’t have to talk about every extracurricular because you will have the chance to talk about your extracurriculars in the extracurricular profile. And so I really appreciate you kind of saying, all sharing, all the different ways that students can talk about themselves, their, um, achievements, um, and their concerns also across the application.

Um, and that it is a, it’s holistic when it is reviewed, but it is also holistic in what it is asking students to share. Um, uh, so yeah, I think, yeah. Um, I don’t have anything to add. I just really appreciated that particular section of, of the, the presentation. We have a, a few more slides to go through. So if after the, the, um, the poll, we can go through them a little bit more quickly.

I think we might end up getting some questions as well about some of the pieces you’ve covered. Um, so I’ll just give that as a, as a. Timing note. Um, but we’ll go ahead and, um, wrap up our poll just so we can get back to it and then start for questions. Um, so again, just for context, um, 47% of people have said they have not started.

That is totally fine. Um, if you have not started yet, I think if you’re a junior, this is a great time to start starting. Um, um, about 40%, uh, are researching schools also a really solid place to be in. Um, kudos to the folks, especially those who might be juniors or sophomores who are working on their essays and those who are still getting their application materials together.

But majority of folks are researching schools or have not started, which is again, a totally fine place to be. All right. I’ll stop talking. Heather, back over to you and I’ll be back a little bit for question, questions,

Kane: answers. Thank you. Um, it’s always lovely to hear I think where students are in the process.

What, what. People don’t realize and understand. Um, and, and, and it’s hard is that, um, allow yourself to grow into yourself, like grow into your shoes, right? Um, what does that mean? Like, for example, you might not be testing, you know, well on the SST HT, but, but that’s likely, probably because maybe you haven’t finished the curriculum for algebra two yet, right?

You’re going to be a better student in the fall. Um, shoot your shot and see what happens. But just know, like at, at things like, for example, writing or testing or whatever it is, you are just going to get better at it naturally. In addition to having, I think, you know, some intentional work, um, you know, to ensure that, you know, uh, you’re, you’re, you’re showcasing mastery in, in all forms of way, but just remember that, um, to be patient with yourself.

And that’s incredibly important, um, because academic maturity, um, and just maturity in general comes for people at different times. Um, and just be mindful of that. Um, and so with that being said, um, how can students, uh, use their personal statement and supplement, um, and supplements to essay to stand out?

Um. So, um, my first, you know, kind of, you know, uh, piece is do not stress about the essay topics when you are given an open, uh, prompted question, right? Just if, if, if, if the question is open-ended, just take it where you want to take it and just go and just fly, right? Um, right. And so, um, don’t stress about like what you should.

So in itself, it’s, it’s never gonna be a, what you write about that’s gonna be kind of what is valuable to college, but it’s gonna be how you write about that topic, right? Um, and so, for example, we look at the personal statement, what it is and what it isn’t. Um, understanding the, the, uh, purpose of the personal statement is just, is incredibly important, right?

It’s the ability to succinctly, um, articulate the main learning goals or takeaways, um, of, you know, one to two, sorry. Basically in sum, your personal statement is gonna highlight. Just a glimpse of who you are, right? A personal statement is not going to tell someone all about your life ’cause you are more than 600 words.

You cannot fit your life in 600 words. That is not what this is. Right? What I would encourage you to do is, um, take for example, just like 15 minutes and write up every word that you can think of that you’ll set yourself with in positive ways, right? And then with each word that you have, you know, pick out the words that stand out to you the most, right?

And then when looking at those words, after you’re reflecting, write down those memories that you associate with each of those words. Now look at those memories. Which ones are you resonating with the most? Which one do you think are gonna be powerful? Um, you know, a personal sentence for you. And then, um, but also just because an A, um.

A and this topic is gonna be powerful. Doesn’t mean you need to share that with someone, right? Um, you have to understand what you wanna share and what you don’t wanna share, um, with someone in this process in of itself. Um, why? Because just this is a personal statement, is just that personal. So you’re, you’re, you’re making a choice of what you wanna share with someone.

So just make sure that you are sharing something that you really deeply wanna share with someone, and that you wanna make sure that, um, it, they’re, it’s gonna highlight the, the best pieces of you. Not everything that you are, but just some of the best pieces of who you are. Um, and so we’re talking about some bunch of essays.

Um, like I said before, um, each essay needs to be specific and I think written specifically to each college. Now, people always say like, I’m gonna write each supplemental essay for each college. Like, it’s, like I said, if you need to copy and paste some things, fine, right? But like in of itself, like I.

Really, really, really, really make sure that you are adjusting, you know, even those pieces that are specific to you that are highlighting this particular topic. Like, for example, you’re gonna find common questions, um, amongst institutions, like, why did you pick your major? You know, but in some, when they’re asking you why do you pick your major, right?

There’s also like a hidden question there, like, but why your major at this school? Right? So, like, understand some of those, uh, pieces and make sure that you’re just putting yourself in the best position, I think, to write, you know, wonderful and, and amazing essays. Um, like I said before, essays get kids into college.

Um, how to demonstrate their personal brand or stand out through their extracurricular activities. Um, so there, um, a variety of different ways. Um, for example, um, there are portfolios that students are able to submit on behalf of their, um, you know, talents, right? To showcase their talent. Admission offices.

Each college is gonna submit only specific portfolios. Um, in of itself. You know, some of the most straightforward ones are gonna be like art portfolios, for example, um, in of itself. And, you know, but you know, people will take, you know, business, um, portfolios and, and things like such. Um, and also for example, like, um.

E everything is called basically an an additional supplement, right? So, um, all these art portfolios are ju it’s an art supplement. For example, if you’re going to school, um, and want to pursue athletics in addition to, you know, your academic numbers, you are submitting an athletic supplement. No one just calls it that, right?

Um, and so then with that being said, um, see what they allow in terms of portfolios and also keep that in mind as well, is that like, let’s say you don’t really have a portfolio, but like, okay, great, doesn’t mean you can’t build one. Um, doesn’t mean you don’t have work that you’ve done in the past. It to surround a portfolio.

And, um, you know, for example, MIT asks about Maker, um, you know, portfolios and it literally, MIT gives you free reign to like submit a portfolio, um, for, for anything that you ever did in your life that you want to show them. Do it right? It’s an opportunity to showcase yourself, um, uh, in so many ways. And just because you might not think, you might not, you might think you don’t have anything, but trust me, you do.

You’re an amazing person. Like you’ve done a lot. Um, consistent message, consistent messaging throughout the app I think is gonna be incredibly important. Right? And so if you’re trying to quote, like when we’re talking about personal brand, right? When we’re talking about, um, characteristics that get students to college, these, this can form consistent messaging is just gonna happen naturally, right?

Like. Uh, when there are certain characteristics that, that stick with the student, right? Like everyone is going to be showing these characteristics, right? If there’s a consistent, like, you know, for example, like Harry Potter is brave. There’s consistent messaging from everyone in Harry Potter, you know, from every single type of person.

You know, that Harry Potter is brave, right? So in itself, um, that messaging is going to, I think, happen naturally throughout your, um, throughout your application, throughout your candidacy. Um, and the impact focus, I think that in some, um, what I mean by impact, focus is like you are pursuing, um. You know, things in life that you want to genuinely, um, create change in or you genuinely want to, um, have influence in.

Right? Um, and so if you’re doing something, like if you’re doing, for example, this is like a really easy one to kind of, you know, fall to if you’re doing community service, to community service, like there’s no point in doing community service unless you have to graduate, you know, from your high school and do community service.

Like, sure, four. But pick something that you’re gonna, like, pick something that you’re gonna be able to talk about because there’s no point in doing something if you can’t talk about it. Right. Um, so something to be I think, incredibly mindful of, um, what mistake should, sorry, what mistakes, uh, should students and parents avoid any admissions process?

Um, now one of ’em is, like I said, always ask questions, but I think another, uh, form of this is over communication. Um, for example, I don’t think that any college needs to know that you got off the wait list. Um, for your A PUS history class. Why do they need to know that you’re just in the class? That’s totally fine.

So understanding like what is over communicating and what is just communicating like. You’re in that class, it’s fine. Like just continue to roll, right? Um, fixation, especially my parents, it’s so important to be mindful to not be overly fixed on a institution, right? Um, I am lucky that I happen to get into my top choice school, right?

That doesn’t always happen to everyone. Um, and in of itself. A person’s top choice school isn’t necessarily the choice that they think it is. Right? Um, and so I think overly fixating on a specific school or specific experience is not a healthy way to approach this process. Um, it’s important to, I think, understand what modes and mediums that a school has to offer that is gonna make you happy, right?

That is gonna help you sustain yourself when you are at that institution. ’cause believe it or not, when you are attending college, there’s gonna be a time where you don’t want to go to that school, even if it’s, even if it’s your dream school. Like, just because like people live lives, people there, there are things that people go through in life and I’m in south.

There’re gonna be times when you’re incredibly happy and there are times where you not, might not be happy. So thinking about. Who you are in all that context is gonna be incredibly important. Understanding that does this school have the resources for you to be successful? Um, and then, um, the third one is upsetting your college counselor.

Do not upset your college counselor. They’re writing your recommendation letter. Be very nice to them. Be very kind. Um, you know, that’s all I have to say about that one. Um, another piece is, is that freely talking about your college admissions process, uh, which goes into the, the, the latter, uh, bullet point is comparisons, um, siblings comparisons, friend comparisons, where so-and-so’s kids going, um, talking about your SAT set, like this is, it’s fine if you wanna do that.

Right. Go ahead. Um, but in itself, don’t feel like you have to. Right. I think people feel like they have to share these things. Um, don’t feel like you ever have to. And if you feel like you’re in a situation where you’re feeling pressured, for example, there are, um. Um, like forums where students, you know, join, for example, I forget what college Confidential people are like typing in their life stories and their resumes and everything like that.

And it’s like, to me up when I look at this stuff, it gives me anxiety. It’s really stressful. I’m like, I don’t wanna do that. Um, it’s like, great, I’m glad that you have all this, but like, just focus on you and that’s all that really matters, right? Um, and so if, if, if it, if it helps to free talk about your process, um, in itself.

Um, identify who those people are that you want to talk freely about this process, um, so that you’re just able to kind of let it out. ’cause some people need to do that as well. Um, so something to be, um, mindful of too. Um, what are the best practice when it comes to developing a strong application? Um, everything in the college application process should be driven by the student and supplemented by all others.

However, students should trust those and the opinions of those who support them, um, um, or that support them in itself, right? So students like what this means. Parents, what this means, family members, uh, guy, you know, um, guardians, uh, whoever you might be, is that. They have to want it. You cannot want it for them, right?

Since you have to want what you want. And if you don’t know that, that’s fine. That’s why you lean on those who are there to help guide you, to figure out your whys, to figure out, um, you know, your, your passions to, to figure out what you want, right? And so trust them, they care and they love you. That’s why they’re offering you all this, right?

That’s why sometimes they talk on behalf of you. That’s why they overly boast about you to whoever, admissions officer or whatever friends. It’s because they just have, um, your just best interests in mind. I have parents, uh, guardians, um, anyone, uh, siblings. Um, I always appreciate you in the admissions process is always really wonderful and beautiful to see that the links, I think that, um, uh, someone who cares about another will go to, to ensure that, you know, they are getting the best of this process.

And, and I, I really appreciate that in the para in the process that, um, and I’m sorry to say this, it can be at times unforgiving. Um, and so with that being said, um, I’m gonna jump it back over to you.

Anesha: Sure. Thank you so much. Before we get started, the question, just quick, PSA that, um, for folks who are not in the room, you can absolutely, um, connect with CollegeAdvisor and, um, find, identify an advisor who can work with you from our team of over 300 former admissions officers.

After analyzing our 2021 through 204 data, we found that CollegeAdvisor students are over two times more likely to get into colleges like Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton. You can increase your odds to take the next step by using the QR code That’s on the screen to sign up for a free 60 minute session where we’ll discuss your academic profile along with some initial recommendations, but we’ll leave that up on the screen and then move over to our q and a.

If you’re having any challenges with submitting questions at the q and a, just know you might have to log out and log back in via the link you received in your email. All right, uh, we’ll stay on a little bit longer if we need to in order to get to all questions, but my first question for you, Kane, a student asked, should students calculate their own GPA on a four point on scale?

Or, um, should they get this from their guidance counselor? So how should students kind of think about their, um, GPAs and context? That’s a great

Kane: question. Um, so understand that, um, this is why I was a bit annoyed when I was showing you about like understanding where you are in the mid 50% of, of a, of a college is presented GPA scale, right?

And so why am I annoyed about that? Is because each college is gonna report GPAs differently. And not every student has the same numerical scale as a GPA. For example, some students don’t have a 0.3 and 0.7 on a 4.0 scale. They just have 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, and that’s it, right? Um, some students have weighted GPAs, some students don’t have weighted GPAs.

Um, some students GPAs are weighted outta seven. Some students don’t have GPAs at all. Um, right? And so with that being said, um. There are systems though that, um, a institution will use that will, that will recalculate your GPA for you. Now, to the best of your ability and the best of your context, use your GPA that you have on your transcript and, and like you can calculate on your own to give you an idea of like where you might fall, right?

And so, um, it’s best to understand your GPA in the context of the school that you’re looking at, right? So for example, if a school’s reporting A GPA basically on a 4.0 scale, and you see that number is below a four, that means that GPA that they’re looking at is likely unweighted, right? And when you’re looking at A GPA as well do not include, uh, classes that are not a found, that are not found within the, your core curriculum.

Um, right. It’s important to be mindful of that because your core curriculum, that’s what the classes they’re looking at. Um, so when people say, do GPAs matter, I’m like, I’m always like, well, I don’t know about that because A GPA can be inflated by arts classes, for example. And if you’re not pursuing art as an as, as something in an academic way, right?

Those, those classes are not gonna necessarily, you know, carry the weight that they, that they, uh, would for, um, a person who’s pursuing art, um, in an academic way.

Anesha: Awesome. Okay. Um, and then another student asked, um, how can an introverted applicant do well in the college interview and the overall? Um, application process.

So you were talking a lot about reaching out, advocating for oneself, or someone who is just hesitant to do all of that. How can they still work to, um, get things done or, or make sure they stand out in the application process?

Kane: Yeah, of course. Um, I think that it, one is, is, is practice and it puts yourself in situations that are gonna make you inherently uncomfortable.

Um, like, you know, um, I’m almost seven feet tall, um, but I am always been shy. Um, and so with that being said, um, you know, you practicing an interview with your friend or, you know, even with the teacher, um, might not necessarily be the best practice, right? And so, um, for example, like maybe ask, um, a, um, your, your, your parents’ friend to interview you, right?

Because they’re gonna put you in a situation where you don’t really know them, right? And you’re talking, uh, to them, you know, for the first time and they’re not able to actually, um, glean or assume things based off what you’re saying. They’re gonna be able to give you and articulate real feedback. Um, and another piece as well is remember to like.

Just, just talk about what you care about, talk what you love. I think that’s always gonna resonate with someone. Um, because it doesn’t matter who you are. I think everyone has their thing that they nerd out about. Um, like they just really do. And so just don’t be a bit, just don’t be afraid to nerd about to nerd out about something, whether that be something, an academic that your curriculars, um, or any passion that you may have.

Anesha: Um, do you have any tips for managing the application deadlines and managing applications through schedule, you know, and on top of the school schedule, class schedule, et cetera?

Kane: Yeah, of course it is important to be mindful of like, you know, your, your course load, right? Are you gonna like, like how many, you know, advanced honors classes, AP classes, whatever it is for you, are you taking, right?

You wanna understand like, can I do this, all this work and do the college process at the same time? Another piece is understanding your academic calendar and the context of the admissions deadlines, right? And so there’s early decision, like we said, the typical deadlines, um, early action, et cetera. Um, and.

To the dismay of every high schooler in the world, every single like grade, uh, uh, endpoint that you will get is gonna be right when an application is due. Um, right. And so, um, understand that like, oh, like, you know, um, rule of thumb is that like, um, typically quarter grades go out to colleges for early decision, right?

Quarter grades will go out sometime between mid, mid-October to, um, early November. Understand that, okay, now yes, you’ve been in school for, you know, what, six weeks. Like you need to go visit your teachers. You need to like, do what you need to do, um, to get, um, your quiz grades up and you, and that one test that you’re gonna take, just one test typically, that you are, you’re, you’re putting to yourself in a position to do solidly in on that test.

Um, and then with that being said as well, um. Yeah. And so it’s just, just being able to, I think, um, have some foresight as it pertains, you know, to your school schedule and to your calendar. Look at your, um, syllabi, um, write those dates down right when you reapplying to college applications. And then, you know, with that being said, um, that, that level of mindfulness, I think will lead you to, to a successful process.

Anesha: Someone asked, um, should you offload extracurricular activities in your senior year? Should you start dropping some? Um, once you are in the

Kane: senior year, I, I would not, um, you, you should drop those that you feel like you, that are just taking out space to take out space. Anytime something is taking out space that shouldn’t be taking out space, drop it.

Um, and so, um, with that being said is that no, because you need to, this is your time to really showcase your, like the expectation is that you are stepping up in some type of significant way, um, no matter what that, that, that, that looks like, you know, with a particular extracurricular. So again, find to drop things that you really don’t think are making, um, an impact for you in your admissions process, but don’t drop those things that are very important and very valuable that will showcase, you know, how you’ve grown, um, and the leadership that you’ve been able to attain as such.

Anesha: Yeah, I have, I’ve had students where just sort of, they start with like 10, they start with too many, and then they get fewer and fewer, but then increase in responsibility. So I think you should be offloading over time while seeking more responsibility in the, in the op, in the activities that you’ve done the longest.

Um, last question for you. Um, I lost it, but, um, oh, what is any advantages or disadvantages in applying early?

Kane: That’s a fantastic question. Um, so the advantages is it’s easier, um, right? Um, for example, there is a very lovely school, um, that ranks at the top of the list on Sen’s World War Park rankings, right?

That school has about, you know, 25,000 applications, right? Their emit rate is less than 10%. Now, the students who apply early. Are about 800 students. Right? And that school fills up half about half their class in those early rounds. Right? So for example, their class is about 450 students. And so, um, in the early decision processes, which can include QuestBridge, which include Posse, which can include 82, they’re taking about 250 students of that 450 students.

And then the other 250 students or the 250 spots, um, those other 25,000 students are vying for those 250 spots. Right. Um, with that being said, there is advantages to waiting, right? So the, the, the one thing that I want, that I wants to be clear is that, um, colleges make their most offers of admission in regular decision, right?

Um, in of itself, early decision is, um, you, you’re really under, you know, scrutiny and you’re really under fire. Like there is not that many of you and they’re gonna make choices as and, and they’re not necessarily, it’s not that they’re not looking as closely in, in, um, in regular, it’s just that. This is early.

Like they, you are going to be admitted to I think, a very special place and you’re gonna help shape their class. And, um, understanding, um, un understanding and being, I think, um, intentional about your applications is, is, is gonna be really important and very valuable. Um, and so, um, and I’ll, I just, I, I wanna say this just in smart and early.

Um, I think that if you wanna shoot for your dream, by all means, but just make sure that everything that you dream is relatively within is within grasp, right? Even if you’re stretching and you are stretching all the way, but you can grasp it, that’s fine. If you know it’s out of, if it’s not of your grasp, come back and think again to how you can make that goal attainable within your grasp and then move from there.

Anesha: Yeah. All right. Our last question, we’re gonna go a little bit over time, but, um, a parent asked, my child wants to use AI to assist with writing essays. What is your view on running your essay through an AI tool to help with grammar and words, et cetera?

Kane: For grammar and for words. I think that’s great. Like if you, if you’re using something to, to help you, like, just like kind of check your sentence structure, that’s fine.

Do not use it. The, the, I mean in itself, like, um, AI has really shifted the way, uh, colleges are looking at essays and college admission officer are really reading essays. They still do, but, um, write your own essays. It’s fine if you’re using Grammarly to help catch some things. Beautiful. Fantastic. Yes, you, that, that’s absolutely needed in life in general, whether or not you’re applying to college or not.

Um, but just, just make sure your writing is just that your own, um, because it’s your voice that’s gonna get you to college. No one else’s.

Anesha: Yeah, I’m, I’m not only caveat to that, I think Grammarly is great, I love it, but sometimes it rewrites it in a way that feels less human. And so I think make sure it, you know, it might be, it might be a suggestion, but it’s still grammatically correct.

And if it is more, if it’s grammatically correct in your voice, I would say to keep it and ignore Grammarly. But, um, again, case by case. Um, but that’s just one of my observations. Alright. Um, thank you so much Dean for, um, for all of your conversation and feedback today. Thanks everyone for joining us. We hope that you gain some perspective on, um, the college applications beyond the numbers.

Um, and we hope that you’ll join us for our future webinars. But until next time, take care and have a great evening everybody.

Kane: Bye.