Inside the Admissions Office: A Former Stanford Admissions Officer Answers Your Questions

Webinar Transcription

2026-05-12-Inside the Admissions Office- A Former Stanford AO Answers Your Questions

Anesha: [00:00:00] 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. Just to offer a little bit more background about myself, I am a graduate of Harvard University, and I’ve been advising students for the last 16 years. Um, but you don’t wanna hear from me, you wanna hear from our expert today.

Anesha: Uh, today’s webinar will focus on, um, “Inside the Admissions Office, a Former Stanford AO Answers your Questions.” Before we get started, just to orient everyone with the webinar timing, we will start with a brief presentation, and then we will open up to answer your questions in a live Q&A. On the sidebar, you can download our slides under the handouts tab, and you can start submitting your questions whenever you’re ready in the Q&A tab.

Anesha: Now let’s meet our main event, our presenter, Amber Bisnauth. Hey, Amber. How are you doing?

Amber: I’m good, Anesha. I, I know you’re doing well. Hello, everyone. Good evening. As Anesha said, my name is Amber. Um, after hearing her background at Harvard, I’m sure [00:01:00] you have some questions for her as well, but I know what we’re here to discuss tonight.

Amber: Um, I am a former student and admissions officer at Stanford University, so I do have both lenses. Um, and I’m excited to be able to dive in a bit deeper with some of the questions that we often get, and kind of helping reframe and shape your perspective as you get ready, uh, for your admissions process from a former admissions officer.

Anesha: Awesome. Okay, before we let you get started, we’re gonna do a quick poll to let us know what grade level you are in. If you are a parent or a teacher, you can go ahead and select other. We’re happy to have you. As we’re waiting for the poll to come in, um, Amber, I’m curious, what was your… what was a big takeaway from you as a student at Stanford that you felt was different from the, like, staff member side at Stanford?

Amber: Yes, big takeaway. Um,

Amber: on the student side, right?

Anesha: Mm-hmm.

Amber: The… I think I’ve said this before, a variation of this, but, uh, the significance of relationships. I think I always valued relationships highly. [00:02:00] Uh, but that was- that’s what I remember a decade plus later- Right … um, is late nights talking with friends, things we did, adventures we had, um, decisions we made that were just like, wow.

Amber: Um, you know, we learned a lot from them, but it was an adventure to have. Um, regardless, like, no one talked about, “Oh, you got a… What did you get on your SAT, your ACT?” Like, once you were there, you were just- pursuing whatever trying to be your best looks like, and you could do that together in a, in a collaborative environment.

Amber: So I love that about being at Stanford in my day. Uh, yes. Well,

Anesha: I love that answer. I think I was trying, I was trying to encourage students to go to the admitted stu- students weekends- Yes … that just sort of passed because similarly, like, that building connections and the relationships that I was able to have with people was what made me choose those…

Anesha: was what made me choose ultim- ultimately Harvard. Mm-hmm. Yes. Just ’cause I, I enjoyed the conversations a lot more. So, um- Yeah … I know relationships matter, and it’s important to get to know the other students who you will be there with as soon as-

Amber: Exactly. Exactly … um, [00:03:00]

Anesha: thank you for sharing that. Uh, we’ll go ahead and close our poll just for your situational awareness.

Anesha: Uh, we have a little bit of a spread, so we have, um, three eighth-graders. Welcome. Three ninth-graders. Excited that y’all are here and interested. Nine 10th-graders, about 20 11th-graders. That’s our biggest group. Um, a sole, uh, 12th-grader. We welcome you. Hope you get some insights as well for whatever you’re curious about.

Anesha: And then, oh, sorry, our biggest group is parents and teachers, so we have, like, 25 other with us. So juniors and parents and teachers are here. That’ll be our, our main audience. But, um, we welcome questions from everybody, and we’ll see how the, the session goes. But I’ll stop talking, hand it over to you, and be back when we start

Amber: our Q&A.

Amber: Awesome. Thank you, Manisha. So I’ll be speaking to parents and students. You might hear me switch, uh, tenses here, but thank you. It’s great to know who all is here, and I know you guys just wanna jump right into it, so let’s do that. Uh, giving some… We always like to lay a foundation or some background. So what exactly is the role of an admissions officer?

Amber: Don’t wanna assume that everybody knows what’s going on and, and how the pie is made. [00:04:00] Um, so in general, uh, our role as admissions officer is to admit and advocate for compelling students for our institution. And so how we do that, while there are obviously institutional variances, um, all admissions officers, for the most part at four-year institution, are looking foundationally for that academic foundation, a strong, solid academic foundation primarily.

Amber: For some institutions, strong academic performance might be sufficient for admission, but, but, but, but for the most competitive and selective institutions, they can’t even afford to rely solely on academic performance ’cause if we think about it, like the numbers, they wouldn’t have enough space for the thousands and tens of thousands of applicants who are academically qualified.

Amber: So for those institutions that cannot solely rely on quantitative metrics, which is most of, again, the selective and top-ranked univ- universities and colleges, they’re also going to be looking for a couple of additional factors, which can include [00:05:00] a compelling impact. So what have students done outside of getting good grades?

Amber: Have they demonstrated leadership in a meaningful way, formally or informally? And more importantly, are they able to capture that in their essays, in their application? And activities can also play a very big role in communicating to a college, “Hey, I’m not only gonna succeed academically when I get there,” which is important, again, “but I’ve also made a difference outside the classroom where I am.”

Amber: And it’s gonna make it easier for admissions officers to envision, “Oh, I think they’ll bring a pretty big and positive impact to our campus as well, and potentially beyond.” So assuming that a college knows, okay, your student can handle the academic rigor, they’re impressed by the impact your student has had on others throughout high school, so they wanna go from being impressed to being convinced, right?

Amber: Does your student really have a vision behind what it is that they’re doing? Many students are involved in tons of [00:06:00] activities, and that’s amazing, but then when stude- when schools have to be so selective, they need to narrow it down. So they wanna see, does your student have a strong conviction about their aspirations, their goals?

Amber: These are questions that you as students, I know you’re there, uh, you can and should be able to answer throughout your essays, ultimately putting together a strong, cohesive, so together, narrative, leveraging each essay to the best of your ability, which we will talk about a bit more, uh, in a moment. But finally, we have that point there that says fit to institution.

Amber: As the name suggests, this will be institution specific. Uh, but in essence, what admissions officers want is to feel like you will fit the culture of their institution, and that means that you’ll want to understand the culture of that institution you’re applying to. So you have to do your due diligence.

Amber: Ask more questions. Take advantage of virtual resources that those institutions offer that are just online, and you can get a better sense of your potential fit within it to be able to convey that through your [00:07:00] application. So what components make up the application? Again, we don’t wanna assume that everybody just knows, so let’s go through this.

Amber: The Common App is the most common, as the name suggests, application platform that students will utilize to apply to colleges. Now, this platform will allow students to apply to up to 20 colleges and universities, which is plenty. And so what it does is it packages several parts of your application in one piece where you don’t have to individually send these, this information repetitively to each institution.

Amber: Certain information will be there, and you can send it how- to however many schools you’re applying to. So like your profile, which is demographic information, contact information, uh, parent background, education background, et cetera. Extracurricular activities. They have a template that’s there. Sometimes institutions will allow you to submit a resume.

Amber: You can do that as well. Your academic information, um, so that’s going to include your transcript, test scores if that’s applicable, school profile, which your guidance [00:08:00] counselor, your co- your college counselor will be responsible for sending, um, as well as your essays, again, if that’s applicable. Um, now you’ll see the asterisk there for the ED contract.

Amber: So ED stands for early decision. Um, you’ll get really familiar with that acronym if you’re not already, if you’ve been reading articles or looking at videos. Um, but this won’t necessarily apply to you if you don’t apply to an institution early decision. And just to give a brief aside and, and frame that for anyone who’s not super familiar with early decision, if you…

Amber: If students apply to an early decision school, that just means that they’re in essence, uh, it’s a binding agreement, so it’s somewhat contractual, um, in the sense that if you are admitted to that school, you are committing to that school regardless of any other acceptances you might receive. So that is a s- that is a decision that you wanna take, you don’t wanna take lightly.

Amber: Uh, you wanna take that into consideration. Uh, and it might not apply to you, so again, hence the asterisk there on the slide. Then you also have your letters of recommendation, which you have more [00:09:00] control over than you think. Um, not in the ways that you have control over other aspects of your application, like your essays, uh, where you’re actually voicing them.

Amber: But, uh, schools will give some kind of context for what it is they’re looking for, preferences, recommendations, requirements. Um, and most of the time you’re gonna see that they’re asking for letters of recommendation from 10th to 12th grade, with a preference for 11th and 12th grade. Um, that’s for the purposes of relevance, right?

Amber: You’re not the same student that you were in ninth grade as you are going into 12th grade. Um, so s- schools want that perspective of you that’s gonna be most relevant to who you are when you’re applying. Additionally, schools might re- might specifically want one teacher from a STEM class, one teacher from a humanities class, et cetera.

Amber: They might allow an additional letter of recommendation from a teacher or a mentor. Um, and so what you want to do as the student is not just select a class where you got an A, but the teacher never heard from you, they don’t know you. You wanna select a teacher who’s really going to give an additional perspective to admissions officers that allows them to see you in the positive and [00:10:00] impactful light, uh, in which you are impacting your community.

Amber: So be mindful of that. And then finally, we have another asterisk at the bottom, optional interviews. And so typically for schools that offer them, um, this is going to be offered by a, a former, a form- an admissions officer, a current admissions o- officer at the institution or an alum from that institution.

Amber: Again, it’s optional. You don’t have to take it. Sometimes they’re not even guaranteed. So that’s just another aspect of the application. And again, that’s just setting the foundation for our conversation. Please feel free if you have rabbit hole co- questions, as I call them, feel free to dive down the rabbit hole with your questions.

Amber: Be happy to get into it in the co- if, uh, in the Q&A at the end if we have time. But again, that’s just to set the foundation. Awesome. So many of you have this question, I know. There’s so many parts of the application to consider. What parts carry the most weight? I actually want to use this slide to reframe this very common question, and like I said, I completely understand that.

Amber: You can only focus your effort and energy on [00:11:00] so much at one time, and families and students, you wanna figure out what to prioritize. But we cannot have a conversation about what parts carry the most weight without first establishing what has to be there, what is necessary. Uh, so I’ll explain a bit in a moment.

Amber: Um, you’ve already heard me say, and you will hear me say this throughout tonight, academics don’t just carry weight in a student’s application, they’re fundamental to your application. You’re applying to attend an academic institution of higher learning, so academics are naturally important. However, many schools practice something called holistic review, which I will get in- more into in the next slide.

Amber: Uh, but when it comes to holistic review, I, I want to emphasize that especially for the more selective institutions, your transcripts, your test scores, um, that’s what’s gonna help open the door of opportunity to you. But students, you still have time to get equipped to walk through the door, and you must be equipped to actually walk through that open door.[00:12:00]

Amber: Academics alone, as I was mentioning before, it’s… You know, most of the time that’s not gonna cut it. Uh, though again, they are fundamental, so please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. They’re necessary, but they’re oftentimes not sufficient. Um, so once admissions officers establish the fact that students can handle the academic rigor at their institutions, then we have extracurriculars, your essays, letters of recommendation for schools that accept them, which are most.

Amber: Um, that’s what’s gonna help students walk through that door of opportunity. Um, and so optional interviews, when we think about that in the application context, you can consider that like a cherry on top. Again, other aspects are, are going to carry much more weight, and again, they matter, but think of them more as a cherry on top.

Amber: Uh, and so while a strong academic performance is necessary, particularly at the more selective institutions, as I’ll continue to reiterate, um, they are a far cry from sufficient to guarantee a student’s admission. So again, all parts of the application that are required are [00:13:00] necessary. Uh, your academics, your extracurriculars, essays if they apply, letters of recommendation if they apply.

Amber: Then interviews, which are optional, again, that’s a cherry on top. Now, a student could write and has written, I have examples, the most beautiful poetic essay an AO has ever read, but if their academic statistics, their quantitative metrics are below that institution’s standard, it’s probably not going to be enough to make a difference.

Amber: I, I remember going and sharing essays with some of my colleagues in other cubicles like, “This is just so good. I just wish that the student…” I know what the institution’s standard is. Again, there’s no specific cutoff per se, but we understand in general what our institution’s going to look for. And we understand what our committee will and won’t accept, um, at the institution.

Amber: It wouldn’t benefit anybody if a student were accepted and the school was unsure about their ability to thrive. The student got there, it was too much. Um, so ultimately that’s why [00:14:00] schools are evaluating a student’s academic capability, uh, to succeed and excel and thrive at an institution, and test scores are one of those metrics.

Amber: Tr- transcripts are another one of those metrics, et cetera. So I do also wanna look at the inverse of that situation though. You have a beautiful writer, they just don’t quite have the academic metrics to cut it. On the inverse, if a student has a 36 ACT, a 1600 SAT, 4.0+ GPA, and many do, but their extracurricular profile, their essays are a bit lackluster, that could also impact their ability to stand out from the thousands of other academically qualified applicants.

Amber: So this could kind of provide a bit of context for why you students and your friends may have seen some of your older friends with relatively stronger academics get rejected from top schools while their peers with relatively lower test scores or transcripts, GPAs, they attended the same school or the same region, but they were admitted at schools.

Amber: Strong academics are [00:15:00] necessary. But a difference of 10 points in an SAT isn’t usually going to make the difference between acceptance and denial. The rest of the application must also be strong. So it’s not the cookie cutter answer that anybody wants to hear, but your academics, your essays, and your extracurriculars, as well as letters of recommendation, each carry significant weight.

Amber: Admissions officers are looking to build a well-rounded class. We’re not looking for copycats of one another. We want students to put forward their best foot at every part of their application, and not to give into the temptation to do what their friends are doing or even what their older friends did to get admitted to XYZ school.

Amber: Because to admissions officers, copycats are not compelling. Individuals are. Let me give you a tangible example, and, and I hesitate to do this sometimes because again, there’s always nuance for every individual situation. But let’s say you have a test score of… That’s great. You have a 1540. So rather in your case than forcing you to study and retest for an additional 10 or 20 [00:16:00] points, it might be best for you to focus that e- extra energy and time on brainstorming your essays or seeking out more impact or leadership in your activities.

Amber: We ultimately want every part of your application to be strong in its own right. So holistic review. This is the slide. Let’s talk about it. As promised, I do wanna dive a bit more into this. When a school says that they practice holistic review of their a- of applications to their institution, this simply means that they’re evaluating each piece of the application alongside the next piece of the application.

Amber: It doesn’t speak to the weight of each component, which we were just discussing in the previous slide. But it does state that each aspect of the application is meaningful. So we can think of each aspect, I’m sure you’ve thought of the analogy we’re about to have, like a slice of pie. Each aspect of the application is like a slice.

Amber: Your academics, however, are that pie crust. And if you like pie, we all like a good pie crust. Without the [00:17:00] crust, we’re not even talking about pie anymore. Maybe it’s a tart or a quiche. But we’re looking at pie when we’re talking about holistic review, and each slice, it might be a different size, but the pie as a whole is what’s being evaluated as a whole.

Amber: So once you have your academic foundation set or your pie crust, the flavorful filling can be added, and this is what truly makes the pie appetizing to admissions officers. Your activities, your essay, your voice, and what your teachers and mentors have to say about you. For schools with optional components, as I mentioned, and that can include a test score, uh, or an interview.

Amber: If you choose not to submit one of these a- parts of your application or you’re just unable to submit it, it’s not that that slice of a pie will be missing and the, and the admissions officer will be reviewing an incomplete pie, it’s just that your pie slices, the sizes will be redistributed. So translating that example to real life college application.

Amber: Let’s say you’re applying to a school that conducts holistic review and is still test optional. You’ve decided [00:18:00] not to submit a test, an SAT or an ACT, so the sizes of your pie shifted. Specifically speaking, since that school will no longer be able to consider your standardized test score from the ACT or the SAT, they’re going to have to lean more heavily on your transcript, your IB and/or AP scores if that’s applicable to you.

Amber: And that’s going to help them get a better understanding of your academic readiness for college because that’s still fundamental. So schools that practice holistic review are looking again at the whole pie, and students wanna make sure that each slice is a genuine and compelling representation of themselves to set themselves up for success as they apply to these schools.

Amber: So students, how can you develop an application that’s going to showcase your strengths and your unique experiences? First, I think this one’s a given, but let’s talk about it. Let’s give yourself time. You’re not, you will not… Please don’t take this as a challenge. This is an encouragement and a warning.

Amber: You will not complete a strong application, [00:19:00] a compelling application overnight. All of the components of the application we’ve discussed tonight will take time to meaningfully develop. When it comes to your essays, I often recommend beginning these at least around the second half of a student’s junior year leading into the summer prior to senior year.

Amber: So to all of my rising seniors, you are in the right place at the right time. If done well, even with a busy summer schedule, which most of you I’m sure have, you’ll be able to start your senior year with a good chunk of your essays already at a near final state or at least in progress. Being transparent with you, and I’m specifically speaking to my rising seniors right now, and those who will be rising seniors, you won’t really want to coast academically your senior year either.

Amber: I know that’s probably something that might be spoken about at your school, depending on the school you go to. Um, so between balancing your classes, your homework, your extracurriculars, your college essays, it’s a lot. But it’s important to remember that you have to give yourself time and a great start to manage all those responsibilities, and this is my recommendation for doing so.[00:20:00]

Amber: Now connect the dots. You’ll also want to be sure that you utilize your time to help connect the dots between all the different parts of your application. What’s the connection between your involvement in DECA and the personal project you just started last year? What’s the connection between the tutoring lessons you give and the impact a tutor had on you your freshman year?

Amber: Our lives are full of connections, but admissions officers will not see them, and please don’t assume they will, unless you as the student connect the dots for them. And essays are an amazing space for students to draw connections and connect the dots that paint a beautiful picture of yourselves to admissions offices.

Amber: And you’ll want to showcase your strengths, your unique experiences, while building a strong case for your candidacy at an institution. Now filling the gaps takes this a bit to the next level. Um, it’s different than connecting the dots in the sense that when you’re connecting the dots, you’re pulling in information that an admissions officer just wouldn’t be able to see by looking at the transcript or your resume or even…

Amber: Well, we’ll use those two for ex- for right now. [00:21:00] Um, if there are any questions or concerns that are raised from information that’s presented in your application, we do not want to leave the guesswork to an admissions officer to figure out what happened. So to give another example, um, let’s talk, let’s say Sally.

Amber: I’m sorry if there’s a Sally watching. Um, she earned a C in her 10th grade year in math. But she earned an A in math the year prior and As thereafter. And math is a very strong subject. It has to do with the major she wants to apply to for college. That C is going to stand out to admissions officers.

Amber: There’s no really avoiding that. So Sally needs to fill in the gaps for them. Was she diagnosed with a learning disability that year and able to acquire the resources to succeed after the diagnosis, hence why her grades returned to their typical standard? Did she experience the loss of a loved one?

Amber: Please don’t expect admissions officers to build in empathy for the circumstances if you don’t elaborate upon them in the application. All anomalies deserve an explanation. And I’ll say that again. Anomalies in your application [00:22:00] deserve an explanation. Admissions officers, typically, they want to be on your side.

Amber: They want to advocate for you. But they do have institutional limitations and priorities. So please don’t give them a reason to question your candidacy at an institution You’ll wanna be sure that you fill in the gaps and answer questions that might arise before they can ask those questions. Um, and so if there are any questions or gaps in your application, uh, this

Amber: You can typically fill in that information if it doesn’t fit anywhere else in your application in the additional information section of your Common App. And I do rec- that’s … This is a great topic of conversation for you and your advisor so you can be more strategic about the implementation of that information and leveraging each piece of the application appropriately.

Amber: So specifically with the essays, how can you, as students, leverage your personal statement and your supplemental essays to stand out? Well, as I’ve said before, time. Time is your best friend. Let it be your best friend. Don’t wait till the last minute. But beyond that, [00:23:00] make the time to reflect regularly, right?

Amber: So journaling a few times a week, doing free writes in response to essay prompts that already exist, those … That … Doing those exercises can help you to start reflecting on important topics without feeling the pressure of writing your final college essay draft. It’s not gonna be your final essay draft the first one you- time you put pen to paper.

Amber: So just take that burden off and, and get started. Um, I also encourage students not to compare themselves to their peers. I know that’s easier said than done. Uh, but one of the greatest hindrances, and I’ve experienced it as an advisor, I’ve seen it, t- is to writing the best essay can be comparison.

Amber: College essays aren’t meant to be written in competition with one another because they’re, they’re not even evaluated that way. I’m not reading Sally’s essay, then Jeff’s essay, then George’s essay, and then reading their academic. I’m reading each application within its context, and that’s how you … I want students to remember they’re writing their essays.

Amber: They’re really not competing. It’s meant to accentuate a student’s unique voice, your [00:24:00] perspective, your potential contribution to a college campus. No matter how similar you think you are to someone else, chances are they’re much more different and unique than you think. Um, so I do encourage students to lean into who they are.

Amber: Do the work to reflect on your aspirations, interests, your motives, your impact. That’s the best way for you as a student to control the controllables in this application process. And then as that second bullet point says, there’s no substitute for doing the work. One other thing I absolutely want to make clear, we do not want students telling us, as admissions officers, what they think we want to hear.

Amber: That often comes up as a question. Key thing here, admissions officers are trained to recognize what we’re looking for. We don’t create the formula. We’re looking for it to be presented to us. There isn’t one particular way to write an essay or pursue extracurriculars, but when students do the work to reflect, to recognize what genuinely motivates and interests them, and they take the next step to pursue those [00:25:00] interests wholeheartedly, reflecting on and articulating your experiences and aspirations becomes the easy part because you’re equipped to do it.

Amber: You have the tools. And finally, this point is important to me, compelling is authentic. AOs recognize real and we recognize contrived. When students try to find the right thing to say, as I just said, that’s typically a setup for writing that doesn’t capture the things we actually wanna hear as admissions officers.

Amber: And it’s often ironically because students are so busy trying to fit this arbitrary and probably non-existent mold that they think admissions officers are looking for, but we’re not. When students do the work to figure out what their interests are, where they actually lie, what their motivations are now, and how they’ve changed and developed over time, the writing, through your iterations, will just become an opportunity to showcase what you’ve already learned about yourself.

Amber: The more in tuned you as students are with your own growth, the more compelling the truth becomes. Again, we don’t want [00:26:00] you just trying to make something sound good; we want you to tell your story. That’s what we’re looking for. So how can you, as a student, demonstrate your personal brand and stand out through your extracurriculars?

Amber: I know these slides are simple, th- these, these bullets are simple, but allow me to dive into that as well. As admissions officers, we’re looking at your journey. We are– We’re not looking at isolated events necessarily. Again, we’re trying to tell the story, but again, we need you to help us connect the dots and fill in the gaps.

Amber: But there are many ways to develop compelling extracurriculars along your high school journey. And students don’t have to be sure of what they wanna do starting in ninth grade or even earlier. We want students to capitalize on the opportunity to explore. Explore, dive in, dive deeper. Try a couple of different clubs, activities, internships in areas where you might have a budding interest, and explore intentionally and explore with purpose.

Amber: Process of elimination can often be a, a pretty effective way to determine where students want to dive deeper academically and where you [00:27:00] might want to pivot. And once you’ve narrowed down an academic area or areas that interest you as the student, the next step should be to find more opportunities to dive deeper in those areas.

Amber: This is gonna help you to build commitment into your extracurricular profile once you’ve begun to narrow your interests down. So as you’re progressing through your high school career, look to continue deepening that investment. It’s okay. It’s okay to start as just a club member. But if your interest continues to grow, you should start to consider seeking out some leadership opportunities.

Amber: Leadership typically requires more commitment, more investment, and we do wanna make sure that new level of investment is also sustainable for you. There is balance to this. So students, don’t forget, you don’t have to do something that already exists. You can start something new too. Whether it’s a club, a program, just another opportunity that doesn’t have the same formal structure as a typical club or program, you might only be able to have the impact that you’re looking to have by getting your own ideas off the ground and taking that [00:28:00] initiative.

Amber: Genuine initiative and leadership are attractive qualities to admissions officers. And so seeing how students have impacted their community, it– that’s gonna help us as admissions officers to imagine how you’d bring a co- positive contribution to our own campus. So what mistakes, as we often get, what mistakes should students and parents avoid?

Amber: So this is for everybody in the room. You keep hearing me mention time. There’s a reason for that. Uh, even for essays that seem shorter, it’s not just about getting 150 p- words of, on a piece of paper, on a digital piece of paper. Students, you wanna maximize the space you’re given in the application to emphasize your strengths and unique voice.

Amber: You’ve heard that before tonight also. Don’t cheapen the opportunity by waiting until the last minute to put your application together. There’s also the too many chefs in the kitchen scenario. I haven’t talked about this until now, but when it comes to essays, not everyone should have a say in what a student is writing.

Amber: To my lovely parents, please take what I say with a [00:29:00] grain of salt, but sometimes it can actually hinder our students rather than helping them to have your hand so deeply in what it is that your student is writing. It’s not because you’re not qualified. You know, I can’t even physically see you right now, so this is just truly what we’ve learned.

Amber: It’s not because you’re not qualified. In reality, think of it as even best practice in a hospital, right? Typically, doctors are not put in charge of patients who are their relatives. Why? For many reasons, but b- also because they’re too emotionally invested. You’ve known your child for their entire life.

Amber: Sometimes it can be very tempting to write the essays for them. They’re not doing it right, they’re not capturing enough, and you’ve been there, so you’ve seen their impact. But I’m asking you for their sake to resist the urge to overtake their process. Instead of doing the work for them, it’s in everyone’s best interest that you set them up for success by equipping and allowing them to do the work for themselves, and having the right people on their side.

Amber: If you know they’re kinda gonna tune you out, [00:30:00] okay, have a trusted advisor come in and be able to communicate the same message with them, someone that they feel is going to hear them out and help them work through ideas. Maybe you can help them brainstorm and, and jog their memory, right? But we don’t ultimately want parents to overtake the process for the students.

Amber: That, that can take the agency out of your student and inadvertently cause more harm than help. So admissions officers are looking for students who can enter into college confident and equipped with the tools to do the work themselves, and the college application process is a big step on that journey.

Amber: Then we have keeping up with the Joneses. It’s a point that I’ve referenced earlier just about comparison. If students are too busy being distracted by what other people are doing, they’re not gonna have enough time to focus on how they can accentuate their strengths and their voice. We don’t have time to waste on hypothetical comparisons.

Amber: We want students to run their race and stay in their lane throughout the entire college application journey. So let’s talk about some practical best practices [00:31:00] for when it comes to developing a strong application before we get into question and answer. For tonight, begin with the end in mind. If it’s your senior year and you know it’s going to be busy, or so for my rising seniors, you know that you’re about to have a, a busy, busy fall, please don’t put off the bulk of your essay writing until after summer, even if your summer is busy, and like I said, I’m sure it will be.

Amber: Second semester junior year, so right around now, either start before exams, again, we’re kind of speaking after that period or finishing up with that, um, or after exams, optimal time to start if you haven’t already. That gives students time to put your essays down, pick them back up, and work through them.

Amber: It also allows you to grow even throughout your writing experience, which is ideal. Then own and lean into your own strengths. You’ve heard me mention that a lot. Rather than dwelling on what you think you don’t have in comparison to your friends, focus on what you know you do have, students. Maybe you’re not president of every club, and you really don’t need to be, but what impact are you having in the spaces you’re [00:32:00] already in?

Amber: This is actually an ideal place if you have a parent or a trusted mentor. Get some outside feedback because sometimes we’re so nearsighted with our impact we can’t see it, and it can be helpful to get some input here. So again, parents, this might be actually a good place for you to come in and help your students process without overtaking it.

Amber: Um, students, own your strengths. It’s hard to confidently share what you don’t see. So we want you as students to take the time to reflect, again, a cohort could be really helpful, recognize how you stand out, and lean into what you glean and learn from that reflection experience. And finally, find your fit.

Amber: Prioritizing a balanced college list will set students up for a more favorable selection of options come springtime. Nobody likes rejection, and I know that’s not a secret. It is a part of life. If students balance their list with schools based on their academic performance, also their aspirations, also the school environment, resources and opportunities that they’re looking for, and really where they could see themselves [00:33:00] calling home for the next four more years and thriving, then you’re doing the process right.

Amber: Don’t give into the temptation to make a college list based purely off of prestige. I understand it’s gonna be a factor. I, I know many of the top schools are highly unique from one another, and as students do their research, they’re gonna notice that. The more you as students focus on fit, and you as a family focus on fit, the happier and more focused you’ll be running your race, not just now, but as you continue to grow into adulthood and throughout the rest of your life.

Amber: So with that, I’d love to start answering these questions, passing this back off to Anesha to continue with the second part of the night.

Anesha: Sure. Okay. We are gonna transition over into the Q&A section of our webinar. Um, just so you know, the way that it will work, I will read through the questions that you submitted in the Q&A.

Anesha: I’ll share them in the public chat so that others can see them, and then read them aloud so that Amber can provide an answer. If your Q&A tab isn’t letting you submit questions, just double-check that you’ve [00:34:00] joined the webinar through, through the custom link that you received in your email and not from the CollegeAdvisor webinar landing page.

Anesha: You might have to log out and log back in. If that does not work, um, try logging in through the… Oh, sorry. Sorry. If that does not work, you will not be able to answer questions or ask questions, but the webinar is being recorded, and so you will be able to review it at a later time. Apologies for any inconveniences for folks who cannot submit questions, but I hope everybody can.

Anesha: All right, our first question for you. Um, someone asked, and this is related to the profile, um, “If a student can travel internationally during their sophomore and junior summers, how is that cultural experience judged versus working or charity volunteering?” So international travel versus working or volunteering.

Anesha: You are muted.

Amber: I sure am. It doesn’t matter how long I do this. Thank you so much for humbling me. I’m just kidding. Thank you for sharing that, uh, letting me know that, Anesha. Um, to that question. So there’s gonna be several aspects. That can be a pretty nuanced question, and, and that could be a deeper conversation.[00:35:00]

Amber: Um, what are you gonna be doing? That… My follow-up question would be, what are you gonna be doing, um, in that summer travel? Is it related to something that you’re interested in studying in college? That’s something that I would want you to prioritize, ’cause I’m assuming that question comes from someone in high school.

Amber: I don’t know where in your high school journey you are. Uh, but you do want to continue to build experiences that are relevant to what you’re aspiring to study, assuming you know what you want to study. Um, or something that connects to your overall goal, your ambitions, um, that, that nar- that you’re going to be sharing, um, with admissions officers.

Amber: So it’s not really… And, and this, this can be the g- general response, um, when it comes to selecting an activity. Uh, it’s less about what the name of the activity is, and it’s much, much more about the impact you’re gonna have, your ability to reflect and be present in your experience, and then to be able to articulate that, um, in your own voice, uh, a- and in a reflective manner that, that exhibits your growth, your intentionality.

Amber: Um, that’s really what’s gonna matter most, uh, and what [00:36:00] you’ll be able to pull out in your essays, right? I don’t just want you to do something because you think it checks a box. Kind of goes back to my point earlier, right? Like, we don’t just want you to tell us what you think we wanna s- wanna hear, and I don’t want you to do what you think we want you to do.

Amber: Uh, we want you to have meaningful impact and be able to reflect on that meaningful impact in a meaningful way. Um, Anesha, I, I know I saw you start to say something. I didn’t know if you wanted to-

Anesha: No, no, no. No, no, I wasn’t gonna say anything. Okay. I, I agree with you. Um, I, if I had a thought, it has lo-

Amber: it has long

Anesha: since gone.

Anesha: Okay. But, but no, I wa- I was also trying to answer a question in the chat Yes,

Amber: thank you. … afterwards, so. Yeah, I misread

Anesha: that. Um, but no, I s- I agree with your response. Um, I think maybe I was gonna say that somet- I’ve seen that they don’t want you to write about it too much. If, if you travel, that it’s not the, the most compelling essay.

Anesha: Um, but it also, again, to your point, depends on how you write about it and what you were doing during that experience. So, um- For sure … that might have been my only two points, uh, or two- Awesome. Thank you. Um, okay. The next question I have for you is, um, [00:37:00] oh, someone asked, “Are admissions calculators that estimate a student’s chances of admissions, such as those on PrepScholar, um, actually accurate?”

Amber: Yes. We’re getting a lot of great questions with some great answers. My apologies in advance. Uh, but the short answer is it depends, right? I, I’m not sure, uh, about each individual institution’s formula, what factors they’re taking into account. I would want to be charitable in my response in assuming that they’re doing their best to be as, as statistically accurate or, uh, give, um, predictions based off of historical data that can be useful and helpful to you in your college list preparation, trying to build a balanced list, understand what your actual chances are.

Amber: Uh, but I do wanna encourage you as families and students to take each piece of data, uh, collectively. Don’t just take one piece of, “Oh, well, this one website told- on this one, uh, platform told me that I have this percent chance, so that, that’s it,” right? You can see the general acceptance rate. You can look at that piece of information.

Amber: You can look at, uh, previ- uh, admissions data about, uh, [00:38:00] potentially, depending on the institution- Mm-hmm … uh, previously admitted students and kind of look at your profile as well, but I, I say that with a huge asterisk, right? Um, academics, quantitative metrics, yes. So you can get a kind of sense of like, okay, how academically competitive should I have to have a solid fou- be, to have a solid foundation to have a chance for this door to be open to me, right?

Amber: Um, so I, I want to say that with several caveats. Uh, but all that to say, um, even when you are looking at these websites and trying to get a better sense of your individual, uh, admissions chances, use that as one piece of information in your collective research and your, um… a- and wanting to ultimately build a balanced, uh, and fitting college list to you and your interests.

Anesha: Um, the next question I have for you, someone said, “My kid does not have an extracurricular interest developed so far. What is the scale of extracurriculars that we need, um, in order to build a profile, um, for her? She, it, wants to be a doctor.” So what are the, what’s the depth of an [00:39:00] extracurricular profile for a potential pre-med student?

Amber: Yeah. Again, love, love these questions. This is, uh, more, uh, more nuanced. Like, this is more of a one-on-one conversation- Uh-huh … which I’m hopeful you’ll get to have the opportunity, uh, to have with some of our advisors. But, um, to try to get a sense of what you’re asking and to point you in the right direction, um, I would say it’s very important to get some, some sort of practical experience, some sort of, sort of confirmation, and then dig deeper, right?

Amber: If, if your student doesn’t really have an extracurricular profile to start, get them started. Get them i- in some sort of program or opportunity or shadowing, depending on their age, uh, where they can see, “Hey, what does this actually look like day to day, and is this really something I’m interested in?

Amber: Like, can I… Do I have the stomach to be a…” Uh, practical things, right? “Can I handle blood? Can I handle X, Y, and Z?” And then once they’ve ki- once they have, if they do reaffirm their interest and passion to become a doctor, maybe they can get more specific. Why? What type? They don’t have to know all the details, [00:40:00] but they should be confident in their why.

Amber: Uh, and so I encourage you as a parent, right, to just help them explore and find out opportunities that will help them either affirm or Turn in a different direction for their interests. Uh, but I definitely do encourage that that’s gonna be a much more nuanced and kind of procedural conversation. You wanna have multiple conversations with an advisor to see what makes the

Anesha: most sense for your child.

Anesha: You, you trailed off a little bit

Amber: towards the end. Oh,

Anesha: um- You wanna have a more conversation with an advisor to…

Amber: Yes, to see what’s most fitting for your child, uh, what makes the most sense for their path. Thank you.

Anesha: Sure. No worries. Okay, we’re gonna take a quick little pause just to, um, uh, highlight some student success stories here at CollegeAdvisor.

Anesha: Our first student success story is about DJ, who grew up wanting to be a physician. Um, he was active in relevant extracurriculars and sought out challenging co- coursework. As a scientist, writing narratively was really challenging for DJ, so the college essay style didn’t come naturally to him. He signed [00:41:00] up to work with CollegeAdvisor and was accepted by five colleges, including Johns Hopkins, where he received an institutional scholarship of around $61,000 per year.

Anesha: Um, another successful student from CollegeAdvisor is Abby. Um, Abby reached out because she was, uh, an aspiring first gen- first generation college student. Her immigrant parents had no experience applying to US colleges, and she wasn’t receiving much support from her teachers or school counselors, so she felt alone in the process.

Anesha: She was thinking ahead and connected with CollegeAdvisor as a sophomore. She ended up applying early decision to Cornell, where she was accepted and received full financial aid. These are just two examples of the 10,000 clients CollegeAdvisor has guided through the application process. Our team of over 300 former admissions officers and admissions experts, like Amber, are ready to help you and your family navigate the college admissions process in one-on-one advising sessions and essay editing.

Anesha: To learn more about how you can get started with CollegeAdvisor, you can scan the QR code that is on the screen to sign up for a free 60-minute strategy [00:42:00] session with an admissions specialist on our team. During this meeting, you’ll receive a preliminary assessment of your academic profile, along with some initial recommendations on what you can do to stand out.

Anesha: By the end of that meeting, you’ll also learn more about our premium packages that we offer, which will pair you with an expert who can support you in building your college list, editing your essays, and much more, because CollegeAdvisor is here for the whole process. Okay, we’re gonna go back to our Q&A, but we’ll leave that QR code up on the screen, uh, for any folks who have not had a chance to scan it.

Anesha: Okay, my next question for you, Amber, um, what is your best advice for students who are homeschooled? Will, um… Da, da, da. Oh, they, they’re asking about how… Yeah. I’m gonna, I’m not, I’m not gonna answer, ask their full question, but what is your best advice- Yes … for students who are homeschooled?

Amber: Yes, and I can see it, and thank you, I understand.

Amber: Also, that was, uh, Abby was my student, so that’s why- Oh, yay. Okay … you also saw my response or reaction. I’m just very proud of her. Um, yes, [00:43:00] so first, I guess, advice for homeschool students, and then let me… ‘Cause I, I know it was very involved. Um- Yeah, I think I’ll actually look up the nuance for it just to give you a bit more relevant answer to your question.

Amber: Um, s- let’s see. Yeah.

Anesha: They said, “I serve as a junior member of my city council and have a provisional patent. Will this be seen as equivalent to volunteering or serving in leadership positions at school?”

Amber: Yes. Okay, so that is very nuanced, and my initial thought is I’m curious what’s prompting this question.

Amber: So like, what, what colleges and institutions you’re looking at. Uh, and… ‘Cause different institutions even have, uh… I’m trying to give an example. Um, okay. So in terms of, let’s start with extracurricular activities for homeschool students, um, ’cause that is a different playing field, um, that you’re dealing with, right?

Amber: Like, you’re, there’s no necessarily school clubs. Uh, so something that’s important for you to demonstrate with your [00:44:00] activities is, again, demonstrating that initiative, um, that you can be in a collaborative environment since your learning environment might be more individualized. Uh, and college campus is going to be more of a community experience.

Amber: Um, for the specific question, I think that would… Uh, it’s kind of… I, I, I don’t, I don’t know that that’s the most helpful way to look at it in the sense of like, oh, will this be equivalent to volunteering. Um, that’s why I’d like to get more context. You know, this would be a good one-on-one conversation.

Amber: But just to try to do justice to the question with what I can, um, I would say that it could be a valuable experience, and ultimately it is going to matter how you can speak about this experience. What even motivated you to get this provisional patent, what the impact of, of this endeavor has been, uh, will be.

Amber: Um, yes, and if it has a community impact, great. Emphasize that, right? But I, I would focus less on, hey, will this suffice for that, um, I don’t know if this is a requirement, like, for a specific school or set of schools. Yeah. So that would be kind of my [00:45:00] follow-up. Uh, but hopefully that points you in the general direction.

Anesha: Okay. All right. Sorry for the compli- complicated question. Um- No

Amber: worries. No, I appreciate

Anesha: it. Um, someone asked, “Please discuss the rigor of the courses students choose for their classes as compared to, um, easier courses with a higher GPA.” I guess, how difficult or challenging should a course be? Mm. And should the student choose the easier course where they’ll get a higher grade?

Amber: Mm. Mm.

Anesha: That’s how I’m reading the question, but tell me if I’m wrong. Um-

Amber: Yes. Yes. Uh- There’s balance, but I would say you want to challenge, students want to challenge themselves to the best of their abilities, which is why this is going to be individualized. You would wanna talk through this with an advi- advisor.

Amber: But for example, uh, if a student is taking… Is like, “You know what?” It’s like the example kind of I gave. “It’s my senior year. Like, I just wanna make sure I get all As. Like, I don’t really want to risk anything.” So they take all on level or maybe, like, one or one honors class and mostly on level. [00:46:00] But previously they’ve, they…

Amber: But the school… Keep this in mind. An admissions officer will be able to see what curriculum is available to a student. So a student in a more rural context where maybe they only have five AP courses available and they’ve taken four, we’re going to see that as, oh, they’re taking advantage of their resources.

Amber: Maybe they didn’t wanna take AP art history. They’re not even interested in that. That’s fine. Versus a student at a school that offers 23 APs and they only took four, now we’re going to see, oh, this… I’m not really sure that the student is taking advantage of their resources, unless that’s all you could handle, right?

Amber: Like, the, the balance is we want students to be able to push themselves and challenge themselves, especially if their college list is going to be more top-heavy. If they’re going to be applying to institutions that are more competitive, that are more selective, they’re going to wanna see that a student not only challenged themselves, but also succeeded.

Amber: So that’s the quote, unquote, “balance” that I would say. The, the push is to both challenge a student but also make sure that they succeed because it is still ultimately we don’t wanna see [00:47:00] students taking a lot of AP courses and then also suffering through those courses and they’re not even having, uh- Mm-hmm

Amber: they’re, they’re not necessarily having the best outcomes to show for. We also don’t wanna see a student coasting through, uh, because again, these students are… These institutions can be very selective, um, with who it is. They wanna make sure that they can succeed, uh, because they typically have rigorous academic environments.

Amber: All that to say, there’s not a one-size-fits-all. Uh, there’s not like a, “You need to take this many APs, you need to take this many IVs,” et cetera. I don’t know what your student can handle because they still need to do well. So that’s the balance. Challenge themselves but also do well.

Anesha: Uh, and I, I would repeat what you, what you just said about there’s not a, like, limited number of APs or of activities.

Anesha: We’ve had that question of, like, what’s the right number. Yeah. Um, there is no specific number. There’s really not. Yeah. Um, you get 10 slots on the Common App. It is okay if you don’t fill all 10 slots. Mm-hmm. Um, if you have more than 10, you still only get to talk about 10. Um, so, [00:48:00] so you know, that’s, uh, that’s…

Anesha: Sorry, that was, uh, some of the other- Yeah … specific questions. Um- For the senior, yes. So the one senior that we have in here is actually, uh, coming back from a gap year. So they’re- Yeah … they’re curious about how, how would one explain, uh, they, they’ve taken several ga- they’ve taken three years, uh, of gap years.

Anesha: Mm-hmm. And so they’re curious about how they would explain that, um- And how, you know, how might that application be read?

Amber: Yes. My next question would be, I’m curious if two of these gap years, like are they in a country like Singapore where they have two years of obligated service, right? ‘Cause that would help to fill in the gaps for that.

Amber: But ultimately, uh, you are just going to want to provide context for, hey, why did you make the decision to take these gap years? What did you spend your time doing? Why are you making the decision to go to college now? Um, you’ll want to provide context for what you’ve been doing in this time, and you’ll want to convey the fact that you’ve been meaningful and intentional about whatever reflection, whatever work, whatever service it is that you’ve been doing during that time.

Amber: Um, am I missing an aspect of the question? I feel like-

Anesha: There’s another aspect of it. They mention, um, that they’re in [00:49:00] Bangladesh, but it’s a more complicated- Yeah … kind of financial family contribution question, so that’s why- Yeah … I’m skipping it. Um- Sorry … but, but yeah, I think the ultimate question is just like…

Anesha: Or the ultimate answer is to give context as to what you were doing during- Yes … that time, what you learned about yourself during that time, and how will that help you contribute to the community.

Amber: Exactly. Boom.

Anesha: Um. Okay. Okay, my next question for you is, um, someone asked, “How are twins evaluated, especially when they have- Oh

Anesha: many of the same achievements, GPA, ACT score, extracurriculars, et cetera? Are… Is it adverse or does it impact both of their chances of getting into the same school?”

Amber: Great question. Great question. And, um, you are evaluated as individuals. Um, in terms of… Schools are aware of the fact that twins are applying, and you might even…

Amber: There should be a question, um, as you’re applying like, “Hey, do you have any siblings that are applying at the same time?” So institutions are aware, um, typically, when you have siblings that are applying at the same time, whether you’re twins, whether someone took a gap year. Um, but ultimately how… [00:50:00] That’s going to be one of those institution-specific factors that how they evaluate that is up to that institution.

Amber: Um, to give an example, I worked with… But to, to give you some context, I work with, uh, uh, with, with preserving their anon- an- anonymity, but I worked with some twins recently. Um, and they had pretty … They had some similar acceptances, and then they had some very wildly different ones, uh, decisions. And I think that made sense for their, um, their, their, their application profiles, their strengths, and it was ultimately positive.

Amber: Um, but that’s to give you the, the sense that, hey, it’s not a one-size-fits-all. It’s not, oh, if my twin gets in here, I’ll get in here. It’s not of, oh, if I would get in, my twin would get in. I w- That’s not, um, a helpful way to look at it. Just understand that they are aware, uh, if you have a twin or a sibling applying, and ultimately though, your, your application is still being evaluated for your fit within that institution’s context.[00:51:00]

Anesha: Okay. We’ve had this question asked a couple ways. I’ve answered it in the chat, but I think it might be helpful for you to just answer it aloud. Um, essentially, folks are asking if and how to discuss any neuro- neurodiverse challenges or learning dis- Mm … learning differences that they might have in their application.

Amber: Yes, I would absolutely say, um, that’s a one-on-one conversation with an advisor, but, um, one of the places you can leverage some information, right, talk to your g- your, your college counselor, uh, about… But they have, they should have a bit more context on your learning differences. Um, also with an advisor, kind of have conversations around, okay, how does this impact…

Amber: Y- you’ll want your tight circle to know how this impacts your daily learning, what should be included strategically in your application to h- both frame your strengths as well as giving context for your application. Uh, but ultimately you will want to frame whatever, whatever challenge or whatever, um, learning disability or that you might have [00:52:00] in, not as a, not as something that hinders you, but something that you overcome.

Amber: That’s v- that is very important, right? Because you are going to another institution, you’re kind of making that your home for the next four years or so. Uh, and so institutions w- want to have confidence that, hey, they have the resources, you’re going to use them, right? So definitely whatever, um, situation it is that you are wanting to frame, you, you’ll want to be sure that you’re mindful, um, that it is within a positive and an overcoming light.

Anesha: Yeah. I, I will just repeat what I shared in the chat, which is different and probably more detailed than you wanted to say. But I, I usually advise that you don’t, one, have to disclose it if you don’t want to. It is not a requirement. But if you were to disclose it, you should be upfront about the resources you need, and I also encourage folks to check in with their recommenders.

Anesha: I think to what you just said, that that might be a helpful… They, they’ll be able to present a good context, um, to how, how that has showed up in the classroom and how you’ve managed it in the classroom as well.

Amber: Right.

Anesha: Um, okay. Sorry. I, I’m overstepping. But okay. [00:53:00] Someone, um, I don’t know if you mentioned school profiles, but we’ve got a few questions about, like, how- Yes

Anesha: rigor is evaluated. So, um, someone said is rigor, is the rigor of a high school looked at, um, such as if it’s known to be college preparatory or more challenging or non-honors, non-AP classes? So how is that kind of evaluated on a school by school basis?

Amber: Yes. Uh, within the context is, is the short answer, right

Amber: Um, so however the school’s going to evaluate. Again, they wanna see what’s available, and then they wanna see that you’ve challenged yourself, uh, to the utmost, right? They’ll have the information from the school. Hey, uh, some schools AP wasn’t even available, so college prep might have been the highest, or dual enrollment might have been the highest that was offered.

Amber: Awesome. That’s the context that the school will take, and then they will further evaluate it. Um, but that’s within each institution’s, um, kinda framework for evaluating an application. So ultimately, I would recommend you talk with your c- college counselor. Ask them, “Hey, what’s the most rigorous curriculum offered?”

Amber: Right? If you’re between AP and IB, I recommend you do what makes the most sense, ’cause I can tell you that both of those are standardized, both of them are evaluated as [00:54:00] rigorous. Do what makes the most sense for you.

Anesha: Um, but just did you mention school profile? I just wanna, just to state clearly- Oh, sorry

Anesha: every high school-

Amber: Yes …

Anesha: produces a school profile that is shared- Yes … with your transcript and with your counselor, uh, letter of recommendation so that they understand how many APs are offered, what are the… what is available at the school, and then evaluate you within the context of the school profile. So, sorry.

Amber: Exactly. Yes. No, that was mentioned early in the slide, but I should have reiterated- Okay … in case some people… Yes. Thank you.

Anesha: Yeah. No, no worries. Sorry, I was answering questions as you were talking, so I wasn’t sure- Yes … all you covered. Um, apologies. Um- Yeah. Oh, someone asked, “Do admissions officers read the entire application, or do they only focus on highlights?”

Amber: Great question. Um, so again, each school will have institutional practices, generally speaking, and especially at institutions that prioritize holistic review. Uh, they’re going to evaluate your application as a whole. Uh, so they’re going to evaluate each piece of your application. Um, again, something that’s important, academic foundation.

Amber: You wanna make sure that your academics, [00:55:00] and you can analyze this upfront, hey, are my metrics within the typical admitted student profile, or at least close? Um, that’s something that schools will take into consideration because they wanna make sure you can do the work when you get there. But ultimately, um, especially at these institutions that prioritize holistic review, they are going to evaluate your application as a whole.

Anesha: Okay. Someone asked, um, “What patterns in an application make you believe a student’s spike is real or not manufactured?” I’m gonna reword it to say, how do you suss out authenticity in an application?

Amber: Yes, yes, absolutely. Um, their voice i- is… Their voice is consistent with their activities, it’s consistent with what others are saying about them.

Amber: So again, I mentioned during the slide, letters of recommendation, you do have some control over that, and you do wanna be intentional about who you’re selecting to be able to advocate on your behalf. Uh, because again, your activities can be spectacular, um, you can have wonderful essays, and then sometimes, uh, and I’ve had applications where then the teachers’ recommendations are, are really s- subpar or they’re [00:56:00] very standard.

Amber: There’s nothing telling me, wow, this student just makes the community a better place. Like, I can see their impact X, Y, Z. And that would seem fitting with everything that I read in their activities, everything I read in their essays. And that does cause an AO to wonder. Again, you don’t wanna leave gaps, and you don’t know necessarily what your teachers are saying, but you do wanna be intentional about how you select them, making sure that they know who you are, that you have a relationship with them, that they like you, um, that you have a positive, you know, and that they can speak to your impact in a positive way because we are also assessing what they say.

Amber: Again, we want you to be a positive contributing member. Um, so I hope that gets to the heart of the question, but Anesha, please, you’re always helpful with steering me back on that I get off of the-

Anesha: No, no. Yeah. I mean, I think, I think they were essentially saying like how, you know, how does it… I read it as how does it come across as sincere and not as like something that they manufactured in order to shove into the application.

Amber: Yes. So that makes sense. Which I would say comes down to the consistency and the time you’ve taken to reflect, but- Your essays ultimately that you, your essays and your recommendations that you can control and the framing of your [00:57:00] activities. Um, it’s like, wow, I’m getting the same passion, and your teachers and your mentors are reflecting that I see this manifesting in this way.

Amber: You’re talking about it. Your activities are sa- are showing me. It’s the consistency in your application, I would say.

Anesha: Yeah, someone, um, asked earlier a little bit about recommenders, like why, why are… Like asking in junior year, and like why so early, and what are they meant to do in junior year? And I think the conversation in junior year is figuring out who’s the, who’s gonna, who’s gonna be the right advocate for you, who do you have that relationship with- Yes

Anesha: and thinking through. So I think that’s why it’s important to ask this year if you’re a junior- Yes … um, so that you can ask multiple people if you- Yes … if you want or need to. Yes. And then also that the people who say yes have time to actually write a thoughtful letter for you. Um, and I would definitely advise speaking to a counselor and advisor on how to ask.

Anesha: There are some, um, creative approaches on how to ask advis- how to ask teachers for recommendations that I think help provide stronger letters of recommendation. So again, that’s a longer, uh, conversation, but-

Amber: Well, I’m so glad you mentioned that because, yes, this is juniors. Please, if you haven’t [00:58:00] asked, ask now.

Amber: Yes.

Anesha: Yes, yes. Timing wise, yes. Um, uh, so someone asked how, um, how do college admissions evaluate students who might have completed part of their high school schooling outside of the US?

Amber: Yes. Uh, again, accordingly, right? There might be some specifi- institutional nuances institution to institution, but they will understand they should get a school profile, um, from the previous institu- well, they don’t, they aren’t required to.

Amber: Again, it depends institution to institution. Uh, but they will have context for the in- all of the institutions that you attended within the four years or so that are being evaluated, um, at a college. And then ultimately your last years will be weighted as well because th- these are the ones that are most recent.

Amber: Um, kinda similar to the point that I made, uh, about schools pr- preferring recommendation letters from your latter years of, of high school because you’re changing and growing and developing a lot. So they are going to ultimately want, um, recommendation letters for those who know you well, and also from those who, uh, [00:59:00] have more, more recently known you.

Amber: Um, there, again, there can be cons- context. Um, and like let’s say you moved there, from there 10th grade and then 11th and 12th grade you didn’t really get to know your teachers super well. Maybe, depending on the school, you can include one letter of recommendation from 10th grade if that, that was like a school you’d been at a very long time, the teachers knew you.

Amber: So there’s someone who has that context. And add another layer of complexity, maybe you’re at a s- that school was taught in a different language and now you have to switch languages. There could be a language barrier, so now you’re culturally operating in a different… This could be a whole nother conversation.

Amber: Uh, but all that to say, it will be evaluated within the context of your circumstances, and the Common App will ask you, right, w- “Did you complete all of your schooling in one institution?” No, you’ll provide the information for those other institutions.

Anesha: Okay. Trying to see if we had a good answer, good question to end on, but they are all very, like, hyper-specific- Yes.

Anesha: um, and personal, so I- I don’t have a general question. We are right at time. But, um, thank you for your time and thoughtfulness, Amber. Thank you all for joining and for sharing your questions. We hope that [01:00:00] we were a- able to answer those that were a little bit more broad, and if you have more specific questions, please take us up on the offer to connect with an admissions officer.

Anesha: If you stay logged on, you’ll see, um, the opportunity to sign up for a meeting, um, if you weren’t able to scan that QR code. So, um, continue to let… stay on until the webinar ends, or, um, again, reference that QR code, and the slides are still available under the Handouts tab while we’re still on. Um, all right.

Anesha: Thank you, Amber. Thank you, everyone. We hope you join us for our future webinars, and we hope that we were able to answer your questions for tonight. Until next time, take care and have a great evening.

Amber: Thank you, and take care.