by Ethan Sawyer
Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions, financial aid, personal statements, test prep and more. Ethan Sawyer (aka College Essay Guy), interviews deans of admission, financial aid experts, and veterans of the admissions field to extract, then distill their advice into practical steps for students and those guiding them through the process. From creating an awesome college list to appealing a financial aid letter, Ethan skips the general advice and gets right to the action items, all in an effort to bring more ease, joy and purpose into the college admissions process.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/25/2017
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 15, 2025
<p dir="ltr">Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast!</p> <p dir="ltr">Many of you have been following Cassidy, a current high school senior, as she navigates the college application process. We've walked through her brainstorming exercises, her personal statement writing, and her supplemental essays.</p> <p dir="ltr">And now, at long last, Cassidy has received her college acceptances. Rather than reading the email she sent me, I replied, "Hey, I know you got your acceptances. What if we do a live reveal on the podcast?" So, I genuinely don’t know yet where she's been accepted. Huge shoutout to Cassidy for agreeing to do this live!</p> <p dir="ltr">In this conversation, we dive into a range of things, including:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">The extent to which Cassidy felt she had a successful application process vs. successful outcomes (and the difference)</li> <li dir="ltr">Which schools she was accepted into</li> <li dir="ltr">Important factors in making her final college decision, focusing on what my team calls the "6 Fs" of college fit: focus, fellowship, finances, future, family, and feeling</li> <li dir="ltr">What she did well, and what she’d do differently</li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">I also guide Cassidy through a fun, quick exercise—one you (or your student) can also try—that can be completed in one day, one hour, or even one minute.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, identifies as a “yapper,” and knows a lot about Biology.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hope you enjoy it.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr"><span style= "font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Play-by-Play</strong></span></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">2:11 – Welcome and check-in</li> <li dir="ltr">3:31 – To what extent does Cassidy feel like she had a successful application process?</li> <li dir="ltr">4:48 – Cassidy shares her college decision results!</li> <li dir="ltr">8:13 – To what extent does Cassidy feel she had successful outcomes? </li> <li dir="ltr">9:02 – Ethan introduces the six F’s of college fit for Cassidy’s top choice schools <ul> <li dir="ltr">10:43 – Focus</li> <li dir="ltr">12:12 – Fellowship</li> <li dir="ltr">13:32 – Financial </li> <li dir="ltr">14:52 – Future</li> <li dir="ltr">16:53 – Family</li> <li dir="ltr">17:41 – Feeling</li> </ul> </li> <li dir="ltr">20:36 – Cassidy reflects on what stands out at each school she is considering</li> <li dir="ltr">23:40 – How to choose which college to attend in one day, one hour, or one minute</li> <li dir="ltr">29:39 – Reflecting on this process, is there anything Cassidy wishes she had done differently? </li> <li dir="ltr">31:10 – Wrap up and closing thoughts</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr"><span style= "font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Resources:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "http://collegeessayguy.com/blog/how-to-choose-which-college-to-attend-key-factors-to-consider"> How to choose which college to attend: Key factors to consider</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement">College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub">College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub</a></li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"> </p>
April 1, 2025
<p dir="ltr">Welcome back to the podcast! Ethan is joined today by Angel <span class= "OYPEnA font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none"> Pérez</span>, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (<a href="https://www.nacacnet.org/">NACAC</a>). Angel has just written a new book on leadership called <a href= "https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570210/the-hottest-seat-on-campus/"> The Hottest Seat on Campus</a>. It’s written for leaders on college campuses, but the advice he gives is applicable to leaders everywhere, whether you are a college counselor leading in your office, a parent leading in your home, or even a student leading in your school or community.<br /> <br /> In their conversation, Angel and Ethan discuss:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">How does Angel define leadership?</li> <li dir="ltr">Why is detachment so important (and how do we do it)?</li> <li dir="ltr">What’s the number one thing Angel believes will lead leaders to success in the future?</li> <li dir="ltr">What is deep work and why do we love it so much?</li> <li dir="ltr">Lots more.</li> </ul> <p>The advice is practical, given the challenges facing higher education, we believe it’s timely… and we hope you find it useful.</p> <p>If you haven’t met <strong id= "docs-internal-guid-a9e0cd77-7fff-419a-c3bf-a96184e1bdd1">Angel Pérez,</strong> he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (<a href= "https://www.nacacnet.org/">NACAC</a>). In this role, he represents more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. Named by a Forbes article in 2019 as the most influential voice in college admissions, he strives to build an educational ecosystem that better represents today’s society. Prior to joining NACAC in July of 2020, Dr. Pérez served in secondary and higher education leadership positions across America, most recently, as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Connecticut. He is an advocate for counselors everywhere, an important ally in the work of increasing access to higher education, and I’m so glad to call him my friend.</p> <p> </p> <p><span style= "font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Play-by-Play</strong></span></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">2:03 – Welcome and check-in</li> <li dir="ltr">3:56 – Angel shares what his book is about, why he wrote it, and who it’s for</li> <li dir="ltr">5:50 – Why is it important to talk about leadership right now? </li> <li dir="ltr">9:04 – Superpower #1: The Power of Solitude </li> <li dir="ltr">15:23 – Superpower #2: The Art of Detachment</li> <li dir="ltr">24:00 – Superpower #3: Inspiration through Inclusivity</li> <li dir="ltr">36:45 – Superpower #4: Mastering Self-Management</li> <li dir="ltr">42:31 – Superpower #5: The Power of Showing Up</li> <li dir="ltr">50:24 – Superpower #6: The Power of Focus</li> <li dir="ltr">54:55 – Superpower #7: Shift Your Mindset</li> <li dir="ltr">1:04:26 – Getting comfortable saying “I don’t know” </li> <li dir="ltr">1:12:57 – Which superpowers do Angel and Ethan want to work on over the next year? </li> <li dir="ltr">1:20:07 – Closing thoughts and sharing goals</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span style= "font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Resources</strong></span></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570210/the-hottest-seat-on-campus/"> The Hottest Seat on Campus</a> by Angel Pérez</li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-15-commitments-of-conscious-leadership-a-new-paradigm-for-sustainable-success-diana-chapman/14574335"> The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success by Diana Chapman, Jim Dethmer, and Kaley Klemp </a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://bookshop.org/p/books/slow-productivity-the-lost-art-of-accomplishment-without-burnout-cal-newport/20143790?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7pO_BhAlEiwA4pMQvImmoROezgUar2KEXHhvjxAuOL9qp9XXM5jtO1tsk4ID93oH4WTcoxoCCZYQAvD_BwE"> Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout</a> by Cal Newport </li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html">Maker Time vs. Manager Time</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement">College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub">College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub</a></li> </ul> <p> </p>
March 18, 2025
<p dir="ltr">To kick off Season 6, Ethan shares some practical resources based on a new framework he's been exploring. If you’re a regular listener, you’ll already be familiar with something we call the Roles and Identities List, which is a huge menu of roles (things like “catalyst” and “change-maker” and “party-bringer”) — Ethan has used it as a get-to-know-you exercise with a number of previous guests. </p> <p dir="ltr">In case you missed it, <a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/podcast-stream/roles-and-identities-exercises-for-students-and-parents"> check out Part 1</a> of this mini-series where Ethan walked through some practical exercises for students and parents based on the Roles and Identities framework. </p> <p dir="ltr">But what about counselors? We who spend our days (and often nights) answering emails, phone calls, texting and generally caretaking in 100 different ways… Today’s episode is the second of two where Ethan will share some exercises that counselors can use to recognize patterns they may fall into at times and how they might practice more self-care and show up more fully for their students. Ethan explores: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">How can counselors make sure we fill our own cups (and not just our coffee cups)? </li> <li dir="ltr">How can we make sure we’re even more spacious and resourced… so that we’re able to give back from a full cup, and with a full heart?</li> <li dir="ltr">And more. </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">We hope you enjoy!</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr"><span style= "font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Play-by-Play</strong></span></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">0:08 - What is the Roles & Identities Framework? </li> <li dir="ltr">5:34 - Exercise #1 : The Roles & Identities List </li> <li dir="ltr">11:39 - Exercise #2: The “shadow” version</li> <li dir="ltr">21:30 - Exercise #3: The “foil” to your role </li> <li dir="ltr">23:20 - Closing thoughts </li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><span style= "font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Resources:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/roles-and-identities-exercise"> The Roles and Identities Exercise</a> </li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/personal-statement">College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources</a></li> <li dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.collegeessayguy.com/college-application-hub">College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub</a></li> </ul>
Elizabeth Heaton
InGenius Prep
John Durante
Mark Stucker
Lee Coffin • Vice President and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
Inside the Yale Admissions Office
Jeff Selingo, Michael Horn
Johns Hopkins Press
Scoir, Inc.
Tokyo Academics
shiftcollegeadmissions
Julie Kim
Anna Ren, Mark Hofer
Peoples Media, This Is So Awkward
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at [email protected] for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.