Masterclass: How to Stand out and get accepted to your dream university

Welcome, welcome. We're gonna get started straight away on the hour. So please feel free to grab yourself a snack and join us back here, or just hang out with us. So welcome, and Carrie, good to see you. So I just put together such a fun presentation. I cannot wait to share it. And so let's start as people come in with a few quick get-to-know-you kind of questions. And let's jump in. I'm gonna pause for a moment the recording. Do this. So for those of you who do not know me, my name is Shellee Howard, and I'm the founder in, CEO of College Ready, and joining me is Carrie Anderson, my right-hand woman, to help assist us through this process. So if you have questions, if you need a quick answer, Carrie can do that in the chat. If not, she can stop me when questions come in and we will address those. So Again, thank you for joining, and we're excited because this workshop is all about you, the parent, how you can help your child stand out, how you can help position them, how you can navigate this process. I know that's kind of strange, right? You're thinking, well, wait a minute, I don't want to do this. Well, I'm not saying you have to, but I'm going to help you understand how the responsibilities of the college admissions process will come together. That's all I'm talking about. How you divide it in your family and how you get support, completely up to you. So just a brief, uh, pause for who am I and why should you listen. So as I mentioned, College Ready has been helping families for over the last years. This is our 17th application season, and we love it just like the first day. It actually all started when my firstborn got into Harvard and, and many others and was able to go pre-med and graduate debt-free. And then everybody wanted to know, how, how did you do that? One, how did you get him into Harvard? And two, how did he do it without debt? So that is what a standout strategy and position will get you. So I want to just go ahead and jump through that hoop. The second thing is my second child decided her dream school was University of Alabama, and she's a very different student, and she graduated as a registered nurse, and she graduated debt-free. So now more people started asking, well, wait a minute. There's got to be something to this. So we've helped thousands of students at this point get into their best fit school, their dream school, and lots of schools they never even dreamt of until we had an opportunity to find the academic fit, the social fit, and the financial fit. So we're going to go ahead and jump in, and like I promised, we will in time. If, uh, there's not a ton of questions, we may end early. I like to value your time, so thank you for being on the call, and let's go ahead and jump on in. So like I mentioned, if you have, um, if you can put into chat if you just joined us, where are you located so we can make sure and talk about those kind of schools and the ages of your students so I can make sure and help you navigate what— when is the best time to start? When should they be test prepping? What is a good age to start the essay process? If I don't know your ages or where you're located, I'm just going to have to default to my generic answer. So I would rather help you specifically. So, Carrie, who do we have in the house?

Oh, let's see, we've got some California people. Let's see, Washington, 9th grade, 16. Louisiana, 14, 9th grader. Um, Utah senior, 18 years old, 11th grade. Um, let me go back up here. Um, New Jersey, Laguna Beach, 9th grade. The Woodlands, Texas. Texas and New Jersey. So quite the variety.

All right, now I have a really good idea of who I'm talking to. And so I'm guessing that most of your children are in school, um, right now. And so as the parent, we're going to have a wonderful conversation of how you can support those teens in your world. So We're going to go ahead. I'm going to have a little bit of presentation but a lot of discussion. This is not a heavy lecture at you, and I'm not pitching anything, so you just go ahead and relax and enjoy the ride because you're going to walk away knowing: is your child college ready? Do they have a plan to get there if not? And finally, whose role and responsibility will it be to get your child there? I want you to have a working plan when you leave, so let's go ahead and jump on in. All right, perfect. Okay, so we started here, but let's go ahead and back up. Let's start from the Good morning. This presentation started out as "How will your child stand out?" because that's truly the most important question people are asking us right now is, "How will my child stand out?" Back in the day, I don't know if you went to college here in the United States, but we had basically applied to a few schools, had a GPA, hopefully a test score, and that was it. Well, unfortunately, those days are long gone, as you know, and it has become a lot more competitive and a lot more expensive. But it— because of the competition, this whole standing out thing has become such a critical factor. So that's what we want to touch on tonight, and really, what does it mean? So Before we talk about your child though, I thought it would be really important to, to talk about you as the parent or you as the grandparent or whoever is supporting this child going through the process. That's what we're going to start with, and then I'm going to give you some super solid next steps. So as I mentioned, we went through this one: finding a quiet place, super important. I know distractions are sometimes not easy, You definitely want to take some notes, and if you think of questions, please add them to the chat immediately. Don't want you to forget them. Second thing is, I want you to take a nice deep breath, and I want you to relax into— this could be a lot of fun. I absolutely loved doing this process with all 4 of my kids, and it's because we had a plan. And I tell families all the time, if you don't have a plan, the plan is you may fail. With a plan, you are sure to be successful. That's what I want to talk about. So this deep breath, this, this thing I'm talking about is going to be important for, for us to stay focused on. So the first question is, I want you to write down What role will you play as the adult in the college admissions process? You don't have to put it in the chat, but I'm gonna give you some things that are gonna be coming your way. And I like you, if you really wanted to play all in on this to see if you're college ready, is to make 3 columns on your paper or in your notes. The first column is my role or responsibility as the adult. The second one is your child, your teenager, their role, their responsibility. And then the third column is going to be question mark. It could be a high school counselor, could be an English teacher, It, it could be whomever, um, test prep strategist. There's lots of people who can support you. So thinking about, am I college ready? This is what we have to think about. So the first one is at the top: what role will you play as the adult? You ready? The first one is, who will prepare the academic strategy? In other words, who's going to decide how many IB, AP, dual enrollment college class— classes, in what order, and who's going to make sure that, that those classes are going to be what's required to get them into each unique college you're applying to? Okay. Again, that's the academic strategy. Who's going to put together the academic plan? What classes in what order to have the student able to apply to any school they want? Let me give you an idea of what I'm talking about. If you have an 8th grader, you may be like, what in the world are you saying? So I want to back up a little bit. What I'm trying to help you understand is at the Ivies, different requirements are needed. At the UC schools or the Texas schools or the Florida schools, different requirements are needed. In California at UCLA, that's where my son's now doing his orthopedic surgery rotation, is they have what's called an A through G category. Where the UCs say your student must do this, this is recommended, this is required. Every college can do this their own way. So again, is it going to go under you the parent, the child, or the question mark? Okay, the next one is testing. Who will be in charge of putting together the test strategy. What do I mean? Will your child take an AP exam for every AP class that they are going to take? It's optional. They don't have to. Is it a good idea or is it not? Who is going to help them understand should they take the SAT or the ACT? They no longer have to take both. Who is going to decide which is the better test for your child? Is that you, the parent, the student, or someone else? Then once you decide which test that is going to be, how will they prepare for that test? Will they do study in a book? Will they do free online? Will they do paid online? Will they do in-person boot camp? Will they do private, uh, one-to-one? Will they do it in a group? Will they do it alone? And who is going to prep them? Okay, parent, student, question mark. The next one, helping your child find out who they are, their gifts, their talents, their core value, and their advocacy. Who is going to do that? You, the parent, the student, or question mark? Why is this important? Because if they don't know who they are, what matters to them, how are they going to prove it to colleges, how will they pick their major, how will they pick their career, and how will they pick the right college fit if they don't know that information? Okay, number 4, super important. Uh, let's see, where am I? Oh, uh, Passion with Purpose. All right, who is going to help your child find their passion, understand their purpose, and be the change they wish to see in the world? Parent, student, question mark. All right, are they going to do their own? Are they going to sign up and show up? Are they going to lead others to create change? Who's going to do that? Parent? Student? Question mark, right? The next one is extracurriculars. I hope you're seeing how this umbrella is how they're going to stand out. All right, we're gonna dive in deeper. Let's keep going. Extracurriculars. Who is going to build their extracurricular plan? You may be thinking, a plan? Yes, a plan. If you don't plan, what may happen is they may try this and quit. They may try this and quit. They may try this and quit. They may not find anything they like. And what that tells colleges? They're immature. They don't know themselves. They don't know what they want for their future, and they're gonna come to their, their college and may not be successful. So who will put together what extracurriculars they will do in each year? How many years will they do it? How many weeks per year? How many hours per week? And when will they lead it? Will that be the parent's responsibility? The child's responsibility, or other. Okay, then we get into the letters of recommendation. So colleges are going to ask your high school counselor— they are going to ask for 2 to 3 letters of recommendation from adults who would recommend your child to that university and why. Who is going to put together the recommender strategy? Who to ask, when to ask, where to ask, how to ask, and how does that process work? You the parent, the student, or question mark? Okay, we're almost done. The next one is essays. I don't know about you parents, but it is blowing up all over social media right now. The essay is such a critical piece, and people are just not prepared. So who will decide what are the essay topics? Who is going to do the research on Which college is going to require how many essays? Which essay prompts will they be? Are they optional? Really optional? Are they required? How many word— words will they need? And how will that student decide what topic for what prompt? Will that be you, the parent, the student, or question mark. Then the essay edit. So for college essays, they are nothing like your students ever written before, and this is where many people get super confused and just hope the student does it on their own, and then the student says, hey, I don't even know if I'm on the right track, I'm overwhelmed, I can't get this done. And then tears come, frustration comes, procrastination comes. I don't want that for your family. So when you think about essay editing, who is going to do the edits? Is it going to be you, the parent? And do you know what colleges are looking for? Is it going to be your student, your teenager, who just wants to get their essay done or is it going to be somebody else to support you? Okay, so when you think about you, the parent, here's a few words of caution. Even if you are a wonderful reader, an amazing writer, this is nothing like you've ever seen before. The admissions readers have anywhere between 4 and 7 minutes to read the entire application and the essay. So if that essay does not grab them, reel them in, and hook them, they're going to move them on. So do you, the parent, have that ability? I did not. Does the student have that ability? And if not, who will you find to support your family? Okay, so now you're starting to see how all of this is going to come together. Now we start to talk about the standout part, the positioning part. All right, so hopefully you're getting a really good feel for how to help your child as a parent. Now remember, right, when we went to school and we wrote essays, it was period, double space. Now it's period, single space. I should also mention there was no ChatGPT or all of the other zillion of AI programs that are launching every day. For every AI program your child uses, there are two that the colleges are using to recognize AI. Be very, very careful to leave this process up to your teenager. And help them to understand AI is not a part of this process. If a college even thinks the student used AI, it will be an automatic no. There are ways to protect your child from this. So I just want you to know that's a real thing colleges are telling us. Okay, so now we get into That's the preparation. Now let's talk about how will your child stand out on their applications, right? So who is going to do the ranking of the activities, honors, and awards? For the Common App, all the schools on the Common App, there are 10 spaces. For the UC app, there are 20 spaces. So who is going to decide what you're going to put at the top and what you're going to put at the bottom? As a parent, you may be thinking what you think is most impressive. That's not always correct. The student is thinking, "I really like this," or "I spent a ton of time doing this." That definitely isn't the right approach. And then finally, Who could you bring in to support you to do this work? Remember, there's a lot of opportunity. I just want you to be prepared. How would your child answer that same question? What are they going to put on their application? Now remember, not only do they have to list their activities, honors, and awards, They also are going to have to put in how many years did they do it, how many hours per week, how many weeks per year, and did they lead it. Okay, and they are now having to sell themselves. So as a parent, we raise our young, young children, don't brag, don't boast, people don't like it, you won't make friends. And now I get to tell teenagers, brag like you want to get into college, brag like mom or dad talks to your grandparents, brag like you need everybody to know. And this is something that they are truly not used to doing. So now, is it you, the parent, who's going to help them? Is it going to be the student who's going to help themself? Or is it going to be getting some outside support? Okay, we're almost done with this process. As you can see, this is the strategy to help your child stand out. Next one, what is your child's unique profile or positioning? Is that going to be up to you, the parent, to put together and ask your student to implement? Is it going to be the student to put it together and then implement, or is it going to be getting some outside help? So I know a lot of you on here, I've seen your names multiple times. I love the fact that you're getting this information, and that is why I do these webinars and masterclasses at no charge. I want to give you the information, but after I give you the information, What is going to happen? Are you going to put to get the plan together and put together the steps for your child to implement? Are you going to tell your child, hey, this is what you need to be doing, and they're going to say, but what about chores and what about homework and what about friends? And you know what I'm talking about, I have 4 kids. And then ultimately you start pointing fingers and hoping somebody else is going to do it. And then finally, the reality is, as much as I adore high school counselors, they are overworked, overburdened, and truly do not have the time or capacity to do this for your child. Finally, and I think probably the most important piece, is who is going to have the talk with your child about paying for college, right? Remember that deep breath? This talk is something a lot of parents don't want to talk about. They just figure out it's an adult thing, I'm going to handle it. But if a child doesn't understand the cost of college How will they understand if it's a good return on investment of their time and resources? Why would they work really hard to get their GPA and test score and community service and leadership and extracurriculars if they don't understand the value of a college education? So as much as I hated to have the talk with each of my children And with all of my college-ready students, it turns out to be one of the most important and eye-opening and thankful situations that I have the opportunity to do. Will it be you, the parents, that take the burden of— we'll pay whatever as long as you get in? Even if we have to spend our retirement, I caution you, don't do that. You don't need to. But is it going to be you, the parents, who are doing that? Do you want your child to have some responsibility in that? Do you want them to get good grades so they can get merit scholarships? Do you want them to work hard in their athletics, their passion with purpose, their community service, their leadership, their extracurriculars so they can get scholarships, right? So if you are a need-based family, your child needs you. They have no idea how that all is going to work. So then the question is, who is going to complete the FAFSA, the Student Aid Index, the CSS Profile, and all of the scholarship applications? Is that gonna fall on the parent's responsibility? Is that going to fall on the student's responsibility? Is that going to be outsourced to somebody else? I hope at this moment you're going, okay, I now have a much better idea. And you know what? I hope you're applauding and going, I've got this. I know who's doing what, when they're doing it, how we're doing it, and we got this. If that is you, I just want to say well done. I know going through it with 4 different children of my own, this whole process was incredibly different. So I'm going to take a pause at this time, answer any questions, and then we're going to go ahead and I'm going to start to help you to build that standout strategy. So Carrie, at this time Are there any questions?

I don't see any questions yet. Anybody wanna throw any in the chat right now while Shellee's taking a break?

Okay.

That, or as always, she's doing a phenomenal job.

Alright. So here's a question. Do we supposed to be looking at the screen moving along? There is no screen moving along. I know everybody is so used to a can I've been doing this so long, I don't need a slideshow to move me forward. So I can do that. I mean, I'm, you know, I'm writing my second book. For those of you who don't know, my first book is called How to Send Your Student to College Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money. And that book was written because I lost a bet to my firstborn. I think it's super important that everybody understands he had a 50/50 responsibility. No, he had 75/25. I was there for hugs, high fives, I love you, and he got it done. But what I found out is I needed to pay somebody else to give them my knowledge to provide that to my child so he would listen. I don't know about you parents, but my kids listen to somebody else way better than me. So my second book, I'm, uh, just finished my first draft. I hope to have it released into you very soon, but that's why you're not seeing me go through just a stack of slides. This is stuff that we do every single day. We have created a program called The Vault, and inside The Vault is my 17 years of my intellectual property. It is where our students can go in and have all of this knowledge so they don't have to Google it and hopefully get the right answer. So since all of you are still probably working on your my responsibility, child's responsibility, others' responsibility, I'm going to go ahead and move on and give you some things that you can either take on yourself. You can either give it to your child and hope they do it, or we could absolutely help you with any piece of it. That is my hope for you. And let's go ahead and keep going. All right. So going on to our next slide. So important, you will see. What can you do as the parent to help your child prepare for the college admissions process? You know, parents lose sleep over this stuff. I get calls, Carrie gets calls every single day where either the parent is freaking out or the child is freaking out or both. So much information is directed at the student. How many times have you met with your child's high school counselor? How many times have you had questions and not known where to get the answer? Well, I'm going to talk about a call that I got this week. It was a very upset parent, but she was not upset at me. She was upset at herself for not starting this plan sooner. Yes, she called me when her son was in 8th grade, but she thought she could do it on her own, and so I cheered her on and I gave her the resources that I thought she would need. Now Camden is a senior and they are way behind. The high school will not call her back. He's now 18 and an adult, and so now they don't have to tell the parent everything. And so she cannot figure out what colleges to help him apply to. She cannot figure out how to come up with a superscore, and she can't come up with a list that would get her scholarships. She finally broke down in tears halfway through our conversation, and, you know, she said, why does this have to be so difficult? And I listened to her words, and it made me realize the book that I'm writing is so much more than a book. It's a gift. It's a gift to you, the parent, because I, like you, am a parent. I, like you, want my child to be successful. And like you, maybe I didn't want our family to go into massive debt with our first child, let alone our second, third, or fourth. So I just want you to know that if you're feeling like this, you're not alone. Um, I did not— you know, she, she went on to say, I don't want to fight with my son to get his applications and essays done. I really want to enjoy this last year of him living at home. And she talked about what it was like, you know, homecoming and preparing for that. It was so sweet. And finally She asked, "Do you have any spots left for seniors?" And luckily for her, we did. We have one more spot. But as of October 1st, even that spot will be gone. You know, families start this process now in middle school. It's never too early and it's never too late because we can meet you wherever you're at. And I have resources that I'm happy to give you for free. So this is not me telling you you need me. It's just, if it's not you, then who? So I just don't want this to happen to you, and that's why I'm offering this masterclass. So let's go ahead and jump in and let me give you some massive value. So what we're going to talk about during our time together is strategic planning. There are 9 critical factors to plan for. In this workshop, I only have time to cover for. They are— we're going to talk about the testing strategy and how that will help them have a strategic plan, passion with purpose and positioning and how that will help them stand out where they get to pick where they want to go to college, leadership strategy which is the proof they will need to accepted and receive scholarships, and the essay strategy how will your child tell their story? Okay, so like I said, there are more, but we just simply don't have the time during this session. The power of storytelling in your Common App essay. We're going to now switch gears, so follow along where I'm going to help you to see what steps you need to take either you, the student, or getting support. So the Common App essay is more than just another part of the application. It's the opportunity to showcase who is your student beyond their grades, beyond their test scores, beyond their extracurriculars, right? Because if your child completes their application and then writes an essay about what they put in their application, they're going to be put in the wrong pile. The essay is not meant to retell what they already put in their application. It's to fill in the gaps. Why did your student's GPA go up or down? Why did their test score go up and then go way down? Or why did it go up, up, up, up? And what was their plan? What was their strategy? Their passion with purpose. What was their passion? What was their purpose? Why does that matter? What do colleges learn about them? These are the missing pieces to the standout strategy. Are you going to do this? Is your child going to do this? Or who is going to do this? One of the most impactful ways to capture the attention of the admissions committee and leave a lasting impression is through storytelling. Now let me give you an example. When my son was applying to college, he applied to 12 schools and got into 11. 7 of those were Ivy League schools. Why did he have such a successful application season? That's the number one thing people want to know. His essay was so impactful. His main beefy essay made you laugh, made you cry, made you smell things, made you feel things, made you got to know him. Personally, that is what a standout strategy does. Can you create that for your child? Can they create that for themselves, or do they need help? That's the question you need to ask. These 9 tips for crafting a standout essay are the slides that you've been waiting for, so I never want to disappoint. This is how you can help your child stand out. Number 1, have your child choose a meaningful topic. What does that look like, you might be asking? Select topic that genuinely matters to them, not to you, right? So what does that look like? Maybe you're giving your child a— but, you know, I remember brainstorming with child number 2, and I'm like, what about this? What about this? I drove you here. I paid for that. What do you think? This was great. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! She shot them down— every single one of them. It was really frustrating for me and for her I'm sure. So how are you going to get to that meaningful topic? It doesn't have to be a life-changing event. I had a student remember what year it was maybe a year or two ago who talked about what it was like for them to walk through Costco. That's not a life-changing event, but they got into Stanford. So it really has to explain why your child— why would they be a good fit at that school? If they got selected, what would that school benefit from that child. Are you starting to get it? Your topic should reflect your core values, your passions, who you are at the core. If the application sounds like one child and the essay sounds like a totally different child, there's a lot of red flags that are going to be thrown up. I'll give you an example. You may have a child who loves taking classes such as biology, anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry, and then they apply to college as a theater or art major, and you're like, whoa, I didn't see that coming. So you don't want the reader or readers— there's multiple in many cases— that are like, what in the world just happened? Or what about a student who has a super high GPA and a not so great test score? That, that university is going to think your school gives easy A's, or your child truly doesn't know the material, or they have test anxiety. But guess what? Do they want a child at their school who's going to have to be taking a ton of tests who can't test. That's going to bring down their statistics, and remember, college is a business. Therefore, they're looking for students who are going to come in, make their school better, and leave, put the diploma on the wall, and start selling their school all over again. Remember, authenticity beats drama every time. That child's voice on their application and their essays— every essay needs to be theirs. I'm going to give one more piece of advice here. I had a student this past year who had a very wonderful parent. Unfortunately, the very wonderful parent thought it would be better or helpful for them to write their child's essays. Upon first read of the essays, it was extremely apparent to me that that is what was going on. And so if I picked it up, for sure they're going to pick it up. So the last thing you want to do is not be authentic. They want your child to be who they are. The next thing is start strong. Hook them. Hook them. I can't say it enough. Students start to write their essays as if they're writing a paper for their high school Lit or Lang class, and it's beautifully formatted and it's beautiful, beautiful grammar, and it's got great you know, visionary, and it's got all of these cool big words, and it absolutely loses my attention. It does not help if you don't hook them. What should they need to know about you? Okay, parents, is this your responsibility? Is this the child's responsibility? Or is this a professional's responsibility? Who can help you do that? Begin with a vivid description, a thought-provoking question, or an intriguing statement that grabs their attention. Avoid overused quotes from famous figures. Can you imagine how many essays and applications a reader reads a day. I know the statistics, but I don't want to make you sad because it is crazy number. The student's opening should invite the reader into their world and make them want to know you more. Will that fall on the parent's— parent's responsibility, the child's responsibility, or a professional who can help them navigate what that looks like. Number 3: Show them, do not tell them. Bring the story to life with vivid descriptions and sensory details instead of just stating facts like, "I was varsity captain. I scored this. I did that. Then I went to this, and then I served, and then I was a tutor, and then I fed the homeless." That is so not what you want to do with the essay. You want to immerse that reader. You know, our essay editors are, are some of the best in the business, and what they continue to say is the reader wants to get to know you by you describing your experience. What did you feel? What did you hear? What did you say? How did that, you know, impact you? This approach makes your essay more engaging and helps the admissions committee connect with your journey on a way deeper level. Think clear and concise. Impactful storytelling does not require really complex language. You'll absolutely lose them, so please do not overdo it. Number 4: Develop a compelling narrative. Every great story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Do not start with, "This year I had massive depression," and then end, "This year, because of massive depression." Okay, I can't tell you how many times were hearing this, and it makes me so truly sad that there are a lot of kids who are facing this or have friends facing this, or it's been part of their, their upbringing. But keep in mind, is that really what you want the college to remember about you? What they want to bring into their school? If that truly is the thing that makes your child unique and the thing that you have to say or it won't make sense. It may be a good idea, but I would definitely figure that out if it's going to be you, the parent, or ask the child to know or seek advice because, you know, committing suicide, anxiety, depression, um, anorexia, there is some heavy-duty stuff Um, you know, sexual orientation. There's a lot of stuff these kids want to share, and is it going to be you, the parent, that decides, the student that decides, or having a professional help give that information? Keep your reader engaged. Showcase how did they grow from this. What was the transformation? Conclude the essay by— oops, little typo there— typing everything together, reinforcing your main message, and leaving a strong lasting impression. That's the standout of the strategy. Number 5: Reflect on your experience. So remember, the heart of your essay isn't just the events themselves, but your reflection on them. So parents, are you going to help them put together their reflection? Are they going to have the ability to have that reflection, or will you need somebody for them to brainstorm and to map it out? Discuss how these experiences have shared their values, influenced their beliefs, and guided their fu— future aspirations. Parent, is that up to you, up to the student, or will they need support? This introspection is critical and demonstrates your self-awareness. The child needs to know themself. The very first thing we do when a student comes into our program, no matter what that is, is help them to figure out what are their core values, their gifts, their talents, their advocacy. How will they lead others to create change? And then we help them to see what is a good fit for a career, what is a good fit for a major, what school has those majors, and will a robot be doing it in their future. This reflection is how they will stand out. So I'm giving you the answers. It's just who's going to do the work. Number 6. Being authentic, being genuine, staying true to who they are. And many admissions officers, they know if the student's embellishing. I had a student— we have a program called EmpowerEducation.World, and these students are amazing. I think we're up to, I don't know, 42 students or something where we meet weekly and students are authentically leaning into their passion and living their purpose. And so I had a student meet with me after the group and said, you know, I really don't have time for this. I really love this, but I really don't have time. What— is it okay if I just lie? And I asked the student, how does that make you feel? And it turns out that it didn't even make them feel good. So Asking them to be authentic means helping them to know what truly matters to them. The goal isn't to impress by being perfect, it's to be relatable, showcasing their strengths. Is the person who's going to showcase their strengths the parent, the student, or a professional? Number 7: highlight their strengths. So now you're digging deeper. They're going to use their story to subtly showcase their qualities, right? Are they resilient? Are they funny? Are they a leader? Are they empathetic? Are they a problem solver? They need to weave that in. Let the narrative demonstrate how they will be a valuable addition to the college community. Remember, college is a business. They want to know if they give your child admittance, how will they benefit? That's what they want to know. Will your child make their school better? Highlight the attributes that make them unique. Remember, this is the standout strategy I've been talking about. Who is going to determine the child's attributes and unique qualities that will be looked upon well. Let me give you an example. Had a student I was working with this year, and what I found out is the child has an Eagle Scout, uh, honor award. I mean, it's impressive, and they didn't even put it on their application. And after talking to them, I said, why, why did you not put your Eagle Scout on your application? And he said, because I didn't like it, my parents made me do it. And I said, so you're not going to account for that time? And he said, no, because I don't want to lie. I didn't like it, I didn't want to do it, and my parents are making me. And so I'm putting my foot down, and I'm not going to include it. So I saw what this did to the parent-student relationship, and I was able to help them both understand the importance of positioning it, how to include it, and what to say about it so it would highlight what the student felt wanted to say and what the parent knew they needed to say. So will that be you, the parent? Will it be the student? Or will it be a professional? Number 8: connect with the college's values. This is where I would say 90% of students who don't work with us, who just send in their essays— because we allow outside people to send in their essays Don't recommend it, but if they're desperate, we do allow it. And what I see time and time again is I know a— I know that the college's values at Dartmouth, I know them at UC Santa Barbara, I know them at Cal Poly SLO, I know them at Texas A&M. And yet the student doesn't even address, doesn't talk about, doesn't relate, doesn't connect How are they going to position themselves if they don't even know what the college wants? Now, you don't have to be fake and phony and, and put the whole application towards everything the college is looking for, but don't you think as an adult reading it, it would be really amazing if you saw in your, your child's example a core value that aligned with the college's values? Is that going to be up to you, the parent? Is that going to be up to the student, or is that going to be up to getting resources and support? Number 9: the end. End it with purpose. Conclude the essay. I can't tell you how many essays where a student is just like, "The end." Like, and you're like, "But wait, what happened? What'd you learn? How—" There's a lot that goes on here, and I have learned the longer we have cell phones, the bigger this problem is. Students are so used to texting that they are not thinking about how the reader is reading this. Leave a memorable impression. Who is going to create that? Is that going to be you, the parent? Is it going to be the child? Is it going to be a professional to help you? The ending is just as important as the beginning because now they get to decide, do they put it in the yes pile or the no pile? What is that going to look like for your child? A strong essay will be your standout if you do the planning properly. If your child needs an ideas on how they will stand out versus their competition, I would like to offer you a 30-minute strategy call. Again, there's no commitment. There's nothing other than we want you to know. Here's what we covered today, right? Here's how we tied it all together. Here's the important thing is there's still more. So if you're thinking, I'm doing great, but I'm not sure I'm college ready. Please know that we're happy to meet with you and give you at least free resources so you can do this properly. Um, again, a typo, man, I must have been tired when I did this last night. Is your child positioned for college, the college that they're interested in, and will they stand out? So I know I have only about 5 minutes left because I tried to give you the, the pitch deck, the presentation, as well as the fundamentals. Carrie, do we have any questions?

I don't see any more questions. Guys, do you have any questions you'd like to throw out there?

Awesome. Okay, well, I'm hoping that gave you a lot of things to think about. Our goal in doing these free webinars, these free workshops, is to help you, the parent, because what I know after raising 4 kids is when they came home, I would say, "So, how was your day?" And they would say, "Good." And that was all I got. There was no discussion. There was no strategy. There was no planning. It really just came down to I felt very left out. Their high school counselor would not meet with me, and the more I wanted to get involved, the more my children resisted. So just know, I understand where you're coming from. I'm hoping the book will give you the whole strategy, the whole picture, but it's not coming out for at least a few more months. So, um, as long as you stay on our email list, you will get when that is released. And we have just another minute. So, Shelly, anybody?

Yeah, someone missed the slide for the 5th point, but if you want to put that one back up. But just so you guys know, the recording will be going out tomorrow via email.

Yes, so number 5 is reflect on your experience. So what did the student learn from that experience. That's what number 5 was. Thank you. You got it. Okay, so, um, we also have one more gift, and that is Carrie and I are the mentors for EmpowerEducation.world. I would encourage you and your child to check it out. Carrie, if you can put the link in the chat, um, we would like to gift you or your child, um, an opportunity to be part of an incredible Passion with Purpose project that is student-led. And, uh, these students have an opportunity to earn 8 national awards, 4 leadership certifications, and this is what makes the standout strategy. So thank you all so very much, and we wish you all the best. Please let us know how we can support you.