The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

622: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 4): Supplemental Essay Deep Dive with Alisha, HS Senior

621: Financial Aid Tips for International Students (and Their Counselors)—2025 Edition

620: Navigating Student Health in College: A Doctor's Guide to Sleep, Stress, and Student Life

619: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 3): How Reflection Leads to Insight with Alisha, HS Senior

618: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 2): Discovering Values Through Revision with Alisha, HS Senior

617: Inside the Personal Statement Process (Part 1): The Sand Essay with Alisha, HS Senior

616: Authoring Your Life: Why the Personal Statement Is About (Much) More Than Getting into College

615: Rethinking “Best” Colleges: Tools, Tips, and Mindset Shifts for a Better College List with Jay McCann and Dr. Steven Antonoff, Co-Authors of The College Finder

614: 13 Mistakes High School Students Make When Creating Their College List

In this episode of the podcast, Ethan Sawyer interviews Harlan Cohen, New York Times bestselling author, about the common mistakes students make when creating their college lists. Harlan emphasizes the importance of focusing on what students want rather than solely trying to be wanted by colleges, and he discusses the ...

613: Inside the Application (Part 6): Making the Decision with Cassidy, Class of 2025

612: Admission Nutrients (Part 6 of 6: Intellectual Curiosity): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Hillary Dickman

In this episode of the podcast, Ethan interviews Hillary Dickman from Colorado College about intellectual curiosity in the college admission process. Hillary shares insights on what intellectual curiosity means to Colorado College, how it shows up in applications, and how their approach differs from other liberal arts ...

611: Admission Nutrients (Part 5 of 6: Service to Others / Community Impact): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Nathan Faust

In this episode of The College Essay Guy Podcast, Tom Campbell interviews Nathan Faust, an admission counselor at Loyola Marymount University, about the importance of service to others and community impact in college applications and life. They discuss how colleges view service, emphasizing the quality of engagement an...

610: Admission Nutrients (Part 4 of 6: Consistent Engagement): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Dysean Alexander

In this episode of The College Essay Guy Podcast, Tom Campbell interviews Dysean Alexander, Assistant Director for West Coast Admissions at Lafayette College, about the importance of consistent engagement as an "admission nutrient" for college applicants. They discuss how Lafayette College values consistent engagement,...

609: Admission Nutrients (Part 3 of 6: Leadership): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life

In this episode of the podcast, Ethan interviews Deanna Dixon, the Dean of Admission at Smith College, about the qualities Smith looks for in applicants, focusing on leadership, initiative, and cultural competency. Deanna shares insights into Smith's admission process, including how the college evaluates positive chara...

608: Admission Nutrients (Part 2 of 6: Collaboration): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Raissa Diamante

In this episode of the podcast, Ethan interviews Raissa Diamante, the Executive Director of Admission at Harvey Mudd College, about the importance of collaboration in the college application process. Raissa shares insights into Harvey Mudd's admission review process, emphasizing the value they place on collaboration an...

607: Admission Nutrients (Part 1 of 6: Intro): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life

In this inaugural episode of "Admission Nutrients," Ethan introduces a series exploring key positive character attributes colleges seek in applicants, beyond grades and course rigor. He details five "admission nutrients": intellectual curiosity, service to others, leadership/initiative, collaboration, and consistent en...

606: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 2): What Colleges Say + My Advice to Students and Counselors

In this episode, Ethan discusses the use of AI in the college application process, expanding on a previous interview with Jen Rubin from Foundry 10. He addresses his primary concern about AI safety, the Common App guidelines, and college policies regarding AI use, highlighting quotes from Princeton and Caltech. Ethan e...

605: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 1): How High School Teachers and Students Use Tools Like ChatGPT

In this podcast episode, Ethan interviews Jennifer Rubin, a Senior Researcher at Foundry 10, about her research on how students are using AI tools like ChatGPT in the college application process. Rubin shares key findings, including that higher-income students are more likely to use AI in their applications, and discus...

604: Inside the Application (Part 5): How to Decide Which College to Attend with Cassidy, HS Senior

In this podcast episode, Ethan interviews Cassidy, a high school senior, to reveal her college acceptance results live. Cassidy shares her feelings about the application process, her successful outcomes, and her surprise at getting into UC Berkeley. Ethan guides Cassidy through the "six F's of college fit" (focus, fell...

603: Leading Through Chaos: 7 Superpowers for Uncertain Times with Angel Pérez

This episode explores the challenges of leadership in higher education, particularly for deans of admission, against the backdrop of a rapidly changing and often contentious environment. Angel Pérez, CEO of NACAC, discusses his new book, "The Hottest Seat on Campus," which offers a new leadership playbook for navigati...