The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions
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.
- Update frequency
- every 10 days
- Average duration
- 51 minutes
- Episodes
- 93
- Years Active
- 2017 - 2025
614: 13 Mistakes High School Students Make When Creating Their College List
Welcome back to the podcast. It’s September, which means many students are building the list of colleges they’re applying to.
Today I’m joined by New York Times Bestselling Author, Harlan Cohen, who …
613: Inside the Application (Part 6): Making the Decision with Cassidy, Class of 2025
Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast.
This one’s going to be short—and honestly, it’s an episode I didn’t think I was going to record. Why? Well, if you’ve been following along with Cassidy’s …
612: Admission Nutrients (Part 6 of 6: Intellectual Curiosity): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Hillary Dickman
Welcome back to the podcast! This is our sixth and final chapter of our series on admission nutrients — qualities that can make for a healthier, more meaningful college admission process… and life.
I…
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 Episode 5 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Tom Campbell is joined by Nathan Faust, Admission Counselor at Loyola Marymount University, to talk about Service to Others / Community Impact. In t…
610: Admission Nutrients (Part 4 of 6: Consistent Engagement): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Dysean Alexander
In Episode 4 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Tom Campbell is joined by Dysean Alexander, Assistant Director for West Coast Admission at Lafayette College, to discuss Consistent Engagement. In t…
609: Admission Nutrients (Part 3 of 6: Leadership): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life
In Episode 3 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Ethan is joined by Deanna Dixon, the Dean of Admission at Smith College, to dive into leadership and initiative. In their conversation, they get int…
608: Admission Nutrients (Part 2 of 6: Collaboration): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Raissa Diamante
In Episode 2 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Ethan is joined by Raissa Diamante, the Director of Admission at Harvey Mudd College, to do a deep dive into collaboration — why is it important to…
607: Admission Nutrients (Part 1 of 6: Intro): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life
Welcome back to the College Essay Guy Podcast! Today, Ethan kicks off a brand-new series: Admission Nutrients — qualities that not only enhance a well-balanced college application but can also contri…
606: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 2): What Colleges Say + My Advice to Students and Counselors
Welcome to Part 2 of 2 of this mini-series on AI in college admission! In our last episode, I interviewed Jen Rubin from foundry10 on how students and counselors are using AI in the college admissio…
605: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 1): How High School Teachers and Students Use Tools Like ChatGPT
In Part 1 of 2 of this mini-series on AI in college admission, Ethan is joined by Jennifer Rubin, Senior Researcher at foundry10 and Principal Investigator of the Digital Technologies and Education L…
604: Inside the Application (Part 5): How to Decide Which College to Attend with Cassidy, HS Senior
Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast!
Many of you have been following Cassidy, a current high school senior, as she navigates the college application process. We've walked through her brainsto…
603: Leading Through Chaos: 7 Superpowers for Uncertain Times with Angel Pérez
602: Roles and Identities Part 2 (for Counselors and Educators): A Framework for Understanding How Your Roles Shape Your Work
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 an…
601: Roles and Identities Part 1 (for Students and Parents): A Framework for Exploring Who You’ve Been, Who You Are, and Who You’re Becoming
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 an…
523: Busting College Admission Myths Using Data: Standardized Tests, Rankings, and the Cost of College with Akil Bello
In today’s episode, Ethan is joined by Akil Bello to talk about standardized tests, rankings, and the cost of college. They dig into some common misconceptions about college including:
- Are most col…
522: Storytelling & Identity with Ethan Sawyer (Part 4 Bonus Episode!): On Balancing Identities, Writing as a Journey, and the Mystery of Enoughness
In our most recent series on storytelling and identity, Ethan sat down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a r…
521: Storytelling & Identity with Ryan Maldonado (Part 3 of 3): On Code-switching, Photographing Living Rooms, and Growing up Not-Rich in Miami
In this three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode 3, E…
520: Storytelling & Identity w/Whit Anderson (Part 2 of 3): Beating Writer's Block, Writing RomComs and Space Operas, and Female Representation in Hollywood
In this three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode 2, E…
519: Storytelling & Identity with Dave Callaham (Part 1 of 3): What it’s Like Writing Marvel Movies, Asian-American Representation in Hollywood, and Advice on Finding Your Voice
In this new three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode …
518: Inside the Application (Part 4): How to Know if You’re “Almost Done” with Your College Application
Today’s episode is part four of our series Inside the Application. Ethan is joined by Cassidy, a current high school senior who is working on her college applications for the Fall 2025 term. Cassidy…