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
113: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist
In this episode we'll discuss:
- Data that proves art degrees are important
- The freedom that working a side job gives to self-employed artists
- The truth about the myth of the starving artist
- How to k…
112: How to Listen (And Why)
On this episode we discuss how Urban Confessional started, what Ben has learned about listening over the years, how these lessons have impacted his relationships and even what it was like doing free …
111: Using the Secrets of Screenwriting to Write Your College Essay
In this podcast, I’ll dive into:
- The story behind how I started connecting screenwriting and the college essay in the first place.
- Two exercises that I love to use to generate some great content for…
110: How to Create a Great College List (Part 2)
Ted’s book has been a go-to reference for me (and many other counselors) in our work with students and I loved getting a chance to go behind the scenes and hearing how the sausage is made. We discuss…
109: How to Figure Out Which School is Right for You
On this episode:
- How many schools students should apply to and when is best to start the process
- An amazing list of resources for helping students get to know themselves better
- Answers: What is the …
108: Demonstrated Interest: A Brief and Practical How-To Guide
On this episode, my guest Monica James and I discuss, among other things:
- What the heck is demonstrated interest in the first place and why is it important to colleges?
- What “yield” is and why there…
107: What I've Learned from Reading Over 10,000 College Essays
I chat with Parke Muth, former Associate Dean of Admissions at UVA. We cover, among other things:
- What Parke has learned reading over 10,000 college essays
- We’ll go behind-the-scenes to look at how…
106: Colleges That Change Lives
In this paradigm-shifting interview with Maria Furtado, the Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives (aka CTCL), we discuss, among other things:
- What is a liberal arts education and why is…
105: How to Lead a Life-Changing Essay Workshop
This week, I cover:
- 6 Ways That Most Workshops Fail in the First Five Minutes (aka 6 Terrible Ways to Start a Workshop)
- 9 Tips for Leading a Workshop of Any Size
- 5 Potentially Life-Changing Worksho…
104: How to Plan a Fulfilling and Productive Summer
Curious how to make the most of your upcoming summer? There's a lot you can do (and they don't all cost money.) This episode, we cover:
- Great questions to ask when it comes to planning a summer
- The …
103: How to Appeal a Financial Aid Award Letter
Ever wonder what you should include in an appeal letter? This week, Jodi and I cover:
- Who should make the call to a financial aid office: the student or parent?
- What to literally say to a financial …
102: How to Advocate for Undocumented Students
I chat with Dr. Aliza Gilbert about how to support undocumented students. We chat about:
- What terms to use (and not use) when working with undocumented students
- What the Dream Act is and why not all…
101: Life As an Undocumented Student at Harvard
Normally on the podcast I’ll be interviewing admissions professionals, but I wanted to begin with a student named Daishi for a few reasons:
He is an inspiring human being with an incredible story, as…