#138 Your Teen’s (Perfect) College Application Essay with College Bound Mentor

Flourish Coaching

Sep 3, 2024

In this episode, Lisa, Lisa, Abby, and Stefanie discuss:

Busting myths about your teen’s personal statement on their college application.
If your teen should write about personal hardships.
How to focus on being authentic, not being unique.
The four-question rubric your teen needs to address when writing their essay.
The role of parents in allowing their teen to make the decisions about their essay topic.

Key Takeaways:

Your teen is unique and has the opportunity to write about those things that matter to them, even if they have not had a lot of hardship in their life.
If overcoming a hardship or challenge is part of your teen’s identity, it may be the right thing to write about. This will not be the case for every student.
Your student’s essay should be very clear about who they are. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to be understandable.
Kids have a lot of great stories, but they want to ensure they tell the right stories that share their strengths and portray them correctly. Not every great story is a great story for what colleges want to know.
The four questions your student should consider are: what motivates you, what are you thinking about, how do you interact with others, and how do you solve problems?
Your student’s essay should be easy to write. Find a topic that is easy for them to write about and if it isn’t easy, it may not be the right topic.

“They don’t want to see something that’s too polished, and if they see something too polished, they’re going to put it aside. You write your story and it will come through. And that’s really powerful.” – Stefanie Forman

About Lisa Bleich:

Lisa Bleich is the Founder and CEO of College Bound Mentor, LLC and the author of Surviving the College Application Process: Case Studies To Help You Find Your Unique Angle For Success She cohosts the College Bound Mentor podcast. She mentors students from all over the world on the college application process, graduate school and careers helping them uncover their strengths and develop a personal plan for success. Lisa holds a BA in European Cultural Studies with French minor from Brandeis University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She lives in New Jersey with her husband. Her three daughters have all successfully survived the college application process and beyond!

Episode References:

Johns Hopkins Essays that Worked: https://apply.jhu.edu/college-planning-guide/essays-that-worked/

#084 How to Write the “Why this Major” College Essay with Lisa Marker Robbins

Get Lisa’s Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career…(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret).

flourishcoachingco.com/video