Posts Tagged: essays

What I Thought U.S. Colleges Wanted—And What They Actually Did

By Anjuna S not her real name Undergraduate at a Midwestern University I still remember the first time I sat down to start my college application for a U S school It was overwhelming I d heard stories of students...

Why I Chose a Peer Advisor Who'd Been Through It Abroad

By Aisha K not her real name Undergraduate Student from Nigeria The decision to apply to schools in the U S wasn t mine alone My uncle who had attended graduate school in Chicago always encouraged me to think beyond...

Peer Mentorship Made My American Dream Make Sense

By Rafael G not his real name Student from Brazil Growing up in S o Paulo the idea of studying in the U S was more fantasy than plan I knew a few people who had gone abroad but I...

I had Never Set Foot in America—But My Peer Coach Helped Me Feel at Home

By Lian T not her real name First-Year Student from Vietnam I still remember how surreal it felt when I first considered applying to a university in the United States I had never visited I didn t have family there...

Helping Students From Underrepresented Backgrounds Means Listening First

By Carla J not her real name College Coach I ve worked with students from all walks of life but the ones who stay with me the longest are the ones who didn t think they belonged in the college...

The Missing Link in Our College Prep Plan: A Peer Perspective

By Marcus H not his real name Parent of a High School Senior I thought we had everything covered My daughter Laila not her real name had been preparing for college since middle school We had the grades the SAT...

Peer Coaching Made My Teen Feel Understood—and Inspired

By Laura Kim Not her real name Parent of a High School Junior As a parent one of my biggest challenges has always been understanding how best to support my teenager through the college application process My daughter Siti not...

STEM, Startups, and Summer Programs: Crafting a Story That Stands Out

By Michael Tran Future Engineering Major Applying to college as a high school student is never easy but for those of us passionate about STEM there s an extra layer of complexity You re not just trying to stand out...

From a Small Town to a Big Name School: The Peer Advice That Got Me There

By Isabella Hernandez College Freshman I ve always been proud of my small-town roots Growing up in a community where everyone knew everyone else s business I learned early on the importance of relationships hard work and staying grounded But...

How My Immigrant Background Became My Admissions Superpower

By Linh Tran not his real name First-Generation Vietnamese-American Student When I started my college applications I was convinced I needed to erase parts of myself I didn t grow up speaking English at home My parents fled Vietnam after...

What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My College Apps

By Aanya S Student and First-Gen US College Applicant If I could go back and have one honest conversation with my junior-year self it would start with this You re not alone and you don t have to figure it...

The Value of Recent Experience in Navigating Today’s Admissions Landscape

If you had asked me two years ago whether I d be helping other students apply to college I probably would ve laughed At the time I was neck-deep in personal statements debating whether to go test-optional and losing sleep...

Peer vs. Professional: Why You Actually Need Both for College Advice By Your Side

When I started applying to colleges I had two people on my side One was a traditional college counselor with years of experience in admissions The other A senior from my school who had just been accepted to a top-tier...

What Does a Pathways Peer Advisor Consult Look Like?

Let s look at what it looked like to Emma a high school senior in Ohio trying to figure out her college applications and needing advice tailored to her specific situation Talking to Someone Who d Been Through It Changed...