The College Essay Advisors Podcast
Join College Essay Advisors' Founder and Chief Advisor, Stacey Brook, and Director of Advising, Becca Myers, for the inside scoop on all things college essay-related – from brainstorming tips to real time essay reviews. This is your chance to go behind the scenes at CEA and discover what admissions is really looking for!
Episodes
35 episodes
35: Writing the AMCAS Personal Comments Essay for Medical School Applications
Join Stacey and Becca as they offer insight on how medical school applicants can craft compelling personal statements for the AAMC application. They address the timeline of med school admissions and how to think strategically about the stories ...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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13:32
34: How to Write a Distinctive Waitlist Letter to Your Top-Choice School
Join Stacey and Becca as they explain the difference between being deferred and being waitlisted, what being waitlisted really means, and what you can do to increase your odds of securing an acceptance (hint: write a unique waitlist letter!).&n...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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12:04
33: The 3 Most Obvious Signs You Used AI in Your College Essays
Join Stacey and Becca as they share insight into how they can sniff out an essay written with a heavy helping hand from AI from a mile away and group those clues into four categories. Are your college admissions essays guilty of any of these of...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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20:40
32: How to Approach the College Transfer Objective Statement
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the Transfer Objective Statement. They cover the most frequent mistakes transfer applicants make while writing their admissions essays, as well as advice for drafting transfer essays that stand out.<...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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13:34
31: College Essays and AI: What You Need to Know About New Trends
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the increasing trend of applicants using AI to write their college admissions essays. They discuss the current climate of admissions, what they’ve seen in their work with students, and what they’ve heard fr...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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17:51
30: What to Do if You Are Rejected in the Early Action/Early Decision Round
Join Stacey and Becca as they offer applicants tips for processing the disappointment of rejection, insight into the admissions decision process, and recommendations for how applicants can optimize their admissions essays ahead of Regular Decis...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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12:32
29: Early Action and Early Decision Deferrals: What They Mean and What You Can Do About It!
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss what being deferred means and what you can do to improve your odds of admission in the Regular Decision application round—both for your top-choice school and the remaining schools on your list.
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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11:07
28: The College Essay Advisors Assessment Service Option (Bonus episode!)
Join Stacey and Becca as they offer listeners insight as to what applicants can expect upon signing up for an expert assessment of their college essay draft(s) and discuss their methods for constructively delivering feedback to young writers.
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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7:14
27: College Essay Brainstorming Exercises (Part 3: Objects)
Join Stacey and Becca as they walk you through one of their favorite ways of brainstorming for the personal statement: the object exercise! Take a look around your room and identify a few objects that are near and dear to you, then reflect on w...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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15:38
26: How to Write About Hardship and Trauma in Your College Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss strategies for writing essays about hardship that emphasize positive qualities that will empower you to succeed in higher education, rather than relying on common platitudes. They also touch on the pressure...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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19:23
25: The Dos and Don’ts of the Activity Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they review common Activity Essay prompts, discuss the purpose of the essay within the scope of the larger application, offer guidance on which of your activities to expand upon, and flag common pitfalls to sidestep.&nb...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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16:37
24: How to Write About Religion, Faith, & Politics in Your College Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they weigh the risks and benefits of writing about religion, faith, and politics in your college essay. Can applicants address potentially controversial topics without polarizing admissions? How should their school list...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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21:44
23: The Dangers of Reading College Essay Examples
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the risks that accompany reading too many college essay examples and ways students and parents alike can best set themselves up for success before starting the college essay writing process.W...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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16:49
22: How to Write Your College Essay About Someone Else (While Still Centering Your Story)
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the dangers of writing about someone else in your college essay and what you can do to make sure the spotlight shines on you (your strengths, your character, your candidacy)! Watch some of our ...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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18:01
21: How to Write About Summer Camp Successfully in Your College Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the challenges of writing about one of the most common college essay topics: summer camp. Is it possible to write about camp while still differentiating yourself from other applicants with similar stories? ...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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15:02
20: What is the Additional Information Essay?
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the role of the Additional Information Essay in the college application. They cover the purpose of this text box and the kinds of circumstances that warrant an essay, as well as the dangers of submitting a ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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11:07
19: Writing About Mental Illness in Your College Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as discuss whether to (and how to) write about mental illness in your college admissions essay. Read our Common App Prompt Guide:
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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14:20
18: Writing about Neurodiversity and Learning Differences in Your College Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the pros and cons of writing about neurodiversity in your college admissions essays. Whether you’re considering writing about your Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, learning differences, or ADHD, Stacey a...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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18:00
17: How to Approach the College Essay Writing Process as Twins
Join Stacey and Becca as they talk all things twins! Distinguishing yourself from similarly qualified applicants is hard enough as it is, let alone someone who shares your DNA; luckily, Stacey and Becca have tips for twins (and triplets) writin...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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17:27
16: Everything You Need to Know About The Diversity Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the infamous Diversity Essay. They cover creative approaches to writing about identity and whether there are any risks involved with writing about race, sexuality, gender, etc. in a post-affirmative action ...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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14:10
15: How to Write the 2023-24 Yale University Essays (Part 2)
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the 2023-24 Yale University supplemental essay prompts. Part 2 of 2!Access our 2023-24 Yale University Supplemental Essay Guide:https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/supplemental-essay/yale-unive...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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9:32
14: How to Write the 2023-24 Yale University Essays (Part 1)
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the 2023-24 Yale University supplemental essay prompts. Part 1 of 2!Access our 2023-24 Yale University Supplemental Essay Guide:https://www.collegeessayadvisors.com/supplemental-essay/yale-unive...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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17:23
13: The Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action & The College Essay
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss this summer's SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action, the ramifications for students of color (and the education system as a whole), and provide guidance to applicants wondering how to (or whether to) use the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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23:53
12: How to Write the 2023-24 Harvard University Essays (Part 2)
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the final two 2023-24 Harvard University supplemental essay prompts that applicants must respond to in 200 words or fewer.Access our 2023-24 Harvard University Supplemental Essay Guide:https://w...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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12:10
11: How to Write the 2023-24 Harvard University Essays (Part 1)
Join Stacey and Becca as they discuss the first three (out of five) 2023-24 Harvard University supplemental essay prompts that applicants must respond to in 200 words or fewer.Access our 2023-24 Harvard University Supplemental Essay Gui...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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18:12