Demystifying College Admissions

Today on the podcast I'm excited to announce that we are bringing back our coaching session episodes! In this episode, I'll be coaching my Passion Project Bootcamp student regarding AP classes, Passion Projects, and research positions! In this episode you'll meet Yashaswi, a Passion Project Bootcamp student who is currently a junior. She has 3 questions for me to help her determine if she's on the...

Today I'm sharing with you a short interview I did with one of my Class of 2021 students, Alexcis, who recently got accepted into UPenn, Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown, and Cornell! Not to mention, Alexcis also received a merit scholarship offer at USC, and in this episode, she reveals how she was able to do this, plus what she believes was the secret to her success. This interview really goes to show...

Today we are talking all about pre-med, and I'm so excited to be speaking about this topic with my special guest, Dr. Shemmassian! If you are interested, or majoring in, biology, chemistry, physics, or anatomy, and your goal is to get into medical school or any other profession that requires you to have a pre-med major, then you're going to love this episode. Even if you're not sure what you want...

As much as I love talking about strategies and action steps to take to get accepted into your dream college, for today's episode I wanted to look at things a little differently. I want to share with you a bit about the meaning that society places on college, so that you can step back and think about why you are doing all of this in the first place. Have you registered for our free masterclass yet?...

I see a lot of students and parents working on different extracurriculars and commitments and implementing various college admission strategies to get accepted into their dream Ivy League and Top-tier colleges. This breaks my heart, because those are the things that many of these colleges just don't care about anymore. In this episode, I'm going to share with you what they are actually looking for...

About 6 months ago, I started interviewing Passion Project Bootcamp students and sharing those coaching sessions with listeners here on the podcast. We received so much good feedback from listeners that resonated with these episodes, telling us how much they learned about our coaching process in Passion Project Bootcamp, as well as the support they can expect by joining the program. In this episod...

Today I have a very special announcement for you! We are opening applications to the new Passion Project Bootcamp NEXT LEVEL Program (formerly The Ivy League Formula Program). In this episode you'll hear more about this exclusive 4-month group college consulting program, and how we'll be making this a next level experience for our students (which includes getting more support from me). The Passion...

It's been a little while since we've released a new podcast episode, and so much has happened lately! In the beginning of June, we launched the FREE 7-Day ACCEPTED Challenge - helping almost 5,000 students with their college admissions journey during the free event. The challenge was so amazing and life-changing for its participants that I decided to turn the challenge videos into content for the...

Having helped hundreds of high school students get accepted into their dream colleges, I know how important this dream is for you too.   Imagine opening that acceptance letter from your dream college and knowing that all your hard work has paid off.   Imagine sharing this great news with your family and friends and feeling so proud.   Now, imagine yourself stepping onto campus for the first time,...

A lot of you have been asking what you should be doing as a freshman, sophomore or junior in high school, so recently I did a series on my YouTube Channel, Conquer College Admissions to share my ultimate checklists for you to refer to. The feedback I received on this video series was so good that I want to share the content with you on the podcast as well. Today I reveal the college admissions che...

I often talk about the strategies you can use to get accepted college, which are all so important to understand, but sometimes it's nice to step back and look at why we're doing it in the first place. That is why in today's episode I'm revealing what the true purpose of college is, which just might give you a new perspective on the college admissions process. And this is just my take on answering...

Let's talk about summer break! You may be wondering why I'm talking about summer break in this episode, as it's just May when I'm recording it. That is because you really need to be planning and thinking ahead in the college admissions process. So today, I'm sharing a recent Facebook Live I did that reveals the 3 things you MUST do during your summer break to make the best use of your time, and to...

I get asked by students in my Passion Project Bootcamp and Ivy League Formula Program about the importance of AP exams and scores, especially during the stressful time that is this AP season. That is why I wanted to share a recent Facebook Live I did with you here on the podcast to answer this question, and to look at how colleges really evaluate your AP scores. I reveal what actually makes or bre...

If you already have a Passion Project, or you're thinking about creating one, you may be wondering how to share your Passion Project in your college application. This is a question I get a lot, which is why today on the podcast I'm sharing 3 ways to integrate your Passion Project the RIGHT WAY. To learn 4 more strategies that help our students get accepted into amazing colleges using their Passion...

In today's episode, I want to focus on fear, and specifically the fear of being rejected by the college you desire to attend. Fear is normal, especially if you're playing big in life, and it is my hope that after listening to this episode you will have less fear around the college admissions process. You can't let fear get in the way of you getting accepted into your dream college, right? To learn...

On today's podcast episode, I am coaching one of my Passion Project Bootcamp students, Maya. You'll get a behind-the-scenes look at how I coach my student through me taking her through the process of picking the right extracurriculars. So often students spend a lot of time on things that aren't helpful or won't make a big difference in their college application. Your time is valuable, and I want t...

On today's podcast episode, I wanted to have an honest and down-to-earth conversation about your mindset, which is so important to your college admissions success. By shifting your mindset you'll not only improve your chances on the college admissions journey, but it can also apply to all parts of your life – family, relationships, happiness, fulfillment, and much more. To learn the 4 strategies t...

How will you know if your Passion Project will impress college admissions officers? What if you spend months and years working on your Passion Project …and it doesn't pay off? I've got an answer (and some proven strategies) for you! This episode is a coaching session with my Passion Project Bootcamp student Simi. On this episode, I reveal how she can take her Passion Project to the next level. I s...

Why does college cost so much? What really goes on in financial aid offices in this country, and will going to college pay off in the end? These are all big questions we've explored before on this podcast, and in today's episode, I'm speaking with an expert guest who has literally written the book on this important subject. Ron Lieber is the author of The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New...

In this amazing episode, I'm not only sharing how my student Rachel landed research positions, but how she turned her Passion Project into a non-profit and got publications. Would you believe me if I told you that she accomplished all of this in just 6 months? She did, and today you're going to hear how she did it inside the Ivy League Formula Program. The Ivy League Formula Program is our intensi...

So many high school students spend many hours, weeks, and months trying to build a unique factor, but it takes more than just overall time spent to do this the right way. In today's special episode I share how my students created a WOW factor to help their college application stand out – in less than 6 months! You need to be very strategic about the time you're spending on creating a WOW factor an...

Are you wondering if you should be participating in competitions or how many awards you should have when applying to colleges? (Or do you even NEED to get awards?!?!) These are questions I get a lot, so today on the podcast we're going to talk about how college admissions officers view competitions and awards. I'll be coaching my Passion Project Bootcamp student Simi, who is an amazing student (an...

Today on the podcast, I'm coaching my Passion Project Bootcamp student Lina, someone who plays such a big leadership role inside of our peer-led Facebook community for the Passion Project Bootcamp. I'll be coaching her on college lists, and specifically how to create a college list that's both realistic and balanced. If you're aiming for acceptance into Ivy League & top-tier colleges, you're going...

In today's coaching session with my Passion Project Bootcamp student Patricia, I'll be answering a question that I get often. With the policy changes due to COVID-19, a lot of students are now wondering if they should even be taking the SAT or ACT, so I wanted to look at this topic today on the podcast (fun fact - Patricia is actually from the very same high school that I attended, which makes hel...

Today I have a coaching session with my Passion Project Bootcamp student, Mercedes. I'm so grateful to attract amazing students like Mercedes who are so committed to their goals and motivated to achieve them. In this episode Mercedes and I cover a lot of different topics, and I actually got a little emotional after this call because of all that she is doing in regards to her Passion Project (and a...