Destination YOUniversity

From: California Attended: WISH Charter High School Admitted at: USC, Loyola Marymount, Syracuse, Saint Mary's, DePaul, UC Boulder Coolness Factor: Very artistic - from theater to fashion, and also cares about sustainbility. Major: Communications Best Selling Author . TEDx Speaker. College Admission Expert. Football Enthusiast. Dr. Cynthia Colón is the Amazon Best Selling author of Be Committ...

From: California Attended: Bishop Montgomery High School Admitted at: Boston College, Loyola Chicago, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Riverside. Coolness Factor: Visual Processing problems lead to my interest in Medicine. Major: Biology Merit Earned: $104K Join us this summer for College Essay Bootcamp! The following camps meet Monday - Friday, 9am - 3pm PST Best Selling Author . TED...

From: Virginia Attended: Alexandria City High School Admitted at: U Virginia, Tulane University, Penn State, The University of Alabama, Virginia Tech, William & Mary Coolness Factor: My leadership in DCA, Key Club Major: Commerce with a concentration in Finance Merit Earned: $514,676 Join us this summer for College Essay Bootcamp! Monday - Friday, 9am - 3pm PST Best Selling Author . TEDx Speak...

From: California Attended: Calabasas High School Admitted at: UT Austin, UC Berkeley, Indiana University, SMU, U Wisconsin, U Washington Coolness Factor: I was interested in both philanthropic endeavors and fashion Major: Advertising/Marketing and Business Merit Earned: $164K Join us this summer for College Essay Bootcamp! Monday - Friday, 9am - 3pm PST Best Selling Author . TEDx Speaker. College...

From: New York Attended: Fontbonne Hall Academy Admitted at: Duke University, Villanova University, University of Miami Belmont University, Fordham University, Loyola University Maryland. Coolness Factor: I'm a gymnast, cheerleader, varsity lacrosse player and a member of the National Honor and National Arts Honors Societies Major: Psychology Merit Earned: $1.04M Join us this summer for Colleg...

From: California Attended: Los Alamitos High School Admitted at: Arizona State, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, U Florida, Purdue. Coolness Factor: I was on both the Robotics team and Jazz band. Major: TBD: potentially Aerospace Engineering Merit Earned: $104k Best Selling Author . TEDx Speaker. College Admission Expert. Football Enthusiast. Dr. Cynthia Colón is the Amazon Best Selling author of Be Co...

Meet Clark! From: New Jersey Attended: Seton Hall Preparatory School Admitted at: University of Miami, Santa Clara University, Rutgers University, Syracuse University, Virginia Tech, Stevens Institute of Technology Coolness Factor: Loves acting, science, creating video games and mechanical engineering!!! Major: Mechanical Engineering Best Selling Author . TEDx Speaker. College Admission Expert. F...

Meet Saraphina! From: California Attended: Bishop Montgomery High School Admitted at: Northeastern U, American U, Gonzaga, Loyola Chicago Coolness Factor: Youth & Government for 7 years, Yearbook Editor-in-Chief and President of the Key Club. Major: International Affairs and Criminal Justice. Merit Earned: $288K Best Selling Author . TEDx Speaker. College Admission Expert. Football Enthusiast...

Meet Matteo! From: California Attended: Oakland Technical High School Admitted at: UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, Northeastern, UC Davis, Loyola Marymount University Coolness Factor: Founded and currently run a 501c3, a nonprofit called Oakland Student Service. Major: Business and Communications Merit Earned: $358,200 Best Selling Author . TEDx Speaker. College Admission Expert. Football Enthusiast. Dr. Cynthi...

What’s the deal with all of those essays?! Is your teen at a loss for what to write about? Are they feeling overwhelmed by having to decide what are THE most important parts of their life? If your teen is overwhelmed with even thinking about the essay portion of their college applications, you should grab them and together, give a listen to this podcast!  In it, I  will share the ONE exercise I ty...

How your teen can beef up their resume! There are more colleges than there are shopping malls, Apple stores, and national parks, combined. With over 4000 colleges and universities, I can promise you that your teen WILL get into college. The average acceptance rate at colleges across the country is over 60%.  Becoming appropriately involved in activities will help you in your admissions journey.  E...

Create a list that WORKS for you! When April of her senior year rolled around, Saige  was only admitted to ONE college. One. She was denied at 14 schools. This story still haunts me to this day. From that day forward I never wanted that crushing rejection to hit another kid as hard as it did for Saige.  Saige was a solid B student, a few AP courses, average test scores, and a good list of activiti...

I had come to the conclusion that he had only a few topics to write about; one included his community service trip. I made the mistake of sharing this with his parents and when we spoke on the phone, the father said “…but I recently listened to a podcast and the guest said she might die if she read another essay about building homes in Costa Rica.”   I remember having that feeling as an Admissions...

Ever feel like every morning is a Chinese fire drill. Your kids test your patience in moving as slowly as possible to get ready and get out of the house on time. Carpool, drop-offs, and, oh, and did we eat breakfast? Do you have your homework? Athletic equipment? Who’s picking you up? What time are you done with rehearsal, practice, tutoring?  You’ve moved mountains all before 7:30am. Exhaustion s...

Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon is a medium size institution home to about 7300 undergraduate students. In 2022, CMU accepted about 11 % of the applicant pool.  The best way to learn about Carnegie Mellon is to tell the TALES of its founders: Born in 1835 in Scotland, Andrew Carnegie immigrated to the US in 1848. According to Wikipedia - by the 1860s Carnegie had investments in railroad...

A private college that grows heart and mind. I am a product of a large university. I am proud of my USC experience, but honestly,  there is nothing quite as comforting as a small school. You feel the difference almost immediately. Upon my arrival in the Admission office – I was greeted, given a packet and invited to refreshments in a cozy waiting room.  I drank my water on the blue couch in front...

I have been to a Michigan football game and there is honestly nothing like it. My heart is with the Trojans – but I admit – even having been there on a rainy day – “The Big HOUSE” is amazing. A sea of Maize and Blue - The cheers and coordinated waves literally shake the “big house.” The student section is packed with students. I took one look at the bleacher seating and thought “there is not enoug...

The University of Southern California Faithful, Scholarly, Skillful, Courageous, Ambitious.  When I think back to my experience as a Trojan,  I can only describe it as a feeling that I went to school with a bunch of superheroes. The bravado, confidence, and can-do spirit found in Trojans is equal to that of Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and Captain America. But it is the will and the desire to s...

The Ivy League consists of eight schools: Brown Harvard Columbia Princeton Cornell University of Pennsylvania Dartmouth Yale While all eight elite schools have been in existence for more than 150 years, and most for well over 200 years (Harvard was founded in 1636!), did you know that that the term IVY LEAGUE was born in 1954, when the eight schools formed a Division I Athletic league? I don’t hav...

Alabama: “Million Dollar Band”  Today I honor my father, Benjamin Colon  - otherwise known as Benny or Dad  Dad was the Drum Major at Dominguez High School, and he LOVED bands and music! A college marching band adds tradition, pomp and circumstance, fight song, the alma mater, and the memories of college football, basketball, and those crazy pep rallies. Alabama’s marching band is known as “The Mi...

Gonzaga Bulldogs I’m sure you’ve heard of  these famous Jesuit institutions, Boston College, Georgetown University Marquette – but have you hear of Gonzaga?. According to Wikipedia – Gonzaga made their CINDERELLA RUN in  1999 – and became a household name by making it to the Elite 8 with a win over Florida. Since then - Bulldogs have appeared 25 times in the NCAA tournament. GONZAGA UNIV...

When you grow up dreaming of becoming a Trojan, and then become one, you just can’t seem to bring yourself to try on anything in powder blue, let alone wear it. As an adult,  I chose to become a Bruin when I attended the doctoral program at UCLA. I have fond memories and met incredible colleagues at UCLA. This is my tribute to Bruins everywhere. Bar none, UCLA is a top academic research insti...

Season 7, Episode 161 College Spotlight: University of Oregon Which college has a combined Men’s and Women’s 20 NCAA Championships in track and field? University of Oregon does.  I remember being on campus in the summer of 2016 – U of Oregon was hosting the Track and Field Olympic Trials. With eighteen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and track and field...

Season 7, Episode 160 College Spotlight: Northwestern University Northwestern University does seem to have it all - top academics, DI athletics, highly impressive students, AND quick access to a major city. With Lake Michigan as your backyard for four years, what is not to love? Oh – and – I just have to mention that Julia Louie Dryfus is an alum of Northwestern. She was once watching her son play...

Season 7, Episode 159 College Spotlight: Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN While I am a product of a co-educational collegiate experience – I will admit that my life was forever changed when I discovered institutions whose sole mission is to empower young women. Saint Mary’s College is set in a college town, with a beautiful sprawling campus, and next door neighbor as Notre Dame University. But...