Everyone has a Story to Tell
Stories lead to other stories
We’re coming into college essay season, and honestly, helping teens tell their stories through a well-crafted, compelling essay is one of my favorite things. It’s so rewarding for students (and me too!) to help them tease out their values and insights, and see the light bulb come on as they begin to recognize all that they have accomplished and witnessed in just 2-4 years.
Once the brainstorming commences and our conversations deepen … well …
Stories lead to other stories.
But first, I think it is important to enlist all the stakeholders in this crazy college admission process. So let’s start with the parents.
Parent Considerations:
Who do you want to be in this process?
What “kind” of time do you want spend with your child during their last year in high school?
Can you stay and live in the moment, and not get too far ahead?
How can you help divert the attention and direct questions from others about the college process, and keep the college search in its proper place?
And maybe in an effort to preserve your parent/child relationship you will opt to enlist a counselor or coach, so you are there to fully enjoy this final year together?
Spring is a good time for students to begin to ruminate how their values, their interests, and how they have spent the last few years can come together to begin to tell an autobiographical, values-based essay or personal statement.
Student Considerations:
Showing impact and initiative, and depth over breadth are the big attributes getting a whole lot of attention when it comes to the story beneath, or inside, the personal statement.
I thought I would share a few successful examples from past high school clients who were able to pull values and interests together to tell their story:
Meet Justin – A quiet, wicked smart, detail-loving introvert who spent most Saturday mornings in high school traveling to cool car shows all over California with his dad. He was in love with the aesthetics and infinite detail used in the design and power behind fast cars like Ferrari's Enzo. Yet with each new observation, he began to shift his loyalty and love to the fascinating design of older cars like the 1954 Mercedes Gullwing.
Already, Justin exhibited a penchant for the introspective, observant, and analytical. His personal essay was steeped in curious, infinite detail that surrounded his interests from fast cars to the complexities of the natural world to philosophy and how the three fed off of each other to help him astutely define his own world view at age 17.
Justin enrolled at Middlebury College in Vermont. A Liberal Arts and Philosophy major, who happily dined and debated in professors’ homes while chewing on life’s big questions.
Say hello to Sara — Modern day hippie if there even is such a person, who gained her ever-insightful perspective from the American West’s highways and byways twirling through mountain meadows attending musical festivals with her parents. Highly attuned to introspective and creative pursuits, as well as much more comfortable in the background – found her high school years in pursuit of advocacy for DEI initiatives as she championed unbiased inclusion, as well as led several high school and city-wide environmental clubs.
These two primary interests stemmed from the values gleaned from her cross country travels in the back of her parents station wagon as a young person, meeting all kinds of interesting people in beautiful natural surroundings at Indie music festivals.
Sara is at Cal Berkeley studying Environmental Science and Creative Writing. Her essay illuminated her creative writing talents while cleverly weaving in her high school, values-based experiences.
High five to Aaron the total sports guy – Varsity basketball and volleyball / team captain / MVP. Yep, Aaron was that guy. Successful student looking to pursue business or finance schools. In 9th grade Aaron started a used sports’ equipment one-day Saturday Sports Drive at his local YMCA. About 75 people attended. The following year Aaron enlisted buddies and together, their Drive grew to include new roles and responsibilities: Marketing director, Outreach & Sponsorships, CTO and website development, Communications & Logistics director, etc.This 2nd year the Sports Drive was moved to fill the high school gym and doors were open all weekend long. Staggered visitations were organized, and time was allocated to ensure each deserving customer came away with equipment that was both special and useful. Year #2 saw 250+ under-served young athletes come through the high school’s gym doors.
Aaron’s senior year he continued to grow his sports enterprise by partnering with the local non profit bicycle coalition and bike shops to add donated bikes to the Drive’s offerings. Finally, he enlisted a group of young freshmen to train to ensure that the Drive’s legacy would continue long after he graduated.
His essay about service work demonstrated impact, initiative (aka leadership), depth, collaboration, and helped solve a local problem; all centered on Aaron’s interest in sports, business and entrepreneurship.
Aaron landed at USC’s Marshall School of Business.
If you are looking for a brainstorming partner in essay ideation and construction this summer, well, guess what?
That is exactly what I love to do!