The culture at Jenn’s high school was borderline toxic.
If you weren’t up all night studying, you were worrying about who might be pulling ahead of you in the race to valedictorian.
Small differences in grades define your social status — and your future success.
A scarcity mentality prevailed. There would only be room for one kid from this school at any given dream college, and it would be whoever had the highest grades, students assumed.
Jenn meanwhile, had her heart set on NYU.
And though it was relatively easy for her to maintain straight A’s, she felt this relentless pressure to aim higher, overloaded her schedule and worked non-stop in an effort to outcompete her classmates.
Predictably, by October of Junior Year, Jenn had a major stress meltdown.
Her dad sat her down and said, “Let’s look at what you actually need to qualify for NYU.”
The average GPA was 3.81.
Jenn’s Dad was convinced that she didn’t need to do any better than that — no matter what the other kids at school were saying.
So Jenn decided to cut herself some slack.
She would do the work to keep that 3.8, and no more.
She stopped caring about taking the most APs or having the highest score on a test. She stayed focused on meeting her own definition of success.
With the pressure off, Jenn suddenly had all this free time.
She started a tool lending library for her neighborhood. She got into beekeeping and volunteered at a local farm. She became so passionate about ecology that over the summer she conducted a research project looking for ways to improve sustainability on that farm.
Jenn wasn’t trying to crack a formula. She was simply following her heart’s desires.
A year later, that’s exactly what made her stand out. It’s what showed NYU’s Gallatin School what kind of person she was, what she cared about, and what she would contribute to campus — and the world — beyond being the “best student” at her high school.
And that’s how Jenn got into her dream school by doing the bare minimum — aka, being strategic.
Now the bare minimum looks different for every kid. Some only need a 3.3 to get where they want to go. Others need to develop Executive Functioning Skills to make academics easier and free up the time to pursue their passions.
And if you’re thinking, “Well my kid wouldn’t do anything that interesting or impressive with their free time.”
Rest assured:
From gaming and sci-fi to food and style, I’ve yet to meet a teenager whose interests don’t reveal something deeper about their character and values. Something that genuinely aligns with their best-fit colleges.
It simply takes reflection to understand and articulate your BIG WHY:
The thread that ties together all your interests, choices, ambitions, and pastimes, and tells a stand-out story about who you are.
At first, Jenn couldn’t tell you why she was interested in beekeeping or tool lending or research. It took some digging for us to pinpoint her passion for local ecologies and communities. More specifically, the way people, animals, insects, and plants work together to sustain each other. It’s what made her an excellent match for NYU’s cross-disciplinary Gallatin School, where she would combine different environmental and social sciences to design her own major.
Again, even when a student’s interests seem frivolous or all over the place, with a bit of digging, I always find a meaningful unifying thread.
Unraveling that thread is where we start.
It’s the first step we take to figure out your winning admissions game plan.
Because above all, colleges want students who know who they are.
And having the highest GPA in class doesn’t say anything meaningful about who you are.
Whereas the way you choose to spend your time once you’ve met your own metrics for success, says absolutely everything.
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If you worry your teen is doing too much — or not doing enough — let’s get clear on what success looks like for them.
After a few sessions with an admission consultant, you’ll be on the same page about what they should prioritize throughout high school to make sure they get into a great college.
And you’ll finally rest assured they’re doing all the right things to prepare for their future.
