604: Inside the Application (Part 5): How to Decide Which College to Attend with Cassidy, HS Senior

The College Essay Guy - Episode 604 - Cassidy Choi Pt5 V2_otter_ai

The College Essay Guy - Episode 604 - Cassidy Choi Pt5 V2

Mon, Apr 14, 2025 9:16AM 32:56

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

College applications, personal statement, supplemental essays, college acceptances, college fit, six F's, focus, fellowship, finances, future, family, feeling, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, USC.

SPEAKERS

Ethan Sawyer, Speaker 1, Cassidy

E

Ethan Sawyer 00:00

Cassie, Hey friends, and welcome back to the podcast. So many of you have been following along with Cassidy, who is a current high school senior as she navigates the college application process and to date, we've walked through her brainstorming exercises, her personal statement writing and her supplemental essays. And now, at long last, Cassidy has received her college acceptances. So rather than reading the email that she sent me, which said college acceptances in the subject, I emailed her, and I said, Hey, I know you email me with your acceptances. I don't want to look at it. What if we did a live reveal on the podcast? And so she generously said that she was willing to do this, and what you'll hear in a minute is me live reacting with her. Well, she already knows, but I didn't know where she got in. And huge shout out to Cassidy for being such a good sport on this. In our conversation, we get into a bunch of things, including the extent to which she felt she had a successful application process. And then separately, I asked her to what extent she felt she had successful outcomes. Now, there's a difference there, which I'll talk a little bit about on the podcast. We'll talk about which school she was accepted into, and then we get into because she hasn't quite decided where she's attending as of this recording some important factors for making a final college decision. And we focus on what my college counseling team at College Essay Guy calls the six F's of college fit, focus, fellowship, finances, future family and feeling. So you can hear Cassidy as she sort of weighs the pros and cons of her top schools. She talks about what she did well and what she do differently in the process. Finally, I guide her through a quick, fun exercise that you can do if you're trying to decide where you want to attend, if you're a student or if you know a student who's trying to decide. And you can decide in either a day, an hour or even one minute for real. Hope you enjoy. Hi, Cassidy, welcome back to the podcast. Hi, long time. No talk. I know just curious like, how is your life right now? We're in April of your your senior year.

Cassidy 02:22

C

Yeah, it's been it's been really nice, actually. Lately I've been loving my second semester of senior year. So much less stressful. And yeah, yeah, it's been good. Has senioritis

E

Ethan Sawyer 02:34

hit yet? Or are you Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1 02:37

for sure, for sure, definitely have some senioritis, but it's been good, I think, yeah,

E

Ethan Sawyer 02:43

I'm curious. Just before we get into things, I'm curious to what extent did, before you reveal where you got in, didn't get in, like, to what extent did, like hearing back from colleges impact the way that you looked at your studies, at your classes.

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Cassidy 02:59

Oh, that's a good one. I think it was kind of stressful because it almost felt like a culmination of, like everything I've been working for for the past four years. So it was pretty nerve wracking in that respect. But also, I feel like I was really trying to remind myself that the college decisions weren't like a marker of how, how well I was doing in school or or how hard I had worked, because I know I've worked hard, so I was really just trying to keep that at the forefront of my mind. Yeah, and

E

Ethan Sawyer 03:31

before we even get into the outcomes, I'd love for you to reflect just a little bit to what extent looking back on your process, meaning like the work that you put into your college applications. To what extent do you feel like you had a successful process?

C

Cassidy 03:47

I think it was really successful. Honestly. I feel like the college the college essay guide motto, isn't it like purpose, joy and clarity or something like ease, yeah, ease, yeah,

E

Ethan Sawyer 04:00

yeah. But clarity goes to the ease, I think, yeah, yeah. And

Cassidy 04:03

C

I feel like I really hit all three of those points with my with my college applications. Yeah, I felt like I really had a plan of action, which was nice. And in the end, I really felt like no matter what the outcome was, I feel like I put really good work into my essays, and I'm proud of it. Cool,

E

Ethan Sawyer 04:19

yeah. I really sense that from you, just in my in our conversations, and you know, in your work on the course, you just seemed like you were setting yourself up well. And by Well, I mean, like setting yourself up to feel at the end of your process, like when you submit everything to feel like, you know, this was the best you could do. And then, you know, to it seemed like you were letting go to a large extent and just sort of like putting it in the college's hands, which is, which is what I

04:46

hope for students, yeah, for sure.

E

Ethan Sawyer 04:48

Cool. All right, drum roll, then we're not moving into a drum roll, but let's hear it. What were your acceptance results? And just so folks have a reminder, will you just remind folks? Because maybe this is the first part. GUEST episode they're listening to. Will you just remind folks of what were some of your sort of top choices and what were some of the programs that you were looking

C

Cassidy 05:07

for? Okay, so I applied as a biology major to all the schools looking to be on the pre med track, and then my favorite schools were UCLA, USC, UC San Diego, and then Stanford was like a really reach school for me, cool

E

Ethan Sawyer 05:24

and remind folks, where did you apply early, early

C

Cassidy 05:27

action I did to Stanford and USC, cool.

Ethan Sawyer 05:31

E

All right, give us a sense. Where did you how did things turn out? Oh my gosh. Okay, I'm excited.

C

Cassidy 05:40

I think for me, I was surprised. Okay, like, I was not expecting it to, like, go in this direction, which is, like, I feel like, not in, like, either way, like a good or bad way. I was just surprised.

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Ethan Sawyer 05:56

Okay, this is great. You're building it up even more. So I'm like, imagine my seat here.

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Speaker 1 06:01

Yeah, okay. Should I start? Let's do it. Let's hear okay. So people

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Ethan Sawyer 06:06

have been waiting, by the way. Cassidy, some people have been waiting months to find this out. Oh my gosh. Well,

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Speaker 1 06:12

I hope, I hope it's fulfilling for you. Okay, should I start? How

E

Ethan Sawyer 06:16

should I start? Except whatever you want, whatever I'll start, you

C

Cassidy 06:21

know, I'll start with the rejections. Okay, yeah, okay. I got, unfortunately rejected from Stanford, but that's okay. And also Cal Poly, slow, okay, wait listed. I was wait listed at UC Irvine and UCLA, okay. And then I was accepted to UC, Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, USC Chapman, Biola, CSU, Long Beach and San Diego State. Oh

Ethan Sawyer 06:55

E

my gosh, I'm getting goosebumps all the way up and down. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Oh my god, I'm so excited. That's amazing. Thank you. Yeah, and, and how well, how did it feel? Then, it's a weird question, but I'm also curious, like, how does it feel now? So I was gonna ask you, like, how does it feel now? But it's been a few weeks, so maybe I'm gonna ask you two questions at once, how did it feel to hear back from those schools, and how does it feel now?

C

Cassidy 07:21

It was so, so I don't know, so, just so incredible. He'll hear back from those schools. And then also, like, I feel like, even as I was opening the decisions, I felt really at peace with, with whatever outcome was was gonna be facing me. So, yeah, but obviously I was so I was so stoked when I got open those, yeah, I definitely cried for a few. Oh my

E

Ethan Sawyer 07:48

gosh, yeah, amazing. I mean, I'm feeling stoked right now for you. Oh, and I want to congratulate again, and I think you're already focused on this, but I want to congratulate you again on all your hard work, because I think you really set yourself up well to have some awesome options, and it's just a testament to to again, your work. I mean, yes, you're smart and your creativity and all that other stuff, but this is just beautiful.

08:11

Thank you so much.

E

Ethan Sawyer 08:13

Okay, so I asked you earlier, to what extent you feel like you had a successful process now, and I want to separate and ask a different question, which is, to what extent do you feel you had successful outcomes based on this,

C

Cassidy 08:24

okay, outcomes, honestly, I'd say successful. And like I said, I think it was surprising to me. Yeah, what surprised you? I think I was the most surprised about Berkeley. I did not expect to get into Berkeley at all. And then also, I feel like, between Berkeley and LA, if I were to get into one of them, I thought maybe la would be more like match me more, you know. But yeah. I mean, obviously I'm really grateful for Berkeley. So that was a big surprise. I feel like USC was a big surprise also. And then just the whole thing, I guess, yeah.

Ethan Sawyer 09:02

E

I mean, just kind of like a meta side note to like, why I'm I think you know why I'm doing this, but the reason I want to separate your process from outcomes is that I think sometimes students go into this process with, like, a Stanford or bust mentality, and they're like, Yo, if I get into Stanford, it's successful, and if I don't get into Stanford, I've failed, and I've let my parents down. I've let my, you know, my everybody down. And I just want to like side note to like anybody listening, students were going through this process, and also parents. It's like, if you can separate the successful process and determine what are those things that I can control, that I can do, and get to that point where you got to, which is like, Hey, I did everything I could, and then it's separate from the success, you know, the success, or not, of the outcomes. I just think that's such an important step. And I see you at being such a, I don't know, a healthy, mature place with this. So I appreciate you modeling this for us. Oh, thank you. Now I don't. Have you decided where you want to go yet? Or do you want to, like, talk that through a little bit? No, I have not decided. Okay, cool, and that's going to make for a more interesting podcast. So what I'd love to do is, I'd love to walk you through so you met Renee. Renee is the the my colleague, who, you know, helps students with their college counseling stuff at College Essay Guy, and she helped you with the college list. One of the things that she and my other colleagues, we talk about is the six F's like, like, the letter F of college fit. And so I'd love to just walk you through these, and I'm just going to kind of give you one, tell you what it means, and then I'd love for you to just reflect on to what extent you feel like your colleges will help meet that need. So does that sound good? Yeah. Okay, great. Okay, so for the first one, let's talk about focus. That's the first F and my focus. What I'm talking about is, like your academic and non academic priorities. So, but basically, what, to what extent do the colleges you're applying to have what you're looking for? So like, special programs, you know, academics like all that kind of stuff.

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Cassidy 11:06

Okay, so my top choices right now, I'm debating between Berkeley, USC and UC San Diego. Okay, so for Berkeley, I feel like they have amazing research opportunities and awesome academics San Diego, I think they also have good research opportunities and good academics as well. And then USC, I feel like they have really good connections to professors and research like, really, really good. Yeah.

E

Ethan Sawyer 11:38

So is there anything in terms of the research opportunities in terms of the connections, in terms of the programs that makes any of these top three choices stand out for you?

C

Cassidy 11:46

Yeah, so in terms of research, I think USC or UC Berkeley stands out the most because I've been reading up on Berkeley, and I guess, I mean, I didn't even realize this before, but they just have like, incredible stuff happening on their campus, which is so cool. But then USC, I think because it's a private, smaller school, it's easier maybe to get involved in research.

Ethan Sawyer 12:12

E

Cool. All right, so let's talk about the next one fellowship. So this is like, Who do you want to share your experience with? Talking about, like, finding your people, when you think about, quote, unquote, finding your people, where do you get a sense among these three people? So let's just focus on Berkeley, UCSD and USC, how do you feel like each of these programs, or, sorry, each of these what is your sense of your ability to find your people at any of these institutions?

C

Cassidy 12:38

Yeah, I've actually been thinking about this a lot. I feel like I gravitate most towards UC San Diego in terms of like, the vibe and the people. I feel like I'd really be able to connect with the students on campus. You know, even looking at like the admitted students Instagram pages, I feel like the type of people that post are most like similar to me, I guess. I mean, obviously, I think I'll be able to find my people at all the campuses, but then Berkeley for me, I feel like it's people who are very, very academic and motivated, and to an extent, like, Yes, I feel like I am motivated, but like that crazy, like crazy, crazy motivation. Like, that's not me. And then USC, I feel like it's maybe more, a bit more of a party school, which is maybe not my scene as much. So yeah,

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Ethan Sawyer 13:32

all right. So let's talk about the third F, which is financial, which school, in the words of Jerry Maguire, showed you the money? Like, and you probably seen Jerry Maguire. So, like, Yeah, how did, how did things come back in terms of the financial piece? Yeah,

C

Cassidy 13:46

so they all turned out pretty good, which I'm really grateful for. But UC Berkeley is going to be the most affordable for me. And then UC San Diego, and then USC, amazing.

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Ethan Sawyer 13:58

That's so great to know, and that gives me some sense of like to use that word again, ease just knowing that, because I remember, you know. And I say this to students, because I, you know, when I applied to college, finances were going to be a big deal, because I was an EFC zero kid, meaning, you know, we needed scholarships. And so it's almost like you have two acceptance rounds, like you have the initial acceptance round, and then you have the second round, which is like finding out about money. And I'm curious for you, did they did each school tell you that you got in and then tell you about the money? Or did any of the schools tell you about the money at the same

C

Cassidy 14:28

time? Yeah, the UCS told me same time I was able to open my letter, decision letter, and then open my financial status. But then USC took, I think, a week or two. Yeah,

Ethan Sawyer 14:41

E

cool. And I just want to prepare students who are listening for that, that reality. Okay, good, cool. So that's that's good to know. So it sounds like any of these three could be possible for your family. Yes, awesome. Okay, fourth F, let's talk about the future. So to what extent, when you think about how this college might set you up? Success in the future. We're talking connections, which you mentioned briefly, alumni network, etc. What is your sense given for these three schools?

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Cassidy 15:10

So actually, haven't thought about this one too much yet, but it's good that we're talking about it now. But I feel like maybe I've heard Berkeley has a strong alumni network. I think so that might be at the top for for the future category. And then USC, and then UC San Diego, I feel

E

Ethan Sawyer 15:32

great. And, you know, just to give you some things to like, think about, or to research if you want some follow up questions, and by the way, the stuff that I'm sharing right now with Cassidy, you'll find on a blog that we'll put into the show notes. But one of the things that you could if you wanted to do more research on this, is to ask the colleges, what kind of programming and advising do they have for post grad so oftentimes they'll have an office that you could just go and, you know, they'll set you up with someone to talk to, and you'll start to do this planning. And this isn't something obviously, that you need to do as a first year. But, you know, some have really robust programs and networks, etc, and some are like, yeah, you can go talk to Sam, you know, and so, but all three of these schools are large enough schools that they're probably going to be somewhat comparable, is my guess. But you can also look at the College Alumni reports. There are sometimes, you know, big, huge, you know, like organizations, you know, within the schools that are devoted to this. And you know, this is another one that I think is a great question to ask students, you know, students who've graduated from these institutions. If you know anybody who's gone to these schools, you can say, Hey, how did they set you up afterwards? You know, with my institution, Northwestern, there was a huge alumni network, and it's really active and involved, particularly in Los Angeles, where I live. So this might be one to just, you know, ask around about and poke around good to know, cool. All right, so let's talk family. This is the next F on our list. Is there anything that you'll need to consider in terms of your family? And it could be, for instance, distance from home. And that could be, you know, either you want to go away or you want to stay close, any logistics or anything like that to consider. Yeah,

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Cassidy 17:09

so when I was applying, I really only applied to California schools because I wanted to stay close enough to my family where I could, you know, come home for breaks, but also not super close. So that's the thing about Berkeley, is that it is pretty close to my home. I didn't want to go down to Southern California, but I think for all of them, yeah, my family would be pretty, pretty similar. All

Ethan Sawyer 17:33

E

right, that sounds great. So whether you're in Southern California, northern California, you're good. Okay, awesome. So let's get into the last one. This is feeling. So this is like tapping into your gut. You mentioned vibes a little bit, and this is sort of like, I don't know, my friend Dan would call this your heart tug. Do you are you feeling a heart tug to any of these goals in

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Cassidy 17:56

particular? Yes, and that is honestly what is making it so hard for me to decide UC San Diego was, like, one of my dream schools, like, it has been for like, almost all of high school I visited, like, a few times. And I also just love San Diego the city. Yeah, I feel like I would really love the vibe of UCSD. Yeah,

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Ethan Sawyer 18:18

interesting. Okay, so let me tell you back what I'm hearing so far, and then I want to see to what extent it feels like it reflects what you've shared with me. So if we're looking at these six F's, first, we start with just the focus. So in terms of where's your academic focus, and you know, sometimes students come in with an academic focus, sometimes not, and sometimes focus can also mean to what extent you feel like it's got the right extracurricular opportunities or programs. So so far, I'm hearing that Berkeley, UCSD and USC all have pretty great programs, pretty great research and pretty great connections. So I wasn't hearing a clear winner from those does that feel true? Or was there one that you're like, No, there's no. I'm still a fan of this one. I'd

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Speaker 1 18:59

actually say Berkeley probably for that category, cool. Berkeley wins

Ethan Sawyer 19:04

E

round one, okay, fellowship, finding your people. You said it could be any of them, but you're feeling like UCSD might be most your vibe, in terms of people that USC maybe is a little bit more of a party school, and that Berkeley, it seemed like the vibe the students are a little bit more focused, academically oriented in a particular way, but UCSD seems to have, like, a nice balance, yeah, yeah, for sure. All right, cool. In terms of financial the third F, it seems like Berkeley is the close winner, but you said it's pretty close, so it's not like a huge determining factor, right? Yes, okay, cool. So Berkeley wins category two, but it's like, by a slight margin. In terms of the future, you're feeling like, maybe it's Berkeley. Does that feel true? Yes. Okay, interesting. In terms of family, any of them are good, so zero points for any of those. And then in terms of feeling UCSD has been your dream. You love San Diego. You love. The vibe. So if I were to just score this, it seems like it's like Berkeley wins categories one and three, and then UCSD wins categories two and six, and then, let's see. Oh, sorry, no, my bad one, three and four. So Berkeley wins in terms of focus, financial and future, UCSD wins in terms of fellowship and feeling. But of course, these are all weighted differently, right? So, you know, because it sounds like with financial it's not as big of a consideration, so you might not weigh that as heavily in terms of UCSD. Do you have a sense just right now, of like, where you're sort of leaning, just based on all the research that you've done and even this conversation, yeah, I

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Cassidy 20:43

don't know. I've been thinking about it. I feel like I'm leaning towards Berkeley right now, but and and also leaning away from USC. I feel like of the three USC is probably not going to be where I end up, but I'll be visiting the campuses on their admitted students days. So awesome,

E

Ethan Sawyer 21:05

yeah, and that's one of the biggest things I would say, is like doing those admitted students days, if for students who are listening, if you're able to, is such an awesome way to do it. Okay, so here's, I have a follow up question for you. I'm hearing you leaning towards Berkeley, even though you've got this heart tug for UCSD, I'm curious what would need to be true in order for you to feel great about Berkeley. And another way of asking this is like, what are some assumptions that you have about Berkeley that you're maybe hopefully willing to be wrong about

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Cassidy 21:43

Yes, oh my gosh, I have an answer for this. Okay, great. Few things the food, okay? I know they have good restaurants around campus, but I've heard that the dorm food isn't as good, okay? And then also the people like I've heard, I know the stereotype for Berkeley is that it's like a really competitive culture, right? So if I were to get confirmation that the stereotype is a little like overhyped, maybe then I feel like that would make me feel better about choosing Berkeley. Okay,

E

Ethan Sawyer 22:15

great. I'm gonna wave a magic wand and say, hey, it turns out you know, you come back from Berkeley at the dorm, food is actually seven out of 10 good. And you met some people that you're like, Yo, these seem like my people. So those things were both solved. What else is left? Just check for a second and see, is there anything else that would keep you from feeling really great about it, about Berkeley, I

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Cassidy 22:40

feel like it's not as much a downside to Berkeley as it is an upside to San Diego. I just love the San Diego campus, how it's so close to the beach. I love the beach. I really wanted to go to a college that would be close to a Southern California beach. Yeah, yeah.

Ethan Sawyer 22:59

E

I don't know if we can move the campus. Yeah, that's a tricky one. I mean, that's, that's, that's, and here's the thing about this, is that there's always going to be trade offs, right, no matter where you choose. And you know this, but I want to say that as a side note to students and parents listening, this is something that Stephen Antonoff, who literally wrote the book on this, the college finder, he's like, you're always gonna have trade offs. And so the question is, like, which trade offs can you be with? Can you be okay with? And then when you're not at school, you know, or after the four years, you can go back and get those things potentially. So the question you'd be asking yourself is, like, Okay, if I had these things, whatever's on your list, would I be okay not having these other things? So that's just something else to think about. So I'd love to just walk you through a little exercise. One of them you can do in a day, one of them you can do in an hour, and one of them we can do in a minute, and all you need is a coin. Do you have a coin nearby that I

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Speaker 1 23:55

do? I have my wallet right here, actually. Okay, great.

E

Ethan Sawyer 24:00

Okay, we'll get to the coin one in just a minute. All right, so here's what I'd love for you to try in the coming week and see how it goes for you. So I want you to imagine for the next 24 hours that I've waved a magic wand and you're going to Berkeley. So I don't know if you have, like, swag, sweatshirt or hat from this moment, if you did, you could wear it, just see how it feels, okay? And just be like, I'm going to Berkeley, and that's it, and that's your Tuesday, okay? Then on Wednesday, and you might need to write yourself a note, I want you to imagine that you're going to UCSD, and just like, that's your Tuesday, or, sorry, that's your Wednesday. And then on Thursday, I want you to imagine you're going to USC, walk through your day doing all the things. And you can even tell your friends, yeah, this is the one I'm going to now, if you tell them all three, they might be like, what you just be like, I'm just experimenting here. And then, you know, see how that feels for each one of those. And you could do this literally this week, or you could wait till you. Do the admitted student days, of course. Okay, so that's one that you can do in a day. The second one is, I'm gonna send you these notes Cassidy as a follow up. But you could just spend an hour and just create a good old fashioned pros and cons list. We've kind of already done it. But one way to do this is to create weights for each of these. So when it's when it comes to, for example, finances like, how important is that and how many points does it get? You know, for you know, because it sounds like it's not going to get as many points, whereas feel, for instance, might get more points. And you could do this again before you go or after you go, and just see how after you go, how that changes things. And then the last one is one that we can do, like, literally, right now. And we're just going to flip a coin, and heads, you go to Berkeley, tails, you go to UCSD, and then we're going to repeat it in just a second with USC, okay, so let's try it. So flip the coin, if it comes up heads, you're gonna go to Berkeley, and if it comes up tails, you're gonna go to UCSD.

26:07

All right, okay, okay, okay, here's my coin, here's your coin. Let's do it.

Ethan Sawyer 26:19

E

It's tails. It's tails. Congratulations, you're going to UCSD. Sit with that for a second. How does it feel? What are you noticing in your in your body, as you, as you think about officially, you're going to UCSD, the decision is made.

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Cassidy 26:34

I feel happy that I get to go to my dream school, and I feel like I'd be in an environment where I'd be really happy, but then also a little bit of a loss. I feel like I gave up something like a really good opportunity that was given to me. Interesting. So, yeah,

E

Ethan Sawyer 26:49

interesting, yeah, let's do it again. We're gonna this time. Heads, you're going to UCSD, tails, you're going to USC,

26:58

okay, all right. Oh, it's okay.

E

Ethan Sawyer 27:03

Let's see, even if it lands on the floor, that counts. Oh,

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Speaker 1 27:08

wait, I got it. I got it. All right, it's heads, okay. You're going to use the coin. Wants me to go to UCSB.

E

Ethan Sawyer 27:15

And how does that? How does that? How does that feel? Now,

27:18

same, maybe a little more happy. Okay, interesting.

Ethan Sawyer 27:21

E

All right, let's do it one more time. Berkeley versus USC, this is gonna kind of mess things up, but so heads, you go to Berkeley. Tails, you go to USC, okay. Tails, congrats, you're going to USC, yo. First of all, congratulations. It's an amazing school. Now check in with yourself. How does it feel? You're going to USC,

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Cassidy 27:44

I think exciting, like, I'm excited because it's not like a school I've really researched that much, so it'll be fun to, like, discover, maybe a little apprehensive because I'm scared about finding my people. Yeah, interesting.

E

Ethan Sawyer 27:59

Seems like one of the assumptions is like I assume, or maybe there's a curiosity about whether or not you could find your people at USC, which is great to know going into the admitted students day. Okay, so this little trick, this little thing, I don't know what it's revealing for you. You can let me know in a week, but you can obviously do this again after admitted students day. This was something somebody suggested to me, and I actually did this when I was applying to graduate school, and I flipped a coin, and I was and I was at a physical theater program, and it came up that I was going to go to this physical theater program, and I was like, Ooh, and immediately I knew I wanted to go to the other program. And so I did. I ended up going to UC Irvine for my my masters. But my point here, and like, folks who are listening is like, even if it comes up the one, it might tell you that you want to go to the other. So, so yeah, all right, last time, I'll ask, Where are you leaning right now? And then I'll you know, you can let me know in a couple weeks where you end up deciding,

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Cassidy 28:59

yeah, yeah, I'm leaning towards Berkeley right now. Okay, I think I have more faith that I'd be able to find my people at Berkeley. Yeah. Okay,

E

Ethan Sawyer 29:09

cool. Well, that's, that's a very neat little bow for now, for the listeners, but I want you to know that you have full permission to totally change your mind or send me an email and be like, Ethan. I don't know. I'm probably just gonna re ask you some of these questions, though, because I ultimately think, you know, these are all amazing schools, and you're just like, it's a win win win situation. Because, you know, I just, I would be personally excited to go to any of these schools, and it seems like, based on what you're looking for, you know, these are all really close,

29:36

yeah. So thank you, congrats. Well,

Ethan Sawyer 29:39

E

this has been fun. I want to ask before we go. I'm just curious, as you reflect on this process, as you look back, is there anything that you wish you had done differently?

C

Cassidy 29:51

Oh, I wish that I hadn't put someone. Pressure on myself when I was applying and writing my essays. I wish that I hadn't made it into such, like, a perspective of like, if I don't get into these colleges, then it's kind of like everything I've worked for these past years is pointless, and I really fought to, like, get over that. I wish I had fought a little harder.

E

Ethan Sawyer 30:22

Yeah, what would you go back in time and tell your younger self and my younger self, I mean, like yourself, of like, six months ago,

C

Cassidy 30:31

I would say that whatever happens, I think God has a place for me and that I'm gonna end up where I'm supposed to be.

E

Ethan Sawyer 30:41

It feels like deep wisdom. I'm taking that in, and then, as I guess final, final question is, like, what do you feel like you did? Well, like, what's something that you wouldn't have changed about the process? Well,

C

Cassidy 30:53

I just said I would change not being too hard on myself, but I feel like I wouldn't change how hard I worked. I feel like I put a lot of work into my essays, and I really made them into essays that I'm proud of and that even if I didn't get in, I would have still been happy with how I wrote them.

E

Ethan Sawyer 31:10

Lovely Cassidy. It's been such a pleasure to like hang out with you during this process. I'm so excited for you. I'm so excited for whatever college gets the benefit of having a Cassidy. They're just they're really lucky.

31:24

Oh, thank you so much. Thank you, and

Ethan Sawyer 31:27

E

E

Ethan Sawyer 31:27

thank you for your gift. So fun. Fact, I don't know if anybody who's listening has follows us on social media, but I'm gonna post in let's do it, and I'll do it on the day the podcast is released. So on April we're releasing this on the 15th. On april 15, we'll post a little fun social media reveal where there's a cool gift that Cassidy gave me that y'all can check out. I'm not trying to do this to get everybody like, subscribe to our Instagram, but if you wanted to, you could. But thank you for that gift. Again. It was really thoughtful, and, yeah, it's just been really fun getting to know you. I wish you the best.

S

Speaker 1 31:59

Thank you. It's been such a pleasure to work with you. Thank you so much.

E

Ethan Sawyer 32:04

Well, this isn't goodbye. Email me whenever in a few weeks when you decide and I'll be excited to hear and then stay in touch,

S

Speaker 1 32:11

I will. Thank you so much. Thanks again.

Ethan Sawyer 32:20

E

Thanks friends for listening. You'll find the show notes as ever at college essay guy.com/podcast you'll also find there the blog version of everything I walked Cassidy through, including a description of the six F's and the exercise that I walked her through at the end. As always, you can stay up to date with all that's happening in the college admission world by opting into anything on our website, college, sa guy.com and signing up for our newsletter, that's it be well and stay curious. You.