Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Navigating College Admissions | The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast with Jenna Schebell
62 Plays22 days ago
Navigating College Admissions | The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast
Welcome back, Positively Healthy Moms! In this episode, host Laura Ollinger sits down with Jenna Schebell, founder of The College Navigators, to demystify today’s college-admissions landscape and equip families with the clarity and confidence they need.
What you’ll learn
- How to stop overwhelm by focusing on what you can control in the application process
- Why colleges care more about context than raw GPA or test scores
- Depth over breadth: building a meaningful activities list that truly stands out
- The real purpose of the personal essay and how to keep it authentic
- Understanding institutional priorities, enrollment trends, and why acceptance rates keep shifting
- Practical tips for crafting a balanced college list that fits academic, financial, and personal goals
- When working with a college consultant makes sense—and plenty of free resources if it doesn’t
Key moments
00:02 Introduction and Jenna’s dual perspective (admissions + high-school counseling)
08:45 GPA vs. SAT and why context matters
14:30 Building a list you’ll love—even if every “reach” says no
22:05 Post-COVID shifts: why Southern and SEC schools exploded in popularity
29:50 “Big fish, small pond?” How campus culture shapes success
36:40 Writing essays that sound like you (and no one else)
45:55 Services Jenna offers: 1-on-1 advising, group coaching, and application reviews
52:10 Final takeaways for parents and teens
Connect with Jenna Schebell
Instagram: @thecollegenavigators
Free guides and timelines: https://thecollegenavigators.com
Connect with Laura Ollinger
Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoach
Podcast archives and coaching programs: https://positivelyhealthycoaching.com
Enjoyed the episode?
✅ Hit LIKE and SUBSCRIBE for more nourishing conversations
✅ Share this video with a friend who’s facing the admissions maze
✅ Leave a comment: What part of the college process feels most confusing right now?
Your support helps us bring empowering content to families everywhere—one confident student at a time.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Positively Healthy Mom Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Positively Healthy Mom podcast, where positive parenting meets wellbeing.
00:00:08
Speaker
Hello everyone. Welcome to today's episode of the Positively Healthy Mom. I'm your host, Laura Ollinger, teen and parent wellbeing coach. And today I'm super excited to introduce you a guest that I've been following on Instagram and that I have loved her advice. And so that's why I invited her on. I was so excited that you accepted my
Meet Jenna from College Navigators
00:00:27
Speaker
invitation. So Jenna from the College Navigators, welcome to the show.
00:00:30
Speaker
Thank you so much, Laura, for having me. I'm so excited to be here today. i love your audience, too. I feel like we work with a very similar audience. So yeah think this is such a great fit for us. Perfect. OK, well, I'm super excited about this conversation because, as I mentioned, I am in this exact season of life. So my oldest is a rising senior in high school. I also have she has three younger siblings.
00:00:52
Speaker
So we're going to be doing this, this whole college navigation process many times, four times for me.
Overcoming College Admission Challenges
00:00:58
Speaker
And first thing that came to mind just in envisioning the show with you is just the feeling that like people these days feel really overwhelmed. Like that's like what comes to mind by the process. Like, is that kind of like what you sense as well?
00:01:15
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. And I think that was a big part of kind of having a presence on social media and wanting to bring the college navigators to a social media platform to really build transparency in the process.
00:01:29
Speaker
I've worked both in college admissions as well on the high school side. So have a lot of familiarity with kind of the business side of what goes into college admission decisions and those institutional priorities, all those things that parents don't necessarily ah know are going on behind the scenes, but then also that perspective that students have preparing their applications. And so I think it's so important to try to bring transparency to the process because kind of knowledge is power and it takes away some of that stress and anxiety.
00:02:01
Speaker
If you understand there's only so much of the admissions process that you actually have control over and the rest of it It's going to vary year from year, you know, whether this is child one or child for every year brings its own challenges, you know, there's always these curveballs that get thrown in. So no matter how well you prepare for things, things change along the way.
00:02:21
Speaker
so just if I can educate parents and students as much as possible, just control what you can control and the rest of it is going to work out and just kind of trust the process and know that you will end up where you are meant to be. Hopefully that releases a little bit of that stress and anxiety.
00:02:38
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, that's, those are such great words of wisdom that I think that's part of that overwhelm is like, we're, we are trying to like mentally control it all like, I want this college to think this about me or this or whatever, but we can only do what we do. And then the last is up to them.
00:02:53
Speaker
um But we do still have to present ourselves in the most part, I mean, assuming we're being high schoolers at the moment, like by we I mean, kids um present ourselves in the best light.
Finding the Right College Match
00:03:02
Speaker
And so What is it, I'm sure this is like the, I assume the most common question, like what is it that they're looking for these days in a student?
00:03:11
Speaker
So it's really about a match. And I think that's the part that students don't necessarily totally grasp in the process. I think for so long, it's, you know, if I work hard and I do all these things, check all these boxes, therefore, you know, I get the good grade, I get the reward. And with college, it's much more of a match process, especially as you get to the more highly selective schools.
00:03:34
Speaker
So I always say this is probably like a cheesy comparison, but I always say it's almost like dating, right? Like you can see people and just visually think like, oh, I bet you they'd be like really fun to date or they would be a great catch or well. And the more you get to know them,
00:03:48
Speaker
Or the more you start communicating, you realize maybe your values aren't as aligned as you thought. Maybe, you know, you don't have as much in common as you thought. And that's really what the college process is all about. And for so many, especially with the highly selective schools, they're really analyzing those supplemental essays that you're writing to try to see how your strengths, your strengths,
00:04:09
Speaker
interests, your values, your character, all aligns with the school. And every school is looking for something different. And what can be totally right for one school makes you completely wrong for the other. And yet you're still the same applicant, but you know is it a very research-driven school? Is it a very service-oriented school? And so you're going to thrive in one and not in the other.
00:04:30
Speaker
And it's really about finding that place where you're going to thrive. And you're going to do well. And in in a lot of ways, I know students take it so personal because sometimes a college um rejection, right? Such a strong word.
00:04:43
Speaker
Yeah. It's the first time that they've heard no in their life. And it's not a reflection of their self-worth at all. And in in hindsight, I always say to parents, you know, when they're so upset, like they didn't get to go to this school and like six months down the road when they're at the school that they're going to, it's like, wow, I'm so glad it didn't work out this way. Like I couldn't be happier with where I ended up, but sometimes in the thick of it, it hurts, but it's not personal.
00:05:09
Speaker
And like it's about making that match and finding the right place. I know when I worked in college admissions, I worked in two very different types of schools. I worked at the University of Tampa and I worked at Marymount Manhattan, which is now merging with Northeastern.
00:05:23
Speaker
Marymount Manhattan, it didn't matter what major a student was going into, they loved the theater and arts and just dance, all of that at the core of who they were. Like if they they had free time on the weekend, they were going to a Broadway show, they were going to a museum, right?
00:05:38
Speaker
Not every student would thrive there. And and colleges can read you know a student's application and know this is a student that would love this atmosphere. This is student that would not. And like I said, nothing against the student. They're building their community just as much as you're trying to find your own.
00:05:55
Speaker
Mm, that's such a really good insight. and And perfect analogy that you use, because I think back to exes, you know, bro and I'm thinking, thank God, that didn't work out. That would have a disaster, right? So it's like the perfect way. and And it can be hard. Also, I can see from a high schooler's point of view who, you know,
00:06:13
Speaker
they haven't had that life perspective quite as much as an adult has. So, you know, I think they can understand it in theory or in concept, but to like really feel it and to grasp it and to accept it is like a whole nother ballgame. So um when you are working, because you you do all this awesome stuff on Instagram, like I fell in love with you on Instagram because to me, it just...
00:06:34
Speaker
I was like, oh, like seeing the numbers and the statistics you um post about different schools. So um it it just opened my eyes like, wow, 90,000 applications for this school and only this many were accepted in this. So like paint me the picture of how that is important and like relevant as far as
Building a Balanced College List
00:06:53
Speaker
applying. Like, how do I know where I want to apply based off of your statistics?
00:06:57
Speaker
Or is that like, a you know, a way to go off of it? Like, I don't want what I'm kind of getting at is I think people get afraid. Yeah. Straight. And so then they don't want to take the risk. um so walk Walk me through your thought process with that.
00:07:11
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, definitely share the stats and especially because so much has changed even just like post pandemic in terms of where students are applying the the difference in acceptance rates. Like we could look at Auburn and go back.
00:07:26
Speaker
five or six years and it was around an 85% acceptance. Right now it's at like 45%. So very quickly things have changed and shifted. And I think, again, people don't always understand this as they're going into the process. And sometimes they think, oh, anybody can get into this school or this is very easy. And then they're shocked.
00:07:44
Speaker
um So just trying to share statistics so that they can make a very balanced list, um knowing that, you know, we're going to apply to these schools, but we may or may not get into versus maybe these schools we might.
00:07:56
Speaker
So that at the end, you hopefully have this nice solid list that I always say, if you were to get denied to every single school on your list, do you still love that one that's left enough that you would actually go there, right? We should be building this list with lots of different options.
00:08:12
Speaker
The other thing is we don't know. it's's You go into this process so early, like many of the students are starting to work on their applications right now that are rising seniors. And who they are now is going to be very different than who shows up in May of their senior year when it's decision time.
00:08:29
Speaker
So also taking into account, making a list that maybe right now you're adamant, you're jumping on a plane, you're going 1,000 miles away from home, you're going to a big school. And then it may might come around and that version, senior version self may not want that anymore. You might want a smaller school. You might want to just be able to drive home on the weekends if you are able to. And so making sure that list is shaped enough so that you do have lots of options. Cause like I said, you never know who's showing up.
00:08:56
Speaker
um yeah Also important too. So just trying to put, there's so many different options out there. um Just trying to spread awareness for students to kind of understand the big picture.
Impact of Post-Pandemic Shifts on College Applications
00:09:06
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome. That's great advice.
00:09:09
Speaker
And so why is it that these days, it just seems like things have gotten so much more competitive, especially like you kind of said post pandemic, like, like, what is happening that's changed?
00:09:21
Speaker
Um, it's such a loaded question. I think information causes more panic always, right? So then you see more numbers, you think I need to add more.
00:09:33
Speaker
um think students are just much more aware. Like if we think back, at least for me, I don't know about you, but when I applied to college, i don't even think I applied to more than five. like, so yeah Just like now, there's so much information out there. It's so easy to apply, right? You have the common application, which is what most students use to apply to college, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's a common application that you can very easily submit, you know, applications to multiple schools. So we can look at, say, University of Texas at Austin that just joined two years ago and now have seen like 35,000
00:10:08
Speaker
thirty five thousand plus you know increase in applications because the ease of accessibility. So that can often drive application numbers up. Sometimes schools are very big on giving free waivers to lots of students. So that'll increase. And then I always say, don't doubt the sports effect. Anytime you see a school have a winning season, whether it's basketball or football, all of a sudden that drives applications. So it comes from a lot of different directions.
00:10:36
Speaker
um And just different trends after COVID, we saw lots of students leave the Northeast to want to go South. And in the beginning, it was driven just because schools in the North were going back still with virtual education, wearing masks, limited contact, whereas you go down South and it was completely open and they could be, you know, living this normal college experience. And then of course they go, they tell all their friends that are juniors or sophomores still in high school. And now you're building that repertoire, you know, and people want to go. So lots of kind of shifting factors.
00:11:08
Speaker
Oh, that makes so much sense. Cause I have noticed the sec schools or the Southern schools have just become insanely popular and like front, like with the Northern audience coming down. and And by the way, I didn't mention, I used to live in Boston for nine years. So I'm like totally familiar with that part of the country. And yeah, it just seems like that has been really strong. And I didn't know, I was thinking it was the weather, but yeah, you're right. Like, I guess I can see that, that COVID effect on kids wanting to just like go maskless and then it kind of can had that ripple effect and then they have younger siblings and younger friends and the popularity grows from where they are. So that makes a lot of sense. The other thing that I've and I don't know a lot about this, like kind of um sociology kind of part of it.
00:11:53
Speaker
But I have seen apparently there has been a big, I guess there's a big baby boom. So the the largest senior class ever in our high school is my daughter's grade, who's the rising senior. And it's literally the biggest number that will have ever graduated from that high school.
00:12:08
Speaker
So there's something about like the year 2007, 2008, that all of a sudden there's this huge baby boom. Is that like kind of what you've experienced as well? So technically, so very true for your high school, technically in general for the United States, the class of 2025, the one that just graduated, yes is going was the largest in general the United States.
00:12:29
Speaker
And then between now and 2041, it's going to be on a decline. It's been decline. However, some of that has to be taken with a grain of salt because there are states that are still going to see huge increases in that time.
00:12:44
Speaker
Texas being one of them, Florida, Georgia, some of the Carolinas, whereas you're going to have states like California and New York that are going to see significant like 27% plus declines in the number of states.
00:12:56
Speaker
Whereas some of the states like Florida is like a 12% increase. ah Texas, I think, was maybe 16 or higher. i don't remember the exact. But so some of the states are going to become even more competitive. And when you look at states like, say, Texas or Florida that um primarily admit the bulk, you know, Texas students or Florida students where they have caps on enrollment.
00:13:18
Speaker
It's going to make it even that much harder for the in-state kids there because they'll have growing populations. um So that is also going to be an interesting fact that I see a lot of people comment, well, that the population is going to go down. And it's like, yes, as a whole, we'll also see some of the smaller private schools that are just barely meeting enrollment now, they're going to end up closing. You'll see a lot of cloud.
00:13:39
Speaker
colleges close over the next, you know, through 2041. But some of these other competitive schools might just continue to get even more competitive because of their state still growing.
00:13:50
Speaker
Interesting. Yeah. um In fact, I think that's, I did see one of your posts about 2025 being the biggest class ever. I think that's where I first heard it. And then, yes. And I was thinking, well, what happened back in those years? And I realized, well, maybe that's, I mean, 2008 is when our economy kind of yeah started to collapse. And so maybe like that started the trend of like the downward, but although you're saying in some of the States, it still continued to increase. So who knows, like, you know, I- um you know I'm not gonna play into the economy of of the world and and all those things when it comes to
Understanding College Assessments
00:14:21
Speaker
this. So anyway, when I have tried to educate myself about the college admissions process, and i'm I'm really very hands off, I'm letting my daughter handle it with her advisor and I'm kind of just assisting when needed.
00:14:34
Speaker
But I was always under the assumption that you know the scores are important, whether or not the school accepts the scores as another issue, but if they do, great. GPA important, but I'm wondering if it's true that they're really looking for a well-rounded student or is that just something that I've created in my own head?
00:14:56
Speaker
I would say that was more true a couple of years ago. So I'll kind of answer this two part. Yeah. I think there's always a lot of confusion between GPA and SAT and how that helps you getting into colleges because- What colleges are looking at is they're looking at your academic achievements in context to your high school.
00:15:19
Speaker
So your GPA in comparison to other students at your school, how much rigor did you take in terms of what was available to you? So you could have, say, a 3.75 and 1,400 at your school that might just make you average, at another school that might put you at the top of the class.
00:15:37
Speaker
And that's really what colleges are looking for to see how are you in context to what was available to you. So that's a little bit of a shift because it's no matter it's no longer this just because you have a certain GPA or s SAT that's good enough.
00:15:51
Speaker
It's more or less how are you kind of comparing to other students in your school and how much did you take advantage of what you had available to you? And what was the other the other part was? Well, I'm curious about the well-roundedness of the student besides just the academics.
00:16:06
Speaker
So colleges are now looking more depth of involvement and impact over students spreading themselves thin.
00:16:17
Speaker
So I always say like, while it's great to maybe dabble your feet in a couple of different things, they know realistically you can't do a million different things and do them well and have lots of impact because there's only so many hours a week. So as much as colleges are trying to enhance They're trying to have a well-rounded campus.
00:16:37
Speaker
They don't need an individual student per se to be well-rounded. They want a student that's going to come in and be that theater kid, the student to come in and be the tuba player, the student to come in and be the athlete and be the best tuba player, be the best You know, rather than just doing a little bit of everything.
00:16:54
Speaker
So I always tell students pick a couple things that you really love to do and do a lot in them because then naturally comes the leadership comes the impact in the community comes the extra responsibilities that you get to take on.
00:17:08
Speaker
And when you are applying to those more highly selective schools and they ask you questions like, you know, talk about a meaningful impact you had in a community, you know, why do you want to come to this school? What are some of your intellectual curiosities? Why this major?
00:17:22
Speaker
You have so much to share because you've done so much in something versus kind of like you said that well-rounded, then that's not really, you don't have a lot of depth to talk about.
00:17:33
Speaker
That clears up just a lot of like, I think, misconception I had in my in my mind. And the other thing, and I don't know how true this is or not, is my assumption is that a college is looking for ah student to be successful in their college so that they can go on to have a successful career.
00:17:50
Speaker
And A, it's a good rep makes creates ah a better reputation for that college. B, it creates future um donors to give money back to their college, right? If their students are successful, and there's got to be like some other benefit. But like, is that kind of like what they have in mind? Or or what is it?
00:18:07
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. They are looking
Institutional Goals in Admissions Decisions
00:18:09
Speaker
for all of that. I think kind of hidden behind that, what people miss a lot is at the end of the day, college is a business. And so everything is really driven by the institutional needs that are set by the board. And so if a college has a certain vision in mind of the direction that they're going and what type of students they need to enroll to fulfill whatever those goals are, that is very much going to drive the decisions that are made in the applicant pool. So you know if they're looking to increase, this is a big one lately, um the the number of students from rural and small communities, right? Either you have that or you don't.
00:18:47
Speaker
um If they're looking to, you know maybe they're running short on dorm space, so they need to have more local students versus out of state students. So there's all of these institutional priorities, majors they're growing, majors they're shrinking or doing away with. And so you don't necessarily know Sometimes the colleges will tell you like Rice has come out and said, look, we're looking to grow over the next several years, you know, they're going to admit more.
00:19:10
Speaker
um But there's other schools, Texas A&M saying we're going to be dialing it back the next couple of years. So sometimes they tell you, but then other times you have no idea. Or sometimes things happen in the middle of the year, like the middle of this past cycle, Yale came out in the middle and said, oh we're going to be able to take an extra 100 kids this year.
00:19:27
Speaker
You know, so sometimes we know these things, other times we don't. And as an applicant, you may completely check all those boxes or it may completely work against you. And like I said, what will work for one school and put you at an advantage at one school might completely work against you at another.
00:19:46
Speaker
And you really have done nothing different. Yes, yes. Okay, that's so interesting. And then what is your philosophy on student... ah student
00:19:58
Speaker
feeling like they might be more successful at like an quote unquote easier school versus being ah challenged at a quote unquote more difficult school. Like what is like your advice for people on that?
00:20:13
Speaker
That's kind of that like big fish in a small pond or. Yes. Yeah. I mean, my biggest advice is to visit the campus because I think it's very easy to sit at home and think you might know. And until you walk on the campus and start.
00:20:30
Speaker
feeling out what the environment is like, what the students are like. um All colleges will have admitted student days in the spring. So feel like when you visit in the fall as a prospective student versus when you go back as an admitted student is very, very different. And when you can surround yourself by the people that you would be calling roommates or friends, it gives you an idea of what environment you're going to thrive best in.
00:20:55
Speaker
Some students really need to be that big fish in the small pond. Other students are driven more by other people that are going to push them up even higher because they're just like them. So it really is going to be an individual. I think it's a good idea to apply to both types of environments because, again, you don't know until you step foot on campus.
00:21:15
Speaker
Yeah. And you have to look at your long term goals, too. I think a lot of times students will shy away from certain types of schools that might actually push them even more. For example, you have a lot of small liberal arts colleges that don't have either they don't have graduate programs at all or they're very small graduate programs. So All of their efforts and work and research and internships, everything goes to the undergraduates and they do such a good job of pushing students on to med school and law school and all these great post-grad opportunities with really good schools and their whole reputation
00:21:52
Speaker
kind of lies on this because they don't have big feeder graduate programs. And so they do such a really good job that oftentimes when students say like, oh, I wanna go to med school or I wanna go, like don't discount those places because some of them do the most amazing prep with the student, have the most unique opportunities.
00:22:11
Speaker
And like I said, have some of the highest success rates. And that's the other thing I think sometimes students don't realize just like in high school, how undergraduate colleges accept students from all different types of high schools, right? All different states, public, private, Catholic, Christian, like all different types of
Diversity in Graduate Programs
00:22:28
Speaker
schools.
00:22:28
Speaker
The same thing happens at the graduate level. So, you know, if students want to go somewhere, you know, big name, I always say it's not where you start, it's where you finish. So maybe you can't get into a certain school at the undergraduate level, but you're gung-ho on getting there at the graduate level.
00:22:43
Speaker
level, like push through these great programs that have these great connections that they're admitting students from all different types of undergraduate programs. Oh, that's such really cool, and a cool thought I hadn't thought of. And what do you think, um you know, just from a adult perspective in the job, you know, world in the ah kind of like job seeking, does it look better to have gone to two separate, like you're saying, like an undergrad and a graduate program at two separate schools, or is there any benefit to like staying at the same school that offers, you know, just, like you know, sometimes there's like that dual credit where you can get your undergrad and your master's. If you take some of the same courses, I don't know what the terminology is for that, but you're, you know what I'm saying? Yeah.
00:23:23
Speaker
I mean, there are those programs like you're talking about that are three plus two, three plus three, where you're applying and you get to get both your undergrad and your graduate and you're kind of from the time you're admitted, you know, and those have great saving discounts. So I would say a lot of them are highly selective. So if you get in, absolutely.
00:23:40
Speaker
I also think there's something about going to two different schools that are usually in two different environments that expose you to more things as well. So a lot of students at maybe age 18 aren't ready for more of, say, a big city, but maybe they are really interested interested in the future and being in politics or want to work on Wall Street. Maybe then at grad school level, you go to that big city that maybe you didn't want that experience as an undergrad. You wanted that more traditional campus.
00:24:06
Speaker
But then for grad school, then maybe you are going into where you will eventually be working. Okay, really good. And it's so important to like, like you're saying, like, think, what is the long-term goal here? Like, what am I even doing? Why am I doing doing this? And I think, you know, just knowing the kids, cause you know, my clients are all teenagers.
Choosing Colleges: Beyond the Surface
00:24:25
Speaker
They're just thinking like kind of one year ahead. They're thinking like, where would be fun to live or where has good weather or where are there cool people? A few of them I e know or have thinking, well, where do I want to end up living? Like, but that's how they're selecting, like literally based on geography and not necessarily based off of, I'm sure you're you're getting nodding yes. You see this a lot.
00:24:46
Speaker
um You know, not necessarily based off of the actual career aspirations or or whatever. So um how do you guide those teenagers to connect with those longer term goals?
00:24:57
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's it's definitely difficult. And I'll hear so many times students will say like, I didn't get into my dream school. and I'm like, well, why was it your dream? Give me like three to five, like good solid reasons besides the sports and the location. Like, why was it dream? And a lot of times they can't get off the surface level.
00:25:13
Speaker
So it just goes to show, like you said, they kind of know the same like 20, 30 schools. But I think the biggest thing is It doesn't have to be a linear path, right? Just in life in general, we know this as adults now looking back, life takes twists and turns and it's all about being flexible and open.
00:25:30
Speaker
And most colleges allow flexibility, meaning most of them will allow you to come in, start taking classes, figure out what you want to do, and then declare a major. There's only so many colleges out there that are direct admit, right? That you have to go directly into their nursing program or directly into their engineering program. So, yeah.
00:25:50
Speaker
it's okay not to know. And I think the biggest advice I can always give is to not compare yourself to others as you're going through this process that you're always going to be behind somebody, somebody's going to be ahead of you, right? But you're also ahead of somebody else in the process. And so that's where I think the stress and anxiety comes in of, well, I don't know what I want to major in, or, you know, i still have to take more testing, or, you know, I have to get grades up to get into certain schools. And That's okay. This is your unique path. And it in I always say the reward at the end of college is you get to work for the next 50 years, right?
00:26:22
Speaker
So we want to spend the time and invest in ourself that whatever we're doing, we like and we enjoy and we're not basing our decisions off of our friends friends.
00:26:33
Speaker
you know, what our parents necessarily want to do. Yes, they're paying the bill. So obviously influence, but meaning like, yeah, you're not picking majors because of somebody else. You're not picking a school because of somebody else. Like this is you that's going to have to live and breathe and do the work.
00:26:45
Speaker
And then you're going to have to do something at the end that leads to a full-time job. And I always say, if you love what you do, the money will follow. If you love what you do every day and you get up,
00:26:56
Speaker
You're invested, the money's going to come. So don't make decisions just based on, well, this will pay me the most. Because if you're miserable every day, guarantee you, you're going to top out real quick. You're going to hate your life. And you're just, you're really not going to be as financially successful as you think, because you're going to be totally locked into a life that you don't love. so I think for students just going into this whole college admissions process with an open mind and know that it's okay not to have the answers and realize that they are 18 and they have lots of room to grow.
00:27:28
Speaker
And even if they get through the four years and are still slightly confused, you have opportunities to go to grad school. You can do some great internships that will direct you and guide you. You don't have to have it all figured out. So yeah. Yeah.
00:27:41
Speaker
And I almost feel like giving these kids who are undecided or undeclared almost like a script, because I remember and I have very strong, vivid memories of me after high school.
00:27:53
Speaker
you know, pre-college, my parents' friends were all like, what are you gonna major and what are you gonna major in? First it's, where are you gonna go? Where are you gonna, it's like the questions, the questions. And then it's like, what gonna, and remember feeling like just this um kind of level of insecurity that I didn't have a good answer.
00:28:10
Speaker
And almost like if we could like, the answer could be proud. And if a teenager could just say, well, I'm gonna explore my options and take lots of classes and I'll figure it out when I figure it out. Right?
Benefits of Being Undecided
00:28:20
Speaker
Like if there's like a strong, powerful response to that, then you don't feel because that's, I think like the pressure starts to build and you're like, why don't we know? Everybody else knows. And what's wrong with me? All those questions.
00:28:31
Speaker
Absolutely. And really in the end, they tend to be the ones that do better because if you have such a narrow perspective and yes, absolutely there is a percentage of the population that knows what they want to do and they make it to be doctors, right? Or they make it to be whatever it is. Like there is that small percent, but I would say you've got that undecided, but then you also have a huge percent that say they know what they want to do and they get there and they very quickly realize that that is not what they thought they signed up for. You know, there's so many times I'll talk to students and they'll say like, oh, I want to, you know, go into forensics. It's so cool. I watch CSI and I'm like, oh, it's so
00:29:06
Speaker
So you really like chemistry. Oh no, I hate chemistry. What do we think is forensics? Like, do we really know what forensics involves? Do we really know what major is all about? And so many times they're just basing all of these things because of things they see or hear and until they're sitting in the classroom, that's why i say,
00:29:23
Speaker
Being undecided is sometimes just the best place to be because there's no expectations. There's no levels of disappointment. You're not building up all these things for yourself that you have to, you know, because you've told everybody this is what you're doing and now it's going to be this letdown.
00:29:38
Speaker
Like you said, let's be proud of, you know, I'm going to college to figure it out. That's the whole reason I'm going is to figure out what I want to do. Yes. Yeah, that's, that's so fantastic. And so walk us through when someone says I need um help, I need coaching or or however you call your service, I guess consultancy services.
00:29:56
Speaker
Yeah. What is it like for them to
Jenna's Consultancy Services
00:29:58
Speaker
work with you? And I know you mentioned you have a private program and a group program. So can you tell everybody what's that what that's like? Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like it's important for me to say, like, you do not have to hire ah college consultant. I think sometimes that is pressure that parents feel that they hear other parents doing it. And so now I think I have to get one. And that's absolutely not the case. There is tons of just free information out there, tons of free sessions you can go to.
00:30:23
Speaker
Even colleges themselves have so many webinars that you can attend just teaching you about, you know, how to apply to college. There's a whole free website called Axis that will help you with the Common App. So there's tons of free information out there if you're willing to take the time navigate.
00:30:39
Speaker
um I've also heard parents say like, this is draining me and my child's relation So I don't want that. And I'd rather let somebody else organize the process and they'll listen to you. They won't listen to me. So right I get that too.
00:30:51
Speaker
So I do. I work with some students one-on-one and just kind of meet them where they are in the process. Some still need help building lists. Some are working on their essays or need help brainstorming, putting the application together.
00:31:03
Speaker
I also have a group counseling that I do with students. So it's more, I always say this is very flexible. You can kind of join when you want, leave when you want. There's two live webinars a month. Everything is recorded. So they can always go back and see things that they might have missed. They get all the guides and worksheets. So there's obviously a big component that needs to be independent on their part, but they can still get kind of that whole insight at a fraction of the price of you know, individual counseling.
00:31:29
Speaker
And then I also just do application review. So if somebody wants to completely work on their own and then just reach out and say, hey, can you take a look at this before I send it to colleges? That's also super helpful because a lot of times students just have a very hard time talking about themselves. Usually, you know, when you're in school, you're writing reports about books or history lessons or whatever.
00:31:49
Speaker
But you're not usually writing in that first person. And it's so hard for students to learn how to really just like advocate and brag for themselves. And so sometimes it's just easy to take something that they've been trying to kind of explain and say, oh, let's like really push this or highlight this more. You're totally not getting across to somebody that's never met you, never seeing you. This is the first thing they know about you.
00:32:12
Speaker
They're not totally grasping maybe all of your involvement or all of your achievements. Yeah. Mm, yes, yes. Okay, last question is, um in those college essays,
00:32:23
Speaker
Is it important?
Authenticity in College Essays
00:32:25
Speaker
I guess I'm asking like, what are the factors? Like I'm thinking, cause my daughter's really wanting to be original in her essay. Like she feels like that's the most important thing. And you know, at the end of the day, there's only so many ideas that even exist.
00:32:39
Speaker
I mean, I'm sure there's like infinite numbers of combinations of ideas, but right themes, I guess. And so is it more important for that or like, what is it that they really want to read in those essays?
00:32:52
Speaker
Actually, our daughter's correct. They just want people who are real and very authentic. And it's the small moments, small stories that have the biggest impact. I mean, college admission officers know they're 17, 18 years old. They, you know, typically don't have crazy, crazy life experience, some do, but I mean, for the most part, there's not gonna be these dramatic stories, right, that go into it.
00:33:14
Speaker
And so it's really the goal of the essay is for them just to learn more about the student's character, their values, their interests, their intellectual curiosities. They want to learn something that is not already talked about elsewhere in their application.
00:33:29
Speaker
So we have an idea from the activities list that they've provided, what activities they're in. They know their grades. Their teachers have written recommendation letters. You have those supplemental essays that those are college specific that they might be asking, like I said, why this major?
00:33:45
Speaker
You know, why a certain community? So you've kind of answered all of those. So this can just be... very you, like, who are you outside of all of this? Are you somebody that, you know, if you have a free weekend, you're deep diving crime documentaries, then write about it.
00:33:59
Speaker
Are you a student that is the go-to baker in your family that every event there, you know, you're the person they reach out to and you make these like fun, elaborate cakes and you want to talk about them. Maybe you grew up, I always say, don't take for granted where you live. Everybody grows up very differently. i had a student last year write about He grew up on a farm. It's a working farm and all his responsibilities that he had growing up. And that's so different from the schools he was applying to and where they were located and probably the type of students that were going.
00:34:29
Speaker
um So just, always say, keep it simple. Don't try to overdo it. Think about things that are meaningful in your life or things that maybe paint a picture good picture of who you are. Does this show you in the best light? I always say, pretend you're, you know, first day of school at a new school where nobody knows you. What would you want to share? about yourself what would you want to know about you yeah you know if if there's question marks I say you probably don't want to write about that right always like yes ask yourself does this show me in the best light um but keep it light keep it real keep it authentic it should sound like a 17 year old read it you know I always say parents definitely read over it but don't you
00:35:09
Speaker
try to edit it crazy for them because it doesn't sound like a 17-year-old anymore. And it's not so much about, they're not looking for grammar and punctuation as much as they are just trying to hear the story. That's what they're trying to get out of it. It's not a paper.
00:35:24
Speaker
And I think the other thing students really struggle with is I always say, Don't think of it as like a book report. Think of it like writing a book. You should be telling a story. The reader should have this very clear understanding of who you are. Instead of saying like, I fell off a bike, instead of just telling them what happened, you described I was riding down this super bumpy road, dust was in my face, I was sweating down my back, and next thing i know I woke up a stick between my tire, right?
00:35:52
Speaker
Now we have this whole vision um who you are, what you were going through, what you were feeling. as if we were reading a book versus, know, I fell off my bike, which one has more impact.
00:36:03
Speaker
So if you think of it as telling a story, it'll be much more impactful. And then just keep in mind, these admission officers, they're reading 50, 80, a hundred a day. So you have to capture their attention from the get-go because you don't want them just like blowing it off or breezing through it. So yeah.
00:36:22
Speaker
catch their attention. Okay, that's such
Resources for College Applicants
00:36:25
Speaker
amazing advice. And I'm sure I could ask you 100 more questions. um I mean, this is just, you know, such a big topic right now. So how can people find you going forward?
00:36:33
Speaker
Yeah, probably the easiest is just to go to Instagram, which is the college navigators. um And website is just the same, the college navigators.com. But I would say Instagram is probably the easiest. And i share lots of free advice. I have lots of free guides.
00:36:48
Speaker
So again, if you can't invest or don't want to invest in a college consultant, there's so much free stuff that you can grab that will help you brainstorm essay ideas, give you tips for filling out the activity section, give you a timeline for the process just to keep you on track.
00:37:03
Speaker
Awesome. Well, Jenna, thank you so much for your time. i really appreciate it. I'm sure the listeners got a ton of value out of this. So again, thank you. you're very welcome.