Welcome to our new series on busting college admission myths using data. In today’s episode, Ethan is joined by Akil Bello to talk about standardized tests, rankings, and the cost of college. They dig into some common misconceptions about college including:

• Are most colleges returning to requiring standardized testing scores?
• Is it too hard to get into college?
• Are highly-ranked colleges better?
• Is it true that most colleges now cost more than $100,000 per year to attend?
• And more!

Akil Bello is an educator, strategist, researcher, policy consultant, and advocate for equitable access to education. For more than 30 years, he’s worked every job you can imagine related to admission testing and college access from tutor, to test prep company founder to CEO and now works as the Senior Director of Advocacy at Fair Test. When he is not moonlighting reading college applications for a public university, he serves on several advisory boards, writes articles for Forbes, and helps his wife parent their college freshman and HS junior.

We hope you enjoy!

Play-by-Play:

• 1:56 - Akil shares a bit about his background and identities
• 3:57 - What is Fair Test and what does Akil do as Senior Director of Advocacy?
• 6:03 - Myth #1: Most colleges are returning to requiring standardized testing scores.
• 11:25 - Myth #2: Universities are returning to standardized tests because they help attract students of color?
• 13:40 - Myth #3: Standardized test scores are a reliable predictor of GPA in college.
• 16:18 - Myth #4: It is harder than ever to get into college.
• 19:25 - Myth #5: The higher the ranking, the better the school.
• 27:59 - What are some good questions that students can ask themselves when developing a college list?
• 29:52 - Myth #6: College is expensive.
• 33:59 - Myth #7: A particular essay, extracurricular, or passion project gets students into college.
• 37:34 - What are some good questions that students can ask themselves when considering whether or not to submit a test score?
• 43:26 - What are some good questions that students can ask themselves if they are considering writing about race in their college essay or application?
• 46:44 - Akil shares advice to parents and students who are navigating this process
• 51:28 - Wrap up and closing thoughts

Resources:

• College Essay Guy’s Roles and Identities Exercise
• CEG Resources Post-SCOTUS Decision
• College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources
• College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub

In our most recent series on storytelling and identity, Ethan sat down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In this bonus episode, the tables are turned as Ethan is interviewed by CEG Essay Coach, Ali Pineo. In their conversation, Ethan and Ali get into:

• Ethan’s background and how his identity has evolved over the years
• The roles Ethan identifies with most: connector, harmonizer, and seeker
• How Ethan measures success in his personal and professional life
• His journey from aspiring screenwriter to teacher and writer
• Brainstorming Ethan’s own personal statement as if he were writing it today
• And more

Ali Pineo is a writing coach and college admissions essay specialist with a BA in English from Stanford University and MFA from UC Irvine. She is passionate about building her students’ confidence in the writing process and developing them into strong self-advocates for their individual learning needs. She has spent thousands of hours coaching admissions essay writing and tutoring AP English and US History,. and the highlights of her career center around her mentorship of bright students with learning differences. In addition to teaching, she is an arts entrepreneur, former professional ballet dancer, and mama to a busy toddler.

We hope you enjoy!

Play-by-Play:

• 1:41 - Introductions
• 2:48 - Ethan shares the roles he identifies with most
• 10:36 - What does Ethan’s identity of “Connector” mean to him?
• 14:34 - How does Ethan distinguish between the “Connector” and “Harmonizer” roles?
• 20:16 - Do any roles conflict with other identities?
• 25:13 - How does Ethan balance his many roles?
• 28:37 - How does Ethan measure success in his personal and professional life?
• 33:20 - In what ways have Ethan’s career aspirations changed over the years?
• 37:00 - How does Ethan define his role as a “Culture-Tender?”
• 43:55 - What has Ethan been writing about lately?
• 47:18 - Ali shares her a bit about her background, roles, and identities
• 52:33 - How do Ethan’s outward identities overlap with his inner world?
• 56:48 - Brainstorming Ethan’s own personal statement as if he were writing it today
• 1:11:37 - Closing thoughts and wrap-up

Resources:

• College Essay Guy’s Roles and Identities Exercise
• Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges
• College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources
• College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub

In this three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode 3, Ethan is joined by screenwriter Ryan Maldonado, known for his work on AMC’s Parish, Hulu’s Death and Other Details, Amazon’s Hunters, Chicago PD, FBI, and Grey’s Anatomy.

Ryan and Ethan talk about, among other things:

• Ryan’s origin story, how he identifies, and how he became a storyteller
• What Ryan’s writing process is like and what it’s like working on a TV show
• How Ryan shows up in characters that may seem very different from who he is
• What he feels Hollywood is doing well in terms of representing diverse voices, and where there’s still work to be done
• Advice to students going through the personal statement writing process
• And more.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Ryan Maldonado is a writer and producer who currently serves as Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner of AMC’s crime series Parish, starring Giancarlo Esposito. His previous credits include Hulu’s upcoming Death and Other Details (starring Mandy Patinkin) and Amazon’s Hunters (starring Al Pacino). Before moving to Los Angeles to complete his MFA at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Ryan worked as a reporter for The Detroit Free Press, St. Petersburg Times and Variety. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

We hope you enjoy!

Play-by-Play:

• 2:00 - Ryan’s origin story and what it was like growing up in Miami in the '80s
• 11:18 - When did Ryan start writing?
• 15:10 - How has Ryan’s interest in writing shifted over the years?
• 19:47 - Where does “Ryan” show up in his writing and storytelling?
• 26:12 - How might personal experiences influence writing, especially in TV dramas?
• 33:00 - What is Ryan’s writing process like?
• 38:50 - What is it like working on a TV show?
• 44:56 - What lessons from film school still apply to Ryan’s work today?
• 54:33 - How has representation in Hollywood improved? What still needs work?
• 59:23 - What are some roles Ryan identifies with and how have these manifested in his life?
• 1:08:56 - What advice would you give to students working on their personal statements for college?
• 1:18:49 - Wrap up and closing thoughts

Resources:

• College Essay Guy’s Roles and Identities Exercise
• College Essay Guy’s Personal Statement Resources
• College Essay Guy’s College Application Hub