Q&A with an Admissions Officer

Webinar Transcription

2021-11-08 Q&A with an Admissions Officer

[00:00:00] Hi, everyone. Welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s, webinar Q and a with an Admissions officer. This webinar is in a different format from our other sessions. So to orient everyone with the webinar timing, I’ll start off with a brief introduction. Then we’ll delve into the live Q and a. You can start submitting your questions in the Q and a tab.

Joining us today for the live Q and a is a current emission officer from the CollegeAdvisor.com team. I’ll start off by introducing our panelists for this evening.

Would you like to introduce yourself to everyone? Absolutely. Hello, my name is Amber. I know you all can read. Um, so I graduated from Stanford and class of 2018. Um, I was also an admissions officer at Stanford for a couple of years, following that, um, majored in international relations, minored in [00:01:00] Spanish and Portuguese.

I really love languages. I love connecting with people. Um, also thought I might go into law. So between graduating and working in the admissions office, I had a stint with justice Corps and AmeriCorps program, um, and got to work in a self-help center in the court system. I was assisting families who couldn’t afford an attorney with family law and civil law.

So that was fun things from civil law. Civil law suit claims to domestic violence, restraining orders. So there was a range. Um, but then ended up back at my Alma mater, worked in the admission office for a couple of years, and then came here where I get to more directly impact students and use that experience to help you get ready for the college application process.

So that’s a little bit about myself. I’ll be answering questions as the wonderful Ms. Lonnie said to you all so excited to be here. Yeah. Thank you. So before we get into our live QA, let’s go ahead and start off with a poll so we can get a sense of what grade are you in? [00:02:00] All right. Let’s see what starts to come in.

So tell us a little bit about, um, you know, the, the minor. Tell us a little bit what made you decide to do the minus? That’s a great question. Um, long story short, I love languages, as I said, wanted to major in linguistics. Um, but got that question, which I’m sure some of you guys will encounter when you decide that.

What job you’re going to get with that? A fair question to consider? Absolutely. Um, so kind of got pushed into the international relations realm just because there are a lot of politicians and diplomats who’ve done that. And there was more of a career connection to. That said I don’t have any regrets, but if I could go back, I think I still would at least take more linguistics classes to get more of a sense of myself if it’d be worth it.

Um, cause again, I don’t have a percentage in mind, but you, you, depending on what you do with your life, it may or may not impact your career. It may be exactly what you do. Like if you’re, pre-med, [00:03:00] that’s exactly what you’re going to do at least for a season. Um, similarly, if you’re an engineer that might be exactly what you do, but it might not.

Um, so there’s always a balance to consider, but, um, I’m excited that I I’m glad that I chose the major that I did. I met the people that I did. Like I said, I don’t have regrets, just another thing to consider, but that’s how I like that was the major. And then the minor was kind of a compensation for that.

Or I’m like, I love languages. So like let me put languages in there. And I spoke Spanish since I was like four, um, Portuguese I took at school. Um, I, again, just love languages was able to travel to Brazil two times over the summer, once to volunteer in the Olympic committee in Rio, actually, I got to translate working there.

So that was really fun. I say that I it’s a really, it was really fun and a great opportunity. And before that I was translating in some follow-up, um, and one of the offices there, so great opportunities. That’s a little bit of background. I’m like minors. Nice. Nice. Well, that is very impressive. Um, got to do some really cool things just in addition [00:04:00] to, you know, your minor and the connections as well.

So that’s awesome. So just a sense of like who’s in the space tonight. We have about 3% of our participants are in the eighth grade. 5% are in the ninth grade, 3%, 10th grade, 38% are in 11th grade. 49% 12th grade, and then we have 3% other, so definitely a majority of the students are 11th and 12th grade for this evening.

So I will close the poll. So thank you all for submitting our first poll. All right. So now we are going to go ahead and jump into our live Q and a. I will read through the questions that you submit in the Q and a tab. And then I will paste them in the public chat so everyone can see them. And then we’ll read them out loud.

And then we’ll go ahead and answer them as a heads up. If your Q and a tab, isn’t letting you submit questions does just double-check that you joined the webinar through the custom link in your email. If you’re having any [00:05:00] trouble using the Q and a, you can always send me a private message. If you happen to get a note saying, if you can’t hear anything, try logging out and logging through the link through your email as well.

All right. So Amber, are you ready for the first question for this evening? Love to jump into it. Okay. So our first question comes from our pre-workshop questions. What factors of the application stand out the most? Yes. So one of the big questions that everyone has in one way or another, and you’re going to phrase it in one way or another.

I get that. Um, you’ll get probably tired of hearing me say this, that there’s no one particular thing that’s going to guarantee your application, um, result in an admission that said in terms of the things that stand out, you’ll also hear this as a broken record. The authenticity factor is something that is hard to.

Get over on admissions officers. So you’re not just going to have your essays. So that is a huge part of it. You’re also going to have things like your letters of [00:06:00] recommendation. So not only are you going to be speaking about yourself, we’re also going to get a sense of who you are from the people who have taught you.

And if there’s any inconsistencies there in terms of how you seem to reflect on yourself versus how a teacher reflects on you, that’s going to flag, um, But we want to see again, a consistent picture. You can have, you can be like a mosaic of a person. We expect that you’re going to have multiple facets to yourself, but we do.

We are, again, it’s really hard to try to paint one picture of yourself when that isn’t how, who you’ve actually been in high school, because remember we are going to look at these recommenders. Um, in addition, we’re looking at your extracurricular activities. So again, are we seeing the same person come through?

Not that you’re just this robot and you’re doing these exact things to be this engineer or this pre-med student, but does it make sense? Is there a story tied together? Is there a, is there a personal brand, in a sense? Um, so in terms of what stands out the most, it’s when we’re seeing all the pieces. Oh, your applications fit together uniquely, but in a way that seems real.

So that’s what I mean, where like authentic and authenticity [00:07:00] does stand out because you’re going to get multiple checks and your application of that authenticity. Um, and these admissions officers, you have some, who’ve been doing this for decades, so just your best bet is to be authentic and how you present yourself.

The last thing you want to do is present yourself in a way you stink is the way that you should present yourself. That’s not authentic. And then you get an unfavorable admissions outcome, and you’re just left wondering, like, what if I just been honest? Like what have I been myself? I won’t, you won’t know, like regret is the one thing that you just, you can’t change.

Um, if you haven’t done something, so just do it the authentic way, the first time around. So you don’t have that regret. And you’ll just know like, okay, I wasn’t a fit for this school, but there are plenty of other schools that I am a good fit for and you keep it moving. So that’s how I’d answer that. I’m the best, the most diplomatic, but authentic and real way that I can.

Absolutely. So it’s all about being yourself versus trying to be someone that you’ve think the admission officer wants you to be exactly. Or that even that has gotten in a previous year, [00:08:00] which is what we used to say in the admissions office, like one candidate profile, like one student who looks exactly this way could get in, in 2019, but in 2020, the candidate pool looks different and that’s not going to be what the school is looking for in terms of fit the next year.

So you can’t gauge what the school is looking for year to year. It changes, which is why it’s so important to stay true to yourself because you just might be at the year. You’re applying. You just might be it. Um, that’s what I’ll say. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that. Um, the next question I want to ask you, Amber, is, are the essays weighed heavier now that most colleges are test testifying?

Yes. So that’s an interesting question. Um, oftentimes we’ll get the parallel of like, okay, well, are my grades weighted more heavily? Um, now that we’re test optional and that’s the, that’s the angle that I would more so approach that question from, because those are separate aspects of the application. So your test is if you are not applying test optional, or [00:09:00] if you’re applying to a test option, when you decide to submit your test, that’s the only standardized measurement in your application, really, um, that and your, and your transcript in a sense, but even that has some flexibility in terms of how schools report GPA, et cetera.

Um, so typically that’s how schools are looking to see your academic preparedness. If you don’t have that test in many schools are test optional, completely understand. Your transcript is going to be weighted more heavily because they still want to see, again, they’re an academic institution. They still want to see that you’re prepared to handle the rigors of that institution.

And that’s the way that they’re going to be able to see that in addition to, um, to some extent, the letters of recommendation, but it’s really, the transcript is going to be weighted more heavily. Um, essays are always important, um, but that’s not as much impacted by the test optional nature of the landscape these days.

Okay. All right. So we’re going to move over to some of our questions in the live Q and a. How do you Wade mediocre grades with a [00:10:00] great essay when factoring in decision? So coming from an admission officer perspective. Okay. I like, I like the question starting to get pointed. I see you guys. Um, how do you weigh media?

You said great grades with a mediocre essay or a great essay with mediocre. Great. So how do you weigh mediocre grades with a great essay? Okay, got it. Um, again, very particular about the language defined mediocre, but my first thing would be,

um, in trying to answer that question and in a more broadly applicable way. Yeah. Let’s maybe say like a student who maybe isn’t like the mid range, you know, as it relates to their, their, yeah. Um, so my first response is that is going my first instinct is that it’s going to depend where you’re applying.

Um, so there are some schools that are more selective. You guys are familiar with Ivy or Ivy plus schools. [00:11:00] And they’re receiving tens of thousands of applications. So while most of them, if not, all of them are practicing something called holistic review, where they’re looking at all of your application and there’s no minimum, there’s no cutoffs.

And they’re looking at everything together. They still, the fine print is that academics are, are the, are the foundation. Um, and I’ll tell you that the academics are the foundation. Again, they need to know that you’re prepared, but still even still the vast majority of applicants are academically qualified.

So then they’re able to look at your essays, your extracurriculars, your letters of recommendation, how you’re impacting your community, going back to extra curriculums. Um, so my first thing would be, it depends on what you’re applying, um, because grades are going to be weighted differently depending on the kind of institution you’re applying to, um, largely and what their average statistics are for like average GPA, average sat, like where you fall in that range.

So if it’s mediocre for them versus mediocre and like a national average, that’s going to change as well. Um, that’s. Let’s say you’re applying and it’s [00:12:00] mediocre generally speaking, but like you’re right in the middle of that, like literally mediocre, like right in the middle of that range, um, in terms of school that you’re applying to and you have a great essay.

Again, I don’t, these are all very subjective questions. Cause who’s saying that it’s great. Um, keep in mind your admissions, officer’s a human. So you might think is wonderful. Your teacher might think is wonderful. One of the admissions officers at the school might think is wonderful. Another admissions officer might think like, okay, that’s, uh, it’s, it’s hit or miss for me.

Um, so there’s not really one piece of your application that you can bank on to be like, oh, I’m sold. Again, your academics are typically in general at an academic institution going to be your foundation, but in terms of how solid that foundation has to deep, that’s going to depend on the type of institution you apply to thereafter.

It really is subjective. So just put your best foot forward with what you have control over I E the essays. So just make sure that that essay is your best, the best reflection of what it is. You’re trying to convey about yourself. Um, again, going back to the authenticity piece, but I [00:13:00] won’t try to, I don’t like that analogy is going to say beat a dead horse, but I won’t, um, and beat a point B I won’t self path close, like authenticity is important.

Um, yeah, control the controllable. So the essay is that part, but again, Just do the best that you can in school, because that’s your foundation, do the best you can with your essays. Give yourself ample time to go through multiple dresses, have some eyes going over to edit and revise, but do not have too many chefs in the kitchen.

Um, so whereas they break down the rest and it’s not you anymore. Cause again, we go back to the that doesn’t, that’s not authentically reflecting you anymore. Okay, great. And so I know you just mentioned around like, yes, you know, your academics are very important again, continue with the theme of authenticity.

Um, our next question, um, is, does the major, you choose affects your percentage of getting into the school? Okay. Yeah. That’s a good question. I can’t answer that from, [00:14:00] for every institution that I can’t really say, even from a percentage point, but is it a factor for many institutions? Yes. It can be a factor.

Um, even S yes, that’s, that’s, that’s what I can say. Um, and even that, it’s, it’s hard for you to know though, because again, what I can say is that a school’s needs might fluctuate from year to year. So if they are trying to balance out and have a more, let’s say their goal is to have a more well-rounded class, and they’re a school that has a heavy influx of, of, of engineering students.

So they want more humanities students. Well, then that year applying as a humanities perspective, student will benefit you. Um, but let’s say that it’s a school that’s heavily like humanities focused, and they really want to build out their engineers more. Well, now you have a benefit if you’re engineer perspective.

Um, but that’s not always obvious. Um, some, some schools that might be obvious, that’s fine. Um, but one, that’s not always obvious, which is going to benefit you more. It goes back to the authenticity [00:15:00] piece. What I have seen students try to do, and I will do, I would advise against is like, oh, I’m just going to apply and say, I want to do this major, but then really, I just want to do this major that everybody else does, like computer science, for example, at, at, at a Stanford, for example.

Um, but then I’m going to say that I want to do, um, linguistics or something. Um, but there’s nothing in your application that reflecting with sticks, you’re just like, oh, but it’s, it’s a major that I think that you want, that’s going to backfire, because again, now it’s not consistent throughout the other aspects of your application.

So, and addressing your direct question. Yes. It is a factor. Um, but is it an easily like tack downable factor in terms of like, I can, you can manipulate it to your benefit. It’s a lot harder to do that than you’d think. And I would advise strongly against that. Got you. Got you. Okay. Next question. What are the most important things.

Admission officers look for when assessing students. [00:16:00] Okay. Do a variation of that first question. So the most important, okay. Um, I’m just gonna, I’m just gonna fly over authenticity. Y’all know. Y’all already know. Um, so in addition to that, the most important things in your essay is taking time. Um, again, to taking the time to understand this is a very simple phrase, it, but, but it’s true.

Like take time to know yourself so you can better show yourself in the application. Um, so you’re, you guys are mostly 16 and 17 years old, a lot of changes happening in terms of your own development and getting to know yourself. It can be really helpful just to take time and reflect on your journey thus far.

Um, what you’ve been through, what accomplishments you’ve you’ve seen. Oh man. Taking part in. What life changes you’ve been through, because the more that you understand about yourself, then you get to these more introspective questions or to these [00:17:00] seemingly random questions that some schools might ask.

And you’ve already been thinking about yourself in, in various respects on various aspects. And you’re able to make connections because you’ve been thinking about this for a while. You’d be thinking about yourself for awhile. Um, and so I’d say that it’s something that can be overlooked, but really important is take time to reflect, um, and understand too, that like from one month to the next, you might have a really life changing experience, or you might just have an epiphany about something about yourself that you might get introduced to, to a group of friends or to an opportunity that really like completely shifts you.

Like I thought I wanted to be an engineer and now I’m like, so sure social, I want to study psychology because X, Y, and Z, that’s fine. Like allow yourself to grow. Schools do understand that you were 16, 17 years old. Again, just know that about yourself. So you’re able to articulate that through the application.

So if an initiative after your death see like, oh, okay. They’ve been doing these summer programs engineering for like from seventh grade, until 11th grade. But all of a sudden now they’re like taking all these summer [00:18:00] humanities courses, but then in your essays, you’re able to articulate all this time. I thought I wanted to be an engineer.

My parents really drilled the send to me. I love math, but then XYZ experience happens like, oh, oh, okay. Like an admissions officer can follow that. Um, versus it coming off as well. It seems like they want to do engineering, but now they’re saying they want to do this humanities class. This seems authentic.

So it’s really it’s that it’s, that it’s that important to know yourself enough to be able to articulate changes. So the admissions officer isn’t left to make assumptions that are not.

Absolutely. Thank you. Don’t want them to be left wondering you want it. Like you said, that mosaic piece, you want to be able to give them all the different aspects of, of who you are. So we’re going to now take a quick little pause on the questions and we’re going to go into our second poll for the evening.

So where are you in the college application process? Where are you at an Amber? Can you, can you think back, it was only a few years ago, right? When you were [00:19:00] in high school, applying to college, you know, early November, where were you at in the college application process at this time? That’s a great question.

Um,

um, let’s see. So November I was. Doing college visits. I was getting my foot. Let’s see. Yeah, I was getting my applications ready. Um, yeah, I didn’t really, at that point, I, and this might be an anomaly of the story. Um, but I didn’t know much about Stanford, except that they had my librarian’s daughter went there and she was kind of like a mother figure to me.

Um, and she was, she told me a story about her daughter being on campus and they had fruit trees, like fruit trees that you could eat from on campus. And I was like, wow, that sounds like a great school. That’s all I knew about the school [00:20:00] and my sophomore year in high school. So come June. Yeah. End of year, beginning of senior year, like I learned a little bit more about the school.

Um, but, and I saw that there was a student athlete actually here. I was a student athlete. Um, now I will note Stanford is not an Ivy league school, but for Ivy league schools, they do not offer, um, athletic based aid. So that’s just good to know they will do need-based aid, but I’m just going to put that plug in it.

Cause I know there’s at least one student athlete out here, um, and Stanford did offer a need-based aid and athletic aid, but you have to choose one. So also putting that out there. Um, but yeah, so I was doing college visits. I. I remember. Yeah, I really didn’t know much about the school. I said that they had fruit trees and it seems really nice.

Um, and then like, as I’m doing my visits, et cetera, I’m getting, I’m like, oh, this is a really good school. Um, and I’m from Georgia. I realized I didn’t share that. So at least from my, my circle of friends, we knew a lot [00:21:00] about like the Eastern, the Ivy league school. And I really didn’t know much about Stanford.

Um, so I would say like at this point I was really just like applying to colleges. I’m like, I don’t know where I want to go. I’m just going to apply to some places. Um, I, yeah, I applied to some pretty solid schools and it was fortunate enough to be able to get in. Um, but yeah, it was just, it was a process.

I was, I was kind of nervous, but also kind of. Not acknowledging that I was nervous. And just going about like school practice, eating homework till 2:00 AM, sometimes 4:00 AM sleep, do it all over again. So, yeah. Yeah. It’s kinda, it’s kinda like your second kind of like your second job.

Number one is going to school. Number two is doing your, your college applications. So for our attendees tonight about 14% haven’t started, which makes sense. Um, thinking about our students who are not in 12th grade, we have about 34% are researching schools. This there’s, you’re never too, it’s never too early to start doing [00:22:00] your research.

Even if you are the ninth grade, um, 31% are working on their essays. 15%. I’m getting my application material together and about 7% are almost done. And congratulations to those who are almost done. Yes. Okay. So going back to our live Q and a. Let me see, I published a question already in the chat. Um, okay.

So this is, uh, if you get one bad grade, but we’re still passing. So again, pretty subjective. So we’ll, we’ll maybe say a C um, uh, so your, your freshman year, you get a C, does that detract from the, from the A’s that you’ve gotten since then in the eyes of the mission officer at a selective. That is a great question.

And I’m actually glad you asked that. Um, so for a lot of schools, even the selective schools, your freshman year is kind of a grace period. So they understand that this is a transition. Um, [00:23:00] can you still hear me? Okay, wonderful. Uh, so they, they understand that your freshman year is typically a transition period going from middle school to high school.

You’re trying to get your schedule together. You might be changing even scheduled ties from blast scheduled to quarter or vice versa. Um, so your freshman year, there’s typically a grace period. Um, not to say that it wouldn’t count necessarily, but there’s a lot more lenience and grace for that freshman year.

Um, your sophomore through your senior years are the grades that are really going to be important to be focused and hunkered down. So like get those little kinks out your freshman year, figure out, um, what the balance is between challenging yourself. And then also. What you challenging yourself within what you can handle.

So they do want to see that you’ve challenged yourself. They also want to see that you’re doing well. So how are you going to find that bounced off and get a question of like how many APS or honors classes or IB classes you should be taking? Um, and there is no fixed number because you guys have different life responsibilities, you have different tolerance stuff in [00:24:00] terms of like you have different sleep needs.

So that’s really going to your freshman year. Take that time to figure out how much you can challenge yourself while still doing well, because both are important. Great. Okay. Next question. Um, how many recommendations do we need or does it depend on the college you are applying to exactly good question.

It does depend on the school call. You’re applying to, so you should be able to find out on the school’s website, how many are required, if they accept optional recommendations, and if they do, um, I suggest utilizing that if you have any other perspective, that’s not going to be representative of the applications.

So I would encourage you against, unless it’s like really, really, really, really important. I encourage you against using an option, a letter of recommendation for another teacher. Um, but ideally schools are going to open up that option, a letter of recommendation to get another perspective from you outside of the classroom.

So it’s, we’ll already have that from those academic letters of recommendation. So if you’re on debate [00:25:00] club, like maybe their debate team, or if you are a sport, your coach, or mentor or religious leader, or somebody who can give you another perspective, give them another perspective of you outside the classroom that adds to the person inside the classroom.

Because when you’re admitted to the school, they’re admitting you to the community and the campus as well. That’s kind of another home out for the next four years. So there, yes. Again, the foundation is your academics, but they do also want to see like, okay, but who is this person outside of the classroom?

Will they also contribute positively to the environment as well? Um, so yes, back to your initial question, the number of recommendations is going to depend school to school. Make sure to check that out. If they do offer optional, as of recommendation, be intentional about making sure it adds an additional lens and not a repetitive lens.

Okay. What you can contribute to the school community. That’s a great point. Yeah. So you, you essentially don’t want all your recommenders saying the same points that someone had asked the question. I didn’t get the chance to publish this, but since we’re talking about, um, recommendations, does [00:26:00] the title like of your recommender matter?

Okay. So like if it’s a professor or, um, some high level officials or something like that. Yeah. Or maybe like a AP, you know, teacher versus a regular class teacher. Not necessarily not saying it doesn’t have any weight, but I will say, and something we would even say in the admissions office, if you have a teacher, um, let’s say it’s, it’s a challenging AP AP us history.

Um, and you get an a in the class, but that’s one of the classes where you’re kind of more reserved. You just kind of stick to you work. You don’t really talk to anybody. Um, including the teacher, like they don’t really know. That’s that’s great that you got an a in the class, but the teacher is not going to be able to speak much to who you are in the classroom.

So that’s really not going to benefit you that much. Let’s say you have a class where you get a, B, M, or C, um, and you, but that’s a class where you’ve worked hard for that B or whatever. The grade is a Ugandan to [00:27:00] office hours. You’ve built a relationship with a teacher. They can actually say something about your character and your work ethic and how you contribute to the classroom.

That’s going to be a much stronger letter of recommendation. Um, so while there are other factors at play, like, yes, they’ll see that the grade that you got on the transcript, that’s already going to be on the transcript anyways. So if, if you can. It adds character. If the admissions officer can see the context of that grade, and it’s spoken to you in a positive light, like the student worked hard for this grade, like they have strong work ethic.

They contribute in class. I really can count on the student. They’re a great leader, et cetera, et cetera is going to be a much stronger letter of recommendation. So I’d say it’s much less important the title, um, or even the, the rigor of the class as much as it is that that teacher can speak to who you are positively.

Um, so like something you’d say, like, make sure they, like, you really like, like make sure they like you. Um, cause that’s also going to come through in a letter of recommendation and for the most part, you’re not going to see those letters. Um, so make sure that that teacher likes you, [00:28:00] but those that’s what I’d say.

I prioritize much more over the title of. Okay. Great. All right. So our next question is kind of switching gears from letter recommendation, going into the interviews. How important is it to request an interview? This one is prior to applying to your top colleges. So that’s also going to depend on the school because different schools have different interview policies.

So for example, um, there are some schools that you Stanford, for example, it’s an optional interview policy and you cannot request it and it doesn’t have any, um, if you do get an interview that everyone gets an interview, it’s, it has literally no bearing on how the admissions officer read your application.

If they’ve even read it at that point, um, it really is randomly done. Um, it might be based on area, but that’s really just based off of alumni availability and your, um, and where you are geographically, but has nothing to do with how well or however, um, your application read. [00:29:00] So in those case scenarios, you can’t request, um, all you can do is apply and then you automatically qualify.

Yes, there will be other schools where. It is, the protocol is different. And so I encourage you again. That’s another thing. Well, you’ll want to look into the schools of interest and see what their policies are. So if it is something where you have to be proactive about scheduling an interview, um, or there some action, additionally, to apply what you need to take, just be sure to put yourself in the best position to do that.

Um, many of these questions will go back to your preparation and just being sure that you have done your research. Um, and that will not only benefit you in preparing for the interview, but then also through the interview, um, cause you won’t just want to be there and answer their questions and then they ask you if you have any questions and you’re like, Um, like, no, I’m fine.

Like it, it will be good to now not just ask questions that you can find off of Google because that’s also not going to read well, but taking the information synthesizing and taking time to look into programs that might be of interest to you, the community there, excuse me. [00:30:00] Um, and synthesizing the information to ask a well-informed question.

Cause that’s going to read the best on you. So a lot of this will tie back to your preparation and making sure you’ve done your research in terms of what the school requires. Uh, but then also what the school offers so that when you are present for an interview, if you do get one, um, you’re able to present as a qualified and prepared students.

Cool. Okay. So how much do extracurriculars and community service way and the application. Okay. Another quantity question there. I wish I could say like twenty-five percent 87%. I can’t say that. It’s not quite how it works. Um, but yeah, in terms of extra crew, they are a factor and they’re all that’s working with all the other pieces of your application to paint a picture of who you are and how you can contribute.

Um, so in terms of the extracurricular, when you are, let’s say, especially speaking to underclassmen eighth graders, um, as [00:31:00] you think about your interests, as you learn about your interests, um, what matters more so to the admissions office is not, I do want to dispel the myth. It is, it is not. Helpful to add on like 12 different activities.

Um, like you’re in NHS and the science honor society and the bay club you’ve been in all these activities, but the impact is not easily discernible. Like it’s like, okay, you participated here, you’re participating. You’re like, but what, what did you do? Um, it’s, it’s a reason, much more strongly when let’s say you have, like, there’s not a specific number, but however many, again, kind of similar to the AP classes, however many is good for you.

And it’s of impact. Like, let’s say you’re showing that you have leadership formally or informally. Um, so being able to describe, like, let’s say it’s not a formal leadership position, but let’s say you’re into coding. Um, and there’s a community service organization and you like coded the platform to be able to see, I might be using like technology terminology.

That’s not [00:32:00] my major. Um, but like, let’s say you coded something, uh, that was able, that was used, um, to be able to assist them that you set up the system that was able to distribute food. 10 times more of the homeless population in your community than before. Like you, you improved this isn’t that much, but you didn’t even have a formal leadership role.

Something like that. That’s going to show that you have impact on then also sustained commitment. So like committing to the activities for more than one or two years of possible, um, can also show that you again, have commitment. You, you have sustained that committee. That’s going to read better than just like the 17 different activities here and there.

Um, throughout your four years, I’m balancing that with again your freshman year. Like you’re trying to figure things out. So if you’re trying multiple things, that’s fine until you figured out what you want, but it is going to be advantageous to you to be able to be consistent with certain activities, um, to show that you have impact and leadership, whether it’s formal or informal of those [00:33:00] activities.

And then ultimately when you do decide or at least have an idea of what you’re interested in to have those extra curricular activities line up with what you believe you are interested in them. Great. Yes, that is, that is definitely a message that I re reiterate with my students. Um, within CollegeAdvisor, I’m working with kind of thinking about like the quality versus the quantity too.

And I think that’s something that admission officers can probably read very well. If they see a student with, you know, they have 10 activities, but they’re not seeing like the impact and their passion come out from them. Think that’s something that I try to always reiterate with my students too. Exactly.

And that’s a good point too. And even when you’re listing them a little tidbit for the seniors. Yeah. That’s not the space to just say like national honor society is a community service organization. It’s not, we’re not asking you what it is. We’re asking you what your impact impact is. So please use that space while.

Hmm, that’s a great, that’s a really great tip, seniors. I hope you caught that one. So [00:34:00] let’s talk about the sat sat act. Um, how important is it this year? That’s just it’s the question is asking how important does the sat, how is it, how important is it for this year? Yeah, so I think I’ll circle back around a bit to something I mentioned the beginning of the test score.

So since a lot of schools are still test-optional, um, the choice really is up to you. I will say there’s not that many schools that are test blind. Um, but if it is test blind, that’s the school that like, they literally, even if you submit it, they’re not going to look at it. So just be mindful of that. Uh, but most schools are test optional.

So if you submit them, they will consider them. If you don’t, it should not be kind of negatively. Okay. It should not, some schools are different in terms of how they carry that out. Um, so I know for example, at Stanford, they were genuinely test-optional. If you did not submit it, it was not counted against you.

We’re just going to look more at your transcript and see that you still have some academic preparation. Um, if you decide to take your sat, [00:35:00] it will be considered as it has typically in years past. So yes, it is going to be wasting typically in terms of your academic preparation, along with your transcript.

So they’re going to go hand in hand, um, if you decide. Not too. I, I, again, I feel like I’m that, that, that point’s been made. Um, but in terms of the importance is going to depend on the school in terms of what their policy actually reads. So again, if it’s test blind, it’s genuinely not going to matter if it’s test optional.

It, if you feel like you have a strong score score that positively reflects on your academic preparedness, then I would say to submit it. And I know that can always be a line of like, is it this scores at this score is going to depend. Um, but if you don’t feel like the score is an accurate representation of your preparedness, like you feel like your transcript would speak much more strongly to how prepared you are.

Um, then it might be okay to leave off the sat score or the act score, and just have the admissions officer focus on your transcript and your letters of recommendation to vouch for your academic preparedness. Okay. I’ll let you get a [00:36:00] sip of water. I know you’ve been staring a good amount of information, uh, with our attendees as I’ll move into the next question.

Does it look bad? If, um, if you want to apply to a college as an undecided major. Hmm, great, great question. Um, there is not, I’ll just frame that. So again, a lot of students, 16 or 17 years old, don’t know what they want to do. Yes. There are, there are students who know, like I want to or feel that they know I want to be a doctor.

I want to be an engineer. I want to be a lawyer. Uh, I want to go into business. It’s going to depend on the school, but it’s also going to Penn in terms of what you can control is going to depend on how else you present. Um, so I will say, I remember. One student in particular, when I was an admissions officer that was undecided, but they had [00:37:00] so much straight, like they showed dedication, like what they did do, I may not know what they wanted in terms of the career, but in terms of how they were present in their community, the impact they had on the people, around them, how they articulated themselves to their essays was so strong and compelling enough.

But that student was ultimately admitted to Stanford. And obviously that is a selective school. Um, so it’s not to say that it is not, it is, I will certainly say that it does. It is a factor. Um, in terms of you having a decision or an idea of what you would like to study in college, it is a factor. So if there is some idea of what you want to study, um, it can be helpful to note that.

In comparison to being undecided. It does not mean that the chances are significantly lower of you getting in if you’re undecided. But if there is a way, if you have a sense of what you might interested in, for example, technically I was undecided. I didn’t, I was advised them not [00:38:00] to list that. Um, and I was like, well, I’m interested in language.

I’m interested in, in, um, in foreign countries. So I did actually listen international relations, which ironically what I ended up studying. Um, but I would say it is a factor to consider that, but to be intentional about how you consider it, um, if you do decide to list a major that you are interested in and at least to have it did, there’d be some bearing some consistency with some areas that have been of interest in the past or might be of interest now.

Okay. Let’s see. So next question is kind of still touching on the, the essay. Um, I published it, but it, it kind of it’s moving around disappear, but you know, what makes, what makes the greatest. And I kind of heard you touch on it just a second ago, but just want to share with our attendees what makes a great essay or an essay.

Yeah, no great question. Um, yeah, I will touch back on the, how much you’ve reflected on yourself and how well, you know, yourself and able to, and in order to, um, best show yourself. So I, [00:39:00] I really do want to hit home, like taking time to reflect, um, on, on, again, on your experiences on what you’ve been through in life, on making connections, um, journaling, I like an actual, tangible thing to do journaling, if you can.

I know you guys are probably really busy. I know I was in high school, but I did love journaling. It helped me at least once a week kind of helps you to center yourself, like to kind of come back to if you’re, if you’re repping and running in a lot of places to be able to be like, huh, this is how I feel.

I went through this. Oh yeah, this happened. Like, it can, it can help you to like stop and like even process certain events that you might not have even processed because you’ve been so busy. Um, so I’d say the time that you take. There’s, I’m sure there’s a cliche for this, but basically like a lot of the, a lot of the beauty that will come in the final product of the essay is going to be built in the months prior to when you actually write that essay, because you’re being, you’re taking the time to invest into yourself and understand things about yourself that will come out in that final work, but that you couldn’t pull out in three days, you couldn’t [00:40:00] pull out in 24 hours.

Um, so my biggest thing is to take the time to reflect on yourself, um, and, and make connections even before, you know, the essay prompts, if you can, or if you do, if you do know that some prompts you want to choose, that’s fine. And you can back and inform how it is you reflect on your experiences. Um, but that’s going to give you the best chance of representing yourself in the most authentic and compelling way when it does come time to actually writing the essay.

Okay. So we’re going to take a quick pause from our live Q and a one to work one-on-one with an advisor from our team of over 225 advisors and admissions officers. I am also a college advisor, uh, sign up for a free consultation with us by going to CollegeAdvisor.com and clicking the green chat button in the bottom.

Right of the screen from there, just write in consultation and alive team member. We’ll get back to you [00:41:00] to help coordinate your free consultation with. All right. So now we’re going to go back to our live Q and a with Ms. Amber Lewis. All right. You ready, Amber, for, I am. I’ll also just say she’s a wonderful advisor.

I’ve worked with her multiple times. So if you get her, you guys are truly fortunate and blessed, but anyways. Okay. Thank you. And I’ve enjoyed working with Amber as an admission officer with a few of my students, too. Okay. Thank you, Amber. So going back to the live Q and a, um, how do ales generally evaluate achievements they are unfamiliar with?

And that could range from sports debates. That’s a very good question. I like that. Um, so we will do, um, when admissions officers are in the thick of a season, that is our, I mean, it is our full-time job, but reading is our full-time like, everything else stops for, for many. I won’t speak for everybody. I haven’t been at all at all institutions.

Um, but I know for us, [00:42:00] Four or five month period or so, um, we were just reading like there’s times where I’ve, I didn’t forgot to eat. I don’t advise that, but I was just very focused on reading your guys’ stories and to your point, um, if there was something that came up like an activity and I needed to get more context, I would do the research.

I would look it up. So that’s a plug. I know I’m not speaking to anybody here. Um, but if any of you guys have friends who are thinking of like, oh, I’m just gonna write that. I published a book and like, like that, cause that’s going to look cool. Like we will look this stuff up. Um, so like I that’s just a plug for your, or your friends, cause I know none of you here are considering compromising your integrity in any way like that.

Um, but we will do the research and unfortunately there have been cases where students have been admitted based off of the information provided and application. Um, and we found out that some, that, um, that information was misrepresented in their offers where we’re sending. But that’s that’s that’s far along.

We don’t need to talk about that, um, to your [00:43:00] point. Yes. So there’s an activity that we don’t know. We will look it up. We’ll use our resources, so I’ll look up what I can online, but also pull from the, the network of advisors, advisors of admissions officers in the office that had a, a wide range of experience and have been there for multiple decades.

And in terms of like, okay, well, what did this look like? Like what does DECA actually look like in practice? Okay, cool. Um, and so we want to make sure that we’re giving you the best opportunity, the, the, yeah. The best opportunity to shine, um, and that you’re not faulted for our ignorance. That’s not something that would count against you.

Um, I hope that’s helpful. I appreciate that. You asked that question to get insight in terms of how we look at that information. Um, If you have space, do try to avoid putting acronyms in without spelling out what they mean, because that is going to, again, they’re human. So even though they’re going to look it up, it might be a bit frustrating to have to connect more dots than is necessary to get that information and they’re [00:44:00] human.

So that might impact the way they read your application. So try to spell things out as much as possible. Um, we’ll still look into, even if you still, we don’t know, that’s fine, but try, try to avoid things like putting acronyms in without spelling out what they mean somewhere. Um, just to help yourself out, make sure that you, you’re not adding to any, any grumpiness, unnecessary grumpiness for the AOL.

That’s reading your applications, your application. Cool. Okay. So next question. This is a little bit more specific. Um, when your school doesn’t have a counselor, how do you turn in a counselor recommendation? Um, can you have another teacher perhaps write the letter? Um, Great question. Yes. And we dealt with that plenty of times, especially for students who were international.

Um, so oftentimes we would just have someone like the principal, um, write the letter of recommendation and submit the school report as well. If that was possible. Um, if necessary, we could have something like a homeroom teacher, um, submit that letter of recommendation, [00:45:00] but ideally you’d have someone who’s like more of a head leadership role of the school.

Um, like the principal, or, um, submit that guidance counsel letter of recommendation, as well as the other documents that would be requested of the guidance counselor. Like the school report. Excuse me. Okay. Let’s see. This one. I got a, it’s not, not in the chat, but, um, what looks better in the college application?

Um, this is, you know, being active in a sport or being active in leadership. Oh, oh, okay. It’s going. Yep. You’re just going to get tired of me conceptualizing answers, but, um, it’s going to depend on who you are and how you’re presenting your application. Um, so one, my question is about, like, there are some students who do both, um, you might have leadership in one area.

You might be have leadership in your sport. Um, I think it’s not, I think it is going to depend on [00:46:00] what matters to you. So this kind of speaks of act like reflecting. So what, what’s the most important thing to you? If you can’t do both and I’m not encouraging you to do both, I’m just saying that could happen.

Um, What ma why would you participate in this sport? Is this to build characters is because you love that sport. Is it because you appreciate community, uh, for the leadership position? Are you doing it just to put it on your transcript? Is it a cause that you’re deeply committed to, um, do you appreciate how you’re able to impact your community?

Like, why are you doing the activities that you’re doing? That’s going to read best when it comes down to application time and writing your essays and connecting the dots for the admissions officers, um, you being intentional about the decisions that you make. So again, this it’s not a, for everybody, it’s not going to be a, oh, his leadership skills, but in the sport or the sport looks better than this leadership opportunity.

Um, so yeah, that, that would be the thing that I’d encourage you to do is reflect on why you’re doing what you’re doing. And if you’d be able to stand by that, I mean, your application and whatever, whichever is closer [00:47:00] to you that you care more deeply about. I’d encourage you to do that. Um, if this is an either or.

The situation, because then you’ll be able to better defend that. And back that up when it comes to writing out your application. Okay. So this question is also very specific, but I, I feel like there’s another student, that’s probably thinking about this. Um, so this student, you know, shared that they want to study engineering, but they feel like they meet, they need more time to really decide on a specific field.

And so they’re there for, they’re considering a gap year, mostly with internships and volunteering. Do you think that’s a good idea and when, and when would I then apply after the gap year? Yeah, no, I think that’s a great question. I’m not going to, I, without knowing you, I can’t say whether that’s a great idea or a bad idea, but I think in general, that can be a really positive experience for students, especially when you’re in.

I will say this, the caveat is I’m glad you already included it in your question [00:48:00] using my gap year, intentionally. Um, so if you were just saying I’ve always gap year, And you’re just going to sit around and watch Netflix, um, and go to the pool. That’s not necessarily going to me the most strongly to the admissions officer in terms of how you want the intentionality that you take with your academic career.

So it’s wonderful. This sounds actually like a very intentional question. Sounds like a very intentional plan, um, that you you’re thinking of taking a gap year, doing summer internships and programs so that you can get more sure about what specific field of engineering and you already know that you’re interested in engineering.

So that’s wonderful. Um, in terms of when you apply, that can depend. So we would have some students, um, similar like wonderful students, um, knew a general idea of what they want to study in, but then would apply for a gap year. Um, and so long as it was with an intentionality of like what you wanted to pursue, um, Then that, that gap Gabby was granted with no problem.

So you have the option to apply now and then apply for a gap year, depending on the policy at your school. So again, to make sure [00:49:00] you do your research so you can see that that’s possible, um, or if you would like to, um, you can take the year off and then apply my encouragement. This is where I will draw like a harder, uh, I will point you in a, in a, in a more specific direction, I would encourage you to apply now while you still have easy access to your teachers, you can get letters of recommendations and your guidance counselor and your transcript.

So that’s not something you have to worry about. I would highly encourage you to do that now. And while all of this is fresh in your mind. Um, and then when you come back around the next year, you’ve already applied. You’ve already gotten your acceptance. You’ve, you’ve deferred, signed the contract, whatever it is that you need to, um, so long as that school allows that.

And then you’re just able to kind of smooth right in, um, so the college process and you’ve taken you’ve, you’ve planned these things out and you sound that type of question. Sounds like you’ve thought about your intentional. It’s like, you’ll be able to. Take the necessary steps to plan your future that way.

But I encourage you to apply now and then potentially apply for a deferral to take that gap. If you decide to, I mean, like I said, you guys are young, so you might change your mind. I’m like, I know exactly what I want to do and you still [00:50:00] might go, it’d be advantageous to find them. Great. Okay. Next question.

If your school does not have very many clubs that you can join are just opportunities. You can, you know, kind of make yourself stand out. What can you do to really just make your sense that stands, make yourself stand out in the application process, being that there aren’t many clubs and activities on your account.

Yeah, great question. I’m going to plug the advisors here too. And CollegeAdvisor.com because that’s actually one thing that they can walk you through is something called a passion project. Um, just being able to like, okay, like, I think I’m interested in this. I like art. Um, I love being able to tell stories like, okay, let’s think about how we could connect your interests.

Like what could you do? Like, oh, we could create an Instagram page or you could start an organization. If you have the resource to be able to do that, talk to these teachers and get this started. You already have a passionate, you have these connections. Start brainstorming with you in terms of like connecting the dots for the thing that you’re interested in and making something out of it.

That is something that will read very [00:51:00] positively to admissions officers. Like, okay. Like, yes, like if you work within the resources offered and there’s not that many, that’s also positive, right? Like if someone is speaking about the courses, if someone took four out of five AP courses, that’s going to look a lot better than someone who six, four out of 13 AP courses, because you’re using your resources.

But going beyond that, if someone took four AP courses and then they took a couple online that reads that much more exceptionally to an ale. Cause it’s like, okay, this student’s willing to go outside of, what’s just offered at their school. Cool. Tying back to extracurricular activities. Okay. There’s only three years or there’s only seven activities offered.

And really only one of them is something that you’re interested in. Okay. Like you, you work within that. I see that you’re interested in this. You said you’re interested in this. Oh, but the student went ahead and started an organization that didn’t exist because they were interested in this and they, they show initiative.

Um, that’s a positive trait. They show initiative to make something happen, to add positive, to ingest something positive to the environment that speaks to what they care about. That’s going to read very positively and it also can translate in an admissions officer when [00:52:00] they try to envision you on their campus.

Like, okay, now I could see them actually taking initiative and bringing a positive, um, change or a positive presence to the campus. That’s a good thing. Um, so all that to say, as I plugged the advisors, cause they can be really helpful in terms of helping you to brainstorm your passion project. I mean, I’d encourage you just to start thinking again, this goes back to reflecting, taking the time to reflect, um, think about what you’re interested in and how you could make that manifest in a project or an initiative or something, um, that you can do to show that you have that interest and you have the initiative to make it.

Okay. We’re getting very close to our live Q and a. So I encourage you to, you know, definitely make sure that you put your questions in the Q and a box. Um, so next question we have, is should students active in arts put together a supplemental perfor portfolio or would that not contribute much to the application?

Oh, it can absolutely contribute that said, um, and something that Stanford would say, if it’s, if you’re submitting one, [00:53:00] excuse me, it’s typically, it’ll probably be reviewed by arts faculty. So that in particular may not necessarily be reviewed by the admissions officer because that’s not their area of expertise.

Um, but it would probably be reviewed by faculty. And then that review would be submitted to the admissions officer. Um, if it’s something that you feel like is an essential part of who you are, like you’re submitting an art portfolio because like you’ve. You’ve loved the violin, since you could barely walk, like they put a violent, a bow and a violin in your hand and you were three-year or whatever.

And maybe not that like, maybe starting to 14, it doesn’t really matter. But if it’s something that really matters to you, like drawing or painting or an instrument or whatever it is that the school allow you to submit a supplement for, then I’d absolutely encourage you to submit it because it’s only adding to the admissions officer perspective of you.

Um, it typically will not detract, but I cannot speak for all schools, obviously specifically Stanford. It wouldn’t detract if you submitted, um, But it’s also not a guarantee in any shape, form or fashion. It’s really there. Um, kind [00:54:00] of what that offered a letter of recommendation to add an additional perspective if it exists, because it says might not even be your thing.

Like if you’re just a comic book fan and you have doodle once in a blue moon, like I’m not sure that that would necessarily add much substance to your application, but again, if there’s that other voices, that other perspective of you, um, and something that’s essential and core to who you are that you can add to the application by submitting that art supplement, that I’d highly encourage you to do that.

Okay. Um, do you have any tips for international students while applying to the college slash that’s a good question. Let’s see. I mean, yeah. The international curriculum varies from region to region. Um, I would say probably the biggest thing that can be a stressor for international students is visa situation and making sure and, and financial aid, depending on where you’re applying.

Um, so get a jump on that as early, as you can figuring out what you’ll need to do with [00:55:00] justically to make sure your student visa is in order to see what the financial aid policy is for the school. Some schools are need-blind for national students, and so it’s not going to impact how your application is.

Some students, or some schools like Stanford for example, is need aware, um, for international students. So that means if you apply for international aid, that will be a factor. Um, and considering your admission. So do your research on those two big things, because that is going to impact your application process and your transition process, um, to the United States for school before you even get to the application process.

So then like once you get to the application process, you can focus and relax. Um, but that is that those are additional steps, um, that, uh, domestic students don’t have to deal with that I would encourage international students to start thinking about I’m getting your ducks in a row as soon as possible.

Okay. And then also as an international student, can you apply for the fast. The fastest, unfortunately, if you are truly an international citizen, you’re not a us citizen, um, or depending on the school, [00:56:00] undocumented students. No. Um, so the fastest for, um, the free application for federal student aid. So you wouldn’t qualify for federal aid, but typically you can still complete the CSS, the college scholarship service profile, um, and you’ll probably need to, uh, depending on the school, but I would encourage you again to check what the school is asking for.

They also might ask for, um, another document and I’m blanking on, and I will say I doc, but just check to make sure that, um, the documents that are required from that school you’re filling out. So that goes hand in hand with the financial aid piece and the, um, the visa is the student visa situation. They can show that those logistical pieces are in order.

So you can just apply and go through the application process and where you’re so knowledgeable. I still don’t know, but I’m sharing what I have that’s so this taking college classes in high school, Um, look better than taking an AP class. Okay. Um, so that’s going to depend on what [00:57:00] the short answer is. Not necessarily as wide as depending on what resources you have available.

So some schools only offer, um, they don’t offer dual enrollment or college courses. They only offer AP and vice versa. Some schools only offer dual enrollment or, um, honors or, um, other college courses and they don’t offer AP. That information is actually going to be available to the admissions officer, reading your application through what I had briefly alluded to earlier called the school report.

Um, when I was answering the question about if you don’t have a guidance counselor, cause they also submit that. So the school report is going to tell us what curriculum you have available. So we’ll be able to see based off of what you have available, what you’ve taken advantage of. Um, at the end of the day, the school, the school, yes, the school, um, the admissions officer just wants to see.

Taking advantage of your resources, that you are challenging yourself and that you’re doing well. Um, so if the highest is the most advanced courses offered are college or dual enrolled or AP, whatever it is honors, um, they just want to see that you are challenging self with the curriculum, with the challenging curriculum that is offered.[00:58:00]

That’s what I would say. And, and as I alluded to, if they don’t have challenging curriculum, which is also okay, like, that’s fine. Just, um, if it’s possible, it, it shows initiative. If you’re able to, for example, take AP courses online or college courses, or just show some sort of initiative to show that you want a child yourself.

That’s only going to be possibly it’s not necessary, but if you do that, just be another step, um, that adds positively to the way your application reads. Okay. Um, this might be the last question. Um, so it’s has a couple of questions embedded in it, and some of it is actually points that you’ve already, um, broughten up, but I think it’s good kind of closing messages to reiterate.

What is the best advice you can give to students in the admission process? And then the second part of the question is what worked well for you and what did you learn from your own experience? And I have it in the, in the pub. I published it in case you want to refer. Cool. Thank you. Um, okay. [00:59:00] Um, the best advice subjective, but the best advice that I feel I can give the preparation is really important.

Um, research is really important.

Yep. And I I’d say taking ownership of your application process is probably very, um, very important. There are a variety of factors you’ll have to balance, right? Like when it comes to essay editing, like yes, you do want to have somebody editing, interviewing your essays. But you also want to balance not having too many people.

And for one thing, your essays influencing how your application reads it will, it will stress you out more. Cause then you’re trying to, especially. I would just say, be mindful of that. Um, especially if these are relatives, um, sometimes that can add stress, um, in terms of like, no, just write it like this and you’re like, that’s not, but ended there might be this dynamic of like, you don’t [01:00:00] feel comfortable correcting a family member, but it is your application.

Um, so I would say taking ownership of your application process so that you can genuinely feel proud of the results, knowing that it’s your voice, um, that came through even like, and I’m not saying any of these family members are necessary or people, um, are ill intentioned at all. Um, but it will help you sleep at night.

Um, if you know that you feel like the application, the essays of how you order the extra curricular activities, et cetera, they accurately reflect you. So I’d say taking ownership, just be intentional about that. Be intentional about who you allow to have a voice in your application and ultimately what suggestions you do and don’t receive, um, that I’d say is really, really important for.

Um, and I did see, I’m just a quick thing I wanted to clarify. I saw a question in the chat pop up, um, just look into the, the financial aid policies. Cause I was saying Stanford is need aware for international students. [01:01:00] Um, but schools are different. So just be sure to look at the policy or your student status for your, um, citizenship status, uh, to be sure that you understand the implications of what it means, um, to make various decisions on whether you’re applying need-blind or, uh, whether you’re applying for financial aid or not.

Because for many schools, like at Stanford, they’re not. Aware for domestic students. So I just say, look into that. I don’t want to misinform anybody. I just want to be clear on that. Nice. Thank you. Thank you for following up on that, that question. Cause I, I did see that one in the chat box, so thank you to everyone.

So that is actually the end of our live Q and a thank you all for attending the webinar tonight. And thank you, Amber, for taking on all the questions and, and providing, um, really great information to the attendees. Some of those questions, I was like, oh, I don’t know how to answer that. You are an expert, you’re an expert Amber.

So it [01:02:00] was really great hearing you I’m going through those questions. Um, and so with that, um, that is the end of the webinar. Like I said, we had a really great time, you know, going through the questions and answers. Um, here is our November webinars. So we have some more that are coming up this month. And with.

Everyone have a great evening. And thank you, Amber again for your time. Take care of you all having a wonderful evening. I.