Table of Contents
Introduction ix
The Inciting Incident ix
Why This Book and Who I Am xi
The Treasure Trove xiii
Housekeeping xiv
Gratitude xiv
Part I What Admission Officers Want to Know xvii
Chapter 1 How to Discover and Connect with What You Care about in Twenty Minutes 1
Part II Ninth Grade to Eleventh Grade Essentials 9
Chapter 2 High School Essentials 11
Chapter 3 ACT and SAT Essentials 22
Part III Essentials before You Apply 39
Chapter 4 How to Create a Balanced College List 41
Chapter 5 Early Decision and Early Action 67
Chapter 6 Demonstrated Interest 73
Part IV The College Application 81
Chapter 7 Adrian's Brainstorming Exercises 83
Chapter 8 Essential Application Prework 91
Chapter 9 How to Up-Level Your Activities List in Thirty Minutes (and Why You Should) 107
Chapter 10 How to Write the Additional Information Section 126
Part V The Personal Statement 141
Chapter 11 How to Write a Personal Statement That Matters 143
Part VI The Supplemental Essays 181
Chapter 12 Creating Your Supplemental Essay Tracker 183
Chapter 13 The Super Essay (Combining Essay Prompts to Write Better Essays in Less Time) 186
Chapter 14 How to Write the "Why Us?" Essay 196
Chapter 15 How to Write the Extracurricular Activity Essay 222
Chapter 16 How to Write the "Why Major?" Essay 241
Chapter 17 The Dos and Don'ts of the Short Answers 249
Part VII The Other Parts of the Application Process 255
Chapter 18 How to Get Great Letters of Recommendation 257
Chapter 19 How to Do the College Interview 267
Part VIII How to Make Sure Your Application Is Doing Its Job 275
Chapter 20 The Values Scan 277
Part IX More Resources for More Students 291
Chapter 21 Artists 293
Chapter 22 Athletes 302
Chapter 23 International Students 306
Chapter 24 Homeschoolers 309
Chapter 25 Students Interested in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) 315
Chapter 26 First-Generation and Low-Income Students 322
Chapter 27 Undocumented Students 331
Chapter 28 Students with Learning Differences 334
Chapter 29 LGBTQ+ Students 339
Chapter 30 Self-Directed Students 343
Chapter 31 Transfer Students 353
Chapter 32 Veterans 357
Chapter 33 Students Interested in Women's Colleges 361
Part X After You Apply 365
Chapter 34 How to Write a Great Letter of Continued Interest 367
Chapter 35 How Senioritis Can Earn You a "Fear of God" Letter 371
Part XI After You're Accepted 375
Chapter 36 Financial Aid Awards, and How to Write a Financial Aid Award Appeal Letter 377
Chapter 37 How to Decide Where to Attend 390
Chapter 38 What to Do If You're Not Accepted Anywhere 393
A Final Request 395
Appendix and Additional Resources 397
College Planning Timeline (a.k.a. What Should I Be Doing Right Now?) 399
Additional Resources for Students, Counselors, and Teachers 409
About the Author 411
