Every Transcript Has A Story ✨
Unconventional Advice to Crush College Applications
All too often, high schoolers like me are entering their junior year, enjoying life, and then,
whoops!
Time to start my college applications!
Normally, what we do is panic and start taking as many extracurriculars and/or begin to apply for jobs that we have absolutely no intention other than to look good on your transcript/resume. But while we are doing that, we start applying to our college applications, we either look like this after we just got accepted into the college of our dreams. . .
. . .or we look like this because we procrastinated to write our college essays or because our transcripts don’t look that great.
But somehow, we make it into a college, get a degree, and life moves on. But not every person goes through that process.
Every Transcript Has A Story.
Sam Hersch’s Unconventional Path
A few nights ago, I had the privilege to speak with Sam Hersch, author of publications such as “Fixed Doesn’t Mean Immobile” & “Signs Of Hope”. He gave me the hard truth about how not everyone is privileged to be able to enjoy the college application process, and where do most high schoolers make mistakes in the college applications process. Thank you, Sam! 🙏🏽
TL;DR of Sam Hersch
- Sam Hersch's LinkedIn
- “Fixed Doesn’t Mean Immobile” Publication
- “Vias” Publication
- Joan Palevsky Award for extraordinary achievement in Classics.
- Bachelor of Arts → BA, Classical & Ancient Studies, 3.71
Discussion + Takeaways 📓
Mindsets! 💭
Having disabilities is not an excuse to persevere and fight for what you want to do with your life.
The earlier you find your passion, take action and actively pursue that. Life will not be able to give you the breakthrough.
Be you & you will be.
But what do colleges look for? 💭
Colleges look for honesty, who can write convincing letters, emails, etc.
Sam was very stressed about college applications. That’s okay, everyone becomes stressed about the process at a certain point.
However, colleges tend to hold you at a different standard than high school standards.
You can take college-level classes, without actually KNOWING what a college-level feels like. That’s what community college is for.
People admit people.
People don’t admit transcripts/resumes.
Some instructors told Sam at a workshop that the UC system does not accept outside letters of recommendation, so Sam had to present them with an obvious picture of who he was. That’s the key to college application success. 🔑
People admit people.
People don’t admit transcripts/resumes.
For students who may have had it rough in high school for whatever reason, Community college is a restart to find your passion and move on with the process.
College Application Q&A! 💭
Ask questions to the college when researching & interviewing the school. Who runs the program? How long are the courses?
20% of college undergraduates are over the age of twenty-five by the time they are admitted to a four-year university because the traditional university is not set up for nontraditional students.
Final Thoughts! 💭
Don’t let your ego grow. If you need help, ask for help. Learn how to network.
Post content to show you are legit.
Dive into a “focus” or “major” when you are certain you want to follow that path.
Trust yourself.
Once again, huge shoutout to Sam → Thank you so much!
