A New Way to Approach College Admissions in the New Year by Neha Gupta, College Shortcuts ⋆ The Teen Mentor™

Whenever we think about the college application process and admissions, it’s really about highlighting your abilities and excitement for this next chapter in your life. We believe that this process can be fun and great if you have a guide by your side that is just a few steps ahead of you!

1. Starting Early – We believe starting early is everything. Whether you are applying to get an MBA, law degree, med school, grad school or undergrad – starting early in your admissions process can make the entire difference. Over 35% of students hire a consultant or outside help, and 89% of students will have their applications reviewed ahead of time. Having a fresh perspective can help you see things you may not have seen while writing your essays. We are very excited that we are opening our doors to help students at all levels of admissions – where they can get help as a teenager, a young adult, and adult – at any level of dream school or program around the world – and we know that starting early has increased students’ chances of getting in by 10 times than applying last minute.

2. Know Yourself – One of the biggest issues we see with students is that they don’t know their actual strengths and weaknesses – not just in subjects, but in life. After 12 years of development, we have combined personality assessments, career assessments, study habits assessments, to help create a unique assessment for students to truly know who they are – and what programs they should go after based upon their results. Our Dream Directors analyze these results and help them to get to know themselves early on. It has been stated that 80% of Americans hate their jobs, and that is roughly hating 3/4 of your time spent in life, and we believe that our assessments can assist in combating this epidemic so that students can find their passion early.

3. Get Help – So many students find out about us too late, and don’t get the assistance they need. Putting together a compelling application is extremely powerful in the admissions process, and it is why we have created College Shortcuts, MBA Shortcuts, Law School Shortcuts, Grad School Shortcuts, and Med School Shortcuts – because we have seen so many students that were perfectly qualified to get in, but got rejected because they didn’t get the expert advice they needed. I personally like to compare it to the same idea as investing in a realtor when picking the right house or neighborhood, or getting the right mechanic to make sure your car is properly being handled – getting an expert to do this can change the chances of you getting in.

4. Why Standing Out Is Everything – All schools (whether it be undergrad, grad, MBA, Med School, Law School) are looking for one thing – and one thing only: uniqueness. Students fail at what I call “humble bragging” about themselves, and tend to botch this part of the process. Every person has a unique story – and a unique angle – and we believe that getting an expert to help you find your unique angle early on and mentor you through this process of finding more of your passion and authenticity in this process – will result in you standing out. Or, it can be in the application process of taking what you have done, to help craft it in a way that makes you stand out.

5. Do Your Best And Leave The Rest – While this sounds challenging, it has been a motto of my life. I want all students to feel – that when they get expert help, get a mentor to create the best versions of themselves, it helps them to have confidence – and that confidence is attractive in the process. When students are done with us, usually we want them to feel that the universities they are applying to are LUCKY to have them – we believe that reducing their stress and uplifting their spirit, helps them to know they did their best and let go of the expectations and results – and feel proud of themselves.

About the Author: Neha GUPTA is a three-time best-selling author and founder of College Shortcuts. For more information, please visit https://collegeshortcuts.com/about/.