Category Archives: Increasing Admissions Chances

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Your Med School Application—So Strong It Both Gets You In, And Gets You Money 

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I wrote this article on creating a strong med school application at the request of the Harvard Crimson.

You’d love to put together a med school application so strong—that it both gets you in, and gets you money to help pay for med school.

Other students are accomplishing this—you can too.

Do you know the one specific principle that can take an average, dull med school application, and make it so outstanding—so riveting—that it inspires med schools not just to let you in, but to give you money to help pay for med school as well?

Building your application around this one specific principle works—even if you have lower grades and test scores.

Learn this one specific principle, and you can completely revolutionize the content of your med school application.

How do I know this?

Because I’m a professional academic strategist, and I’ve been helping students get into med school for 25 years at my website, getintomedschool.com.

Here, in a nutshell, is my best med school application advice.

In your main med school application essay, focus your efforts on constructing a flawlessly well-reasoned argument in your own behalf.

(I use the word “argument,” but of course I would never want you to sound argumentative. I want you to sound warm, and personal, and human—no question about that.)

In your med school application, think of yourself as a lawyer arguing the most important case of your career.

To do this effectively, you’ll need to know the three component parts of argument that lawyers use when arguing cases in court.

The three component parts of argument start with the letters E, A, and C.

Neglect just one of these three components, and your med school application will feel weak and unconvincing—no matter how many times you rewrite it.

Weave these three components together effectively, though—and you’ll have the med school admissions committee saying, “Wow. This makes absolutely perfect sense. I don’t even have a question about this. It’s totally clear to me that this person should be in medical school.”

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My 1/2-Day Class Changed This Kid’s Life (2-Minute Read)

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It was 8:35 am on a Saturday, and I was standing at a whiteboard in a large classroom—drawing diagrams I’d need for the class I was about to teach. From behind me I heard a young male voice.

“Hi, I’m early. I wanted to say hi to you.”

I turned to see a high school boy who looked vaguely familiar.

“I came early because I wanted to tell you—” he said, looking over at my whiteboard, “I took this class from you before. When I was 12. My mom made me do it.”

We both laughed. But then he grew serious.

“I took this Strategic College Student class when I was 12, and then three years later I was in a bad car accident. I mean—it was bad. I hit my head on pavement.

I wasn’t the same after that. I couldn’t think the same. And I used what you taught me in this Strategic College Student class to get myself back.

Now I’m the captain of the debate team at a large high school, and I’m headed to Yale.

I just wanted you to know.

I came back to take this class again because you said that a lot of kids take this class when they’re 12, and it plants some seeds inside of them. Then they take this class again when they’re 15 or 18—and it really bears fruit. I’m here for the fruit. Can I give you a hug?”

He hugged me. And I swallowed a lump and felt hot tears in my eyes.

I knew that my Strategic College Student class had a reputation for being transformative for students—but I’d never heard this before.

Don’t miss your opportunity to plant seeds—don’t miss your opportunity to harvest fruit.

My 1/2 day Strategic College Student class is now available online for students nationwide. Access it now using the details you’ll find here.

Ideal age to attend this class? Ages 12–26 (and their parents).

Yep—all those people, all in the same room, all at the same time.

What are students saying about this class?

See more student and parent reviews of this class at JeannieBurlowski.com/SPEAKING.

Parents are encouraged, but not required, to attend with their students. Parents, in just 1/2 a day you’ll see your kids’ anxiety levels drop, and you’ll watch their sense of personal power and academic confidence steadily increase.

And you’ll have all the info if your kids ever need a gentle nudge back onto the right track later.

Your child doesn’t want to attend this class? Quick—read my article Should You Pay Your Teen to do Things?

If you’re wondering whether your kid is too young for a class like this, don’t miss my article 7 Reasons Your Middle Schooler Needs A College Study Skills Class.

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Tech School and College? Both—? Wow!

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You’ve heard that two years of tech school education could get your kid straight into a well-paying career as early as age 20.

Still, you hesitate to even suggest it. Mostly because you’ve always thought of your child as college material.

How about this radical idea—doing college and tech school both.

In many states, it’s possible for a student to earn a 4-year college bachelor’s degree and a two-year tech school degree—both—by age 22.

Students who do this can earn extra job qualifications that put them in hot demand for well-paying jobs for a lifetime.

(Plus—help the world overcome its dire shortage of workers skilled in the trades.)

How can students complete both tech school and college by age 22?

tech school

Students, consider this strategy:

1. While you’re still in 10th grade, find out if you can take dual enrollment college courses while you’re in 11th and 12th grades.

Do this, and you could earn two years of high school credit and two years of real college credit at the same time. (In many cases, with the state you live in footing the entire bill!)

Many students who do this are able to walk across their high school graduation stages with 2-year associate’s degrees already completed—debt-free at state expense—while still enjoying the full high school experience.

No one ever asks these high school students if they’re college material—because at age 18 they’re already halfway to the 4-year college completion finish line!

(To learn your state’s rules regarding dual enrollment, google the name of your state along with the words “dual enrollment.”)

If you’re already past 10th grade and you wonder if it’s too late for you to use this strategy, do this.

Whatever age you are now, go to your nearest high school guidance counselor and ask, “Can you help me figure out how I can squeeze the maximum number of dual enrollment college courses into the rest of my high school career?” (Be prepared to argue that AP is not the same as dual enrollment.)

2. Start thinking early on about what kinds of tech school programs might be fun to pursue.

Quit worrying about “following your passion.”

Watch the short video here to understand why “follow your passion” is some of the worst career advice ever.

Go to a tech school near your house and ask what kinds of skilled job training programs they have available. (Tech schools have a wide variety of offerings you’ve likely never thought of before.)

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Easiest Way to Create a Top College Application Essay

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Many of the articles on this website are for parents of students ages 12–26. This article—on how to create a top college application essay—is aimed specifically at high school students. Parents are encouraged to listen in to this advice as well.

Writing a top college application essay can be easy and fast when you follow these steps.

These steps are designed to help you get a top college application essay done confidently, and fast—with as little hassle as possible.

1. Try to complete your college application essay in April of 11th grade if possible.

Or as soon as possible after that.

I’ll explain why below.

college application essay

2. Start by creating one fantastic scholarship application essay using the instructions here.

Do this, and you’ll end up with one application essay that can be used over and over again—for many years—for many different purposes.

You’ll be able to use this essay to apply for over 80 scholarships—with very little time investment.

Reusing this essay as your college application essay is a genius strategy.

(You’ll find my 3-hour video class on how to create this multipurpose essay here.)

3. End your college application essay by saying that you want to develop your greatest talents further while you’re in college.

You do, don’t you? That’s why you’re going.

This sentence helps you to complete the argument that you’re highly focused and capable in key areas right now—but want college to help you grow even further.

4. When you’re asked to choose a college application essay topic on the common app, make your multipurpose essay fit by doing this:

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Debt-Free College Training—Fast and Easy

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Watch just one of the short, succinct video trainings below, and you’ll be on the fast track to getting the kids you love through college debt-free. 

debt-free college

If you’ve got a bright, capable middle schooler or high schooler headed for college—you’re probably wondering, “How are we going to pay for that?”

You’re especially thinking this if your kid isn’t a likely candidate for scholarships, you haven’t saved for college, and you make too much money to get government financial aid. (Or you think you do.)

You absolutely don’t want mountains of student loan debt for the kids you love.

Is there hope for getting your kids through college debt-free?

Yes.

But you’ll need someone to guide you.

Your journey toward debt-free college starts right here, right now.

Watch just one of the short videos below, and you’ll get a jump-start on getting the kids you love through college debt-free, and into jobs they love afterward.

Watch, and then share with the friends who’ll be with you on this journey.

(These fun, informal videos were made in the studio where I record my podcasts, but they are not technically podcast episodes. You can find Episode 1 of my podcast here.)

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Don’t Miss This FREE Debt-Free College Newsletter

It's a Life-Changer for Busy Families—and the Professionals Who Serve Them

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One of the greatest services I provide to the public is my debt-free college newsletter, which you can have delivered straight to your email inbox every Monday morning.

Open this newsletter every Monday, and you’ll keep debt-free college at the top of your mind as your kids (or your clients’ kids) are growing up.

And the best news? This newsletter is free.

debt free college newsletter

If you’re a parent—opening this newsletter every week will greatly reduce the probability that you’ll get so busy driving kids to soccer practice that you forget about this exciting, step-by-step journey we’re on together.

If you’re a financial advisor, guidance counselor, Gallup strengths coach, or admissions consultant—this newsletter will keep you up-to-date and current with any and all changes to debt-free college strategy that come across the landscape.

Subscribe to this debt-free college newsletter now by “signing up for email updates” in the box below.

(And then read down just a little further—so I can make sure this newsletter always gets delivered straight to your primary email inbox.)

Your next step:

Whitelist this newsletter using the clear instructions here.

If you fail to take this extra step, the newsletter may accidentally get misdirected into a folder you never check. This could result in you missing important details—or not being fully up to speed when there are important changes to college financing in the United States.

This could end up costing your family thousands in unnecessary college costs—and it could even be professionally destructive to you if you’re a financial advisor, guidance counselor, or admissions consultant.

Readers of this newsletter get 3 important benefits:

1. Free, 10-minute video training on how to get kids (ages 12-18) through college debt-free in the least possible amount of time. (I’ll email this to you 30 seconds after you subscribe—so you’ll have it today.)

2. A valuable article every week

4. First access to my TRIBE Membership when the doors open next.

This debt-free college newsletter is free, but it’s only available to people who open it.

Open it every Monday.

And if you believe that you’ve subscribed to this debt-free college newsletter before but you aren’t seeing it in your primary email inbox, subscribe once more using the instructions above, and then follow the whitelisting directions here.

I want to help you.

Every Monday morning.

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Could Graduating High School With an AA Degree Hurt a Kid?

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Today I’m writing on topic I never, ever thought I would. Could graduating high school with an AA degree in any way do a student more harm than good? My eyes are bugging out just writing that.

graduating high school with an AA degree

Could graduating high school with an AA degree HURT your kid?

For many moms and dads, one of their proudest parenting moments occurs when their 17-year-old walks across the stage at high school graduation with two years of college already completed. An entire two-year AA college degree already sewn up—entirely at state expense. An amazing, stunning achievement! All while dodging the pitfalls of AP classes—and still enjoying a rich, full high school experience.

Parents who get to experience this proud moment get tingly with excitement thinking of their child confidently diving into third year college courses at age 18, finishing college with a bachelor’s degree at age 20, slashing college bills by half, and having extra years of life before age 22 to tour Europe, volunteer, or start piling up real world work experience that rockets their careers far ahead of their peers. (Making them stellar candidates for grad school or medical school, I might add—if that ever becomes a goal.)

Other parents aren’t so sure.

“Might graduating high school with an AA degree keep my child out of the Ivy League?”

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Elite Education Leads to a Happier Life. True or False? (AUDIO)

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Is it really true that expensive, elite private education is so enriching that it automatically leads to a happier, more fulfilled life after college? What does the research say?debt-free college podcast

Join me, Jeannie Burlowski, for episode 2 of the Launch Your Teens podcast, and you’ll learn 6 jaw-dropping, research-backed facts that just might make you think, “Wow—maybe the Ivy League isn’t such a great idea after all.”

You’ll also learn why “for profit” colleges should be avoided like the plague, and which great colleges are likely to be far better bargains than your local state university.

(9 min.)

You’d rather read than listen? OK, you can do that here!

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Do Families Need to Hire College Consultants? Really?

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To see my article on What Nobody’s Saying About the College Admissions Scandal, click here.

The dad sitting by you in the soccer bleachers tells you that he’s not worried about his kids’ college planning—because he’s hired a $5,000 college consultant to engineer the whole thing for him. You wonder, “Is this what parents have to do nowadays? Hire college consultants that cost as much as used cars? If parents don’t hire college consultants, do they shortchange their kids?”

It’s not necessary to hire college consultants—but it can be helpful in some cases.

Here are 10 things parents need to know before they hire college consultants.

hire college consultants

1. College consultants vary wildly in quality.

Some are fantastic, and some are terrible. Many high buck college consultants you see on the internet are simply moms or dads who went through the college application process with their own kids last year, and now they see themselves as experts on college planning and financing.

2. Ask a ton of questions before you pay a dime.

Ask lots of exploratory questions about how long they’ve been in business, and how much of their service includes walking you through strategies that really work to get kids through college debt-free. Ask what career planning tools they use to make sure your kid ends up being employable after college.

3. Be sure to ask your prospective college consultant this critically important question.

Ask him or her to explain to you the two huge changes Barack Obama made to the US college financing system on September 13th, 2015—and how those changes will dramatically affect your kid when he or she is a sophomore in college. If your prospective college consultant can’t answer this question, run away and don’t look back.

4. Look for this very good sign.

If a college consultant hands you a copy of the book LAUNCH: How to Get Your Kids Through College Debt-Free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward and says, “We’re going to be walking through the steps in this book together,” consider that a very good sign. It means you’ll have excellent one-on-one support for the journey, and you won’t miss a single debt-free college or career planning strategy along the way. (College consultants, financial planners, and wealth managers who do this can be found on the “Approved Consultants” tab on this website.)

5. Don’t hire college consultants who tell you this:

Don’t hire college consultants who say, “Oh, we don’t worry about career goal at this point. We’ll just get your son into a good college, and then he can take random college classes to see what he’s interested in. We’ll hope it’ll all come together into some kind of career five years from now.”

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“Oh, No—We’re Late to College Planning!”

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Whether your child is currently in middle school or in high school, you’ve probably had it happen to you: the sudden bolt of electric fear that you might be late to college planning.

Today, I’m going to rush in with the calvary and rescue you from all that.

If you prefer to see me delivering this information on video, I provide fast-paced, 10-minute video training based on  your kid’s age here.

What can you do right now, if you feel like you’re late to college planning?

1. Don’t worry right now that you haven’t saved enough money to pay for college.

Fear and worry can be paralyzing. Some parents feel so fearful about not having planned earlier that they repeatedly put college planning on the back burner.

Don’t be that parent.

Let go of fear and worry over what you haven’t done, and look closely at which clever, creative, easy-to-use strategies you can use right now.

Today, I’m going to give you highly effective debt-free college planning help that will save you both time and money.

2. Don’t jump to the conclusion that a state university will be the bargain answer to all your problems.

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