How Nihal got into one of the nation’s top universities —

— and what he wishes he’d done differently

Earlier this spring, I sat down with Nihal, a senior who’d come to me for support with his application essays last summer. In our conversation, we celebrated his acceptance to UMichigan (22.9% acceptance rate). 

With a 3.6/4.0 GPA, 1300 SAT score, and a fairly quiet activity sheet, he wasn’t an automatic yes to this top-ranking university.

So, we knew that the essays were going to be the key to giving him the best chance at thriving in the admissions process.

It worked! But it wasn’t just about getting into his dream school. Much more, it was about helping him see how much there was to celebrate about himself.

AND it was also an opportunity to reflect on what he wished he’d done differently earlier in high school.

Read an excerpt from our conversation to learn from Aarav how your own student can thrive in the admissions process  (edited for clarity):

What stands out about our work together?

Elizabeth: So, what are some of the things that stood out for you in the process of our work together, Aarav?

Nihal: Well, for one, the common app essay that we wrote together was a huge thing because that was basically about something I do every day: drinking my mom’s green juice every morning. I never thought that I’d write about that or even talk about it with anybody. But somehow we figured out how to make it about more than just drinking juice. It became a story about how I move through life. So that was pretty cool. And it just kind of surprised me how much we could talk about such simple things like that and still have it be meaningful. 

A celebration of you!

E: Yes! It feels like it was a celebration of you big and small. 

The application process: a huge mountain to climb

N: Definitely. But when we started, it felt like a huge mountain to climb because of how many essays we had to write. Even just filling out each application felt like a huge thing, like an unknown territory. 

E: For sure! So as you look back, what stands out about our work together? How was it to have me alongside you climbing that mountain with you, cheering you on? 

Deep questions: piecing together the full story of each student

N: It was awesome! I think the most beneficial part was talking with you about everything that I’ve done. I feel like our conversations were the most helpful because I learned more about myself. I know I wouldn’t have been able to do that on my own. Because you would ask so many questions about myself and my experiences. And that helped me really piece together the full story of who I am

E: Yeah. I love that. I was talking with a student back in December after she got into her early decision school. And she told me that our work together was kind of like a therapy session. She told me I’d ask questions that she’d never even thought about before and then she’d have to go find the answers in herself. 

N: Yeah, I feel the same way.

E: That’s so beautiful. We had hours and hours and hours of conversations, right? And it was the process of my getting to know you that helped you come to know your story, in a way that made sense to say, “This is who I am, this is what I want to portray.”

N: Yeah, it was like opening up to a whole new person instead of just talking to my friends or family who already know me. With them, you know they already know you, so you think you don’t need to go into any details about certain experiences, when in fact it might be pretty important. 

What does this student wish he’d done differently?

E:  I love that. So as you look back, is there anything you wish you’d done differently with the admissions process? 

Finalize the college list early!

N: Well, one thing I wished I’d done differently is figure out my college list earlier. My parents and I kept changing my list, even right before the early decision deadline. So that made it hard for us to know what supplemental essays to write.

E: Yes! Seeing you struggle with your list made me see again how important it is to get professional support to finalize the right list before you begin your supplemental essays. 

N: Yeah, so if I had to do it all over, I would want to research much more about each school to see if it was the best fit. Because I guess some of the schools on my list weren’t the best match, clearly, since I didn’t get in.

E: Right, because we were just focusing on the essays, and I didn’t help you with your list. I know I gave you some suggestions around how to do deep research into the schools. But if you were going to go back, what would you do differently? 

Deepen the college research!

N: Well, since we couldn’t visit schools because of the quarantine, what I would recommend for anybody else who’s going through this process would be to really get engaged with the school and really enjoy that process of looking through the website and learning deeply about it. Because once you actually enjoy the process, you can more easily understand if a school is a good fit for you. And not just if it’s a highly ranked school but if it really matches YOU.

Important advice for younger students

E: Great suggestion! So, now, as you think back to your freshman self, is there any advice you would give to your younger self?

N: Yes! I would definitely first advise myself to get a little more serious about school. Because it took me to the end of sophomore year to start getting a lot more serious. That’s when I noticed a huge improvement in my grades and participation. And if you want to apply to some of the top schools, keeping your grades strong helps you compete with the other top kids. And then you can go from there since grades are the starting point, not the end goal. 

And secondly, I would say to find something that you really like doing, something you could become really passionate about. And try to find that as early as you can so you can really develop your interests.

E: That’s really great advice. But remember yourself in freshman year of high school? College probably felt like a million years away, right? So how realistically would you inspire yourself, instead of just saying to yourself, “Hey, I should do better in school.” What would actually have helped you, do you think? 

N: I wouldn’t say I’m the best at this, but I would just try to show my younger self the position that I’m in right now, how I’ve completed this whole process. And show them that I would have maybe had a better chance at Cornell if I’d worked harder and found something I was really passionate about earlier on in high school. 

E: Beautiful. Well, it was such a delight working with you, Nihal. Thank you for sharing your experience with us today!

Can you see how the admissions process doesn’t have to be so stressful? When you’ve got the right guide, not only does it lead to so much more than beautiful essays and a yes at a student’s dream school, but most important, it allows students to recognize how much they have to celebrate about who they are and what they have to bring to the world.

Happy writing!