Getting Started - Part 4

Level 4 - Highly Selective

Welcome back! This is a continuation of a series focused on providing an entry level understanding on how to get started with getting ready to college.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive series, but if you are looking for a simple way to understand how best to think through the process of getting started, this is the place to start.

Previously, we discussed the importance of identifying your talents, using that to identify the career options that give you the best chance of success, and then identifying the colleges that will provide you the best opportunity to achieve those outcomes.

You can read the latest in part 3 here:

With that in mind, now we focus on the next step: crafting your story.

Part 1: What is a story?

In literary stories, the main character is often defined by the hero’s journey - a well-defined arc where a character, through trial and tribulation, overcomes a challenge and is transformed by the experience.

While not so dramatic, the process of becoming who you want to be is a journey in and of itself.

It is important to understand that achieving a goal is not about an end goal - it is a process that begins with a several steps moving in a given direction to achieve that end.

But what does this mean to you as an applicant?

If you want to run a business, do you imagine simply sitting behind a desk or do you imagine doing something specific? For most people, they imagine doing something specific. It could be running a bar or it could be running a construction business.

The question is - how do you get there?

That is the story that you need to craft if you are going to achieve the outcome.

If this feels a bit hokey, that’s okay. It will make sense in a bit.

Part 2: Why does a story matter?

Everyone remembers a good story - its part of why things like fables exist. They exist to help execute a message.

Become a great storyteller, and you will be able to communicate almost anything to an audience.

But a good story has to make sense. And a college application is no different.

When you apply to a program, college admissions officers want to know why. But this goes beyond college. Whether it is seeking advice from someone on how to enter a given field or it is becoming a lawyer, everyone wants to know WHY.

If your story does not make sense, people question the authenticity of the story.

Don’t believe that? Ask yourself this. Who is more likely to be helped:

• The person who, against all odds, wants to be a doctor and continues to do everything they can to become one (night classes, works as a nurse, etc.)

• The person who is an artist and one day decides they want to be a doctor

There are actual movies about the former. The latter only becomes a story when they prove their commitment through dogged effort.

Understanding your story is KEY to creating the momentum that gets you across the hurdles.