{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"708: On Becoming: The Art and Craft of Personal Storytelling (Ep 7: Robes) with Andrew Callery","description":"Hi, friends, and welcome back to our series, \u201cOn Becoming: The Art and Craft of Personal Storytelling.\u201d In this series, we take a close look at personal essays written by real students, talking about why we love them, what makes them work, and how they came to be.   In this episode, we share an essay that begins: \u201cRobes are the textile version of comfort food; they\u2019re my chicken noodle soup.\u201d And it is indeed about the different robes the student wears and how each one reveals a different aspect of who the author is.  I'm joined today by Andrew Callery, a college counselor at Detroit Country Day School who aside from his work helping his students tell their stories has, for the past 9 years, in his free time volunteered in our Matchlighters Scholars Program, where we pair high-achieving, low-income students with amazing counselors for 10 hours of free one-on-one support. If you are a high-achieving low-income student applying to college this year or are a counselor interested in volunteering, we\u2019d love to have you.  In today\u2019s episode, Andrew and I get into:  Where this idea came from in the first place How the student chose which different sides of herself to focus on How students can briefly weave a learning difference into a single paragraph Two tips for sticking the landing when it comes to the ending of your personal statement If you\u2019re the kind of person who enjoys seeing how things get made, whether it\u2019s a great meal, a film scene, or a piece of writing, I have a feeling you might enjoy this one. Andrew Callery (he\/him) is a graduate of Villanova University (B.A.) and the University of San Francisco (M.A.), where he studied Psychology with an emphasis in counseling. He\u2019s worked in both public and private high schools as a counselor and loves helping students craft essays that are genuine reflections of their lived experience. He uses active listening techniques to help students uncover unique ideas for essays that capture various aspects of their identity, values, challenges overcome and lessons learned, all the while blending in a healthy dose of humor and empathy. Andrew has worked for a number of years as an admissions reader with a highly selective institution, and has read thousands of essays as a result. He's currently working as a full-time college counselor at an independent school near Detroit, where he lives with his wife and two children.  Enjoy. Play-by-Play: 2:47 \u2013 Andrew introduces the \u201crobes\u201d essay and the brainstorming exercise that inspired it. 4:41 \u2013 What are the benefits of brainstorming and \u201cgoing broad\u201d with early ideas? 5:57 \u2013 Andrew reads the essay, \u201cRobes\u201d  11:26 \u2013 What stands out for Andrew in reading the essay today? 12:25 \u2013 How did Andrew help the student identify the core values and life experiences to include in her essay? 17:22 \u2013 How does a simple, relatable metaphor immediately ground the reader in the student's world? 19:40 \u2013 How did the student weave in her experience with dyslexia without making it the central focus of her essay? 23:17 \u2013 What questions can students ask themselves to turn a simple anecdote into a meaningful "so what" moment? 26:02 \u2013 How can students weave in extracurricular achievements without sounding like they are bragging? 31:35 \u2013 How can a student effectively balance personal interests with academic goals in an essay? 35:27 \u2013 How did the student\u2019s love for thrifting from the 21 Details exercise become a metaphor for her interest in sustainable engineering? 39:28 \u2013 How can focusing on the future help a student find the right way to end their essay? 42:32 \u2013 What does Andew  enjoy most about working with students on essays? 44:16 \u2013 Closing thoughts   Resources: \u201cRobes\u201d essay  Admission Nutrients The Roles & Identities Exercise 21 Details Exercise  College Essay Guy\u2019s Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy\u2019s College Application Hub   ","author_name":"The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions","author_url":"http:\/\/collegeessayguy.libsyn.com\/website","html":"