Welcome to this month’s edition of College Admission Secrets, your go-to resource for navigating the college admissions journey with clarity and confidence.

In this issue:

• 💭 Coach Tony's Thoughts – Students worry their essays sound cliché, but the topic itself is never the problem. What matters is digging into why the experience mattered and how it shaped you, since depth turns even a common story into something unforgettable.

• 📅 Monthly Action Plan – Seniors finalize college lists and essays, juniors lock in testing and leadership roles, and underclassmen focus on building strong academic foundations.

• ❓ Parent Question of the Month – How Can We Help Our Senior Get Strong and Distinct Recommendation Letters?

• 🏫 Insider College Spotlight – One of the world’s most prestigious science and engineering schools, Caltech combines a 3 to 1 student to faculty ratio with access to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and cutting-edge research. With generous financial aid and a close-knit house system, it offers an elite education in a uniquely collaborative community.

• 💰 Scholarship of the Month – Good Tidings Community Service Scholarship Awards $10,000 to Northern California high school seniors who demonstrate outstanding community service and financial need, with a volunteer commitment in the Winter Wonderland Toy Giveaway.

• 🔥 Quick Admissions Tip – Learn how to build a junior year strategy that combines the right testing timeline with leadership opportunities and overlooked moves that set students apart before senior year.

• 🎯 Hidden Opportunity – September can feel overwhelming, but this checklist breaks the admissions process into simple steps for essays, activities, and deadlines. Families use it to catch up quickly, stay organized, and keep applications moving forward with less stress.

• 📺 Must-Watch Training - UC and Common App Walkthroughs The UC application opened August 1 with subtle but important changes, and our walkthrough highlights the updates, common mistakes to avoid, and strategies to stand out. The Common App has also introduced new sections and design updates for 2025, and this training explains the changes step by step so you know exactly how to complete every part correctly.

No matter where your student is in the process, we are here to help. Let’s dive in!

💭 COACH TONY’S THOUGHTS

Cliche Essays…

This is one of the most common fears I hear from students: “What if my essay sounds cliché?” Let me give you the real answer that might surprise you.

Here’s the thing: When it comes to essays, the story you choose does not matter nearly as much as the reflection behind it. Admissions officers are not keeping a list of “banned topics.” They do not automatically reject essays about sports, music, or leadership. What they are really reading for is the insight behind the story. Why did it matter? What did you learn? How did it shape the way you see yourself or the world?

But here is what most families do not realize: Clichés only happen when essays stay on the surface. If you write about tearing your ACL in soccer and say, “I learned to never give up,” that sounds like every other essay. The surface story is the same. If you go deeper into the frustration of sitting on the sidelines, the identity shift of not being the soccer kid anymore, and the way you discovered patience and mentorship while helping younger players, now the same story feels completely unique. It is not about the event. It is about the lens.

So how do you avoid clichés? I teach students to follow a process. Step one: do not start with the prompts. If you stare at “Describe an obstacle you have overcome,” your brain will grab the first easy example, and that is how clichés happen. Step two: make a quick list of the activities, experiences, and identities that define you. Step three: pick the top four that truly shaped who you are. Step four: tell the story in 30 seconds or less with no extra details. Step five: dig deep with the “annoying five year old” exercise. Keep asking yourself why until you get to the root of what made that experience matter. That reflection is what turns a common story into a powerful essay.

Bottom Line: There are no bad topics. Even the most ordinary stories can shine if you connect them to who you are at your core. And even the flashiest experiences fall flat if you stay at the surface. Admissions officers do not remember the story. They remember the student who told it with honesty, depth, and insight.

📅 MONTHLY ACTION PLAN

Month of August

9th Grade

• Build relationships with teachers and counselors early in the year

• Get involved in at least one meaningful extracurricular activity

• Establish consistent study and homework routines

• Take on an appropriately rigorous course load and track progress

• Explore interests through clubs, volunteering, or sports to start building a foundation

10th Grade

• Register for the PSAT (practice year, no stakes)

• Meet with counselor to review graduation progress and academic path

• Stay consistent with extracurricular involvement and look for new opportunities

• Begin light standardized test prep by reviewing PSAT/SAT basics

• Focus on building strong study habits in core classes to set GPA foundation

11th Grade

• Take September ACT or SAT if registered

• Register for October PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit qualifying test)

• Attend college fairs and information sessions at school or virtually

• Meet with college reps visiting your high school

• Continue refining college list and researching programs of interest

• Build leadership in clubs, activities, or sports as the school year begins

12th Grade

• Finalize Early Action and Early Decision plans and confirm deadlines

• Complete and polish personal statements and supplemental essays

• Request and confirm teacher recommendations

• Register for September/October SAT or ACT if needed for final testing

• Attend fall college fairs and rep visits to demonstrate interest

• Begin preparing FAFSA/CSS Profile documents before October 1 release

❓ PARENT QUESTION OF THE MONTH

How Can We Help Our Senior Get Strong and Distinct Recommendation Letters?

As application season ramps up, many parents wonder how to make sure their child’s recommendation letters truly add value. Too often, every teacher ends up writing the same things, “hardworking, kind, pleasure to have in class.” Colleges already know your student is capable. What they really want are specific examples that reveal qualities the rest of the application cannot show.

Finding the Right Approach

Share the Full Picture – Encourage your student to give recommenders a copy of their activity list, résumé, or application draft. This context helps teachers understand the student’s broader story and avoids generic letters.

Divide the Focus Areas – Guide your teen to ask each teacher to highlight different aspects of who they are. One recommender can focus on academic strengths, another on leadership or initiative, and another on personal character or growth. This way the letters complement one another instead of overlapping.

Provide Supporting Material – A simple “brag sheet” with bullet points or short anecdotes makes it easier for teachers to write with detail. The more specific the stories, the stronger the letter.

Respect the Process – Students, not parents, should make the requests and follow up politely. Your role is to help with organization — tracking deadlines and ensuring gratitude is shown afterward.

Bottom Line: The strongest recommendation packets work like a team. Each letter adds a unique angle that, together, creates a fuller picture of your child. Encourage your student to be proactive and intentional so colleges see them as more than just grades and activities.

📢 INSIDER COLLEGE SPOTLIGHT

Insider College Spotlight: Caltech?

Nestled in Pasadena, California, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) offers one of the most intense and rewarding academic experiences in the world. With fewer than 1,100 undergraduates and a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, Caltech combines elite access to professors with the resources of a global research powerhouse.

Why Consider Caltech?

• Small Size, Big Impact Caltech’s size creates a close-knit, highly collaborative community where students know their professors personally and are often invited into labs from their very first year. Despite its scale, the institute consistently produces Nobel laureates, groundbreaking scientists, and leaders in technology and engineering.

• Unmatched Research Opportunities Caltech operates NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, manages major observatories, and leads projects in seismology, quantum physics, and aerospace engineering. Undergraduates are not sidelined; they are directly involved in research that changes the world.

• A Culture of Bold Innovation Every student begins with a rigorous core curriculum in math, physics, chemistry, biology, and the humanities before specializing. This foundation encourages risk-taking and problem-solving across disciplines. The house system and student-led traditions reinforce a sense of belonging while promoting self-governance and responsibility.

• Academic Prestige Caltech is consistently ranked among the top ten universities in the world, with particular strength in physics, engineering, and computer science. Graduates go on to leading PhD programs, research institutions, and innovative careers in Silicon Valley and beyond.

• Financial Aid Advantage 💰 Caltech is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need. Families earning under $90,000 typically pay nothing for tuition, and generous grants make one of the world’s most prestigious educations more accessible than most families realize.

💰 SCHOLARSHIP OF THE MONTH

Each month, we handpick a favorite scholarship that is currently accepting applications. Here is this month’s scholarship:

Good Tidings Community Service Scholarship

Award Amount: $10,000 award, dispersed evenly over 4 years.

Deadline: November 03, 2025

Eligibility: Open to high school seniors from Bay Area counties including San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano. Students must show financial need, provide a letter of recommendation, and complete the volunteer requirement.

🔥 QUICK ADMISSIONS TIP

Junior Year Launch

Worried about how to make junior year count? From testing timelines to leadership moves, junior year is often the single most important year in shaping college outcomes. Families constantly ask, “When should my student take the SAT?” “How do we stand out without overloading on activities?” “What actually matters before senior year?”

Instead of guessing, why not get real answers directly from admissions experts?

join us for Junior Year Launch training, a live session dedicated to helping juniors position themselves for UC and Ivy success. Whether it is creating a smart testing plan, finding leadership opportunities that actually matter, or understanding how admissions officers evaluate eleventh grade, this is your chance to learn what works.

This is not a pre recorded lecture. It is a guided, interactive training designed to give you strategies you can apply right away. You will leave knowing exactly how to plan the fall, avoid common mistakes, and build the systems that top students use to stay ahead.

The best part is you will also hear the overlooked strategies that other families miss, insights that often make the difference in senior year outcomes.

No more wondering, no more stress. Just clear, actionable guidance to help your student launch junior year with confidence.

Make sure you are subscribed to our marketing emails so you never miss these live sessions and all the resources that go with them.

🎯 HIDDEN OPPORTUNITY OF THE MONTH

The Fall Back on Track Checklist

September can feel overwhelming, especially if your student is worried they are already behind in the admissions process. The truth is, it is not too late to get organized and build momentum with a clear action plan. The Fall Back on Track Checklist provides families with a simple, structured roadmap to catch up fast and move forward confidently.

• Map What’s Left – Break down every remaining deadline into categories like Early Action, UC/CSU, and Regular Decision. Count backwards from each due date to create internal deadlines that prevent last-minute stress.

• Lock Your Essay Strategy – Identify whether your student needs a personal statement, UC PIQs, or supplemental essays, and build a recycling plan to adapt responses across schools.

• Build a Clean Activities List – Highlight depth, commitment, and leadership in the top 5 to 6 activities. Admissions officers skim, so clarity and impact matter more than quantity.

This checklist also covers confirming your college list, organizing recommendations and transcripts, and pacing yourself with micro-deadlines so the process feels doable rather than overwhelming.

Download the complete guide and use the Fall Back on Track system to stay focused, reduce stress, and keep admissions progress moving.

📺 MUST-WATCH TRAINING

New UC & Common App Updates

New UC Application Walkthrough

The UC application opened on August 1 and small changes can create big mistakes if you are not careful. This session walks through each section so families understand exactly what UC readers see and how to avoid common pitfalls.

You will learn how to frame activities and responsibilities for clarity and impact. You will see where students misreport coursework or testing and how to fix it. You will understand how to align PIQ responses with the strengths of your profile without sounding generic.

We also show you how to pace the work in September so Early Action and UC filing do not collide. Simple systems now prevent last minute stress later.

Bottom Line: If you are applying to any UC campus this fall, this walkthrough is essential viewing. You will finish with a step by step plan and the confidence to submit clean, compelling answers.

The Common App updated its design and added new fields that change how information is reviewed. This training takes you screen by screen so nothing gets missed.

You will learn how to report courses, grades, and testing correctly. You will see how to structure the activities section for depth and impact. You will understand the new responsibilities and circumstances area and how to use additional information wisely with tighter space.

We also cover the most frequent errors that cause delays or confusion for private and out of state public schools. You will know what colleges care about and what they ignore.

Bottom Line: This walkthrough removes guesswork and shows exactly how to present your strongest profile on the Common App. Follow the steps and submit with confidence.

ONE QUICK FAVOR

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