Do you ever feel that knot of anxiety tightening in your stomach just thinking about college admissions? Are you a student wrestling with the fear of rejection, the pressure to be perfect, or the daunting question of “what if I’m not good enough?” Today I want to talk about dealing with this fear and pressure, for both students and their parents when it comes to the college admissions process.
In this episode, I share my own story and the reasons why I coach our students to set big goals, plus I reveal how I shifted my mindset to deal with the pressure and uncertainty – all while growing myself by embracing all the possibilities.
It’s my intention that this gives a perspective shift that will help you and your parents navigate the college admissions process with more confidence, less stress, and a renewed sense of purpose!
Before we get started, for those of you who want to learn more about how we help our students get into their dream Ivy League and Top-tier colleges, you can start with our Free Intro Training at https://passionprep.com/masterclass!
Additionally, we’ve officially launched our PPBC: Self-Paced Online Course. This digital, step-by-step course will help you build a strong college admissions gameplan, select the right extracurriculars, brainstorm & execute your unique Passion Project, create your resume, and much more: https://passionprep.teachable.com/p/ppbc-self-paced-online-course!
Get ready to open your “Congratulations, You’re Accepted!” letter from your dream college! You can reserve your spot for Passion Project Bootcamp 2025 – Waitlist, our 1-year group college consulting program to get you ACCEPTED into your dream college using your passion, strength and potential. We are currently closed but you’ll be notified when we open up this summer https://passionprep.com/ppbcwaitlist/!
As always, if you have questions, please reach out to our support team at info@passionprep.com. Also I’d love to connect with you on Instagram – our Instagram handle is: www.instagram.com/passion_prep.
TUNE IN BELOW:
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:
- The significant anxiety and fear that surrounds the college admissions process for both students and parents.
- My own high school experience with college application anxieties and what happened when I became honest about dropping my extracurriculars.
- Why a mindset shift is so important and the role that mindset books and coaching can play in navigating this stressful period.
- The power of setting big, “scary” goals and how you can use this time as an opportunity for personal growth.
- A student’s story of reframing rejection that illustrates how aiming high can still lead to excellent outcomes.
- How you can get lifetime access to our PPBC: Self-Paced Online Course offering insights and best practices for navigating the college admissions process.
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“Here is how I want you to view this process. Having a goal is really important and we want that goal to be a little bit scary, because if the goal is not really scary to you or it is very easy to obtain, it is not really a goal, it’s something you can just do.”
“More importantly, it’s ‘Who do I need to become? What version of myself do I need to show up as to get into Duke?’ So, there’s an identity shift. We work from a place of identity so if you think you are good enough, and you are smart enough, you will show up that way. If you think you are not good enough and you are not better than somebody else, then you will show up that way. You pick up on that energy from people.”
“So, when we set big goals, we show up for this process differently and we learn to be with fear. We learn to be with uncertainty. We learn to live with the fact that the outcomes, you can’t 100 percent control, but you’re going to do whatever it takes to truly be the best version of yourself.”
LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- [FREE INTRO TRAINING] 5 Proven College Admissions Strategies That Got My Students Accepted Into Ivy League & Top-tier Colleges In 2025
- [SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE] Our Digital Step-By-Step Course That Will Help You Build A Strong Gameplan, Select The Right Extracurriculars, Brainstorm Your Passion Project, & More!
- [PASSION PROJECT BOOTCAMP WAITLIST] Join The Waitlist To Our Signature 1-Year Group College Counseling Program To Help You Get Accepted Into Your Dream Colleges
SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS
If you enjoyed the episode, consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts! You’ll get exclusive notifications when I upload episodes and if I release any bonus episodes, you’ll be the first to know. Click here to subscribe!
If you leave a review on Apple Podcasts, I may also give you a special shoutout–click here to leave a review! Be sure to select “Ratings” and then “Write a Review”, and let me know what you enjoyed the most about this episode or if you have any ideas for a future episode.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Email your suggestions to info@passionprep.com.
Don’t use Apple Podcasts? You can also find us on Spotify and Google Play!
