The Exceptional Applicant

DR. DEBORAH BEDOR CEO, College Admission Central. As one of the nation¿s most beloved and respected college admissions experts and best-selling author of Getting IN by Standing OUT, Dr. Bedor has had the pleasure of coaching and advising top-tier and Ivy League-bound precollege students for the past thirty years, with remarkable acceptance rates. Dr. Bedor works granularly and creatively with each student, from ninth through twelve grade, as a mentor, innovative résumé builder, college application essay consultant, and high school life coach¿structuring and elevating every part of the student¿s college application journey, creating standout candidates for acceptance. Dr. B graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, and has lectured on student entrepreneurship in workshops at both Harvard and Columbia Universities.

PREFACE
How to Read This Book
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: DEVELOPING YOUR EXCEPTIONAL APPLICANT MINDSET
You Do You
The Superhero Student Syndrome
Your Dream Board!
Your Six Make-or-Break College Application Factors
What It Takes to Be an Exceptional Applicant
When to Think Like Alexander the Great and When to Think Like Chesterton
What a Mouse and His Cheese Can Teach Us about the Path to College Acceptance
Your Four-Year High School Timetable: What You Need to Do and When
The Timeline and Reasons for College Application Prep
Why Strive and Achieve for That Best-fit College?
PART TWO: BECOMING A LEADER, A SCHOLAR, AND AN ALL-AROUND EXCEPTIONAL APPLICANT
You as Foxhog
Greg: Bolts
Gabriel: Josué
Lena: DragonHorse Sneakers
Chris: WAVE Speakers
Bobby: Helping Hands, a Community Business
What the Right Mentor or Advisor Can Mean for You
Let¿s Think about What Happens in a Student¿s Weekly Life
Creative Student Projects
World Coffee
Music Business: The Online Booking Manager
The Creative Premed
A Biannual Tech Zoo
Healthcare Policy Advocate
GlassTale: A Recycling Initiative for Hong Kong
A Volunteer Student Marketing Corps for Community Vendors
The Graffiti Grocer
Enamored of Literature: The Big Book of Beloved Vocabulary
Devon¿s ShirtShip
EcoComics
Add Your Missing X-Factors
Does Your Major Matter?
Nurturing Your Exceptional Tilt
Admissions Lessons on Academic Rigor and Exceptional Tilt
Whös a Leader? You¿re a Leader!
Defining Leadership
Admissions Officers Will Ask the Question, Where Is the Thread of Passion?
The Late Bloomers Can Win
The Importance of the Local: Community Service
Some Ideas
The Power Is in Your Hands. What Do You Do When You Have the Power?
Obstacles to Adaptability
Improvising through the Obstacles
Getting into Science Research: A Walk-Through of How to Compete in Science Fairs
You as Science Researcher
Different Areas of Science Research Projects
How to Choose a General Science Research Area and a Specific Topic
Science Research Categories
Suggested Timeline of Activities for a Successful Student Science Research Project
Time Frame for Different Areas of Student Science Research Projects
A Few Examples of Past Student Projects to Get You Thinking about Your Own
Brainstorming for your Research Project
Finding a Research Mentor
Preparation for Reaching Out to a Potential Mentor
Extra Special Tips and Hints to Amaze the Competition Judges
STEM Research Competitions and Certificates
PART THREE: WRITING YOUR WINNING APPLICATION
The Art of the Essay
A Few Literary Devices to Use
Writing Your College Essays
The Personal Statement: What Admissions Officers Say They Want and What They Really Want
Night and Day
The Why Essay: Closing the Deal with Admissions Officers
PART FOUR: ADVICE FROM YOUR MENTORS
Introduction to Higher Mathematics Study and Competition
Your Mentor: Wes Carroll, (MIT), One of the Nation¿s Top Mathematics Competition Coaches
A Crash Course Introduction on Leadership
A Few Techniques of Leadership
Your Mentor: Bo Eason, Former NFL Safety, Houston Oilers
An Introduction to Business Mentoring
Your College Education as a Business Major
Your Mentor: Alec Urbach, (Princeton University), marketing consultant, author, and speaker
Introduction to Computer Science, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence
Your Mentor: Brian Skinner, (Stanford University), Founder, Breakout Mentors, The Personalized Approach for Kids Learning to Code
An Introduction to Debate
Your Mentor: Julian Dotson, President, District of Columbia Urban Debate League
An Introduction to The Value of Music Study
Your Mentor: Pamela Stein Lynde, (Peabody Conservatory), Classical Voice and Composition
Your Mentor: Jessica Meyer, (The Juilliard School), Instrumental Music and Composition
Interviews with Your College Student Mentors
The Best of Princeton (Students from Freshman through Senior Year)
The Best of Harvard (Freshman and Sophomore Students)
The Best of Duke
The Best of Brown University
The Best of Brown PLME (Eight-Year Program in Liberal Medical Education)
Students from a Potpourri of Universities (UPenn, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, Duke, U Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, the UCs, Northwestern, Rice, Bowdoin, NYU, and Vanderbilt)
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PART FIVE: KEEPING THE STRESS DOWN AND THE FAMILY HARMONY UP DURING HIGH SCHOOL!**
A Note Looking Forward to Your College Freshman¿s Mental Health
Finally ... It¿s Not You, It¿s Them
PART SIX: IN CLOSING
Baccalaureate
APPENDIX
A Look into Direct-Med Programs
Sample Questions
How to Prepare before Applications
Details to Know for the BS/MD
Some of the Nation¿s Best and Most Nurturing BS/MD Programs according to My Students
Test Optional / Test Blind: What You Need to Know for a Postpandemic Future