Podcast

NACAC

603: Leading Through Chaos: 7 Superpowers for Uncertain Times with Angel Pérez

Listen Here

SHOW NOTES

Welcome back to the podcast! Ethan is joined today by Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). Angel has just written a new book on leadership called The Hottest Seat on Campus. It’s written for leaders on college campuses, but the advice he gives is applicable to leaders everywhere, whether you are a college counselor leading in your office, a parent leading in your home, or even a student leading in your school or community.

In their conversation, Angel and Ethan discuss:

  • How does Angel define leadership?

  • Why is detachment so important (and how do we do it)?

  • What’s the number one thing Angel believes will lead leaders to success in the future? 

  • What is deep work and why do we love it so much?

  • Lots more.

The advice is practical, given the challenges facing higher education, we believe it’s timely… and we hope you find it useful.

If you haven’t met Angel Pérez, he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). In this role, he represents more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. Named by a Forbes article in 2019 as the most influential voice in college admissions, he strives to build an educational ecosystem that better represents today’s society. Prior to joining NACAC in July of 2020, Dr. Pérez served in secondary and higher education leadership positions across America, most recently, as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Connecticut. He is an advocate for counselors everywhere, an important ally in the work of increasing access to higher education, and I’m so glad to call him my friend.

Play-by-play

  • 2:03 – Welcome and check-in

  • 3:56 – Angel shares what his book is about, why he wrote it, and who it’s for

  • 5:50 – Why is it important to talk about leadership right now? 

  • 9:04 – Superpower #1: The Power of Solitude 

  • 15:23 – Superpower #2: The Art of Detachment

  • 24:00 – Superpower #3: Inspiration through Inclusivity

  • 36:45 – Superpower #4: Mastering Self-Management

  • 42:31 – Superpower #5: The Power of Showing Up

  • 50:24 – Superpower #6: The Power of Focus

  • 54:55 – Superpower #7: Shift Your Mindset

  • 1:04:26 – Getting comfortable saying “I don’t know” 

  • 1:12:57 – Which superpowers do Angel and Ethan want to work on over the next year? 

  • 1:20:07 – Closing thoughts and sharing goals 

Resources

 

511: Identity, Self-care, and the Future of College Admission

Listen Here

SHOW NOTES

In today’s episode, Ethan connects with Angel Pérez (CEO of the National Association of College Admission Counselors) to discuss identity, his personal journey with self-care, and where he sees the college admission profession heading. 

On the episode, you’ll hear Angel and Ethan discuss:

  • Angel’s brainstorming work for his own imagined college essay (yes, really)

  • What Angel’s core values have to do with his self-care journey

  • Strategies and techniques Angel (and Ethan) use for self care

  • How does Angel see the US college landscape (and/or admissions process) changing in the next 5 years? 

Fun fact: You’ll find the YouTube video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel.

Check out last year’s conversation, CEG Podcast Episode 401: Self-care for counselors, leaders, and professionals in helping roles.

If you haven’t met Angel Pérez, he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). In this role, he represents more than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. Named by a Forbes article in 2019 as the most influential voice in college admissions, he strives to build an educational ecosystem that better represents today’s society. Prior to joining NACAC in July of 2020, Dr. Pérez served in secondary and higher education leadership positions across America, most recently, as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Connecticut. He is an advocate for counselors everywhere, an important ally in the work of increasing access to higher education, and I’m so lucky to call him my friend… 

Hope you enjoy this episode. 

Play-by-Play

  • 2:43 - Introductions and welcome

  • 4:15 - Values Exercise

  • 9:13 - Social Identities Exercise

  • 11:47 - What life experiences have influenced Angel’s identities? 

  • 19:58 - How do Angel’s core values connect to identity? 

  • 22:46 - How has self-care for Angel and Ethan evolved since their conversation last year?

  • 27:06 - What are Angel and Ethan still working on for self-care?

  • 33:39 - Accountability, pausing, and intention in self-care 

  • 39:24 - How does Angel see the US college landscape (and/or admissions process) changing in the next 5 years? 

  • 44:14 - How has the ban on race-conscious admission impacted students? 

  • 46:07 - Advice for students 

  • 48:20 - Is college still worth the cost?

  • 50:56 - Advice for counselors and admission professionals

  • 53:23 - Closing thoughts

Resources

 

506: What Colleges Want (Part 6): Demonstrated Interest: What Is it, Why Is it Important, and How Do You Show it? with Dean of Enrollment Christine Bowman

Listen Here

SHOW NOTES

On today’s episode, Ethan is joined by Christine Bowman, Assistant VP for Admission at Southwestern University. In part 6 in our series on What Colleges Want, Ethan and Christine get into:

  • What is demonstrated interest and how do colleges track it? 

  • How important is demonstrated interest to a student’s chance of getting in?

  • How might students find out if a particular school considers demonstrated interest in their admission review?

  • What are some practical ways you can demonstrate your interest to colleges?

Christine Bowman is the Assistant VP for Admission at Southwestern, where she oversees the admission department to set enrollment and retention philosophies. She has a Masters in Higher Ed Administration from UT-Austin, was the Co-Chair for the 2007 NACAC National Conference in and has served two terms as the Chair of the Colleges that Change Lives Board of Directors (see last season’s episode with Ann Marano for more on CTCL’s work). She currently serves on the advisory board of ROCA-NM (Rural Opportunities for College Access) and, with almost 30 years of experience in the admission profession, Christine believes in guiding students to find the right college fit and regularly gives presentations encouraging a stress-free college search process.

We hope you enjoy the conversation! 

Play-by-play

  • 2:15 - What is demonstrated interest?

  • 5:00 - Why might demonstrated interest be important to colleges?

  • 8:22 - What is yield?

  • 11:24 - How can students demonstrate interest for a particular school? 

  • 15:17 - What can colleges track?

  • 18:52 - For whom does demonstrated interest matter most? 

  • 23:47 - How to “break up” with a college

  • 27:05 - What are some practical tips for students as they reach out to a college?

  • 30:10 - How might an admissions officer use demonstrated interest?

  • 32:58 - What ways can students demonstrate interest without visiting campus?

  • 37:24 - What is the difference between early action, early decision, and regular decision?

  • 40:25 - How important is the college interview?

  • 48:10 - What can parents do to support their students during this process?

  • 53:02 - Closing advice for parents, students, and counselors 

ResourceS