Meet Diego And Amelie

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I'm Diego. I'm a rising freshman at Yale, and I plan to study global affairs and economics, but paths could change. Yeah. Um, I'm Amelie An, and I'm a rising second-year sophomore at the University of Virginia. And, um, I'm also still figuring out what I'm studying, but planning to do something in the realm of like applied statistics, maybe econ as well. Okay, perfect. I'm excited to hear more about you guys' journey. Was there any particular study habits that each of you have that you find to be most effective for your studying? I think I- Just try to, like, keep my own mental checklist. Like, it... I think a lot of it's just on, like, self-discipline- and developing that, like, need or kinda like your own self-schedule, 'cause different people operate on different things. So I think take freshman year when, like, the course load is really light to figure yourself out, and then, you know, as you get older, this applies for anything, that you'll learn more about yourself, and then- Yeah you find your own habits and ultimately develop a schedule that works for you. Awesome. So building a strong foundation. Yeah. Yeah, I really like that. I do think--

Study Habits That Build Discipline

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I agree that, um, using, like, the early years, like middle school, freshman year, to just get a hang of things and get your rhythm is good. Um, for me, something more practical is, that I really liked using is just, like, take a lot of practice tests, like practice tests or whatever, like, materials you're given, and then from there you can see, like, your weaknesses and your strengths. And then I'd go forth and, like, work on whatever my weaknesses are and then focus on those more. And I... That really helped. Awesome. And then what advice would each of you give to high school students to maintain a strong GPA and select the right courses for them? I think, don't feel like GPA is everything. I think there's this, like, pressure that, especially whether you go to a place like McLean that's... or any competitive public/private school, like, there's this n- societal status that comes with the number. At the end of the day, it's just about your learning, and I found that when I try to focus on, like, what I'm actually learning and the content rather than, like, whatever the number says and whatever my friend's number says- Mm-hmm I took more out of it. And with that, just, like, explore what you like, you know? If you're interested in STEM or humanities, you can lean towards courses in that. But then I would also s- say build a liberal arts foundation and then try to learn everything. And the, like, I didn't take AP Physics C just 'cause I'm not into that. But, like, if you really feel like you can do it, then, then lean into that. Like, I took Comp Gov 'cause that's my strength. And then as you get older, you kind of push into maybe something that you wanna dive into a bit more. Yeah. I would definitely agree with just exploring your interests because I think even for colleges, they like to see you exploring what you like to do instead of just taking all the courses that you think you should be taking. And you also excel better at things that you're passionate about. Mm-hmm. I would say just, like, try your best. Give it your all. Like, you want your GPA to reflect your effort, and most of the times that will happen. And I think GPA, having a good GPA is, like, good foundation for your resume. I think it's, like- It just is a number that I guess shows, like, the strength of your effort. And I would say also on the topic of course selection, just do what you love and explore. I mean, maybe you don't know if you love something, explore it, and I think, yeah, just enjoy learning. Yeah. Yeah. I think that- Yeah that's good advice because I feel like a lot of, like, high school students get, like, tunnel vision- Yeah and they lock in on, "Oh my God, I need a high GPA." Yeah. But I feel like high school is a time to explore- Yeah your interests even though, you know, college is as well, but it's good to- Yeah learn how to explore your interests early on. For sure. Yeah. And then what, um, were some extracurricular activities that were offered at each of your high schools, and were

GPA Pressure And Smarter Course Choices

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there any that you guys participated in? I-- well, McLean at least we had, like, 75-ish to 100-ish clubs. I personally did Model UN, FBLA, and UNICEF, so I lent to more global affairs, international relations, like, volunteer type activities. Mm-hmm. But ultimately, there is a asterisk, I would say, on starting a club 'cause a lot of people now have just, like, beat the horse dead and, like, the same thing with a nonprofit, whatever. But I would say that if your school has something you're passionate about, you know, join that, put your effort, 'cause I think if you have a genuine passion, it'll come across. But otherwise, if there's really, like, a niche that you wanna fill and that it's not there, then, you know, talk with a teacher, talk with some friends, and if you really have the passion, you'll be able to get started. Yeah. I also went to McLean, so I was aware of all these clubs. I wasn't involved in too many clubs. I was definitely-- I spent a lot of my high school years more so on the student athlete side, so- Mm-hmm yeah, a lot of time in tennis and such. But, um, I did participate in, like, um, this thing called McMatics, which was, like, a math tutoring club, and I wanted to get into it because I was really passionate about math, and I also, like, really enjoyed, like, teaching others and sharing this passion for math, and I thought that would be a good outlet. So I really liked that. And then I was on the side of the people who did decide to start clubs with my friends. Um, I started like, a coding club with my friends in freshman year, which we were able to grow pretty well, like, into hosting ha-hackathons and everything, and I think that was really cool to see it grow and, um, see where we could take it. And then I also started a faith-based club because Christianity is a big part of who I am, and I wanted to have an outlet for that at school. Mm-hmm. And yeah. Awesome. That's awesome that you guys had the option to start your own- Yeah clubs too. Um, and then was there any point in time where you had to choose what activity or activities to prioritize? I got lucky. I feel like I always knew I wanted to do something global affairs. I moved around my entire life, so I-- And I didn't like STEM. Like, I wasn't bad at the numbers, but I don't know, I just-- They weren't for me. I, I like talking, so I was like, "Let me do something that I can get in front of people, even if it's a little bit scary." Mm-hmm. So I landed in all three clubs you know, after, like, about two months into freshman year, and I actually never had to pivot. But for a lot of my friends, I know that they had the first year to explore, and I would say, like, freshman year-- And that's the advice I'm getting for college. Just, like, the first year, you know, just do whatever you can. Explore your passions and try different things. Try five, 10 different things, and then when you get to sophomore year, you know, once you figure yourself out, what you really like, what you're good at, then you can kind of pick and choose the two, three clubs- Mm-hmm to maintain in school, and then you also have your commitments outside of it as well. Yeah. Yeah, I would say, um, at least for the first two to three years of high school, I was definitely really focused on, as I said, like tennis. And then I had to like take a moment, I think towards the end of junior year as I was considering college applications, and realize that like, okay, maybe tennis is not the route that I'm able to take for college if I wanna choose something that's more academic that is like a good school. Like, I had the option to play tennis, but then I was like, okay, maybe I wanna go further with academics. So I think I had to make the decision to like take a step back from tennis and als- and I guess you could say like try and build my resume a little more and like show my interest in other areas, and that's when I started putting a little more time into the clubs I was, um, a part of or, um, yes, doing some research on the side to like show my passion. So yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and I think it's so important to be able to recognize like when to take that step back too. Yeah. And looking back, was there anything that you wish you had started earlier or spent more time doing?

Extracurriculars That Show Real Interest

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So I hated the SAT. I'm just gonna just be honest about that. And I actually didn't end up-- Like, I got a 1460. I didn't end up submitting it to Yale or Carnegie Mellon, which is another school I applied to. Granted, I applied, humanities for Carnegie, so my admission was not as impressive as, you know, something for like CS. But I think the biggest lesson that I've learned, and even I'm still learning now, like I had a math placement test that like I didn't study for until the last minute. That was a bit of a doozy. Like I, There's gonna be that sacrifice that you have to make, and I think if you want to be at the top, whatever that means for you, if that means an Ivy League, if that means a T20, a T50, whatever, you have to know that that comes with some sacrifice. And whether it's things like the SAT or, you know, a math test or a subject, you just have to put that first at some point and say- Yeah I'm gonna give a couple days, I'm gonna devote a couple days to studying for it. And then in the long run, you'll feel better off for it, even if in the short term there's a little bit of sacrifice. But that's why they call it a sacrifice, 'cause you gotta put in the work. Yeah. Yeah, I think I was kind of, um, kind of the opposite. I think for me, academics, like exams, SAT stuff, was pretty straightforward for me, and I was really lucky that it kind of comes a little more naturally to me. And I'm really thankful for that. And but for me it was, I do wish I did start a little more of my extracurriculars, like building my resume, building, exploring interests a little earlier 'cause I don't know, I am the oldest child, so I was not too familiar with the college application process. Mm-hmm. And so I didn't really think about it until like the end of junior year, like whenever college application process season started and I was like, "Oh, shoot, I think I need to-" add a little more activities to this." Yeah. And it felt like I was kind of scrambling, but it all worked out in the end- Mm-hmm which I'm very grateful for, and I do believe everything does work out in the end. But um, yeah, I do wish I was, um, able to like you were saying, like you were able to get into clubs freshman year and like maintain that throughout. I wish I w- I was able to do that a little, start maintaining things a little earlier, but- Mm-hmm it is what it is. Yeah. And then do you guys have any advice, um, about standardized test prep, such as the SATs? Yeah, I think you're better off answering this question than I am. I mean- I think I go back to what I was saying for study habits. Like, for me, genuinely, it's just practice test after practice test. I genuinely just, like, did so many practice tests and- to the point where, like, I started to recognize patterns, and I think that's your best bet. And 'cause, like, it's a standardized test. Yeah. It's standardized. They have a formula they follow, and I think if you really wanna excel at it, like, you just have to do it over and over again. Mm-hmm. And then, like for me, I didn't struggle as much on the math side because I'm more STEM focused, so I was like, "Okay, my math is okay. Let me just do reading test after reading test after reading test-" Mm-hmm until I finally started my s- seeing my score improve. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. And then how did you guys decide on your essay topics for college applications? And then how, how long did you work on them before finally submitting? Um, I, a lot of... I did, like, a, a value exercise, so there's no way you can paint your whole physical life in terms of the quantity that you've lived. So what I kinda did was I watched a video from someone named The College Essay Guy, and it was a value exercise where I put down the core values, the whys that are most important to me, you know. Something like, uh, open-mindedness, kindness, loyalty, family. And, like, once you identify the core parts of yourselves, it's a lot easier to build a story around that because that's five keywords. Yeah. It's not a whole life. And then from there, you know, I picked the stories that best align with that. And then I went for a bit of a more collage-y essay, so it wasn't necessarily traditional. It kind of like- Mm-hmm had four different stories that featured into one overall picture. And, you know, with the actual process, it's a lot of... besides the values, it's a lot of writing. I did about, like, four main drafts, but then under each draft you have, like, sub-draft one- Yeah. sub-draft two, sub-draft three. So you just gotta, like, keep writing and... At least for me, like, when I write, I always have this golden moment when I land on the right thing, and I think- Mm-hmm you, you, you just trust yourself, and you keep writing, and you'll find the story, and you're gonna... You know, you share with people around you, and then everyone will be like, "Yeah, this is it." Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think for me, this is definitely

Priorities And The Sacrifices You Make

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going back to one of your other questions, something that I do wish I started thinking about a little bit earlier. Mm-hmm. Um, but Yeah, I think for me, I really, really wanted, um, in this essay to just, like, reflect my character. I didn't have any, like, crazy stories, like any life-changing stories that I c- was like, "Okay, this is my college essay story." Mm-hmm. So I kind of just had to explore, like, kinda along the lines of the exercise you did. Like, what are my core values? What do I wanna reflect to the college application officer? What do I wanna... What do I want them to know about me? Mm-hmm. Um, and I kind of also just wanted to be, like, authentically myself as well- Mm in the essay. Like, if they wanted me, they wanted me. If they didn't, then it's fine. Like, I am myself. And, um, yeah, I also try to think about, like, the core values that I wanted to reflect through it. And, um, I kind of wrote more so on one of my main interests, um, journaling, 'cause I thought that that definitely reflected a big part of myself, um, because I put so much of myself into it. And, um, yeah, I think I definitely... I started with something different. Mm-hmm. And then kind of last minute, I switched to journaling- Yeah. and I, like, completely switched it. So I have, like, maybe a bunch of drafts of the first one that I was like, "This isn't working." Yeah. "This is just not gonna be the best," so I had to pivot, and I think that's another thing. You kind of have to realize, like, this isn't working, pivot. Mm-hmm. Try something new, and it ended up working out. Yeah. So it's okay to pivot if- Yeah you realize something's not working out. For sure. Okay. And then was there any moment throughout the application process that either of you doubted yourself? And if so, how did you overcome that doubt? Uh, maybe this is a bit, like, cocky, but I feel like I, I had this belief in myself where I told myself, "I'm not gonna apply to any college I don't believe I'm gonna get into." Mm. So that came with a lot of research. Like, I didn't apply to MIT. I'm not getting into MIT. You know, they want the STEM Olympians and the geniuses, and that's not something I can offer them. But, you know, this is what I really stress. Like, you're not studying at a college for four years. You're living, you're, you know, embodying the next four years of your life there. So pick a place that you want to live and grow and succeed. Don't pick a place where you wanna study. And I think people get too obsessed with the ranking sometimes. Like, every school on my list was somewhere that I knew I could succeed, I knew I would be happy, even if the results didn't go my way. And once you can kind of do the research, visit the campuses, read about things like student life and culture and frats and things like that, 'cause that stuff matters. Yeah. And then, you know, you develop a really good sense of every single school on your list. And then, you know, if you have the stats or the extracurriculars, whatever, that's great. But if you have the confidence in yourself, just ev- by the end of it, when you have your finalized list, just say, "I can get into every single school on that list." Mm-hmm. And then match that with the effort. And I g- I got lucky. I was able to achieve that outcome. But, you know, I had friends who, who adopted a similar mindset, and they had great results. Yeah. Um, I think for me a moment I kind of doubted myself was, um, I guess that moment I was talking about earlier when I was realizing that I had to pivot away from tennis, 'cause I had put so much time and effort into it and I was like, my plan was to play in college, so I was like, I had kind of had tunnel vision for it and to a point where I didn't really do anything else. Um, so once I started hearing about, like, all my friends and all the extracurriculars they were a part of, their resumes, I was like...

SAT Prep And Finding Your Essay Story

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I started to doubt myself. I was like, "My resume is like half the length of yours. No clue how my s- how I'm supposed to do this." But then I was just like, what's done is done. Um, and right now it just matters, like, what I can do from here on out. Mm-hmm. And I think I just put my all into, like, the one year I had to build that resume, and I, um, just wanted to reflect my passions once again and just- Yeah like do everything that I could instead of just, like, living in that regret or that doubt. And yeah, it worked. Looking back, how did your experience at C2 help you prepare for college, both academically and personally? I think for me, a lot of it was the, the, the academic aspect of it. Mm-hmm. Like, I came from a small town in New Jersey where the academic standard was not as high, and, you know, a lot of the, the resources and support just couldn't translate over, and I think C2 was great for, uh, a lot of, like, maybe it's more so my STEM-based classes. Like, I went a lot for, you know, m-math, calculus, physics, uh, even for, like, you know, things like APUSH or, uh, history. So I really appreciate, like, the thorough academic support and options that they had, and I think knowing that there was a place where I could go to to gain support for my maybe more academic weaknesses and instead of, like, worrying at home, I could take a bit of a breath. You know, I know I have a place to work. I know I have a place to get support, and then when I'm at home, I can focus on either the work that I can do or my strengths and my extracurriculars and my passions. Yeah. Um, I think for me, it was definitely really helpful for the college application process because, as I said earlier, I'm the oldest child, so I didn't have much direction, or, like, my family didn't have too much of a g- an idea of, like, what the college application process is like, what colleges are looking for. Mm-hmm. And so I think C2 really helped me, not only with, like, college counseling in, in a sense, um, where, like, helped me find direction of where I wanna go and, like, how I can get there and also expectations of if I can or can't get there, and then also with the college, um, essay counseling. Um, it was really helpful because I think they also did a similar exercise to what you found online of, like, listing just short words of, like, your core values and then finding stories that reflect that, and I think, um, yeah, that was really helpful. And, and I also kind of just got to just, like, throw ideas out there and throw ideas at someone who, um, had seen people go through the college application process, also knew what college, um, admissions officers are looking for, and then also, like, give me honest advice on, like, is this gonna work or is this not gonna work? Mm-hmm. So yeah. Awesome. And then was there a specific tutor or class or, like, a moment at C2 that made a lasting impact on your confidence or approach to learning? Um, I would say that there's-- Well, there's two. There was... I don't remember her name now, but there was a former writing kind of, uh, she was a teacher there a wh- during my sophomore year, so probably '23, '24, around that time period. And I was applying to a, a Georgetown summer program, and, like, in the, I guess the, the description of the camp is, like, we're more so aiming for, like, underprivileged kids who maybe don't have the chance to go to a summer program like this. And I was like, you know, like, I don't, you know, I'm not, like, I don't own a mega mansion, but I don't come from, like, an underprivileged background either. So I was like, "Gosh, should I try to, like, hide my character? Should I try to, like, fake part of myself? Like, is this even worth applying?" And then she was like, "No, you know, you have so many amazing parts of yourself. You're a global kid. This is a camp for you to learn about global affairs, so showcase that. Don't hide a part of yourself, you know. Just put yourself, uh, 100% out there." And then, like she said earlier, if they're gonna want you, they're gonna take you, and then if it's not for you, then you

Confidence Through College Fit And Support

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put 100% of, of yourself out there. You were genuine. So there's nothing that, that you should worry about anyway. And then the second one was, um, a math tutor named Mr. Ting, who I think for me was, you know, a bit rough around the edges sometimes, but I think he has a real passion for teaching, like whether it be math or physics. And I think when someone loves the subject as much as, as he does, then you kind of get motivated to do the same as well. Yeah. I think for me, one standout experience was I think I had a college essay session with, uh, Mr. Jonathan and, um, he really specializes in that, that stuff and has, as I was saying, like seen so many people go through the process. And I remember just this like one session where it was like, it was just in a room. It was kinda like... I just remember it was kind of dimly lit, so it was like, it felt kind of intimate and I was... He was just like, "Tell me stories of what you could write. Just keep going." And it genuinely felt like a therapy session. I just like started just pulling random stories out and I was like, "I've never told this to anyone." "But like, I'm trying to find an essay to write." And then he was just so like receptive and really good at listening and just like helping me s- choose like, "Okay, you told me this story. What does this reflect about you? Is this what you wanna show to the admissions officers?" And I was like, that was definitely a really standout experience and it really helped me just kind of... It was also really cool to just like reflect on my life and see what stories I could come up with and like, pull out of my life and yeah. I think just the college application essay and just the process in general is just a really, really cool time to just reflect on everything you've lived and experienced. Mm-hmm. So yeah. Awesome. It sounds like they have a, a lot of different options in terms- Yeah of teaching styles- For sure for teachers. And then what advice would you give to current high school student who are, or students who are considering joining C2 to help achieve their academic or college goals? I think, I mean, I know there's different centers depending on the location. I would say maybe go into it just knowing, you know, what you need. Like for me, I, I definitely needed more of an academic support more so than necessarily like the, the ins and niches of the college application process. So going there with like a plan, like, you know, I'm gonna primarily focus on STEM tutoring, which is definitely like the bulk of where my tutoring hours went. And then, you know, just talking with your teachers and, and kind of being very communicative- Mm-hmm with whether that be like, at the time, Ms. Fanny was the, I believe the director of the center that we were working at. So just really knowing yourself and your needs, and then being open about that. Like, if you're not that good at something, it's okay. Like, no one's gonna be perfect. No one's Superman, right? Just, you know, be honest, and then I think

C2 Tutoring Takeaways And Final Advice

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all the teachers there, if you show that honesty, are quite, you know, um, flexible with deadlines, with homework or you know, what you need to get done that day. Yeah, I think, um, I also agree with a lot of that. And then also just, like, don't be afraid to ask questions. They're there to help you, and they're passionate about their subject that they're teaching. They're teaching it for a reason. Like, they're here trying to, um, working to tutor you in, like, in this specific subject. Like, they have a specialty. They've learned it, and they've gone through everything. So just, like, don't be afraid to ask questions. This is the time. Like, questions that you might not wa- might not be able to or might not feel comfortable asking in school or in class, like, this is the time to. Like, just ask them and just know that they, they're there to help you. And I think yeah, and just kind of just put effort into it. I think it's easy to kind of just, like, go to sessions, but a lot of it is also on you to, like, put effort into what they assign you outside of class. And also, like, using your time effectively. Like, you have cert- a set amount of time with this tutor. Like, use them. Yeah. Like, they're there to help you. So, yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you guys so much for joining me on the podcast and sharing your knowledge with us. I wish you both the very best in everything that comes your way in the future. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having us.