https://www.mindfulapplicant.com

The Mindful Applicant

Writing Mentor and Startup Marketing Intern

July - September 2021 • Boston, MA

What I liked

What seems so simple but what runs contrary to what the world coaxes high school students to believe is that ­they don’t need to pretend to be anyone other than themselves to write a compelling essay; they already have everything they need within them. I won’t overly flatter myself by claiming that my enthusiastic reassurance was life-changing for these high school seniors, but what was especially powerful about my time with TMA was watching, throughout the course of our sessions, this philosophy truly sink in. Though students would often come into the first meeting on guard, like I imagine my eighteen-year-old self would, through the process of talking about their family, their friends, the parts of their life that energized them and made them tick, their tightly secured armor would begin to loosen. As the process of writing the college essay continued simultaneously alongside guided free-writes and they were given the space to simply talk about themselves and what they cared about, they began, eventually, to associate the college process not with the expectations of others, but as a true process of discovery: one that is worthwhile and meaningful no matter where they end up. My mentor was absolutely amazing!

What I wish was different

Not much-- it would've been nice if it was in person but it was remote for COVID.

Advice

Don't be too self-conscious with the students-- trust yourself!
Be the first to mark this as helpful