Aidan and Ash talk all things college essays with one of the most enigmatic thought leaders in Silicon Valley, Umair Khan. Khan is a successful entrepreneur, tech investor, restaurateur, and the author of the book College Application Hacked – which focuses on writing killer personal statements and why college applications should be stress-free. All in this week’s episode of Hold Me Back. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.
College Essays and Why Applying to College Should Be Stress-Free
Aidan and Ash talk all things college essays with one of the most enigmatic thought leaders in Silicon Valley, Umair Khan. Khan is a successful entrepreneur, tech investor, restaurateur, and the author of the book College Application Hacked – which focuses on writing killer personal statements and why college applications should be stress-free. He’s also a visiting professor at UC Berkeley where he teaches entrepreneurship. A two-time MIT graduate, Khan has written essays that have gotten him into MIT (twice), Stanford (twice), Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Brown. This episode covers everything from strong essay examples to a formula for stress-free college applications. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What inspired Umair to write his book?
- Why did he decide to focus on college essays?
- What is the single biggest mistake students make when writing college essays?
- How do you approach writing college essays?
- What are Umair’s thoughts on Early Decision and Early Action?
- How do you come up with a great hook?
- What makes a great college essay?
- How can applying to college be stress-free?
Who was more convincing: Aidan or Ash? Vote at the bottom of this post.
Enjoy the show! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.
Show Notes
- Intro to College Essays
- [0:00] This podcast has been named a Common Sense Selection by Common Sense Media, recognized for its outstanding content for kids and families.
- [0:11] This episode of Hold Me Back is brought to you by Motto. Get started with Motto at Aspen Dental or MottoAligners.com
- [0:41] This episode of Hold Me Back is brought to you by Shutterfly. Go to Shutterfly.com and use the promo code: holdmeback for 40% off your order
- [1:49] Welcome to Hold Me Back
- [1:56] Meet Aidan (Gen Z) & Ash (Gen X)
- [1:59] Where did the idea for a College Essays episode come from?
- [2:59] Umair Khan, College Application Hacked by Umair Khan
- Interview with Umair Khan
- [5:47] How has Umair’s career unfolded?
- [7:34] What does he teach at UC Berkeley?
- [9:09] What inspired him to write his book?
- [9:36] Stanford University
- [11:41] Why did Umair decide to focus on college essays?
- [12:52] What is the single biggest mistake students make when writing college essays?
- [14:14] Marketing
- [16:28] What makes a great college essay?
- [17:42] How can you avoid making mistakes with your college essays?
- [20:19] What are the 7 sins to avoid when writing college essays?
- [23:54] What are some before-and-after examples of college essays Umair’s advised on?
- [26:43] How do you approach writing college essays?
- [28:32] How do you come up with a great hook?
- [30:32] How did Umair write the essay that got him into MIT?
- [37:02] Facebook
- [38:22] This episode of Hold Me Back is brought to you by Shutterfly. Go to Shutterfly.com and use the promo code: holdmeback for 40% off your order
- [39:57] How do you pick a school that loves you back?
- [41:30] Harvard University
- [45:34] What are Umair’s thoughts on Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA)?
- [52:30] How can applying to college be stress-free?
- [58:19] What final thoughts does Umair have?
- Outro
- [1:00:14] College Application Hacked by Umair Khan
- [1:01:01] Thank you for listening! Follow Hold Me Back on HoldMeBack.com and on Instagram & Facebook
- [1:01:06] Leave us a 5-star written review on Apple Podcasts
- [1:01:11] Who was more convincing: Aidan or Ash? Vote below
Thank you for listening to Hold Me Back. To hear more episodes, follow Hold Me Back at HoldMeBack.com.
WHAT IS HOLD ME BACK?
Gen X and Gen Z live together, but we occupy different worlds. As the generational gap widens and conventional wisdom on parenting and education fails, is it even possible to understand one another? In this unique son-and-father podcast, Aidan & Ash ElDifrawi hash out a new contract between generations, forcing them to violate comfort zones on today’s most charged topics: social media and screen time, bullying and loneliness, inequality and privilege, sex and drugs, education and etiquette, even politics, religion, and sports. All to uncover a path toward greater harmony and a hopeful future for the next generation.