Video summary

chalant asian girl’s guide to college apps | stats, ecs, awards, that got me into Duke, UCLA + more!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

  • Approach college admissions as a planned process, but recognize that final outcomes can feel random. Treat advice as useful—not guaranteed.
  • Start early and manage your workload to avoid stress near deadlines (e.g., don’t write essays while juggling test prep).
  • Organize materials systematically, keep consistency, and avoid time-wasting/negative input sources—specifically social media and community forums.
  • Strengthen your “stats” (test scores, GPA, AP rigor) and communicate extracurriculars and awards effectively.
  • Write the Common App essay early, draft multiple times, and ensure it shows who you are (character and growth), not just achievements.

Methodology / step-by-step instructions (detailed)

General college-app process tips

  • Make a list of all target schools

    • From that list, prioritize schools you plan to apply early.
    • Know the early deadlines for those schools.

  • Organize application materials

    • Use a master folder (e.g., Google Drive).
    • Create subfolders for:
      • Essays you write
      • Requirements that differ by school (including essays per school)

  • Get test scores out of the way

    • Avoid doing essays while also studying for ACT/SAT.
    • Study first to reduce stress.

  • Discipline your schedule

    • Work on applications a little each day.
    • Avoid cramming near deadlines or doing everything daily during winter break.

  • Avoid unhelpful online communities

    • “Hop off” college admissions subreddits/forums (e.g., the Applying to College subreddit on Reddit).
    • Reason given: it can create insecurity and become “addicting,” wasting time.

Academic stats guidance (as shared by the speaker)

  • Testing approach

    • The speaker used ACT only (no SAT).
    • They suggest future applicants consider taking both or at least SAT, noting ACT formatting has changed in the 2025 context.

  • Score targets (speaker’s benchmarks)

    • ACT: aim for ~33 composite or higher
    • SAT: aim for ~1500 or higher

  • How they studied

    • Practice using official ACT practice tests from an ACT prep book.
    • Keep practicing until practice scores consistently reach mid-to-high 30s.
    • Pro tip: ACT English is relatively easier—memorize grammar rules.
    • Overall principle: take more timed practice because the exam is timed.

  • Grades and GPA

    • Grades “matter” less than test scores/stats, but an upward trend is important.
    • Straight A’s aren’t required if trajectory improves.
    • Speaker reported:
      • 4.0 unweighted GPA
      • 4.6 weighted GPA
      • No class ranking, but they believe they were top ~10%

  • AP reporting strategy

    • They took 15 APs but did not earn all 5s.
    • They reported scores selectively:
      • Send scores relevant to your intended majors
      • Send 5s, and potentially 4s if relevant
    • Examples:
      • Pre-med: AP Bio, AP Chem
      • CS: AP CSP, AP CSA
      • Also mentions AP Stats / AP Calc if strong

Extracurriculars (ECs) strategy for Common App

  • How Common App ranks EC importance

    • Common App asks for up to 10 activities, ranked:
      • 1 = most important
      • 10 = least important
    • Don’t feel forced to fill all 10; target is suggested as at least 5 strong ECs.

  • What counts as an EC

    • ECs don’t need to be “huge impact” to matter—hobbies can count if you can explain:
      • what you did
      • the time/effort involved

  • How to write EC descriptions under character limits

    • Each description has about 150 characters.
    • Suggest using abbreviations.
    • Use numbers and include measurable outputs (counts, scale, leadership hours).
    • Include local awards that don’t fit larger “a honors” categories.

  • What to include for each type of EC (example structures)

    • Internship / community project

      • Your role + what you designed
      • Who it helped
      • Distribution numbers (e.g., postcards distributed)

    • Debate / competitive activities

      • Leadership role (e.g., co-captain)
      • Tournament count
      • Coaching involvement
      • State rank/placement

    • Club leadership

      • Position (e.g., president)
      • Officers trained, members recruited
      • Meetings led
      • Major outcomes

    • Research internship

      • Work with professor/undergrads
      • Topics and what you helped organize
      • Cross-disciplinary programs (e.g., physics + art)

    • Arts / music

      • Varsity participation
      • Leadership (e.g., section leader)
      • Other ensembles + lessons
      • Local award

    • Family responsibilities

      • Explicitly count as an EC (caregiving time)

    • Community service organization

      • Meeting frequency
      • Measurable donations/outcomes
      • Recruitment/engagement numbers

    • Sports / social hobbies

      • Participation events with a measurable detail

    • Social media

      • You may include handles in Additional Info
      • In the EC description, include metrics like followers and average views

    • Side hustle

      • Earnings + what services you provided (e.g., photo shoots)

  • Recommendation about ranking

    • They wouldn’t recommend ranking everything extremely high.
    • But if you need to fill spots, you can include additional relevant activities.

Awards strategy

  • What awards to aim for

    • Prefer international/national awards when possible.
    • Otherwise, state/local awards still count.

  • How they described awards (structure emphasized by examples)

    • Writing award: National Council of Teachers of English
    • Art competition with “high merit” ranking (top % among entries)
    • Scholastic Art & Writing:
      • silver key + honorable mention
      • multiple gold keys / silver key updates
    • Debate awards:
      • state semi-finalist multiple years
      • national tournament qualifier multiple times
      • later: state champion with a partner
    • Seal of biliteracy: gold seal for Spanish

Common App essay methodology (step-by-step)

  • Start early

    • Ideally begin as early as summer of junior year.

  • Use the word limit strategically

    • Limit: 650 words
    • Many aim for ~620–630ish

  • Understand the prompts/themes

    • There are 6 prompts; most stay consistent.
    • Categories described:
      • background
      • obstacle
      • beliefs
      • motivation
      • personal growth
      • creative/open prompt (as mentioned: “captivate, and like an open prompt”)

  • Essay purpose

    • Main goal: show character
    • Start early, brainstorm, and write drafts for ideas as they come.

  • Drafting and revision

    • Revise heavily (they claim ~five drafts for one essay).
    • Get feedback from:
      • teachers
      • trusted friends (use caution)

  • Feedback caution

    • Avoid being “too transparent” with friends due to plagiarism risk.
    • Prefer friends already graduated or very trusted people.

  • Make sure the essay personalizes you

    • Humanize yourself.
    • Avoid making it feel like a list of accomplishments.

  • What not to write about

    • Avoid writing about someone else (e.g., a sports injury caused by another person) unless it significantly impacted your life and you can frame it without centering the other person.
    • Avoid essays that focus only on extracurriculars and awards.

Additional brainstorming approach

  • Read high-quality example essays
    • Use strong essays online to generate inspiration and ideas.

Main “profile” data shared by the speaker (example outcomes)

  • Identity/context

    • Name: Lane
    • Status in video: freshman at Duke
    • Application cycle: 2024–2025

  • Schools and intended majors

    • Majors mostly CS or art, including hybrids:
      • Example: “Computing of the Arts” at Yale
      • Example: “Computational Media” at Duke

  • Testing

    • No SAT; ACT composite 34
    • ACT subscores: math 34, science 34, English 35, reading 34

  • GPA

    • Unweighted 4.0, weighted 4.6

  • AP

    • Total APs: 15, with selective reporting of scores (about five reported)

Speakers / sources featured

  • Lane (speaker/creator; freshman at Duke; provides personal guidance and stats)
  • Common App (platform guidelines mentioned for EC ranking and essay word limit)
  • ACT / SAT (testing systems referenced; official ACT practice tests and ACT prep materials mentioned)
  • Reddit / “Applying to College” subreddit (mentioned as something to avoid spending time on)
  • Social platforms referenced: TikTok, Pinterest (for EC description/social metrics)
  • National Council of Teachers of English (writing award mentioned)
  • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (awards mentioned)
  • American Cancer Society (club activity and leadership EC mentioned)
  • American Cancer Society club (speaker’s leadership EC mentioned)
  • Organizations mentioned through EC examples: American Cancer Society / policy debate / Girls Who Code / American Cancer Society club
  • Duke and Yale (schools mentioned as examples)

Original video