722: Why I Re-wrote My Books (And What You Can Learn from Both)

Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast. Today's a bit unconventional: normally I'm interviewing somebody in the college admissions world, but this time I'm the guest. I spent some time recently rewriting both my books: College Essay Essentials (about 90%, almost a page-one rewrite) and College Admission Essentials (about 40%). After a few people asked me about it at our national conference, I figured it was worth a podcast. In this episode, I walk through: What I've realized about brainstorming in the ten years since I wrote the first edition of College Essay Essentials Why "what colleges want" was conspicuously missing from that first edition, and what I added A different way to think about the personal statement, for students, parents, and counselors alike What I learned after analyzing 300+ supplemental essay prompts this year Practical tips for a few of the most common prompts Where I land on AI and the essay-writing process If you're listening to this before November 10th, 2026, I'll link in the show notes where you can download advance reader copies of both books for free; if you enjoy them, an Amazon review would mean a lot. We hope you enjoy. Play-by-Play: 0:35 – Why did Ethan rewrite both books after ten years? 3:14 – What was rewritten in Ethan's first book, College Essay Essentials? 5:33 – What do the new brainstorming exercises look like, from the Values Exercise to Roles and Identities? 6:15 – Exercise 1: The Values Exercise 6:46 – Exercise 2: The I Love, I Know Exercise 8:13 – Exercise 3: The Essence Objects Exercise 8:48 – Exercise 4: The Random Questions Exercise 9:10 – Exercise 5: The Career Brainstorm Exercise 10:07 – Exercise 6: The Identities Exercise 10:45 – Exercise 7: The Home Exercise 11:09 – Exercise 8: The Roles and Identities Exercise 14:47 – How did researching 300+ college websites lead to the five Admission Nutrients? 20:31 – What are some common phrases from counselors that are well-meaning but could be intimidating or misleading for students at the start of this process? 22:19 – What are some college essay topics that could be more difficult to write well? 31:18 – What is a montage essay, and how can a common topic like soccer still stand out? 36:41 – What was rewritten in Ethan's second book, College Admission Essentials? 38:02 – What did Ethan learn after analyzing 300+ supplemental essay prompts? 42:52 – What should students keep in mind when approaching supplemental essays? 47:16 – How can students brainstorm the "navigating differences" essay using values and needs? 52:50 – Where does Ethan stand on AI and the college essay-writing process? 57:20 – Closing thoughts Resources: Download advance reader copies of College Essay Essentials and College Admission Essentials (free through November 10, 2026) Pre-order College Essay Essentials on Amazon! Pre-order College Admission Essentials on Amazon! Podcast Episodes: 501: What Colleges Want (Part 1): A Deep Dive into the Factors Colleges Deem Important & State of College Admissions Report | College Essay Guy 512: Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Counselor Perspective 513: Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Admission Officer Perspective 514: Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Student Perspective 718: Turning the Tide in 2026: Preparing Students for Lives of Caring and Purpose (with Harvard's Making Caring Common) | College Essay Guy Student and Counselor Resources: 101 College Essay & Personal Statement Ideas to Get You Inspired How to Write an Awesome College Essay on a Common Topic College Essay Guy Brainstorming Exercises Workbook The Values Exercise The Roles & Identities Exercise The Feelings & Needs Exercise I Asked 20+ Admission Officers about Using AI in Your College Application (+ Here's What They Said) Learn How to Write Great Supplemental College Essays College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy's College Application Hub AI Stance Builder Blog Posts: What do colleges look for in students? CEG's College Admission Nutrients (aka The Great College Application Test) How to Use the Roles and Identities Exercise to Write an "Identity/Diversity + How would you contribute" Essay Should I Discuss Mental Health in My Personal Statement or College Application? (And If So, How)? Navigating College Applications with AI: What Colleges Say + CEG's Advice to Students and Counselors Media Recommendations Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist The Last Invention (podcast) If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares