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519: Storytelling & Identity with Dave Callaham (Part 1 of 3): What it’s Like Writing Marvel Movies, Asian-American Representation in Hollywood, and Advice on Finding Your Voice

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Release Date: 10/22/2024

609: Admission Nutrients (Part 3 of 6: Leadership): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life show art 609: Admission Nutrients (Part 3 of 6: Leadership): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

In Episode 3 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Ethan is joined by Deanna Dixon, the Dean of Admission at Smith College, to dive into leadership and initiative. In their conversation, they get into:  What are a few of the qualities Smith College looks for?  How does their supplemental essay point to their institutional priorities and what they’re looking for in an applicant? Why are leadership and initiative important from Smith’s perspective?  What does she think about ChatGPT? When it comes to equity and leveling the playing field, how does she believe the profession...

info_outline 608: Admission Nutrients (Part 2 of 6: Collaboration): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Raissa Diamante show art 608: Admission Nutrients (Part 2 of 6: Collaboration): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life with Raissa Diamante

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

In Episode 2 of our series on Admission Nutrients, Ethan is joined by Raissa Diamante, the Director  of Admission at Harvey Mudd College, to do a deep dive into collaboration — why is it important to colleges and where does it show up in the application process? Ethan and Raissa get into, among other things: What does the admission review process look like at Harvey Mudd? Why is collaboration particularly important (spoiler: it’s  they look for)? Tips for the supplemental essay (side note: it’s a prompt they’ve kept some version of over the past 15 years) via a brief...

info_outline 607: Admission Nutrients (Part 1 of 6: Intro): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life show art 607: Admission Nutrients (Part 1 of 6: Intro): Important Ingredients for a Well-Balanced College Admission Process—And Life

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Welcome back to the College Essay Guy Podcast! Today, Ethan kicks off a brand-new series: Admission Nutrients — qualities that not only enhance a well-balanced college application but can also contribute to a more meaningful life. In Part 1, Ethan introduces these “nutrients,” breaking down what they are, where they show up in the application, and why they matter. In upcoming episodes, Tom and Ethan will be joined by admission officers from different colleges to take a deeper dive into each one.  In this episode, Ethan shares: What are Admission Nutrients, and what do they reveal...

info_outline 606: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 2): What Colleges Say + My Advice to Students and Counselors show art 606: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 2): What Colleges Say + My Advice to Students and Counselors

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Welcome to Part 2 of 2 of this mini-series on AI in college admission! In our , I interviewed Jen Rubin from foundry10 on how students and counselors are using AI in the college admission process. In today’s episode I’ll get into what colleges have to say, and what I would advise as a result. I’ll get into: My biggest concern with AI… in general (spoiler: it’s much bigger than college applications) My concerns related to AI use in the college application process   Common App guidelines + What colleges have to say around AI use What I believe students might miss out on if...

info_outline 605: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 1): How High School Teachers and Students Use Tools Like ChatGPT show art 605: Navigating College Applications with AI (Part 1): How High School Teachers and Students Use Tools Like ChatGPT

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

In Part 1 of 2 of this mini-series on AI in college admission, Ethan is joined by Jennifer Rubin, Senior Researcher at foundry10 and Principal Investigator of the Digital Technologies and Education Lab. Jen is a first generation college graduate and, like Ethan, she didn't have a ton of support navigating the college application and admission process. When Chat GPT was released, she wondered: How were students actually using these tools for the college essay and application process? And how can we make sure AI becomes a tool for equity, not another advantage for students who already have...

info_outline 604: Inside the Application (Part 5): How to Decide Which College to Attend with Cassidy, HS Senior show art 604: Inside the Application (Part 5): How to Decide Which College to Attend with Cassidy, HS Senior

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast! Many of you have been following Cassidy, a current high school senior, as she navigates the college application process. We've walked through her brainstorming exercises, her personal statement writing, and her supplemental essays. And now, at long last, Cassidy has received her college acceptances. Rather than reading the email she sent me, I replied, "Hey, I know you got your acceptances. What if we do a live reveal on the podcast?" So, I genuinely don’t know yet where she's been accepted. Huge shoutout to Cassidy for agreeing to do this live!...

info_outline 603: Leading Through Chaos: 7 Superpowers for Uncertain Times with Angel Pérez show art 603: Leading Through Chaos: 7 Superpowers for Uncertain Times with Angel Pérez

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Welcome back to the podcast! Ethan is joined today by Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (). Angel has just written a new book on leadership called . It’s written for leaders on college campuses, but the advice he gives is applicable to leaders everywhere, whether you are a college counselor leading in your office, a parent leading in your home, or even a student leading in your school or community. In their conversation, Angel and Ethan discuss: How does Angel define leadership? Why is detachment so important (and how do we do it)? What’s the...

info_outline 602: Roles and Identities Part 2 (for Counselors and Educators): A Framework for Understanding How Your Roles Shape Your Work show art 602: Roles and Identities Part 2 (for Counselors and Educators): A Framework for Understanding How Your Roles Shape Your Work

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

To kick off Season 6, Ethan shares some practical resources based on a new framework he's been exploring.  If you’re a regular listener, you’ll already be familiar with something we call the Roles and Identities List, which is a huge menu of roles (things like “catalyst” and “change-maker” and “party-bringer”) — Ethan has used it as a get-to-know-you exercise with a number of previous guests.  In case you missed it, of this mini-series where Ethan walked through some practical exercises for students and parents based on the Roles and Identities framework.  But...

info_outline 601: Roles and Identities Part 1 (for Students and Parents): A Framework for Exploring Who You’ve Been, Who You Are, and Who You’re Becoming show art 601: Roles and Identities Part 1 (for Students and Parents): A Framework for Exploring Who You’ve Been, Who You Are, and Who You’re Becoming

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

To kick off Season 6, Ethan shares some practical resources based on a new framework he's been exploring.  If you’re a regular listener, you’ll already be familiar with something we call the Roles and Identities List, which is a huge menu of roles (things like “catalyst” and “change-maker” and “party-bringer”) — Ethan has used it as a get-to-know-you exercise with a number of previous guests.  Today’s episode is the first of two where Ethan will dive into a few short, practical exercises for students and parents that can help them figure out things like how...

info_outline 523: Busting College Admission Myths Using Data: Standardized Tests, Rankings, and the Cost of College with Akil Bello show art 523: Busting College Admission Myths Using Data: Standardized Tests, Rankings, and the Cost of College with Akil Bello

The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

In today’s episode, Ethan is joined by Akil Bello to talk about standardized tests, rankings, and the cost of college. They dig into some common misconceptions about college including:  Are most colleges returning to requiring standardized testing scores?  Is it too hard to get into college?  Are highly-ranked colleges better?  Is it true that most colleges now cost more than $100,000 per year to attend?  And more!   Akil Bello is an educator, strategist, researcher, policy consultant, and advocate for equitable access to education. For more than 30...

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More Episodes

In this new three-part series, Ethan sits down with his screenwriter friends to do a deep dive into the creative process, the power of storytelling, and how identity plays a role in both. In Episode 1, Ethan is joined by screenwriter Dave Callaham, known best for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Wonder Woman 1984 and many others.

Dave and Ethan discuss, among other things: 

  • When Dave knew he was a storyteller
  • The “armor” that Dave wears (how he presents physically vs. who he is)
  • What the process of writing Shang-Chi was like, especially when much of the source material included outdated stereotypes and problematic portrayals.
  • Dave’s advice to writers on finding their voice
  • And more

 

Fun fact: You can find the video version of this podcast on the College Essay Guy YouTube channel by clicking here. This is a longer episode format we’re experimenting with, so feel free to use the chapters on the video to skip around, and let us know what you think in the YouTube comments.

Rather than give you the typical bio, Ethan and Dave kick things off with an improv game where Dave shares what he loves and knows a lot about — an activity that is great for brainstorming ideas for the personal statement!

We hope you enjoy. 

 

 

Play-by-Play:

  • 2:02 - Dave plays “I love, I know” – a brainstorming exercise 
  • 3:45 - What was Dave like in high school?
  • 7:46 - When did Dave start writing?
  • 11:08 - When did Dave realize he was a storyteller?
  • 12:12 - What did Dave study in college? 
  • 13:11 - What was it like writing Shang-Chi?
  • 16:57 - Where does “Dave” show up in Shang-Chi? 
  • 28:39 - What is Dave’s writing process like when working on a movie?
  • 32:42 - How is writing for animation different from live-action?
  • 35:14 - How does writing change through the movie process?
  • 39:01 -  How does Dave decide what to write about next? 
  • 51:59 - How important is structure when it comes to screenwriting?
  • 58:30 - The “armor” that Dave wears (how he presents physically vs. who he is)
  • 1:09:33 - What did Dave learn about fight scenes when writing Shang-Chi?
  • 1:16:58 - Dave’s advice to writers on finding their voice
  • 1:24:09 - What did Dave write about in his college essay?
  • 1:29:07 - How much time does Dave dedicate to brainstorming in his writing process?
  • 1:32:30 - If Dave could do college again, what might he do differently?
  • 1:39:20 - Why is representation so important on screen? 
  • 1:44:06 - What is something Dave wants to share about screenwriting?
  • 1:48:50 - What advice would you give to young people who are considering writing for a living?
  • 1:50:32 - Rapid-fire questions 



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