IF COLLEGE APPS ARE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, CONSULT COHAN-FRENCH!

 Today’s high schoolers have probably heard the word “unprecedented” at every stage throughout their adolescence, entering adulthood in the wake of COVID-19 and coming of age at the same time as Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

For Jody Cohan-French, a college application essay coach (and author and Mammoth second homeowner – Lunch met her at a planning commission hearing), these critical issues have impacted her work significantly. And with University of California application deadlines rapidly approaching, she’s acutely aware of their impact on the youth the coaches. 

“COVID-19 has brought about, in my opinion, a shift – a lot of shifts in the level of concentration, devotion to this process, not taking it as seriously as students before,” she said. “It’s not all of them, but it’s most of them.” 

She’s found this sentiment shared among other coaches and teachers. 

Cohan-French published, “the Write Way into College,” in 2018, a guide on how students can set themselves apart from the masses in their college admissions essays. The writing process, she said, needs an early start and should be treated more like a full course than simply an assignment. Essays for at least UC schools and the Common Application should really be done before the summer ends, she said. 

Aside from private coaching, she’s helped host programs at Mammoth Library in the past to assist students with their college applications. 

But for some reason – maybe diminished student efficacy or logistical issues – attendance in those library programs has dwindled since the onset of COVID-19. In the future, when she has more time, and if she sees interest, she hopes to start a more intensive summer workshop in Mammoth. 

“It was a good turnout one year and then the next year COVID-19 hit,” she said “I did a workshop last year, but there’s always conflicts with the school” 

However, the effects of COVID-19 have had some benefits, too. 

Over the course of her career, Cohan- French has noticed students have become more overwhelmed with stacking their resumes and preparing for college, even while their parents have mellowed out, and the pandemic presented an opportunity for students to delve into their interests. 

“I will ask my students, what do you do for fun?,” she said. “And when I first started doing this, some of them looked at me like, what do you mean? And at least now, more of my students … have answers.” 

Cohan-French’s job is very personal, she said, sometimes requiring students to open up and trust her, keeping a sense of humor but also giving them constructive criticism when there are errors in their writing. So that question, thinking about what is “fun,” is extremely important in finding out not only what to write about, but what colleges are the best fit for each student, she said. 

Some colleges, for example, use prompts that require students to have a specific passion and career goal, while others are more exploratory. Students who don’t know what they want to be at 16 or 17 might be more competitive candidates at the latter. 

“All these essays … It’s about being genuine,” she said. “And when you’re genuine, even a ‘why’ essay is – I don’t want to say easier to write – but it is easier to write if you’re being genuine and you’re writing about something that really floats your boat and you just see it.” 

The essays are meant to show what’s unique about a student, and shouldn’t be applicable to just anyone. If two students could pass the same essay in, the writer hasn’t dug deep enough. 

But the mainstream adoption of AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, which allow users to gain unique, comprehensive written responses within just a few clicks, have really challenged that authenticity, Cohan-French said. 

It eliminates the writer’s voice from their writing, which administration officers pick up on quickly. 

“I think it’s giving students confidence that they don’t need a coach and that this is going to be really easy because they can type in a few sentences and have [the essay] drafted,” she said. 

As a response, she thinks colleges may lean more towards an interview process rather than, or in addition to, the essay requirement. 

Some colleges are already requiring video Q&A prompts to see how the student speaks and acts. 

Nonetheless, college applications are an intense process and can be a lot of stress. And to be successful, students don’t need to play an exotic instrument, have a dramatic background or crazy hobby. It’s all about detail and telling a personal story. 

“[The students] all want to make this world a better place regardless of the field they’re going into, Cohan-French said. “They all want to improve this place, and that gives me hope.” 

Whenever she’s feeling down, she looks at her files and sees all the names of her students, who are hoping to further their education and enact change. And when they get their acceptance letters back, she feels like she’s winning, too.