At Story To College, we work with students to achieve their best college admissions results. Last year, Sarah Sutto-Plunz (Bronx Science ’13), was accepted to Columbia & Cornell, among others.
She just finished her first year at Smith College—her first choice and what she calls her perfect match—and I sat down with her to discuss what she’d learned from her successful college application season.
SH: What did you learn from the college admissions process?
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SSP: I learned that I never want to go through it again! [She laughs.] But there are ways to make your life much less miserable and give you peace of mind. Starting early, for one. And knowing when to get help when you need it.
SH: That’s crucial. Was anything in particular scary or exciting during your applications?
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SSP: I took a big risk with my essay, because of the creative license I took in terms of the format and content. (It was a recipe.) My English teacher did not understand it or like it, and it was hard for me to ignore some of her comments! I had to trust I was going in the right direction. In the end, I am so happy I did; Smith sent me an early acceptance letter with a handwritten note from the Dean of Admissions.
SH: Wow! What did it say?
SSP: [Laughs again.] “I loved your Italian dinner table vignette!”
SH: That must have been really great to hear, especially after you took such a big risk. I just want to say, I’ve read your essay, and it’s beautiful. Congrats, again.
Speaking of your essay, you took a Story To College essay course before your applications were due. How would you describe its effect on your application process?
It was a lifesaver. I had been trying to write my college essay and brainstorm ideas for over a month and had essentially gotten nowhere. It wasn’t that I didn’t have ideas, it was just so hard for me to implement them in a way that was not extremely cliché, and I really had trouble getting my thoughts on paper. I just had no idea where to start.
Story To College helped me immensely because I was able to overcome writer’s block and pick a specific moment, a specific story, and actually speak my story, and then learn how to transform it into a piece of writing. It also taught me the tools I needed to write any essay, which was extremely useful while writing supplements. I wanted the course to be longer.
SH: [Laughs.] And you took the five-day course, right?
SSP: Yes! I didn’t want it to end.
SH: You ended up with a number of excellent options. What drew you to Smith?
SSP: I liked the atmosphere that Smith exuded, especially the sense of community afforded by the houses, the people, and its position within the five college consortium. I also knew I’d have a chance to be doing lab research as an undergraduate, which was really important to me. The possibilities for classes feel endless! I also chose it because it’s a women's college. I will admit I had my doubts at first, but after I went to visit I could not help being drawn to the empowering environment. I think it’s really important that students find places that are a good match for them intellectually and culturally. I could not imagine myself anywhere else.
SH: What advice would you give to rising seniors?
SSP: Definitely start early! Brainstorm lots of ideas, and don’t give up too easily. If you find an idea you really like it may take a couple of drafts to figure out exactly the right way to implement it on paper.
I had so many things going on at the same time I wish I had not figured out I really needed help at the last second, and had had the time to calmly think out my essay during the summer when I did not have as much work.
SH: Excellent advice, Sarah. Thank you for your time!
SSP: My pleasure. Thank you!
To hear more of Sarah’s story, join Story To College for a free panel of college students who got into their top choice schools on Thursday, May 29th, at Macaulay Honors College. For more details and to RSVP, click here!
To download the essay that got Sarah a handwritten note from Smith's Dean of Admissions, click here!
Sophie Herron taught high school English in Houston, Texas, as a Teach For America corps member. Since then, she earned her MFA from New York University, where she was a Goldwater Fellow and instructor of Creative Writing. She is a senior instructor and Marketing Manager with Story To College. Her favorite part of teaching is when students discover the stories that make them realize their own potential.
