The Mindful College Applicant: Cultivating Emotional Intelligence for the Admissions Process

Gr 9 Up–Applying to college can be anxiety inducing, especially for those who hope to attend selective institutions. This pressure-cooker process can seem unnerving, or unfair and somehow rigged. Chiu, who has more than 20 years of experience in university admissions at Ivy League institutions and in leadership and executive coaching and mindfulness training, unpacks college admissions. She covers the basics, debunks myths, offers insider knowledge, and suggests useful emotional intelligence tools to reduce stress. Chiu discusses what happens to each file as applications are screened, the elements that applicants can control, and what is out of their hands. The author cites current and emerging brain science research and draws from her coaching work at Fortune 500 companies, providing mindfulness practices and “brain hacks.”