SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Please select and register for the three breakout sessions you would like to attend. Below are session descriptions of all the breakout sessions.

HOW TO WRITE GREAT COLLEGE ESSAYS
Tips for success from an insider
ARUN PONNUSAMY
Learn about how to make your college application and essay stand out, from Chief Academic Officer at Collegewise, Arun Ponnusamy, who has reviewed the applications of over 8,000 high school seniors, read approximately 20,000 college essays, and has served on the admissions teams of some of the nation’s most prestigious universities. This session will show students what admissions officers really look for in great college essays, offer suggestions on finding and writing your best story, and offer insight on how applications are evaluated by universities.

BUILDING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
How to tell your authentic and full story in your college application
HAMADA ZAHAWI
With 100,000s of applicants to college each year, high test scores and grades alone are not enough! In fact, one of the most important parts of the admissions process that can help distinguish one student from the rest of the applicant pool is their unique story. However, telling an authentic and effective story requires strong personal branding and the ability to develop life experiences that can help the student become a stand-out applicant. Through the course of the workshop, Hamada Zahawi, an attorney and entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of college admissions consulting company WriteTrack Admissions, will be working with students on how to “Build their story” through key learnings in how to develop important life experiences (academic, social, extracurricular, volunteer), forming a unique narrative (personal brand), and applying the story in a highly creative and memorable college application. Through Hamada’s 10+ years of experience helping 1,000+ applicants, he will leverage his proprietary methodologies to help applicants greatly increase their chance of admissions into their dream school.

SECRETS OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
How do colleges make their decisions?
NOOR HADDAD
A lot of the information students and families hear from friends about getting into college is just plain wrong. So with the help of our Collegewise counselor Noor Haddad, who worked in admissions, we created this seminar to answer the question, “What are colleges really looking for?” Are grades, test scores and activities all equally important? What other factors are considered during the admissions process? We’ll talk about all of those things and take you behind the scenes of a college admissions office to show you exactly how they evaluate and select students, and provide attendees straight answers on how college admissions committees decide who gets in.

HOW TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE DEBT FREE
Understanding financial aid and making the most of it
CATHERINE GRAHAM
It’s time to find out what “FAFSA” means! This session, led by financial aid expert Catherine Graham, will guide students through the college financing process. Catherine will leverage her 30 years of financial aid experience to help students navigate their college financial aid experience. She will cover important topics such as important dates and deadlines, maximizing grants and scholarships, minimizing after college debt, learning how financial aid is determined, discovering colleges with winning outcomes, understanding total college costs, and navigating all financial aid applications!

ADVICE FROM THE INSIDE
A session with Nnamdi, Allyson, and current college students
NNAMDI ASOMUGHA, ALLYSON FELIX
Never underestimate the power of advice from people who were once in your shoes! In this session, Nnamdi, Allyson, and a panel of college students will answer your questions about education and college in general, as well as their personal reflections with respect to their transition to college, the college experience, balancing college and their other responsibilities, following one’s passion, and the paths they took to get where they are. This session will consist entirely of Q & A between the speakers and the audience.

TIME MANAGEMENT:
Inside the Life of a student athlete
HATCHER PARNELL