u/keithberman — reddlx

Reddit, TikTok, Social Media and College Admissions Talk - ideas?

Hello collected r/CollegeAppsAdvice. I am giving a talk on May 7th on the effect that Reddit, TikTok and others have on students applying to college and their decisions. Largely, it talks about how students use all the noise to figure out how (or if) to actually make a decision.

I have a lot of good screenshots, threads, videos and whatnot but would love it if people on here could share URLS, handles, screenshots or otherwise of the most dramatic, wild, interesting or useful thing they've seen (Reddit preferred but I'll look at it all).

If you are interested in the talk, it is free, online and being hosted by Lumiere Education - registration is required at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gyjrUz1LTW-WzpUU3qzZug.

I have a LOT of materials but I'm realizing I should just ask the community directly!

reddit.com

u/keithberman — 4 hours ago

▲ 3 r/NewMods

1.1k unique visitors in our first week — how to scale without losing the personal touch?

Hi everyone. I’m a long-time professional in the college admissions space, but I’m brand new to the moderator side of Reddit. I recently joined a brand new subreddit (r/CollegeAppsAdvice) to help out, and it just hit 3,400 views and 1,100 unique visitors in the first 7 days.

I’m used to high-touch, 1:1 consulting, so I’ve been manually responding to almost every thread with deep-dive advice. I want to avoid using Automod or heavy-handed filters because the goal is “for honest, high-quality advice on the college admissions process, without the "slop" or spread of misinformation like in other similar subreddits,” but I'm worried about keeping our promise.

How do you keep the advice quality incisive and personal without spending 10 hours a day in the threads? Are there community-led ways to maintain standards that I should be considering? Any help appreciated.

u/keithberman — 3 days ago

▲ 6 r/CollegeAppsAdvice

How competitive are you, really?

There's a lot of guesswork going around on 'what counts in college admissions' – also the name of a talk I gave to over 10,000 people from here to Hong Kong. After a year of calibrating scales, I finally came up with one number that tells you exactly where you stand – that also drives your essay strategy and gives you the kind of evaluative feedback people pay me privately for. I'm opening the Competition Index to 50 juniors today - it's like a chanceme with actual knowledge behind it.

The 522-point CI has direct strategic implications. A shortened version would read:

450+ You are virtually certain to be admitted everywhere

426–450: Use powerhouse strategy, discussed here at https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeAppsAdvice/comments/1sloq0j/comment/ogccaty/?context=3

400–425: Highly competitive at any school with an admission rate below 10%. Essay strategy needs to be right

370–399: In the thick of Ivy+ competition – application becomes huge

360–369: Ivy possible, wide net needed, strategy essential

350–359: Need safeties, perfect strategy for Ivy+ or odds go to 0

340–349: Admission to an Ivy+ is unlikely. A strong application can move the needle

330–339: Luck required for Ivy+, need a balanced list

Below 330: This is where honest list-building saves you from a devastating spring. The right schools exist

Join the group, comment in this thread with your region and first-choice college, and I'll DM a code. Limited to 50 people so I can give the feedback real attention. No phone numbers or addresses involved.

reddit.com

u/keithberman — 4 days ago

▲ 5 r/CollegeAppsAdvice

I worked in Harvard and Yale admissions and run CTYOnline College Prep. I'm Keith. AMA.

Glad to join this group. I have worked in the Yale and Harvard admissions offices, started and taught the CTYOnline College Prep program, run two high school guidance offices, and trained hundreds of counselors. I am in my 22nd year advising students privately. I use my real name here so you know exactly who is giving you advice.

The same questions come up constantly—in private sessions, on Reddit, and everywhere in between. I built www.trykeith.com to answer them directly. It's designed to tackle three things:

What are your chances in admissions (starting with Ivy+ schools)?
What essay strategy makes the most sense for your profile?
How good are your essays, really, including definitive feedback and next steps?

Glad to be part of what u/BoredPineapple12 is building here. Use this thread to AMA and I will bounce around answering a few every day.

u/keithberman — 5 days ago