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WEBINAR REPLAY

Rigor or Burnout? Former Ivy+ Admissions Officers Reveal How to Choose Courses That Actually Help

A practical admissions-reader framework for choosing courses with challenge, clarity, and long-term perspective.

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In this session, former admissions professionals Thomas Caleel, Founder and CEO of Admittedly and former Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at The Wharton School, and Shane Trujillo, former Assistant Director of Admissions at Stanford University and former Associate Director of College Counseling at The Dalton School, explain how admissions readers evaluate academic rigor in context. Together, they show why the highest possible number of advanced classes is not always the strongest choice and how students can build a course plan that supports both academic growth and a compelling application.

This replay is designed to help families replace comparison with a clearer framework. The right course load should challenge a student, reflect their genuine interests, and leave room for sustained learning and growth.

Key Moments

✓ How Admissions Readers Evaluate Rigor in Context: Why AP, IB, and honors course counts do not tell the full story, and how readers interpret course choices alongside a student’s school profile, academic history, interests, and trajectory.
✓ When More Rigor Helps, and When It Becomes Too Much: How to recognize the difference between productive academic challenge and an overloaded schedule that can affect grades, wellbeing, learning, and the rest of a student’s profile.
✓ How to Build a Course Plan That Actually Tells a Story: A practical way to select courses that support real interests, future exploration, and an academic trajectory that feels intentional rather than reactive.

Ready to Take Action?

The webinar gives families a useful framework. The next step is understanding how that framework applies to your student’s actual school, course options, academic strengths, workload, interests, and goals.

If the replay raised questions about how much rigor makes sense, which courses deserve priority, or how to plan ahead without adding unnecessary pressure, a Strategy Call can help you explore whether Admittedly is the right fit for your family.

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Choose challenge with intention.

Admittedly works with students and families who want thoughtful, individualized support through the college admissions process. We help students build academic choices, activities, and application strategies that reflect genuine curiosity, appropriate ambition, and who they are becoming.