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Hi! My name is Kate, and I am here to help you! I graduated college at age 19 with no debt... and no, I didn't do an accelerated program in high school.
Instead, I was a lot like most of you.
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I grew up in the Midwestern suburbs. When I reached 12th grade, I had no clue which college was right for me or how to apply. I applied to schools that sounded interesting, but none really fit. When it was time to receive my results, I chose the school that was cheapest.
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When I arrived at the University of Missouri, I decided that it wasn't for me. I was determined to transfer, even though they had given me lots of scholarships and awarded me a research position.
Going through the transfer process, I learned a lot about college applications. I wouldn't have been rejected the first time if I had written my essays correctly, quantified my activities, and more importantly, applied to schools that were actually a good fit.
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While going through the transfer process, I started coaching others on essay writing. I helped several transfers get accepted to UC-Berkeley, Princeton, and UCLA. After realizing I loved coaching people, I started working for a company that helps students in Peru attend college internationally.
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After I worked tirelessly on building my resume and writing over 50 essays, I was accepted as a transfer to Georgetown University, Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern University, and Minerva University. I put down a deposit at Northwestern University to attend in the fall.
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However, I thought about what I actually wanted. I realized I didn't dislike my university. My university provided me with incredible opportunities. I realized I didn't feel like I could learn from my environment by living in the same region I grew up in.
The location was a bad fit, not the education.
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After receiving my financial aid statement from Northwestern, claiming I would pay $120K over the next three years, I returned to my original university and moved to San Francisco.
Because I studied remotely, I was able to finish school faster, make amazing friends, explore the city that was right for me, and save thousands of dollars of tuition.
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I graduated with a major in public administration and policy, a minor in leadership and public service, nominations for the Truman, Rhodes, and Marshall scholarships from my university, and two certificates.
One month after graduation, I started my full-time job in San Francisco making $70K per year at a non-profit I LOVE and bought a two-year-old Tesla.
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