SAJEL O. - GECP

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SAJEL O.

Counselor

Education

B.F.A. in Drama

- NYU's Tisch School of the Arts

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Experience

Sajel has over nine years of experience in academic tutoring, test preparation, and college counseling. As a creative from a young age with a dual passion for the arts and sciences, Sajel navigated the application process as a double major in Neuroscience and Acting. Though this pathway proved challenging, Sajel secured admission with scholarships to over 25 of the 30 top conservatories (BFA) and BA programs across the country. After securing a 75% scholarship to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Sajel’s passion for helping students through the nuanced and competitive application landscape was sparked. She has a particular passion for helping students in the arts, as well as those pursuing non-traditional career paths.

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Sajel specializes in college application essay composition and has extensive editing experience. She enjoys helping students hone in on their unique narratives and push past writer’s block to get their individual, compelling stories on the page. Sajel takes a hands-on, bespoke approach to the college application process, successfully mentoring and guiding students toward admission at Ivy League colleges, the UC system, top liberal arts colleges, competitive business programs, highly selective drama/dance/musical theater conservatories, and medical schools. She has also helped students gain top scholarships (including UC Berkeley’s Regents’ scholarship).

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Sajel possesses a wealth of experience in admissions research and extracurricular development and is knowledgeable about the summer programs that can elevate a student’s application. Her philosophy is that every student has a unique voice and story to tell, and she thoroughly enjoys helping students not only highlight that voice but also find the best possible fit in a school.

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Notable Accomplishments

She fronted campaigns for Benefit Cosmetics, Morphe Cosmetics, TOMS and Disney+. You can find her in Sephora and Ulta stores globally!
Sajel attended a prestigious arts magnet high school in Orange County, CA (OCSA) and has had a career in acting for television and film.
She acted in films that have gone on to screen at numerous film festivals.

Fun Facts

She spends her free time hiking around Lake Hollywood, attending LACMA Jazz nights, trying out new gluten-free recipes, and rewatching her favorite movies (shout out to Short Term 12 and In the Mood for Love).
Sajel grew up doing Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dancing, singing opera, and writing poetry.

The College Theater Audition: What Every Applicant Should Know

July 28, 2023

As we all know, the college application process is a doozy no matter what schools/majors you’re considering. There are college visits to make, standardized tests to take, essays upon essays to write, and applications themselves to fill out and submit – all while balancing a full high school course load. It goes without saying that starting this process in your junior year is highly advisable, but that holds even more true if you’re applying to theater programs. The vast majority of the theater departments you’ll want to apply to will require you to not only audition in person with multiple monologues and/or songs, but they will also require you to audition via video before you are granted an in-person audition. This first step is called a “pre-screen,” and many of the preeminent theater programs require it of prospective students as a way to weed out those who the faculty do not feel are ready to compete in a talent pool of their peers. Prospective applicants must find out what specific pre-screen material is required for each school by visiting each school’s respective website. Then, after much preparation, they must perform this material on tape and submit the video to the school per the pre-screen instructions.

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BFA or BA? Which is Right For You?

September 26, 2022

If you want to study Performing Arts in college, the first question to consider is, “Do you want to get a BA (bachelor of arts) or BFA (bachelor of fine arts)?” The answer to that question will dramatically change your admissions process, yet many students do not know the difference and are unsure which is right for them. Though they may sound the same, in practice they offer two distinct experiences. Here, we’ll distinguish between them so that you can make the choice that best aligns with your goals!

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Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision? What They Mean and How To Choose

August 22, 2023

Your head may be spinning with terms like “early decision,” “early action,” “restrictive early action,” and even “early decision II.” You’ll likely apply to some schools by their early deadlines and to others by their regular deadlines — but even within those classifications, the dates of those deadlines vary. Additionally, some schools offer on-campus interviews only after receiving your application, while others require you to sit for a local alumni interview before submitting your application. Still others will even require you to submit “Part One” of their application months before the posted deadline. How do you decide which deadlines are right for which schools? How do you know if you should apply Early Decision, Early Action, or mix and match to get the best of both worlds?

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Crafting a Strong, Unique Personal Statement

September 23, 2022

At a loss for how to sum up the entirety of your identity in a single essay? Discover how to tackle the personal statement in this session - how to brainstorm most effectively, pick the ideal prompt, minimize essay overlap, and make the mundane mare analytical in crafting a unique personal statement.

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