The biggest lesson I learned in high school was how to sell: myself, ideas, opportunities, belief and effort. Whether it was convincing people to show up to my club meetings or begging for an internship, the underlying question was always, “How do I make people care?”
Effectively communicating my goals launched the founding of my videography club, boosted me to Vice President of the Investing/Economy club, secured me business internships with venture capitalists, and accepted me into the nation’s #1 film school. The overarching factor for every achievement was the sales pitch. Even college essays at their core are pitches to admission officers.
Colleges look for impact. More specifically, how many people showed up for your events? Listened to your speakers? What was the caliber of these speakers? How many lives did you impact? Eventually you’ll ask, “Well, how do I get these amazing speakers to care about me?” Unless they’re “Mom” or “Dad,” the answer lies in something that I care deeply about. Storytelling.
During my freshman year in The Talon, I really wanted to become an editor, so I planned to prove to the higher-ups that I deserved the position through action. I went door to door and sold newspaper subscriptions to the Los Altos community. I didn’t have people lining up, begging to hand me their money — instead, I talked to a lot more Ring cameras than I’d like to admit. But I learned how to tell a story, to convince people to invest in a bigger cause: supporting local high school journalism. Through rejection, I grew — and raised over $400 in just three days. All from sharing my story.
How can you take advantage of this? My first piece of advice is to not take rejection too seriously. As a hyper competitive person, I hate to say that you can’t always win, but at the end of the day, getting everything you want 100% of the time would be boring and unrealistic. It’s failure that makes you stronger and smarter — embrace rejection, learn and move on.
My second piece of advice would be to learn how to sell yourself through storytelling. I’m on a Pokémon Discord where people are always buying and selling. What I’ve noticed is that the most effective sellers provide the most details — the most compelling stories beget the most investors.
Thirdly, when tell your story, tell everyone — be vulnerable and honest. When you post on your Instagram story, don’t act like you don’t care. When you’re asking teachers for letters of recommendations, tell them why you want to get into the program.
There’s a certain level of human connection that we all crave. It’s how we decide to care. Stories bring us together, so the more you share, the more human and supportable you become. I truly believe this — as a film and business major, I’m staking my future on the might of narratives. Your story has the power to move people to care, whether it’s about a cause, a case, a charity or a club. Share it!
