You don’t need to be a future business major to bring some marketing acumen to your application to higher education. Amy and Mike invited marketing professional Stacey Ross Cohen to review how to build a winning brand to ace college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are college admissions and personal branding related? Why is personal branding/digital leadership critical for college-bound students? What are essential steps teens should take to build a strong personal brand? How can college-bound students use social media to their advantage? What other essential life skills are important for high school teens to navigate the college process?   MEET OUR GUEST An award-winning marketing professional who earned her stripes on Madison Avenue and at major television networks, Stacey Ross Cohen excels at taking brands to market and leveraging each client's unique voice for impactful campaigns.   In 1998, Stacey founded Co-Communications, a marketing communications agency serving clients in education, healthcare, real estate, hospitality, economic development, professional services, and nonprofits. Her accolades include Forbes Enterprise, PRSA Practitioner of the Year, City & State NY/Power100, and Crain's New York Business' Notable Leader in Advertising, Marketing, and PR (2023). Stacey recently made her debut on the TED stage, is a contributor at Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post, and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, USA Today, Newsweek, and more.   She holds a BS from Syracuse University, an MBA from Fordham University, and a certificate in Media, Entertainment, & Technology from NYU Leonard Stern School of Business. Stacey is a sought-after speaker and author in the realm of PR, Marketing, and Branding and has delivered talks at Fortune 500 companies and global education institutes. She is a newly appointed adjunct marketing professor at Fordham University. An entrepreneur at heart, Stacey started her first business when she was just 14 years old and is now a member of a prominent angel investor group.  Stacey's best-selling book Brand Up: The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster) is a game changer for teens to stand out and achieve success in our increasingly connected, cluttered, and competitive world. It's packed with exercises, tools, and tips essential to establish a positive narrative and social media presence that can open doors to desired colleges and coveted first jobs. Endorsed by Barbara Corcoran, who calls the book a must-read "to excel at networking, entrepreneurship, in the classroom and the boardroom," Brand Up is available at Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, and Amazon.  Stacey can be reached at https://branduplife.com/ or LinkedIn.  LINKS Brand Up: The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success Brand Up Life RELATED EPISODES FITTING IN AND STANDING OUT AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.