About the author

Lauren Elliott

<p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Lauren Elliott is a former College Admissions Officer who served as a Regional Director of Admissions at the United States Air Force Academy. The Air Force Academy is one of the most selective universities in the country. Only 1 in 12 students gets accepted and the competition is fierce.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; background: white;">She has read and evaluated 20,000+ candidate application packages and understands what service academy admissions and nomination boards are looking for.</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;She knows first-hand&nbsp;what makes a student stand out from the crowd and what mistakes a student should avoid.&nbsp;</span></p>