The College Metropolis Podcast: College Admissions Talk for High School Students and Parents

#119 – On this episode, we begin a series of episodes about the steps to follow as you make your list of schools to which you will apply. Be begin by presenting academics, social, and affordability, as the 3 areas in which the schools that make you list should provide you a good match. We continue by highlighting the importance of the experience that you will enjoy in a school, as being central to your education. In essence, your college education will be more than the collection of classes you take, and will include all other extracurricular activities carefully drafted by the schools themselves. Jankel and I present the 5 steps that we will present in the following episodes, starting with Step # 1: Uncovering Your Personal Preferences. On this step, we begin by discussing the importance of choosing schools in locations appropriate to you. We describe the differences between urban, suburban, and rural campuses, and the experiences students will enjoy at each. We also present New York University, Villanova University, and Pacific Union College as examples of each. You will find the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. You can help our podcast greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. That kind gesture will go a long way in helping us reach out to more students and parents. Thank you!

#118 – On this episode we continue our conversation about the different types of colleges and universities you will encounter as you prepare to make a list of colleges and universities to which you will apply. Jankel and I begin by discussing the very important issue of affordability. We proceed to uncover different types of colleges, including those that are considered to be elite institutions, liberal arts colleges, women's colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Roman Catholic institutions, and what students will find at conservative or liberal colleges and universities You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That is the best way you can help our efforts. We truly appreciate it! Thank you!

#117 – There will be a time in the life of the college-bound high school student when making a list of colleges and universities will be a priority. The schools in the list will be the ones to which he or she will be sending an application for admission. On this episode, we begin a series of episodes that explores the different types of colleges and universities available to students. Not all colleges are the same. We begin by uncovering the differences between each different type and give you an understanding of what students in those institutions may experience. In truth, there is no institution that is perfect for every student. While some institutions offer a great fit to some students, for other students with different needs and wants, those same institutions may not be ideal. This is an important point to consider because, for some students, attending an institution that is not ideal may prove to be an obstacle to learning. After listening to this episode, you will be able to discern the differences between the different schools, and begin to identify the types of schools that offer you or your kid a better fit. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help our podcast by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. That kind gesture will go a long way in helping us reach out to more students and parents. Thank you!

#116 – Today, we talk about a difficult reality that that many high school students and families experience each year, receiving rejections from colleges that those students aspired to attend. Although rejections (a word I do not like to use in college admissions) are a normal part of the application process, they are never easy to deal with. For the majority of students, applying to college usually comes after hard work and years of dedication throughout high school. By the time they turn in their applications, those students would have gotten to know, and even love, some of the schools to which they apply. Rejections from those institutions comes as a hard blow to those students, and to their parents, who suddenly find themselves witnessing what seems to be the dreams of their kids being crushed. On this episode, Jankel and I share valuable gems from the Forbes magazine article titled, “Parenting the Disappointed College Applicant,” by Brennan Barnard.  We go over some of the most important points in the article, and present them along with our personal and professional insights and observations. And it is those insights and observations that we present as the “7 Points to Help Your Family Take the Right Steps and Come Out Ahead.” As the article mentions, the college admission process is not fair, nor was it meant to be. Rejections are possible and, in some cases, should be expected. However, there are ways to prepare for them, and when they present themselves, there are steps to take to ensure the applicant remains in the right frame of mind and forges ahead. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help us reach other high school students and parents by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. That will truly help us be found more easily in the different podcasting platforms. Thank you!

#115 – On this episode, Jankel and I give you six steps to take and points to consider if you are “waitlisted” by a college or university that you absolutely want to attend. We begin the episode by explaining how a wait list works and how students get selected by from a wait list. Throughout the episode, we uncover the chances you will have to be admitted from a wait list, the steps that can be taken to help yourself if you are ever placed in one, and the ways in which accepting admission from a wait list could end up costing you financially. We end the episode by sharing three actions to take to minimize some of those possible financial costs. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help us increase our reach by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. We will truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#114 – There will be a time, usually a few weeks after you turn in your college applications, when you will begin to receive responses from the colleges and universities to which you applied. The responses may say you have been given admission, placed on a waitlist, or denied admission. On this episode we walk you through the steps you should take for the schools that give you admission. These steps will help you narrow down your choice to the one school, from among the schools that accepted you, that you absolutely feel is the best one for you. Additionally, we talk about the Financial Aid Award Letter that you will receive from each school that gives you admission, and highlight important areas of it that will help you understand how affordable each school will be. We will give you several pieces of practical advice to help you make wise choices. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. We invite you to please give us a 5-star rating and to leave us a positive review on your podcasting platform of choice. In doing so, you would be helping us grow our community. Thank you!

#113 – The reasons why highly selective schools give admission to some students, while rejecting others students who may appear to be better qualified baffles the minds of a great many families each year. On this episode, we present you with the behind-the-scenes activities and processes that highly selective schools follow as they sort through the many applications they receive, and decide on which students will be admitted. We highlight the reasons why there is no possible foolproof formula to gain admission into highly selective school. Jankel and I uncover the term, “Institutional Priorities,” and use it to explain why colleges and universities may look for a slightly different type of students to admit each year. Throughout the episode we make several general statements about what to expect when applying to a highly selective institution. These statements are not meant to dissuade you or persuade you to apply to one. Rather, we make those statements to give information that will help you find the right frame of mind. For example, we state and give the reasons why no student should count of admission to any highly selective school as a “sure thing”, regardless of academic and non-academic preparation. Towards the end of the episode we encourage you to spend the time and energy that is necessary to make a list of colleges that is well balanced, with a number of schools to which you will have a very good chance of admission based on your qualifications, a number of schools to which admission is likely but not sure (50-50), and a number of schools to which admission is a stretch (highly selective schools). We also remind you of the importance of applying to schools that offer “you” a good fit. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. We thank you in advance!

#112 - On this episode, we present advice given by the California Institute of Technology for students seeking admission into selective colleges and universities. We focus on what Caltech says students should do, especially when standardized tests are not part of the admission requirements. We begin by describing what is mean by having great academic preparation, the importance of math and humanities courses for research institutions, and what to do to ensure that your application stands out. This episode is a continuation from the previous episode in which Caltech presented advice on how to prepare during the summer breaks. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help us by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. That will go a long way in helping us other parents and students who will also find this information useful. Thank you!

#111 - On this episode, we provide helpful information for all of you who are interested in applying to highly-selective colleges and universities. Rather than sharing information out of our knowledge and experience, we decided to let Caltech do all the talking. Caltech has a wealth of advice to give high school students on how to best prepare to present yourselves as competitive applicants. Although this advice is being presented by Caltech, they make it available to you so you could prepare for other schools that also have small admission rates. This information is also very helpful in helping you prepare for schools that have selective admission criteria that may not be as strict as that of highly-selective schools. Jankel and I present Caltech's advice on what students should do in their high school summers. That is to say, not just what to do during the summer immediately before applying to college, but during all summers. Additionally, this episode will give you a deeper understanding of what admission officers at schools of the caliber of Caltech will expect to see in each application. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. That kind gesture will go a long way in helping us other parents and students who will also find this information useful. Thank you!

#110 – Today, Jankel and I continue presenting the factors students should condering when selecting the colleges and universities that should make it to their final list of schools. That is the list of schools to which admission applications will be submitted. Additionally, we go over the typical ways in which students select colleges and analyze the pros and cons of each. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. That kind gesture will help us reach many other high school students and parents around the world. Thank you!

#109 – Today, we begin our series of episodes in which we highlight colleges and universities we feel you should know about. These are the institutions we consider to be the gems of our higher education system. On this episode, we present the University of Washington, a highly-recognized research powerhouse. Founded in 1861, the UW is one of the top public research universities in the country. Jankel and I begin by discussing the school's location and information related to its programs and majors. We continue by presenting its great many accolades, including its many high-ranking programs. We also discuss the UW student to faculty ratio and very high retention rate. I continue by providing examples of the great research being conducted at the university. Jankel talks about what it takes to be admitted to the UW by showcasing admission information for the 2021-22 freshman incoming class. We end the episode by discussing the different schools that make up the University of Washington, the vast number of extracurricular activities available to students, and information about Greek life. The UW is a great institution truly focused on making the world a better place and preparing students to make their mark in that process. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help us reach other high school students and parents by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. Thank you!

#108 – Today, Jankel and I talk about the importance of finding the colleges and universities that better meet your needs, as you begin to create the list of schools to which you will apply. We present some of the factors that may be considered, including whether you meet the admission requirements, you are able to afford attending the school, the school offers the programs and majors you are interested in. We also highlight the importance of analyzing whether the campus culture, size, and location meet your needs. Lastly, we talk about the importance of assessing whether the teaching style employed by the faculty is appropriate to you, and whether the school will offer you the type of outside-the-classroom activities that are important to you. We will continue our list of factors to consider in episode #110. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Please help our podcast by giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. We sincerely thank you for your support!

#107 – Today, we present three steps to take after completing the FAFSA. These are easy-to-follow steps that will ensure that you receive your financial aid as soon as possible. Additionally, we walk you through a detailed description of the steps taken to award you need-based and non-need-based financial aid. As the episode progresses, you will gain an understanding of what your Student Aid Report will tell you and what it will not tell you. You will also understand the meaning of Cost of Attendance and your Expected Family Contribution. On this episode, Jankel and I go to great lengths to try to demystify what goes on behind the scenes as your financial aid is processed, and attempt to give you an optimistic outlook, reminding you of the many advantages that will be available to you when it comes to helping you pay for college. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Every link we talked about on this episode will be listed on the episode page. We are grateful that you are part of our College Metropolis community. Please help our efforts by telling others about us, giving us a 5-star rating, and leaving us a positive review. We sincerely thank you!

#106 – On this episode, Jankel and I present the six steps that are necessary to apply for and receive financial aid. We highlight the details of the first two, including, the information that will be necessary to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and how to complete the form. During our conversation, we also discuss ways to avoid mistakes that students and parents can make, which can slow down the process of securing aid. Jankel talks about what to do if your family's financial situation changes after submitting the FAFSA. These steps are very important as they may lead to a change in the amount of financial aid you receive, one that more accurately reflects your current financial situation. We also talk about different family structures and how students can find out which parent's financial information they are supposed to use on the FAFSA. In some cases, the answer may not be as straight forward as it might first appear. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com. Every link we talked about on this episode will be listed on the episode page. We thank you for being part of our College Metropolis community. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That will be very helpful to our efforts and we will truly appreciate it!

#105 – On this episode we present the 10 most common mistakes students and parents/guardians make when filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Although some of these mistakes are easily avoidable, some can be more difficult to catch. We talk about several elements related to applying for financial aid, and highlight the importance of keeping track of the 3 different types of deadlines and applying early. Jankel also gives advice to students and parents/guardians whose Expected Family Contribution may be more than they could afford. She follows her advice with a story in which she helped a close friend lower her family's Expected Family Contribution. You can find the show notes for this episode, including several important links on our website at https://collegemetropolis.com. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving our podcast a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

#104 – Today, we share 4 steps students can take if they find themselves having a low grade point average (GPA), and the time to apply to college is around the corner. The advice we provide today is particularly helpful for students whose dream is to attend a selective college or university. Additionally, we provide 2 alternative ways in which students who do not meet the GPA requirements, may be able to gain admission into selective institutions. You can find the show notes for this episode, including important links on our website at https://collegemetropolis.com. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That kind gesture would help us reach other high school students and parents who are in need of this content. Thank you!

#103 – On this episode, we conclude our 7-part series on the personal essay. Today, Jankel and I begin by introducing the importance of seeking feedback on your 4th draft. We talk about the people in your life who would be great participants in this feedback-seeking exercise. We go over 7 questions to ask those individuals and present ways to gather even more information from them. The resulting 5th draft will undergo an additional adjustment, and the results will be the 6th draft. The only step left to take after that is to have the essay be read by another person, another set of eyes, to ensure that it is mechanically perfect. The resulting 7th draft would be the final essay. Time to celebrate! Please go to our show notes on https://collegemetropolis.com to print a copy of the questions we present on this episode. Please help us grow by giving our show a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We sincerely thank you!

#102 – Today, we reach the next step in crafting the personal essay. Jankel and I uncover the process of calibrating the 3rd draft in such a way that it becomes a message that communicates the intended message. We go over the questions to ask to guide that calibration. In the first half of the episode we talk about a mistake some students make when writing their personal essay. Unfortunately for them, that mistake garners them negative attention from college admission officers. The good news is that it is easy for students to avoid making that mistake. We will tell you all about it. Once the 4th draft is completed, it will be ready to be presented to others for reading and providing feedback. Please go to our show notes on https://collegemetropolis.com to print a copy of the questions we present on this episode. We ask you to please help our show by giving our show a 5-star review on the podcasting platform you use and leaving us a positive review. That will go a long way in helping us be found by others like you. Thank you!

#101 – On this episode we give you 12 questions and pieces of advice that will help you turn the information you created on your second draft into a workable third draft. Jankel and I talk about what to do to grab the attention of the college admission representatives reading your essay, and how to get them to become immersed in your story. As we share those steps you should take and things you should do, we also share plenty of what you should not do as a writer. Some of what you will do as you write your third draft will seem counterintuitive, and may feel as though you will be violating the rules of writing you have learned in high school. We will explain when and how this happens, and why it is okay to do it in your personal essay. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/101. You can help our show greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That is the best way you can help our podcast. We will truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#100 – Today, we uncover the process of turning the first draft of your personal essay into your second draft. Jankel and I go over eight questions to ask about the information on your first draft, so that at the end, you are left with the building blocks you will use to write the body of your personal essay. At the beginning of the episode, we talk about two pieces of advice I often share with parents about some of the ways they could best support their kids in high school. We also let students know how they could use that same piece of advice to benefit themselves in their college preparation. You can find the show notes for this episode, including the eight questions we presented on this episode, at https://collegemetropolis.com/100. You can help us greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That kind gesture will go a long way in helping us reach out to many other parents and students in need of the information we share. Thank you!

#099 – Today, Jankel and I continue giving you insights on how to write your personal essay. We begin by going over the importance of the essay as an integral part of your college application, review the prompts that you will find in the Common App, and highlight the beauty of the essay as the only part of the application  in which you control 100% of the narrative. We also present 10 different topics you should stay away from, or at the very least, be very careful with, when writing your essay. After the midpoint of the episode, we present you with the steps to take to write your first draft. We finish by sharing tips directly from Vanderbilt University on how to write your personal essay. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/99. You can help our show greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That is the best way you can help our podcast. We will truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#098 – Can you believe we are already starting a new school year? On this episode we explore the steps that each high school student should take during the fall to continue their college prep and finish the semester (or trimester) strong. There are timely steps that must be taken each year of high school. These are important because in many instances, the steps to take throughout high school are sequential, meaning that one has to be taken before the next one can be taken. Therefore, missing a step may keep a student from being able to meet the admission requirements for a selective college or university. Today, we talk about the steps each student should take before the winter break. Be prepared to take good notes on this important episode! You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/98. Please help us by giving our podcast a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcasting platform. In doing so, you would be helping our efforts greatly. Thank you!

#097 – On this episode, we continue talking about the personal essay or the personal statement. We begin by reminding you of a few very important facts to keep in mind about the essay, and analyze precisely what it is that you will be asked to do as you tackle this very important component of your college application. Jankel and I continue our conversation by going over the steps to follow when choosing the prompt from the Common App that you will use to write your own personal statement. We provide a vivid example by analyzing the writing requirements for Brown University as they are presented on the Common App. Brown University is an institution that requires both a personal statement and a writing supplement. We end the episode by presenting 17 questions you can answer to help you develop the material you will need to as you answer the prompts from the Common App. You can find the show notes for this episode, including the full list of the 17 questions presented on the episode, at https://collegemetropolis.com/97. You can help our show greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcasting platform. That is the best way you can help us reach a wider audience. Thank you!

#096 - Today, we begin a multi-episode series focused on the personal essay, that is the part of the application where you will have a chance to present yourself in a way that makes a positive and direct impact in your chances for admission into a college or university. That is especially true for the more selective ones, who historically have given more weight to the importance of the personal essay. The episode begins by highlighting the fact that the entirety of the college application will, in some ways, tell a story about you. College admission officers will look at the academic and non-academic components of your application and begin to form ideas about who you are. But, it is on the personal essay, where you, the person who you truly are, have a chance to tell your story in your own voice. This gives you an amazing chance to make a great impression on them. Jankel presents information from the University of Chicago, in which they tell students who are applying directly from high school, exactly how they should write the essay, what they are trying to learn about you as they read your essay, and the great chance this gives you to connect with such a great institution. We give you pointers on the essay, how to approach it, what to do and, in some ways, what not to do when it comes to writing it. We urge you to begin writing it early, be honest, and above all, to not stress about it, but instead see it as a great opportunity to tilt the scales in your favor. The essay is one of your best friends when it comes to your college admission path. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/96. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcasting platform. That would go a long way in helping us be found more easily by other high school students and parents who are also looking for college admission content. Thank you!

#095 – On this, the last episode on our 3-part series, we conclude our list of the 25 skills that every high school student should learn prior to going to college. Jankel and I talk about the importance of taking notes, what to do when you share notes from a classmate, seeking permission from the instructor prior to recording a lecture, and what to do with the recorded lecture. Additionally, we share plenty of personal experiences in the different subjects we present. We conclude the episode by highlighting the importance of asking questions during or after class, socializing and networking with your peers, and taking time to reward yourself. The 25 habits we presented in this and the previous 2 episodes will help high school students as they transition to college. The faster they begin to put these habits to use while in high school, the better they will be able to carry them out in college. You can access the resources mentioned on this episode on our show notes at https://collegemetropolis.com/95. We ask that you please give us a 5-star rating and leave us a positive review. That will go a long way in helping us reach a wider audience. We would truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#094 - Today, we continue on our list of the 25 skills and habits that every high school student should begin to practice in high school so that, by the time they transition to college, those habits and skills are part of their normal way of operating. The quicker students integrate them into their lives, the quicker they will be able to put them into practice while in high school, and the higher the chances they will have to succeed as they transition to college. You can access the resources mentioned on this episode on our show notes at https://collegemetropolis.com/94. As always, please help our show grow by giving us a 5-star rating and by leaving us a positive review. We would truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#093 – The transition from high school to college is one that every student must learn, practice, and prepare for, to do it properly. The sooner that preparation begins in high school, the higher the chances that the transition will be a successful one. There are several expectations that will be placed on new college students by their professors. For example, they are expected to practice self-monitoring, and do everything else that is expected of them, at the college level. While some colleges are better than others at helping students with this transition, it is extremely helpful for students to learn early on, the behaviors and steps needed to take to ensure a successful transition. On this episode, we present the first 10 of 25 college survival skills that we have compiled, to help high school students prepare for college. These college survival skills are some of the steps and behaviors needed for a successful transition. The quicker students learn these skills, and the quicker they put into practice those that are applicable while in high school, the higher their chances will be for college success. You can access the resources mentioned on this episode on our show notes at https://collegemetropolis.com/93. Please help our show grow by giving us a 5-star rating and giving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. We would truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#092 – On this episode we conclude our two-part conversation about extracurricular activities by focusing on the different activities that can be included in the college application. Although we discuss participation in clubs, volunteering, and other similar activities, we focus our conversation on ways applicants could present any jobs they may have had while in high school. The experiences gathered in these jobs could be presented in the application in ways that greatly benefit applicants. We go over several examples of how to do it. Jankel and I also talk about the main reason why students should become involved in extracurricular activities, and what these tell college admission officers about students who actively participate in those activities. We also present the meaning of “Passion” and “Leadership” as it regards extracurricular activities. At the beginning and towards the end of the episode we also cover the admission requirements for the University of Southern California, with a special emphasis on the non-academic requirements. You can access the resources mentioned on this episode on our show notes at https://collegemetropolis.com/92. Please help our show grow by giving us a 5-star rating and giving us a positive review. We would your efforts to help our podcast. Thank you!

#091 – Today, we uncover the admission requirements for Cornell University, focusing deeply on the non-academic factors. For selective universities, high academic achievement is expected and cannot be counted on to differentiate you as a candidate. Rather, it is the non-academic factors of your application that will set you apart. Cornell University, a school with a 10% admission rate, looks for several factors in their applicants, including character, community involvement, and their reasons for choosing Cornell, in addition to intellectual potential. Jankel and I talk about the ways in which selective schools review an applicant's extracurricular activities, and provide you with the reasons why they do it, namely, to gain a good idea of who you are as a person and what is truly important to you as an individual. We go over the importance of having alignment between your college essay, your extracurricular activities, and what you say are your passions. Additionally, we talk about the college interview, the step in the admission process in which questions will be asked about your extracurricular activities. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/91. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcasting platform. That would go a long way in helping us be found more easily by other high school students and parents who are also looking for college admission content. Thank you!

#090 – On this episode, Jankel and I begin by highlighting the ways in which high school students can increase their chances for success by overcoming the inevitable obstacles and challenges that will present themselves throughout the college path. This conversation is, at the core, about personal leadership. As the episode continues, we present honors colleges found within state universities and the many advantages found in them. These give students the ability to enjoy the many benefits of attending some of the largest Research I institutions, while enjoying important advantages usually found only in private institutions. We explore Barret, the Honors College at Arizona State University. We uncover important academic and non-academic information about Barret, including, admission requirements, available housing, research opportunities, and other important advantages. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/90. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. Doing so will make it easier for other high school students and parents to find us. Thank you!

#089 – On today's episode, I present the meaning of the “Summer Melt” and the ways in which it could help you gain admission to college, while at the same time allowing you to negotiate more institutional aid for yourself. Changes in the rules that guide how colleges and universities recruit students now allow colleges to poach students away from other colleges, even after May 1st, commonly known as Commitment Day. This has increased the level of competition among colleges as they seek to fill every available admission slot. I present a couple of ways in which this increased level of competition benefits students greatly. As the episode continues, I discuss the questions that college admission officers at selective colleges ask about your high school and about you to gauge whether or not you challenged yourself as much as you could have while in high school, and to estimate your chances for success in college. Towards the end of the episode, I talk about the number of AP courses students should take if they plan to apply to selective colleges, and facts to consider when selecting the AP courses you will take. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/89. If you would like to communicate with us, you may reach us through the Contact Us section at the bottom of our website, https://www.collegemetropolis.com, or by leaving us a voice message using the Send a Voicemail tab on the site. Please help our show by leaving us a 5-star rating and by leaving us a positive review. That is the best way you can show your support for our podcast. Thank you!

#088 – Today, we explore the admission criteria at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT. We begin by analyzing admission information about the most recent freshman class, highlighting the admission rate, standardized test scores, and other academic and non-academic factors considered by MIT Admission Officers as they offer or deny admission to students every year. This episode centers on the one component of the application that is the most important to MIT. Regardless of academic prowess, if that component is not evident in a student's application, admission to MIT is not given. The information you will learn on this episode will be very important to you because you will be able to utilize it as you apply to the different colleges and universities on your list. At the beginning of the episode, I reminisce about the reasons why The College Metropolis Podcast was created, and ask our listeners to help us grow and reach a wider audience. You can access the resources mentioned on this episode on our show notes at https://collegemetropolis.com/88. Please help our show grow by giving us a 5-star rating and giving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. We would truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#087 - Today, we continue our conversation focused on the most important portions of your college application that will garner the attention of College Admission Officers. Depending on what they find on your application, they will decide to continue exploring your qualifications, or not simply deny you admission to that college or university. On this episode, Jankel and I present a very important way to present yourself in a way that impresses Admission Officers, giving you a great chance to succeed as an applicant. This particular way to stand out is, in fact, extremely important and should be part of your college admission strategy. It is so important that for selective colleges and universities, it carries more weight than having a very high grade point average. We also continue our list of key points to remember as you learn to think as a College Admission Officer, so that with that information in hand, you could give yourself the best chance to succeed. At the beginning of the episode, I share with you some of the heartbreaking stories I have been told by some of the high school students with whom I have had an opportunity to speak. These stories highlight the disadvantage that the vast majority of high school students currently face, namely, navigating the college admission process in high school with very little information or support in school or at home. We present the activities we carry out at The College Metropolis as a way to help our high school students make informed decisions and carry out their college admission goals. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/87. To communicate with us, please reach out to us through the Contact Us section at the bottom of our website, https://www.collegemetropolis.com, or by leaving us a voice message through the Send a Voicemail tab. We reply to each message we receive. Please help our show by leaving us a 5-star rating and by leaving us a positive review. We will truly appreciate that very kind gesture. Thank you!

#086 – This is a very special episode in which I am joined by my son who will share with us some of his observations about a recent trip we took to visit some of the schools to which he will apply. These include, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Santa Barbara. Although his ultimate goal is to do graduate work in vertebrate paleontology, his undergraduate degree will be in geology. The trip was very informative. As the episode progresses, I share ways in which students can learn to think like college admission officers, and in doing so, use that information to help their chances for admission, especially into the more selective schools. While I present the first portion of the application that catches the attention of admission officers, I uncover the three very important questions they try to answer as they explore each application. By the end of the episode, you will know those three very important questions, and you will be better prepared to present yourself in the best light possible. Additionally, I contrast the core course requirements for Virginia Tech and UT Austin, as well as additional requirements for the UT Austin School of Architecture and the Cockrell School of Engineering. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/86. Please feel free to reach out to us through our homepage at CollegeMetropolis.com. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That kind gesture would help us reach other high school students and parents. Thank you!

#085 - This is the third episode in a series that deals with some of the most common misconceptions about college admissions. On the previous two episodes we talked about the fallacy of the “Best-College Rankings” and what research shows is the connection between the level of selectivity of a college or university and the quality of education students receive in those institutions. Spoiler alert, there is no connection! On this episode, we conclude with a presentation of what different types of research show is the one characteristic that all the schools that have allowed students to enjoy the best outcomes is, namely, engagement. I had an opportunity to reminisce about three professors in my college career who were very engaging and played a very important role in the person and the professional I became. They are, Dr. Nabil Razzouk, Dr. Florence Pollard, and Dr. Krone, whose name escaped me during the recording of the episode. Schools that allow for students to connect with professors and the school in meaningful ways, provide students with the best opportunity to succeed. Jankel presents six ways in which engagement happens. We also talk about the importance of engagement as students create a group of questions to ask as they attempt to create a list of colleges to which they will apply. In all, this episode cites 13 different research articles and books written on this subject. You can easily access every resource we mention on this episode by visiting our episode webpage at https://collegemetropolis.com/85. Please help us reach other parents and high school students who may need the information we provide, by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We would be very appreciative and grateful to you for that bit of support. Thank you!

#084 – The perceived complexity of the college admission process makes it easier for students and parents to believe misinformation, as they attempt to gather as much information to do it right. On the previous episode, we debunked the idea that Best-College Rankings are true indicators of the quality of education offered by a college or university. On this episode, we will visit another common misconception, one that has to do with what many expect enjoy as a result of attending a highly-selective college or university. This episode is based on a white paper produced by CollegeSuccess, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. Following the order in which the white paper is written, I will uncover what research shows is the link between attending a highly-selective college and the overall level of preparation a student receives (learning), job satisfaction & general well-being after graduation, and economic opportunity (a salary comparison of graduates of highly-selective colleges and graduates of colleges with open admission policies. Please visit our episode webpage at https://collegemetropolis.com/84 for sources used or mentioned on this episode, including the different research articles mentioned on the episode, and the link to the ChallengeSuccess white paper. Remember, you can help us reach a higher number of parents and high school students by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We will truly appreciate that kind bit of support. Thank you!

# 083 – Today, I uncover the fallacy of common methods of ranking colleges and universities. On any day, it is very common to hear talk about so-called best colleges, top colleges, ranked colleges, highly-ranked colleges, top-10 colleges, etcetera. These designations are usually based on rankings published every year, mostly by newspapers and magazines, such as, The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and The U.S. News & World Report, as well as The Princeton Review, better known for providing test prep and tutoring services.  On this episode I shed light on the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, the most popular of all. I begin the episode by going over what most people believe the rankings indicate, namely, that the higher a college or university ranks, the better the quality of education students receive in those institutions. At least, that is what a logical person would gather after hearing the term “Best Colleges Rankings.”  As the episode progresses, I go over some of the factors used in the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, and allow you to gauge for yourself whether these rankings should be taken seriously. Prepare to be surprised. Although I do not go over all the factors, it is very easy to see that the factors that are given the most weight in the rankings, are highly subjective, in which college administrators are asked to give their opinions about other colleges and universities, even those they have never visited before. You will also find it easy to see that the factors that are more objective, meaning that they are based on data, are factors that cannot be used to determine the level of quality of education in any institution. Please visit our episode webpage at https://collegemetropolis.com/83 for sources used or mentioned on this episode, including the U.S. News & World Report, Colleges That Change Lives, and ChallengeSuccess. Please help us by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That kind gesture would be very helpful to our podcast and would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

#082 – Today, we uncover the characteristics of teaching institutions, which in many ways, are different from research institutions. We begin by presenting an article that appeared on the Chicago Tribune, which criticized the state of higher education at the time, from the perspective of the author. The article exposed colleges and universities in which teaching was not a priority, and as such, students received an education that greatly differed from what many students set out to receive. Jankel and I continue by introducing a research project undertaken by three professors at DePaul University in Chicago, which came as a result of that original Chicago Tribune article. The research project resulted in an article that was published in the Journal of Academic Administration in Higher Education, and presented the qualities that teaching institutions must have. In addition of presenting some of the article findings, we followed up with reasons why each finding is so important and the ways in which each would benefit students in teaching institutions. We had a great time as we took time to reminisce on some of the experiences we enjoyed at the teaching institution we attended as undergrads. We finished the episode by sharing some of the factors that will help you decide whether you should apply to research or teaching institutions, and by exploring one of the most renown teaching institutions in the country, Amherst College in Massachusetts. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/82. Please help our efforts by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcasting platform. That would go a long way in helping us be found more easily by other high school students and parents who are also looking for college admission content. Thank you!

#081 –  On this episode, Jankel and I begin by outlining some of the major differences between research universities and teaching universities. We begin by sharing some Jankel's experience doing geological research in the Pisco Basin of Peru, while at Loma Linda University. We then dive deep into the characteristics of research universities and the advantages of attending one. We also uncover the qualities and abilities that students should have to do well in research universities. As the episode progresses, we highlight the importance of research to the world, and give an example of a recent findings that came from a research project at Harvard University. Those findings will surely make a huge impact in the world of medicine, and will make a positive difference in the lives of the almost 3 million people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around the world. We also talk about research opportunities that are available to undergraduate students in some universities, and go over the many opportunities available at one of the premier state universities in California, UC Irvine. Towards the end, we talk about the classification system that exists to rank universities according to their commitment to research. This is a classification system that you can use as you make your lists of schools, if you are interested in research. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/81. Please help us by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. In doing so, you would be helping us be found more easily by other high school students and parents who are also looking for this type of content on the different podcasting platforms. Thank you!

#080 – On this episode, Jankel and I present a very important person in the college admission aspirations of high school students, the high school college counselor. We discuss the enormous workloads that are placed on the desks of counselors, who on the average are assigned with guiding 500 students through their college admission process. In some states, high school college counselors are assigned as many as 1,200 students. Considering the huge time and resource limitations in which counselors have to carry out their duties, we provide advice for high school students to follow to create the best working relationship with their counselors. Additionally, we go over 15 questions that all high school students should ask their high school college counselors, regardless of their grade level. These questions are designed to ensure that students achieve a successful college preparation and are able to meet or exceed the admission requirements of the colleges and universities to which they want to apply. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/80.  Please help our efforts by giving our show 5 stars and by leaving us a positive review on the platform you used to download this episode. Your review will ensure that we reach more high school students and parents who need the information we share each week. Thank you!

#079 – As we kick off our episode line-up for 2022, we begin by recapping some of the most memorable guests we had during the past year. These are guests that shared very valuable information in matters related to college admissions and college life. The content we revisit today is broad and covers the college essay, the advantages some private colleges offer over state schools, and ways to secure more financial aid than initially offered. Additionally, you will hear about ways to prepare a high school kid for the social challenges that may be experienced in a college setting. One of our guests shares how he used the courses he took in college while in high school as part of the dual enrollment program, to help his application stand out to college admission officers. That was one of the factors that contributed to his acceptance into Stanford University. You will also learn about a myth that is prevalent among students with plans to go to medical school, and ways in which your passion can help you mitigate some of your application shortcomings. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/79.  Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That is a kind gesture that we will greatly appreciate. Thank you!

#078 – Today, we dissect a part of the college admission process that many applicants find very challenging, the college interview. Jankel and I dive into the details of the interview, which for some schools is a required portion of the application, while for others it is optional or not considered at all. We begin the episode by tracing the steps you will take beginning the senior year of high school. These steps include turning your college applications and scheduling your college interviews where they are required or made optional. We present important facts about your college interviews, and what you can do to find out whether or not the schools you will be applying to will require an interview. Additionally, we will go over some of the questions you may be asked. The questions we present are some of the questions you should expect to be asked. This is by no means an episode that presents all the questions you may be asked, but rather, it gives you a great idea of what to expect on your interview, how to prepare for it, and what to do after each interview. We also present two very important sets of information you should have ready with you. One is to be used throughout the interview, and the other at the end of the interview. By the time you get to the end of this episode, you will understand the purpose of college interviews, know how important they really are to your chances for admission, have a plan to prepare to do great in them, and know how to stand out by having a good follow-up response after each interview. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/78.  Please help us reach more high school students and parents by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We will truly appreciate it. Thank you!

Ep. 077 – On this episode, we begin by reading a very kind and warm review that was given to our podcast by a parent who is a listener. Towards the end of the review, she asked whether we could talk about college interviews. Jankel and I talked about our plans to talk about that subject on the next episode. But in the meantime, we went over three very important and very commonly asked questions during college interviews. Additionally, we mentioned the importance of sprinkling in information about your accomplishments to the interviewer during the interview, and the need to have questions prepared ahead of time for the interviewer. We then begin the episode by presenting some of the changes brought on by COVID-19 to the college admission process of many colleges and universities, including the fact that a great many of them became Test Optional. We talk about the meaning of that term, and we answer the question of whether the college admission process is easier now that SAT or ACT scores are not required at Test Optional schools. We continue the episode uncovering the meaning of Test Flexible, and Test Blind or Test Free schools. You will be surprised to hear how some of these schools give applicants more control of the process of applying for admission. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/77. Please feel free to reach out to us through our homepage at CollegeMetropolis.com. You can leave us a voice message, or use the Contact Us page to send us an email. We would love to hear from you. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That would help our efforts greatly. Thank you!

#076 - Admission into selective colleges and universities requires more than a stellar academic record. Most selective schools follow a holistic admissions approach, in which they consider other aspects of their applicants, including character, talent, work history, community service, and other elements to get to know the applicants as individuals. To them, it is important to know each applicant beyond academics, and to use what they learn about those applicants through their applications to gauge what each of those applicants will potentially add to the college body. To learn the specifics of how colleges and universities carry out a holistic admissions approach, on this episode, we explore the 13 admission criteria followed by the University of California, Los Angeles. UCLA is the #1 university in the country in the number of applications received each year, surpassing the 108,000 mark. Out of that number, the university only admits a little more than 14,000 students, and rejects about 94,000 of them. Jankel and I will go over each element of the admission criteria, and uncover precisely what they want to see in the students who they accept each year. UCLA is a good example of what most competitive schools look for in applicants. Understanding the UCLA admissions criteria will help you understand what the selective schools in your college list will be looking for when they review your admission application. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/76. You can help us reach out to a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We will be very grateful to you!

# 075 – Class rank is one of the factors considered for admission decisions by college admission officers in some colleges and universities. Because class rank is so important to those institutions, it is important that you understand everything about class rank. On this episode, I talk about what class rank is, how it is computed, and how it is used in the college admission process. Additionally, I present some of the reasons why some high schools choose not to rank students. For example, in cases where the GPAs of several students in a grade level are high but also very close together, it is not unusual for students to be left out of a percentage category by mere fractions of a GPA point. I also explore the difference between weighted and unweighted class rank, and point out which of the two offers you a better opportunity to rank higher. As the episode crosses the mid-point, I re-introduce a document reported by colleges and universities, which you can use to find out how important class rank is to those schools, or if they consider it at all. It is at that point in the episode, that I explore whether class rank is important for Harvard University, Brown University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and UCLA. In fact, as I present that information on the episode, I make a decision to go over the importance each of those universities place on the different academic and non-academic factors of the admission application. You will be very surprised to hear which institutions do not care at all about class rank, and which does not make use of letter of recommendation. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/75. Please help us reach more high school students and parents by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. We will truly appreciate it!

# 074 – Your academic record will be the first part of your application to be checked by the college admission officers of the schools to which you will apply. The courses you take and the grades you receive make up a big part of your academic record. On this episode, we focus on the importance of grades as part of your transcripts, and how they are reported as a Grade Point Average. Jankel and I uncover the difference between unweighted and weighted GPA, and the reason why most schools, especially the more selective ones, will pay particular attention to weighted GPA. As the episode reached the mid-point, we present examples of two students who took various courses, including one who took higher-level courses. Through these examples, we analyze the importance of taking high-level courses, and the effect these have on weighted GPA. Towards the end, we present the steps students could take if they graduate from high school with grades that are too low to get into the colleges or universities they dream of attending. There is a very important step they could take, which may make their dreams a reality. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/74. Please help us reach a wider audience by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review. That, plus telling your friends about us, is the best thing you can do to help our podcast. Thank you!

# 073 – After listening to this episode, you will be able to analyze whether a college or university is a Reach, Target, or a Safety school for you. One of the most important things you will do as part of the college admission process is to create a list of schools that is balanced. That is, a list that has a number of schools that will likely accept you, some that may or may not accept you, and some that, more than likely, will not accept you, but you still apply to them because they are part of your dream college list and because they may have accepted people with some of your non-academic characteristics in the past. Jankel and I uncover the easiest way to decipher for yourself whether a school will be a Reach, Target, or Safety school for you. Additionally, we present a document that will allow you to know the level of importance every school gives to each academic and non-academic component of your application. We finish the episode by analyzing the most recent admission data for UC Berkeley and UC Riverside, and the GPA and SAT or ACT scores that would make them Reach, Target, or Safety schools for an applicant. You will be surprised to see how differently each school views application requirements, even though they are part of the same university system. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/73. You can help our podcast greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. That kind gesture will go a long way in helping us reach out to more students and parents. Thank you!

# 072 – Today, on this episode, we conclude our series on the habits of successful and overachieving students. Jankel and I embark on a conversation about how important it is for students to have excellent organizational skills to do well in high school and carry out the college admission process successfully. Jankel tells a story about one of her students, whose organizational skills made a big impression on her. That student is now completing medical school. Our conversation also touches on the importance of having the commitment required to acquire these habits. We compare this process to everything that successful athletes have to endure to achieve their goals. Additionally, we discuss the ever-present level of activity in successful students, in academic and non-academic areas. We call them Predictable Doers. That level of activity arises from a connection to topics that stimulate their brains. I provide an example of a high school student who shared with me a piece of artwork that he created and dealth with the ancient motif of Chaoskampf. As our episode crosses the mid-line, we talk about the last three habits of successful and overachieving students. One plays a role on their self-esteem of successful students, while the others allow them to establish fruitful relationships with faculty and staff in their high schools, and continuously participate in school activities. The episodes on this series were fun and very positive. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/72. You can help our show grow by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. That is a gesture we would truly appreciate. Thank you!

#071 - One of the most important things you will do in high school, is to make a list of colleges to which you will apply. Making that list will be a challenging exercise because there are a great many colleges and universities from which to choose. Although they all share some characteristics, they are also very different in many other important ways. It is important that you recognize the elements of a college or university that are important to you. On episodes 10, 11, 13, and 14, we shared with you the questions to ask about every college, so that, at the end, you are left with the ones that meet your needs in terms of location, academics, campus culture, and cost of attendance, among other factors. On this episode, Jankel and I talk about the 5 pages on every college or university website, that you should look at to see if a school appears to meet your needs. Although this is not the only activity you will do to see if a school is a good match for you, exploring these 5 pages will allow you begin your list of schools in an efficient way. These 5 pages will quickly help you realize whether that school has what you need, or not. One of the 5 pages will also help you understand how well you compare to the most recent freshman class admitted to that school. It will allow you to see the average GPA, SAT or ACT scores, class rankings, and financial aid received, for those students admitted to that school directly from high school. During the episode, we share with you the important information we found in those 5 pages within the Cornell University website. We believe that after listening to this episode, you will appreciate the wealth of information found within these pages, and be very well prepared to begin your list of colleges. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/71. You can help our show greatly by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. Thank you!

# 070 – Today, on our next-to-last episode of in our Habits of Successful Overachieving Students, Jankel go over five habits and activities that historically have produced positive results in the lives of students in the past. As we begin our conversation highlighting the importance of intellectual curiosity, we transition into the ways in which successful students find self-motivation. Inner self-motivation is a necessary must-have for anyone interested in pursuing a worthwhile cause. Jankel continues emphasizing the importance of having the right people in your inner circle. That is a point that I truly value and wish more high school students understood and valued. The wrong crown can easily derail the best laid plans in a young person. I continue our conversation by uncovering how important it is for successful students to move on in their path, even when giving up may seem like the logical thing to do. Jankel finishes the episode by detailing a common activity in successful students, keeping their emotions in check. Although it is harder to do than one may initially think, especially for a high school student, the ability to keep emotions in check is an extremely valuable component of many stories that led to success. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/70. Please help our show grow by giving us a 5-star rating and giving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. We would truly appreciate it. Thank you!

#069 – The information in your high school transcripts is the first element of your college application that will be scrutinized by the college admission officers of the colleges to which you will apply. The classes you took, the grades you earned, and your GPA, will all come together to give them an idea of how prepared you are for college. On this episode, Jankel and I explore this and everything else related to your academic record. At the beginning of the episode, we explore the reasons why your academic record is so important to your chances for admission. We also discuss the choices a student has if the academic record of that student has not been the best. The truth is, even when students have had a poor academic record, there is a lot they can do to fix it and strengthen themselves academically, to enjoy much better chances for admission. We continue our talk by going over a very important and often-misunderstood subject; the required high school courses for different colleges and universities, may be slightly different. Not knowing those differences may severely limit a student's chance for admission. We compare the course requirements to grauate from high school in California, as well as the high school course requirements for admission into schools within the California State University system, UCLA, and Stanford University. Towards the end, we explore a video presented by the Admissions Department at the University of Pennsylvania, which explains the details of how they analyze each applicant's academic record and their overall preparation for success at the university. The video was very rich and confirmed plenty of the information we have been sharing with our audience since our first episode. You can find the show notes to this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com/69. You can help our show greatly by telling others about us and by leaving us a positive review and 5-star rating on the platform you used to download this episode. That will be very helpful to our efforts to help high school students and parents through the college admission process. Thank you!