Podcasts about college admissions

In this episode you will hear:   (06:10) Question from a Listener   Hilary and Mark answer a question from a student from rural Kentucky and then Hilary and Mark discuss whether a student needs to talk about academics in their Personal Statement   (21:00) Our Roundtable is back. Susan, Julia, Hilary and Mark discuss the Secondary School Report, what is it and how does it factor into admission decisions-Part 3 of 3   (37:22) College Spotlight Interview, Grant Gosselin, Chief Enrollment officer at Boston College   o   Mark shares about 8-10 impressions that students he is working with have, after they visit Boston College, and Mark asks Grant, if he feels the impressions his students have are accurate.  This entire segment is dedicated to Grant sharing whether he agrees with the impressions Mark's students have of BC after they visit; I hope you find it helpful. Listen and enjoy   Recommended Resource-Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast. In today's episode, I'm joined by two special guests: Dr. Steven Antonoff and Jay McCann, co-authors of the newly updated 5th edition of The College Finder: Your comprehensive guide to finding colleges that fit YOUR unique path. In this conversation, we dig into some of the biggest questions students and families face in the college search today, including: What—if anything—are rankings good for in 2025? Beyond starting salaries, which outcome metrics actually indicate value? What's a responsible way for students to use AI in the search phase—and what should they avoid? How do you plan a high-yield campus visit (or a virtual substitute) that actually informs fit? What's the most productive role for parents at each stage of the process? Jay McCann is co-author of The College Finder, now in its fifth edition since Steve's original publication in 1993. He earned his graduate degree at San Diego State University, where he was part of the Native American Scholars and Collaborators grant, focusing on education and community engagement. Jay began his counseling career in Denver Public Schools, where he served as department chair, before moving to Valor Christian High School and now The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He is also the founder of Future to Find College Consulting, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife, Erin, and their three young children. Dr. Steven Antonoff has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. He is the author of College Match and The College Finder, both highly regarded resources for students and counselors. Steve holds a PhD in Human Communication Studies, an MA in Education from the University of Denver, and a BS in Psychology from Colorado State University. He is the former Dean of Admission & Financial Aid, Executive Director of Admissions & Student Affairs, and Dean of Students at the University of Denver. A founding chair of the American Institute for Certified Educational Planners, he helped launch the first certification program, training initiatives, and textbook for IECs. His work supports low-income and first-generation students through IB programs, Denver's Latino Association, and College Summit. He is the recipient of IECA's Professional Achievement Award, now named in his honor.  We hope you enjoy!   Play-by-Play:  4:37 – What do students need to understand about themselves before they start their college search?  5:45 – What are some common gaps between what students say they want and the schools they choose? 7:37 – How much time should students spend reflecting on what they want in a college? 11:23 – What, if anything, are rankings good for in 2025? 15:42 – Beyond starting salaries, which outcome metrics actually indicate value? 19:15 – How can students evaluate the strength of a specific program at a college? 22:49 – How can students get a real sense of campus culture? 27:12 – How should students (and counselors) categorize colleges when building a list? 32:44 – How many colleges should students apply to? 33:53 – What's a responsible way for students to use AI in the search phase—and what should they avoid? 38:14 – How should students and families think about Early Action and Early Decision? 42:34 – What's the most productive role for parents in this process? 45:46 – What's one action step seniors should take before applying? 48:12 – What are a few must-have resources for the college search and application process?     Resources:   Books, Guides, and Tools The College Finder 3 Step Guide to Choosing a College That's Right for You Fiske Guide to Colleges SchoolBuff (Dr. Antonoff's website) Future to Find (Jay's website)   College Research Platforms College Navigator  CampusReel  CampusTours  College Scorecard Net Price Calculator Center   Reflection + College Planning Roles and Identities Exercise (with Counselor Notes) How to Decide Whether to Apply Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED) Challenge Success (Stanford) Making Caring Common (Harvard)  CEG Podcast Episode 503 with Trisha Ross Anderson (Making Caring Common)  College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy's College Application Hub

The PSAT/NMSQT may not influence college admissions decisions, but the test matters in more ways than you might think. Amy and Mike invited educator and author Brian Stewart to discuss how and why to perform your best on the PSAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What role does the PSAT play compared to the SAT or ACT? What are some of the most common mistakes students make with the PSAT and how can they avoid them? What study strategies or prep resources are most effective for the PSAT? What are some ways students can effectively use the embedded Bluebook tools to do well on the PSAT?   What kind of students should focus on the SAT and PSAT at the same time? MEET OUR GUEST At the end of his first year teaching Social Studies at Dublin Jerome High School, company founder Brian Stewart thought it would make sense to do some part-time tutoring work over the summer. After all, he had done quite well on standardized tests when he was in high school and really enjoyed coming up with creative ways to explain challenging concepts to students. Other companies charged a fortune and didn't seem to have a high-quality product. As Brian worked with more students, word spread about the quality of his tutoring services. He started to offer ACT and SAT test prep group classes, and worked with students from all over Central Ohio. In 2011, Brian left his day job to run BWS Education Consulting full time with his wife Caitlin. Applying the expertise from her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, Caitlin has ensured that our teaching materials and methods make high-quality test preparation accessible to students of all backgrounds and ability levels. In 2012, Barron's Educational Series contacted Brian about submitting samples of his writing as they conducted a national search for their next ACT book author. Brian was chosen to write Barron's ACT, and has gone on to write several ACT, SAT, and PSAT books with Barron's Educational Series. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. In 2014, BWS Education expanded to have associate tutors who teach not only the ACT and SAT, but tutor students in math, science, and writing. Brian and Caitlin personally interview and train every tutor on our staff to ensure they are the best in the business. BWS is a team of committed educators who relentlessly look for the best way to deliver educational enrichment to our clients, whether it's test prep, academic help, or college admission counseling. Brian appeared on the podcast in episode #33 to discuss PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship, in episode #383 to discuss Should You Prepare for the PSAT, in episode #507 to discuss The New Digital PSAT, and in episode #590 to discuss How To Prep For The Digital PSAT. Find Brian at https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com. LINKS Brian's PSAT Book: Barron's PSAT/NMSQT 1520 Why take the PSAT? PSAT and Scholarships Colleges that offer Full-Rides for National Merit Information on the New Digital PSAT RELATED EPISODES RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT READING & WRITING ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH THE NEW DIGITAL SAT EXPERIENCE: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.  

In this episode you will hear:   Mark shares two admissions tips from students and he discusses Cal Tech's new test score policy. Lisa leads a panel discussion of five parents, all listeners of YCBK. The parents open up and reveal the pressure their student faces at school to go to an elite college.   Here is a link for our new YCBK listener survey so you can take the survey:   Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at . All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

I recently spoke with Rachel Fusco, an educator and mental health professional dedicated to transforming the way we prepare young people for adulthood. Over the past two decades, Rachel has personally supported over a thousand college-bound students in high schools, college access programs, and private admissions consulting. Rachel has shared her expertise as a presenter and trainer for prestigious colleges, private and public high schools, after-school programs, mental health clinics, statewide conferences, and teaches graduate-level counseling courses in Career Counseling, Child and Adolescent Development, and Adolescent Suicidality. Leveraging her background in college admissions, adolescent development, and education as an independent college coach, Rachel works with teens, parents, and schools to transform the way we prepare young people for college. It's time to geek out, not stress out, about the future. In our conversation, Rachel and I discuss: The impact of brain development on college prep The need to break down college prep into specific tasks How self-awareness reduces student stress when it comes to the college application process Why college prep is stressful and how to reduce the stress How setting parameters (including financial) in the college search reduces a student's anxiety And much more.. To connect with Rachel, visit rachelfusco.com. ---------- Families often focus on GPA and test scores when it comes to scholarships—but there's another powerful lever: your student's college major. In this free, live panel event, master career coach Lisa Marker-Robbins and scholarship strategist Dave Peterson will explain how students who make intentional, well-informed major choices can unlock more merit-based and private scholarship opportunities—and how to jump-start the process so you don't leave money on the table. You'll also hear insights from our moderators, Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley, hosts of the Tests and the Rest podcast, as we discuss: ✅How early career exploration improves both college applications and scholarship outcomes ✅What scholarship committees are really looking for—and how your teen can stand out ✅When and how to begin the process before deadlines sneak up ✅Real stories of students who aligned their goals and earned more aid This is a live, interactive session—we'll take your questions during the event and offer expert guidance you can act on right away. Whether your teen is unsure about their major or already has a goal in mind, this session will help you uncover new financial opportunities you may be missing. Click here to register: https://courses.flourishcoachingco.com/scholarships-majors ---------- This Week's Featured Scholarships: $25,000 NHS Scholarship $1000 Buckfire Law Disability Scholarship $2500 Home Depot Path to Pro Construction Careers Scholarship $1000 Outstanding Citizen Scholarship $1000 Empowering Others Scholarship $1000 ScholarshipOwl No-Essay Scholarship $2000 Autumn Apple Choice Award No-Essay Scholarship

Hear insights from a nationwide movement. The live podcast includes real stories from the field illuminating how change happens—and where it's heading.

In this episode you will hear:   (02:42) In the News   Vince joins Mark to discuss an article that ran in the Duke Chronicle about Duke admitting 50 students off the waitlist in August. Vince and Mark discuss why this is happening and whether it is happening at other colleges   Mark continues to share insights from an article that the Chronicle of Higher Education Ran Entitled, “The Money Problem No College Can Escape”   (29:02) Our Roundtable is back. Susan, Julia, Hilary and Mark discuss the Secondary School Report, what is it and how does it factor into admission decisions-Part 2 of 3   (43:20) College Spotlight Interview, Grant Gosselin, Chief Enrollment officer at Boston College   Grant shares his experience from his active role as a student in the admission office to graduating to the Caroll School of Management at BC to becoming the chief enrollment officer. Grant tells us how BC is different from the other many universities in the Boston area. Grant tells us how BC is different from the other 26 Jesuit schools. Grant talks about the 3 questions that grew out of a sermon that BC asks all of its students to ask each other   Recommended Resource-Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

What's more important: where you go to college, or what you do in college? Jeff Selingo has written about colleges and universities for more than 25 years and is a New York Times bestselling author of four books. His latest, Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You, draws on more than two years of research and a survey of some 3,000 parents to give families permission to think more broadly about what signals a “good” college and then the tools to discover their dream school. Hear the Top 5 biggest changes to college admissions in recent years, why you should dig deeper into the universe of colleges to attend, the growing importance of value when it comes to your college choice, the most surprising things Jeff learned while writing the book, and the importance of learning broad skills vs. specialized skills in college. Check out Jeff's new book Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You, and Subscribe to College Bound Mentor on your favorite podcast platform and learn more at CollegeBoundMentor.com

dotEDU is back for Season 7 with an examination of President Trump's demand for admissions data by race and sex and what that means for campuses. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer—joined by ACE's Hiro Okahana—explain what's being requested, what's lawful, and the need to avoid misleading metrics and protect student privacy. Plus: updates on international students, Harvard's funding-freeze case, and the outlook on appropriations for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.   Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  Trump Memo on Admissions Data  Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admission  The White House | August 7, 2025  U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Directs National Center for Education Statistics to Collect Universities' Data on Race Discrimination in Admissions  U.S Department of Education | August 7, 2025  Trump Administration Orders Colleges to Submit New Admissions Data  ACE | August 11, 2025  Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)  IPEDS  Inaccurate, impossible: Experts knock new Trump plan to collect college admissions data  The Hechinger Report | August 18, 2025  Trump's college admissions changes could backfire  Politico | August 15, 2025  Higher Education & The Trump Administration  ACE  International Students  DHS Proposal to Replace Duration of Status  NAFSA | September 9, 2025  Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media  Federal Register | August 28, 2025  Letter to Secretary Rubio Urging Exemption of F/J/M Visas from Travel Ban (PDF)  ACE  Harvard Ruling  Federal Court Backs Harvard in Ruling, Echoing Concerns Raised in ACE Brief  ACE | September 5, 2025  FY 2026 Appropriations  House Bill Preserves Pell, Slashes Other Student Aid Programs  ACE | September 5, 2025  Senate Appropriators Reject Trump's Proposed Pell Grant and NIH Cuts  ACE | August 4, 2025  A Brief Guide to the Federal Budget and Appropriations Process  ACE  Government Shutdowns and Higher Education  ACE 

Someone once said that interviewing is tough, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. Another complicating factor is having no answer to predictable questions–a regrettably common occurrence for higher ed applicants. Amy and Mike invited educator Alison Slater to explore the importance of preparing for a college admissions interview. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why is it important to prepare before an interview? Are interviews impactful considering that many schools don't offer them? Should students who are offered interviews take them? Who should prep for interviews and when? How can students prepare for all the interviews they are likely to have coming up?  What are some questions applicants should be prepared for? MEET OUR GUEST Alison Slater graduated from Bucknell University and worked in selective college admission for fifteen years. Interviews were her favorite part of the college application process, but she found they were often missed opportunities when students arrived nervous or unprepared. They were checking a box, not maximizing an opportunity. Alison founded Interview Prep to help students make strong impressions by preparing thoughtfully and approaching each interview with confidence and a plan. Alison can be reached at interviewprepllc.com. LINKS Interview Tips for Students Common interview questions RELATED EPISODES THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLEGE INTERVIEWS HOW TO PREPARE FOR A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS INTERVIEW HOW TO SPEAK TO A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REP ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.  

In this episode of The Self-Driven Child Podcast, I sit down once again with my good friend and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo. You probably know Jeff from his book Who Gets In and Why, which cracked open the mysterious college admissions process. But now, he's back with a powerful new guide, Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You.We explore the realities behind the college admissions frenzy—the pressures, the myths, and the real indicators of student success. Jeff and I dive deep into why so many students and families narrow their college lists too soon, how prestige bias and community pressure shape decision-making, and what really matters when it comes to finding the best college fit. Whether you're a parent, student, educator, or just curious about higher education, this episode is a roadmap to cutting through the noise and focusing on what will actually help kids thrive. Episode Highlights:[1:55] - Welcoming back Jeff Selingo and his new book Dream School [3:41] - Unpacking the narrative arc from elite admissions to finding fit [5:27] - Why students and parents fixate on prestige and how that narrows options [7:40] - Grade inflation and the overconfidence trap [10:44] - Why balanced college lists matter more than ever [13:49] - Conformist bias and how schools like Archer are challenging the status quo [16:38] - Misconceptions around adding more "backup" schools [18:21] - Is college worth it? A nuanced look at ROI and student outcomes [23:06] - Why regional job markets matter more than college name [26:45] - The value of being a "big fish" at a smaller school [30:56] - Faculty incentives, mentorship, and why engagement matters [34:50] - Hands-on learning and mentors as keys to student success [37:09] - How to spot signs of strong faculty engagement on campus visits [41:23] - Belonging uncertainty and how it affects student retention [45:47] - First-year programming that fosters connection and success [46:59] - Extracurriculars as a path to discovery, not just admissions [49:59] - Bringing joy back to the college search [51:55] - Finite vs. infinite games and redefining what college is really aboutLinks & Resources:·         Jeff Selingo's new book: Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You·         College Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov ·         National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE): https://nsse.indiana.edu ·         The Craziest Year Ever in College Admission with Jeff Selingo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-craziest-year-ever-in-college-admission-with/id1676859533?i=1000650463806 ·         Who Gets In and Why with Jeff Selingo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-gets-in-and-why-with-jeff-selingo/id1676859533?i=1000613195766  If this episode has helped you, remember to rate, follow, and share the Self-Driven Child Podcast. Your support helps us reach more people and create more content that makes a difference. If you have a high school aged student and would like to talk about putting a tutoring or college plan together, reach out to Ned's company, PrepMatters at www.prepmatters.com

In this episode you will hear:   Mark shares two major decisions that were revealed this week, one is about the legality of withholding NIH funding, and the other one is about College Board's Landscape product Lisa leads a panel discussion of five parents, all listeners of YCBK. The parents open up and reveal the pressure their student faces at school to go to an elite college.   Here is a link for our new YCBK listener survey so you can take the survey:   Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at . All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

Send us a textIn this episode of College Knowledge, hosts Dave Kozak and Joe Kerns explore the business of college admissions with Dr. Robert Alexander, Vice Provost and University Dean of Enrollment at the University of Rochester. Together, they unpack critical topics for students and families, including:College yields and why they matterEarly Decision vs. Early ActionThe role of financial aid in shaping a classWaitlists, lawsuits, and equity in admissionsHow institutions balance goals with accessibility and diversityDr. Alexander offers a behind-the-scenes look at how enrollment decisions are made, blending insights on institutional strategy with advice for students navigating the process.

In this episode you will hear:   In the News   (05:52) Hilary joins Mark to discuss whether a student should make their eating disorder the subject of their Personal Statement   Mark continues to share insights from an article that the Chronicle of Higher Education Ran Entitled, “The Money Problem No College Can Escape”   (40:59) Our Roundtable is back. Susan, Julia, Hilary and Mark discuss the Secondary School Report, what is it and how does it factor into admission decisions-Part 1 of 3     (01:03:40) College Spotlight Interview Part 4 of 4-Preview Dr. Ramon Blakley and Mark have a robust conversation about what the political climate is like at UT, Ramon talks about the great honors programs at UT and he talks about some brand new majors UT is offering that Ramon is very excited about-and he talks about what UT is doing to be a national leader when it comes to robotics and AI, and we end with Ramon on the hotseat in the lightning round Recommended Resource-Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

It's YOUR time to #EdUpIn this episode, sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is Yvonne Romero, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Rice UniversityYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Jodi (Ashbrook) Blinco⁠, Vice President for Enrollment Management Consulting, ⁠EducationDynamicsHow can strategic planning revolutionize enrollment operations? What is committee-based evaluation & how does it transform admissions? How can transparent financial aid messaging increase accessibility? Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

According to former college president Beverly Daniel Tatum, Trump's war on university admissions is deeply hypocritical. On the one hand, she argues, his attack on affirmative action admissions policy is made in the populist language of “anti-woke” egalitarianism; but on the other, wealthy families are already gaming college admissions through clever manipulation of the system. A Harvard study revealed that athletes, legacies, donors' children, and faculty offspring—categories overwhelmingly benefiting affluent white families—receive admission advantages far exceeding any diversity program. Yet while demanding universities abandon "racial proxies," Trump's administration simultaneously insists on counting student demographics, exposing the contradiction in claims of colorblind meritocracy.Tatum's new book, Peril and Promise: College Leadership in Turbulent Times, draws from her extensive experience as President of both Mount Holyoke College and Spelman College. Tatum discussed her controversial decision to eliminate NCAA sports at Spelman, redirecting resources toward wellness programs for all students rather than competitive athletics for a few. She also addressed the broader challenges facing higher education, from AI's potential to transform teaching and reduce costs to the ongoing mental health crisis on campuses, presenting herself as both a trustworthy insider and experienced observer of college education in our unusually turbulent times. Even opponents of affirmative action might learn something from the wise Dr Tatum.* The Real Admissions Advantage Goes to Wealth, Not Race - A Harvard study shows that "ALDCs" (Athletes, Legacies, Donors' children, faculty Children) receive far greater admissions boosts than any affirmative action program ever provided, with these categories disproportionately benefiting affluent white families.* Trump's "Colorblind" Approach Is Contradictory - While demanding universities stop using "racial proxies" and claiming to want merit-based admissions, the administration simultaneously insists on counting and tracking student demographics by race.* 2025 Is Uniquely Turbulent for Higher Education - Tatum, who lived through the Vietnam era and other crisis periods, believes the current government intervention in university operations represents the most intense challenge to academic freedom she's experienced in decades.* College Sports Often Drain Resources from Student Wellness - Tatum eliminated NCAA sports at Spelman College, redirecting funds toward fitness and wellness programs that benefit all students rather than the small percentage who compete, especially given data showing young Black women's sedentary lifestyles.* AI Will Transform College Costs and Teaching - While startup costs for AI implementation are significant, early experiments show promise for reducing expenses and improving learning outcomes, such as AI tutors available 24/7 that outperformed traditional teaching methods in physics classes.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Colleges are stripping out DEI and race‑based preferences—and it's shaking up admissions and aid strategy for everyone. In this episode of College Coffee Talk, Andy & Pearl Lockwood unpack how the end of affirmative action and shrinking DEI efforts are changing who gets in—and how much support students receive. Topics include: ✔ New admissions signals to use ✔ Scholarships that may vanish ✔ How to adapt your strategy in 2025

Interview with Lindsay Tanne / Founder of LogicPrepHOSTED BY PAUL SULLIVANApplying to college is stressful - for students and parents. But does it really need to be? This week, Paul sits down with Lindsay Tanne, founder of LogicPrep, a globally recognized educational consultancy she started as a student at Harvard, growing a team of advisors, coaches, and tutors who've helped thousands of families successfully navigate the college admissions process. She discusses the most (and least) helpful ways parents can support their kids, and protecting mental and emotional health during this high-stakes journey.---Get our free newsletter covering all things fatherhood delivered straight to your inbox: https://thecompanyofdads.com/thedad/

In this episode you will hear:   Susan Tree joins Mark to interview Bob Massa; Bob has 50 years' experience in admissions and enrollment management, and he shares his insights with us  5 Students ask two partners questions about being an attorney-Part 5 of 5 We end this episode with Jon Wishnia's wife, Sophie Wests new solo that was just released on Spotify, “Note To Self”   Here is a link for our new YCBK listener survey so you can take the survey:     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at . All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

Phil Moreno—Associate Director of College Counseling at the Nueva School and Board Chair for the National Association for College Admission Counseling—joins this episode of The ALP to talk about what it means to lead leaders in challenging times, why gratitude and handwritten notes matter, and how he's learned to “stay on the bike” while also carving out intentional moments of stillness and renewal. He shares the practices—from solo retreats to time outdoors under dark skies—that help him restore his energy and model balance for others in a profession that asks us to give constantly.Come for the insights, stay for the velvety voice of a professionally trained broadcaster (the guest; not the host).Highlights00:00 – Introduction: Phil introduces himself, his role at Nueva, and his work as NACAC Board Chair.03:36 – The Nueva School: Founded on Nobel laureates' vision, Nueva emphasizes curiosity, design thinking, and social-emotional learning.06:45 – Switching sides: Why Phil left college admissions after nearly 20 years to counsel students at the secondary level.09:06 – Relationships first: The mentors, associations, and small invitations that shaped his career—and why he now works to extend those same invitations to others.13:36 – Leading in challenging times: Guiding NACAC through political attacks on DEI, and reflecting on past moments of crisis leadership.16:47 – A unifying role: How Phil sees himself as a bridge-builder and “leader of leaders,” making space for every voice at the table while keeping the group focused on action.21:31 – NACAC as family: Why he views conference season as a chance to check in on colleagues and carry their lived challenges into board decision-making.24:15 – Self-care (perhaps Ken's favorite part of the episode): Phil's philosophy of “staying in motion” and the importance of intentional pauses. He describes finding renewal through stillness, solo getaways, and immersion in art and nature.28:17 – Reset moments: From visiting Michael Heizer's vast desert installation City to hiking remote trails and camping under dark skies, Phil explains how solitude outdoors restores his perspective.36:55 – College Horizons: Why he commits time each year to this extraordinary program (run by ALP alumna, Carmen Lopez) serving Native students, and how it reinvigorates his sense of purpose.39:16 – Leadership qualities: Gratitude, lifting others up, modeling behavior through action, and the power of living authentically.43:43 – Rapid Descent.The ALP is supported by RHB, a division of SIG. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Senan Khawaja is Co-founder and CEO of Kollegio.ai, which seeks to use AI ethically to create accessibility and opportunity for millions of students globally to a transformative college education.

Send us a text

In this episode you will hear:   (02:00) In the News   Vince joins Mark to discuss a NYT Article entitled, “Columbia and Brown Share Race and Admissions Data in Trump Deal”   Mark continues to share insights from an article that the Chronicle of Higher Education Ran Entitled, “The Money Problem No College Can Escape”   (38:18) Peg Keogh Interview-Missed Opportunities for the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE Part 5 of 5   §  More conversation about the CSS PROFILE     (58:26) College Spotlight Interview Part 3 of 4-Preview Dr. Ramon Blakley is the Asst Vice Provost of Enrollment at UT-Austin and Ramon and Mark have a robust discussion about Apply Texas, about whether Texas is considering Early Decision and about how Senate Bill 175 which is the bill that created UT's auto admission plan, how does it actually work, and how can out of state students stand out in a competitive applicant pool, and we talk about the type of student that excels at UT-   Recommended Resource-Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

There are some tough, tough colleges to get into these days. Why is that the case? And how can your student crack the code? Dr. Andrew Hoffman is a College Admissions Strategist who's worked in college admissions since college, including being the Director of Admissions for Swarthmore College and the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Vanderbilt University. He leads his consulting firm with parents in mind - getting you ready for college admissions. Hear what students should know when approaching the college application process, how students can excel at college fairs, how the college admissions process works from the school's side of things, how important college essays are, and what makes a student stand out with their application. Connect with Andrew at AskDrHoffman.com and use code: COLLEGEBOUNDMENTOR for 50% off the Parent's Ultimate College Admissions Course, and Subscribe to College Bound Mentor on your favorite podcast platform and learn more at CollegeBoundMentor.com

Seniors, it's crunch time! Join host Tasha (formerly at Boston University and USC) and IvyWise counselors Kayon (formerly at MIT and University of Rochester) and Scott (formerly at Yale) as they break down everything 12th graders need to do for college admissions. From perfecting applications to navigating deadlines, get expert advice to maximize your senior year success.

It's been said that when we set an intention, somehow the world seems to magically come to meet us. Does that apply in college admissions? You'll never find out if you don't try. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Cadwallader to outline the impact of intentionality on the road to college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does intentionality mean in the context of the high school experience? How does course selection tell a story? What really matters when choosing extracurricular activities? What does the choice to work or volunteer during high school signify? What are other facets of intentionality on the road to college? MEET OUR GUEST Ann Cadwallader, founder of My University Coach, has worked in education for 35 years and has guided students through the college admissions process as an Independent Educational Consultant for nearly two decades. She holds a BS from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota, and in 2020 earned the Certified Educational Planner designation — an achievement that reflects her deep expertise in college advising.  Ann has personally visited 193 college campuses across the country, giving her firsthand insight into a wide range of schools and student experiences. Known for her calm, strategic approach, she is dedicated to reducing stress for both students and parents and helping families make smart, intentional choices—so students can tell their story with confidence and clarity.  Ann can be reached at ann@myuniversitycoach.com. LINKS Making Intentional Decisions: Questions to Ask Yourself. RELATED EPISODES FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE  THE COLLEGE PLEASING EPIDEMIC HOW CAN PAST POOR DECISIONS AFFECT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS? ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.  

In this episode you will hear:   Susan Tree joins Mark to interview Bob Massa; Bob has 50 years' experience in admissions and enrollment management, and he shares his insights with us 5 Students ask two partners questions about being an attorney-Part 4 of 5   Here is a link for our new YCBK listener survey so you can take the survey:   Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at . All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

In this episode you will hear:   (01:55) In the News   Mark continues to share insights from an article that the Chronicle of Higher Education Ran Entitled, “The Money Problem No College Can Escape”   (14:22) Question from a listener Lisa and Lynda answer a question from an applicant who wants to know what a stealth applicant is?   (22:23) Peg Keogh Interview-Missed Opportunities for the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE Part 4 of 5   §  More conversation about the CSS PROFILE   (45:34) College Spotlight Interview Dr. Ramon Blakley is the Asst Vice Provost of Enrollment at UT-Austin and he will be helping us understand UT over the next four weeks Part 2 of 4-Preview   ²  More talk about internally transferring at UT ²  UT's expanded resume ²  Why UT releases its decisions in waves   Recommended Resource-Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

Hi friends, and welcome back to the podcast. This one's going to be short—and honestly, it's an episode I didn't think I was going to record. Why? Well, if you've been following along with Cassidy's journey over the past year, you know we've covered a lot: from brainstorming her personal statement, to revising her supplements, to weighing her college acceptances. And when we wrapped Part 5, I figured we could leave it there. I thought it might be enough to know she had some great options. Silly me. You wrote in. You wanted to know: Where did she end up? So here we are: the final chapter (well, really the beginning) of Cassidy's college journey. In this quick update, Cassidy shares where she's heading this fall, why she chose it, and how she's getting ready for this next step. Huge thanks to Cassidy for letting us in on the process.  I hope you enjoy.   Play-by-Play 1:45 – How has Cassidy been spending the summer and preparing for college?  2:36 – Cassidy shares which school she will be attending this Fall 4:03 – What factors influenced Cassidy's final decision? 7:37 – What advice would Cassidy share with students and families going through this process? 8:43 – Closing thoughts    Resources: How to choose which college to attend: Key factors to consider College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy's College Application Hub  

Few writing assignments loom as large or feel as significant as the application essay does to a college-bound teen. But what if the keys to a statement that makes a difference were both simple to understand and easy to implement? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Susan Knoppow to reveal valuable college essay secrets. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the real essay prompt every applicant needs to respond to? How are college essays used in the admissions process? Do they really matter? What are the biggest mistakes students make when writing college essays? How many editors are too many? How much guidance should counselors provide students on what to write? MEET OUR GUEST Susan Knoppow is CEO of Wow Writing Workshop, a college essay coaching company that teaches students and professionals a streamlined, ethical essay coaching process. The ten-step Wow Method has been used by thousands of students to get into their top choice colleges, and is the go-to system for independent educational consultants, school counselors, and other admissions professionals. A former corporate trainer and executive speechwriter, Susan can turn any task into a series of simple steps. She is a published poet and essayist with a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. When she's not running Wow, Susan likes to garden, cook, and go on adventures with her husband and their dog, Luna.  Susan can be reached at wowwritingworkshop.com or  susan@wowwritingworkshop.com. LINKS 10 Step Wow Method RELATED EPISODES MAKING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS COUNT COLLEGE ESSAYS IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HOW MUCH AI IS JUST RIGHT IN THE COLLEGE ESSAY? TABOO ESSAY TOPICS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.

In this episode, Lisa and Jaime discuss:Understanding the role of impacted majors and prerequisitesThe critical importance of aligning majors with career goals earlyNavigating the complexities of college transfersFinancial planning and its impact on educational choicesKey Takeaways: Over one-third of undergraduates transfer colleges, and without early planning around majors, prerequisites, and credit alignment, they risk losing time, money, and progress.Students in impacted majors like Computer Science, Business, Nursing, and Engineering must complete strict, school-specific prerequisites, so they should map overlapping requirements across multiple target schools.While some parents fear transferring will hurt their job or graduate school prospects, employers usually see only the final degree, and graduate programs value applicants who can explain a well-reasoned shift.Before committing to a college—whether first-time or transfer—use FAFSA estimators to gauge real costs, research transfer scholarships, and compare prerequisite overlaps to avoid financial strain and lost credits.“Most employers aren't looking for whole transcripts to see your collection of credits. They're just looking for the final outcome.” – Jaime SmithAbout Jaime Smith: Jaime Smith is a Certified Educational Planner specializing in college transfer, online learning, homeschooling, and supporting neurodiverse learners. A longtime transfer student advocate, she earned a Post-Master's Certificate in Transfer Leadership and Practice from the University of North Georgia with the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students in 2023. She holds a BA in Linguistics from UC Berkeley, an MA in TESOL, an MSEd in eLearning, and a certificate in College Counseling.Founder and CEO of Online G3—an independent online program for gifted and twice-exceptional K–12 students—Jaime continues to teach English. A California native now in Oregon, she lives with her husband and pet bunny. Her daughter, a former homeschooler turned transfer student, is now in grad school.Episode References:#140 Avoiding the Pitfalls of College Transfers with Jaime SmithThe Truth about College Admission by Brennan Barnard and Rick ClarkEnter to win a free copy of The Complete Guide to College Transfer at flourishcoachingco.com/transfer through August 31.Order The Complete Guide to College Transfer on Amazon starting August 26 to get the full roadmap for navigating college transfersExplore school-by-school data on competitive and impacted majors at flourishcoachingco.com/majors to make smarter application choices.Get Lisa's Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career...(without painting themselves into a corneConnect with Lisa:Website: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flourishcoachingcoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishcoachingco/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flourish-coaching-co

In this episode you will hear:   Susan Tree joins Mark to interview Bob Massa; Bob has 50 years' experience in admissions and enrollment management, and he shares his insights with us Mark makes some comments about the new LinkedIn College rankings 5 Students ask two partners questions about being an attorney-Part 3 of 5 Here is a link for our new YCBK listener survey so you can take the survey:   Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at . All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

Dickinson College professor Elizabeth Lee joins us to discuss how the aligning your choices around your core values helps you prepare for college and for long-term success. We discuss why her daughter, a high school freshman, signed up for the Ivy League Challenge, and how Professor Lee's experience teaching in college for over two decades made her clear that she wanted this. After we stopped the recording, Professor Lee said "I wish every student I teach could go through your program before they get to my classroom." Listen in to find out why.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents

I recently spoke with Dr. Kellie Coppi of Say Yes to the Ess-ay. With nearly two decades of experience in college application coaching, Dr. Coppi provides expert guidance tailored to each student's unique needs. Dr. Coppi's background in higher education ensures that she understands the nuances of crafting compelling admissions essays. In our conversation, Dr. Coppi and I discussed: Why high-stats students get rejected from colleges Where Class of 2026 students need to be RIGHT NOW in their college admissions process Why “good writers” often struggle with college admissions essays The importance of a college's culture when deciding where to apply The importance of admissions essays for students with modest academic records To connect with Dr. Coppi, go to https://sayyestotheessaywithdrcoppi.com or connect with her on Facebook. ---------- Scholarship GPS is on Facebook! Join the group that matches your student's year in school: Class of 2025 Class of 2026 Class of 2027 Class of 2028 Class of 2029 ---------- To find out more about how Lisa and Flourish Coaching work with students like yours to help them gain clarity on their future college major and career, click here: https://courses.flourishcoachingco.com/a/2148004629/PLHdxFCx ---------- This Week's Featured Scholarships: Gates Scholarship QuestBridge Full-Ride Scholarship Be a Friend Project Scholarship Make Me Laugh Scholarship $1000 Appily Easy Money No-Essay Scholarship $35,000 VFW Voice of Democracy Contest ---------- Get one-on-one support for your scholarship applications with the Navigator Program! The Scholarship Navigator Program includes: Review, feedback, and editing of your scholarships essay. Access to the Scholarship GPS video course, which includes a lesson on the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship. A custom list of scholarships for your student to apply for, based on their unique profile. Online support for your scholarship questions. Click here to learn more and sign up today: Class of 2026 Scholarship Navigator Class of 2027 Scholarship Navigator ---------- Subscribe to our free newsletter, Your Daily Scholarship, here: https://nodebtcollege.substack.com/

In this episode of College Coffee Talk, Andy Lockwood shares a raw, unfiltered account of a real conversation with a Class of 2026 student. Everything was going smoothly—until a single comment changed the tone of the meeting. What happened next says a lot about how students approach the admissions process. Topics include: ✔ The moment students lose admissions officers ✔ What “polish” sounds like vs. what's authentic ✔ Mistakes families don't realize they're making ✔ How advisors handle students who push back ✔ Why even strong students can self-sabotage

In this episode you will hear:   (04:08) In the News   Vince and Mark discuss a August 6th article that ran in the Stanford Daily, Stanford's newspaper about how Stanford will continue supporting legacy admissions, despite the California law that passed to outlaw it.   (33:00) Peg Keogh Interview-Missed Opportunities for the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE Part 3 of 5 o     Peg talks about the changes from the old FAFSA to the new FAFSA o     We transition to talk about some CSS PROFILE specific missed opportunities o     Peg talks about questions that you do not have to answer on the Profile o     Peg talks about the special circumstances' situation o     Peg shares her three commandments when filling out these forms o     I share a few stories from my life experience that relate to the point Peg is making o     Peg explains how much flexibility colleges have when interpreting and applying the data from the Profile compared to the FAFSA o     Peg talks about why there are more Pell grant recipients now o     Peg talks about some Profile specific mistakes students make; we start with a conversation on home equity o     Peg talks about not oversharing when you complete the Profile o     Peg gives an example of a question that you don't need to answer o     Peg talks about the flexibility and subjectivity colleges look at when they interpret a Profile o     Peg talks about how she advises colleges students to handle the special circumstances section o     Peg talks about the projected income question and she shares how she advises families to handle this question       (01:04:35) College Spotlight Interview Dr. Ramon Blakley is the Asst Vice Provost of Enrollment at UT-Austin and he will be helping us understand UT over the next four weeks Part 1-Preview v  In this segment we talk about which colleges UT competes with for students v  We talk about how UT admits by major v  We talk about the process of how trying to do an internal transfer from one major to another works at UT   (02:50) Recommended Resource   Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

Starting in September 2025, the ACT will be administered nationally both on paper and on digital devices. Should you take the ACT on a computer? If so, what do you need to know in advance? Amy and Mike invited educator Adam Snoza to review Strategies For The Computer-Based ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What should test takers know about the digital interfaces? What are the differences in platforms between the in-school and national digital ACT? Even with the majority of test prep providers recommending the paper test, what are unique benefits to the digital test? What strategies can test takers employ to make digital testing easier? Can a student prepare a digital test if they are using paper tests in school or at home? MEET OUR GUEST Adam Snoza graduated from Creighton University and was a high school English teacher for 9 years in both public and private schools. He has spent 16 years in ACT test prep with Aim High Test Prep in Omaha, NE, where he is the president, lead instructor, and curriculum developer, authoring his own 350-page instructional manual. Adam is also an ACT Instructional Mastery trainer (AIM) in all 6 certification areas: Basics, English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. Now, he is a trainer of the AIM program and works with teachers and tutors across the country on how to effectively teach the ACT test. In addition, Adam co-authored the 2021 update to The Official ACT Mathematics Guide. Though every student he helps gain a life-changing scholarship or entry into an elite college gives him great satisfaction, his greatest pride comes from working with multiple local charities to bring test prep to underserved populations in an effort to bridge the education gap. Adam previously appeared on this podcast in episode 159 to discuss ACT Math Reporting Categories and episode 249 for a Test Prep Profile and in episode 298 to discuss Why Remote Tutoring Is Here To Stay. Find Adam at aimhightestprep.com. LINKS Sample Questions - ACT Online Testing | The ACT Test ACT Test Enhancements The Upcoming Changes to the Enhanced ACT RELATED EPISODES RELATED EPISODES A TEST TAKER'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT SUCCESS IN COMPUTER-BASED TESTING COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.  

In this episode you will hear:   5 Students ask two partners questions about being an attorney A blurb about our new YCBK listener survey Here is a link so you can take the survey: Susan Tree joins Mark to interview Bob Massa, Bob has 50 years' experience in admissions and enrollment management and he shares his insights with us     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at . All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

Send us a textIn this episode of College Knowledge, Dave and Joe sit down with Jeff Selingo, a leading voice in higher education and author of the new book Dream School. Drawing from his decades of experience—from his early days as an intern at U.S. News & World Report in 1994 to his tenure at The Chronicle of Higher Education—Jeff unpacks the complexities of today's college admissions process.The conversation explores the emotional pull parents feel toward certain schools, the financial realities of making the right choice, and the vital role mentorship plays in student success. Jeff also sheds light on the concept of “merit aid” and offers practical strategies for navigating the financial side of applications.This episode is packed with actionable advice for students and families preparing for the admissions journey, from understanding what truly defines a “dream school” to prioritizing fit over prestige. Video Version of Podcast YouTube:The College Knowledge PodcastFollow us on social media:InstagramFacebookLinkedInVisit us online:The College Knowledge Podcast WebsiteElite Collegiate Planning

FREE RESOURCE: Want personalized help with your application strategy? Book a free 1:1 call with one of our Former Admissions Officers here: CLICK HERE. RISING SENIORS: This is your last shot to get everything in place for college apps. Our Application Counseling Program helps you stay on track, craft a standout application, and improve your chances of getting into a Top 10 school, by up to 7x: https://hubs.la/Q03BtBZ50 From ultra-competitive majors like Computer Science to the explosion of AI-generated essays, the game is changing fast, and top colleges are responding. Should you rethink your major? How are elite schools adapting to the rise of AI? And most importantly: how can you stand out in the most competitive applicant pool yet? We're breaking it all down with real data, insider insights, and a proven strategy that has helped thousands of students get into top schools. Watch until the end. This could change the way you approach your college apps. --- Register for our upcoming webinars. We also offer tons of free resources on our website/blog.  Questions, comments, or topic requests? Email jilian.yong@ingeniusprep.com. To learn more about InGenius Prep, visit us at ingeniusprep.com.

In this episode you will hear:   (01:47) In the News  Hillary and Mark discuss how being likeable impacts whether a student is admitted or not when their admission file is read  Link to the YCBK listener survey:   (16:17) Peg Keogh Interview-Missed Opportunities for the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE Part 2 of 5 o     Mark and Peg continue to discuss about six more missed opportunities that are common on both FAFSA and the PROFILE, missing out here can cost you thousands or even tens of thousands a year o     Peg lets us know how common it is for the family to erroneously list a grandparent on the Profile or FAFSA o     Peg explains the difference between FAFSA and the PROFILE o     Peg discusses properly representing your secondary properties o     Peg discusses representing the value of your business o     Peg gives her advice about when to submit these forms o     Peg discusses what she means by “a first come first come school” o     Peg discusses the confusion over school year o     Peg discusses the confusion over the student and the parent in terms of whose FAFSA or Profile is it o     Peg discusses demographic details o     Peg discusses FAFSA-specific missed opportunities, including some new ones now that the FAFSA has been revamped o     Peg discussed the confusion over primary home equity o     Peg discussed divorced, separated and never marrieds and how the FAFSA policy has changed with the New FAFSA o     I share a very real scenario I encountered last year to show just how complicated things can get with divorced, separated and never married families     (39:26) College Spotlight Interview Greg Zaiser-VP of Enrollment at Elon University-Understanding Elon University 2 of 2 Part 2-Preview v  Greg talks about the Elon endowment v  Greg talks about the performing arts program at Elon v  Great talks about some exceptional Elon programs that fly under the radar, but the faculty and the results are outstanding for these majors v  Greg talks about the 3 programs that Elon is best known nationally for v  Greg talks about how all of Elon's programs are open to all students v  Greg talks about the accelerated pathways programs Elon offers and he talks about how they are growing at Elon v  Greg shares what Elon needs to work on being an even better school v  Greg talks about Elon's low tuition, low tuition discount model v  Greg talks about Elon's strategic plan v  Greg talks about the five areas in the country where Elon has a regional staff member v  Greg goes on the hotseat in the lightning round v  Greg shares what he learned from visiting colleges with his two sons v  Greg shares a hilarious story about his son Luke    (26:54) Recommended Resource-College UnMazed, is offering free 90-day digital access to their entire bookshelf to institutions. and CBO's, to get your free access, contact Dr. Amanda Sterk at info@collegeunmazed.com     Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application-     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at Lynda@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

As a physician parent, you went through more school than the average Joe. You may think you know the system but college admissions is constantly evolving. Listen in as Nate Reineke and Ben Utley are joined by Lorry Krone, M.A., C.A.C, a certified college admissions counselor. From the San Francisco Bay Area, Lorry helps students from across the country get into the school that is the right fit for them. We discuss some of the best practices that you can start with a young child, what helps kids stand out, some common myths and misconceptions that parents have, and why it is important to have a list of college options. If you want to work with Lorry, you can reach her at lorrykrone@gmail.com or visit their website, andersonandkrone.com. Are you ready to turn worries about taxes and investing into all the money you need for college and retirement? It's time to make a plan and get on track. To find out if we're a match visit physicianfamily.com and click get started or, you can ask a question of your own by emailing podcast@physicianfamily.com. See marketing disclosures at physicianfamily.com/disclosures

Welcome back to the podcast! This is our sixth and final chapter of our series on admission nutrients — qualities that can make for a healthier, more meaningful college admission process… and life. In case you missed it, we started with collaboration, with Raissa Diamante (Director of admission from Harvey-Mudd College), then I sat down with Deanna Dixon, (Dean of Admission at Smith College) to talk about leadership, then Tom met with Dysean Alexander (Assistant Director for West Coast Admission at Lafayette College) to talk about consistent engagement and Nathan Faust (Loyola Marymount University) to talk about service to others. Today we conclude the series by talking about intellectual curiosity with Hillary Dickman from Colorado College. In our conversation, Hillary and I cover a lot of ground, including:  What is intellectual curiosity in the context of the college admission process? Where does intellectual curiosity show up in a student's application? Why is it important in the admissions process at Colorado College and how does their approach to identifying intellectual curiosity differs from other liberal arts colleges? What is Colorado College's latest supplemental essay prompt? Advice for both students and parents as they navigate this process And more!  Hillary Dickman is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Speech Communication from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She began her career in higher education teaching public speaking, interpersonal communication, and intercultural communication at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Since 2021, she's been part of the admission team at Colorado College, where she's worked on scholarship programs, the counselor advisory board, and now focuses on print and email marketing. She's also navigated the college admission process as a parent — her older child is a recent graduate of Wellesley College, and her younger one is a student at Colorado College. I hope you enjoy this conversation. I certainly did.     Play-by-Play: 3:09 – What do college admission counselors do during the summer?  4:55 – What are some of the roles that Hillary plays at Colorado College?  8:56 – What makes Colorado College a unique school? 10:39 – What is intellectual curiosity in the context of the college admission process? 17:43 – Where does intellectual curiosity show up in a student's application? 22:29 – What are some examples of intellectual curiosity from over the years?  32:29 – What do students or parents misunderstand about intellectual curiosity? 40:01 – Why is intellectual curiosity important at Colorado College?  48:22 – What is Colorado College's latest supplemental essay prompt? 57:10 – What if the thing I'm curious about has nothing to do with my major? 1:00:18 – What advice does Hillary give to students for writing their personal statement? 1:04:03 – How long does Hillary spend reading an essay and the application as a whole? 1:09:54 – How does Hillary recommend students get started with the writing process? 1:13:58 – What are Hillary's thoughts on using ChatGPT in the application process? 1:18:16 – What is demonstrated interest and why is it important to Colorado College?  1:24:00 – What does Hillary hope that students and parents will keep in mind throughout this process?    Resources: College Partnerships with CEG Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness (TED) CEG Podcast Episode 506: Demonstrated Interest: What Is it, Why Is it Important, and How Do You Show it? with Dean of Enrollment Christine Bowman What is Demonstrated Interest? A Practical How-To Guide College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy's College Application Hub  

Imagine two models of education, one of which reserves opportunities for college credit for college students and another which allows high schoolers to also earn college credit. Which do you think most college-bound students would prefer? Amy and Mike invited admissions professional Audrey Moreno to explore the impact of dual enrollment programs. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is an early college high school? Are there different models of dual enrollment offerings? Why is access to dual enrollment programs so important? What makes dual enrollment such a powerful tool for increasing college access—especially for underserved students? What advice would you give to families or school counselors who are considering dual enrollment as an option? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Audrey Delfina Moreno is a first-generation college student and Mexican American. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Psychology from Northern Arizona University and completed her Ed.D. at Arizona State University in 2013. For the past 19 years, Audrey has worked in secondary and postsecondary education, focusing on credit recovery and Early College student populations. She began her career as a counselor in Title 1 charter schools in downtown and central Phoenix before transitioning to Director of Early College at Paradise Valley Community College, where she expanded dual credit opportunities and supported college planning programs for high school students. Now serving as Senior Director of National Bridge Partnerships within ASU's Learning Enterprise, Audrey leads Accelerate ASU, overseeing partnerships with school districts, high schools, and community organizations to expand access to college credit through ASU's Universal Learner Courses. She also spearheads Accelerate ASU: College Now, an initiative aimed at strengthening dual enrollment pipelines in collaboration with community colleges nationwide. Additionally, Audrey serves on the board of Home Schooling for College Credit, where she helps shape policies and strategies to increase access to early college opportunities for homeschooling families. She specializes in designing college credit pathways and is deeply committed to fostering equitable opportunities for high school students who aspire to earn college credit. Audrey can be reached at moreno.audrey@asu.edu or on LinkedIn. LINKS Dual Enrollment Meaning & Benefits Accelerate ASU Fast-tracking futures with ASU's dual enrollment program RELATED EPISODES WHEN IS DUAL ENROLLMENT A GOOD OPTION? ADVANTAGES OF DUAL ENROLLMENT EARNING ADVANCE COLLEGE CREDIT HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SELECTION AND ACADEMIC RIGOR ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. 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, get in touch through our contact page.  

In this episode you will hear:   5 Students ask two partners questions about being an attorney Dr. Sarah Sled shares her journey from MIT to 4 Tech powers to being a college counselor; we then discuss our brand new YCBK Survey and we let you know how you can take it. Here is a link so you can take the survey: We close with our third interview, Susan Tree joins Mark to interview Bob Massa, Bob has 50 years' experience in admissions and enrollment management and he shares his insights with us     Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at Lynda@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

Is summer winding down and you're feeling the back-to-school jitters? Wondering how to navigate college admissions, whether you're a freshman just starting out or a senior facing big deadlines? We've got you covered! Today, we're diving into essential August checklists for every high schooler. Since it's already August, this episode is perfectly timed to give you a clear roadmap of what you should be working on as you prepare for the new academic year. We've divided the content into two key categories: a tailored checklist for 9th through 11th graders and a completely different game plan for seniors. If you enjoy this format, keep tuning in! We just might be releasing monthly checklist episodes to keep you on track throughout the year. And of course, if you need more individualized guidance with your college admissions journey, we're always here to help you find the right program within Passion Prep. Ready for close, personalized support? That option is available for August, and you can reach out to our Support Team at info@passionprep.com, and we'll be back with a brand-new podcast episode next week, so don't miss it.  Before we dive into this checklist episode, I wanted to let you know that we are hosting a Free Live Training this Wednesday (August 6th). You can register now at www.passionprep.com/live and I'll walk you through 5 major mistakes that students are making that could decrease their chances of getting accepted, what's changing with the Ivy League and Top-tier college admissions landscape, and the exact 3-step framework my students used to get into Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, UCLA, NYU, and many more. Get ready to open your “Congratulations, You're Accepted!” letter from your dream college! You can reserve your spot for Passion Project Bootcamp, our 1-year group college consulting program to get you ACCEPTED into your dream college using your passion, strength and potential. Start your journey to your dream college https://passionprep.com/bootcamp! If you are looking for a more affordable way to level-up your college admissions strategies, we've officially launched our PPBC: A Self-Paced Online Course. This digital, step-by-step course will help you build a strong college admissions gameplan, select the right extracurriculars, brainstorm & execute your unique Passion Project, create your resume, and much more: https://passionprep.teachable.com/p/ppbc-self-paced-online-course. As always, if you have questions, please reach out to our Support Team at info@passionprep.com. Also, I'd love to connect with you on Instagram – our Instagram handle is: www.instagram.com/passion_prep.

In this episode you will hear:   (02:29) In the News  Hillary and Mark give some tips to help students with the writing in their applications-Part 2 of 3   (18:40) Peg Keogh Interview-Missed Opportunities for the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE Part 1 of 5 o     Peg gives her backstory o     Peg answers the question, should you fill out the financial aid forms if you are confident that you will not qualify for need-based aid o     Mark introduces the topic, o     Peg and Mark have a robust discussion of, what does it mean to be “need-blind” o     Peg explains the difference between FAFSA and the PROFILE o     Peg and Mark begin the discussion, What are some missed opportunities that are common on both to FAFSA and the CSS Profile     (53:05) College Spotlight Interview Greg Zaiser-VP of Enrollment at Elon University-Understanding Elon University 1 of 2 Part 1-Preview v  Greg talks about what makes Elon distinctively special v  Greg talks about how Elon almost pioneered engaged learning v  Greg talks about the 5 Elon experiences v  Greg talks about the small class sizes v  Greg talks about the awards Elon Faculty have received v  Greg talks about the engineering and nursing programs v  Greg talks about athletics at Elon v  Greg talks about Elon's campus v  Greg talks about an exciting new major that Elon has in the School of Communications v  Greg talks about some exciting changes Elon is making to their physician assistant program v  Greg talks about Elon in NY, Elon in DC, Elon in Charlotte and Elon in Charlotte v  Greg talks about whether the word on the street, that Elon wants you to let them know if you are in their top three is accurate or not v  Mark asks Greg if Elon is a school that is great for a family that can pay at least $40,000-the mid-60's but not a financial match for a family that can't pay 40K v  Mark asks Greg about two reasons he hears students do not select Elon and Greg gives honest answers to Mark's questions       Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at Lynda@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

In this episode you will hear:   Mark discusses a few more aspects of the new tax bill and how it will impact students and colleges and universities-Part 2 of 2;  Chris Teare is interviewed on a range of topics related to college admissions.   Preview of part 4 of 4 v I ask Chris when he tells people to submit and not submit their test scores v Chris talks about mental health and loving your child v Chris and I talk about how college visits to high schools we talk and about how counselor calls have changed and we talk about the reasons why colleges aren't making college counselor calls like they used to v Chris goes on the hot seat in our lightning round   Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   On X for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at Lynda@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/  

In this episode you will hear:   (01:52) In the News Hillary and Mark gives some tips to help students with the writing in their applications-Part 1 of 3.   (18:43) Interview Greg Zaiser-VP of Enrollment at Elon University-Understanding Demonstrated Interest-2 of 2 Part 2-Preview v  Greg answers the question, does a school have the ability to track one student across different devices v  Greg answers the question, do you have any way of knowing if it is a mom or dad surfing the web versus the student v  Greg explains what he thinks about a parent surfing the web a lot, potentially masquerading as the student v  Greg explains what he thinks when all of the calls and emails are coming from a parent and not from the student v  Greg talks about the role the custom prompts play in assessing demonstrated interest v  Greg talks about how students attending fairs, school visits and coffee chat attendance counts as interest and correlates with yield v  Greg talks about whether email opening of links correlates with yield v  Greg talks about how Elon is buying more names than they used to and we discuss what sources other than the College Board and the ACT and he shares which of these sources are producing great resources v  Greg and I talk about the value of using print mail vs electronic mail v  Greg talks about whether it impacts the perception of the student and DI if a student asks great questions at the Elon coffee chats v  Greg talks about the admit rate at Elon and he talks about how the admit rate is an institutional priority for Elon v  I ask Greg a tough question, are you flipping kids from EA to ED2 as a strategy   (45:39) Question from a listener and College Spotlight-Dr. John Pollard joins Mark to discuss a question about why The University of Arizona is going to Early Action       Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast.   You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day.   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions:   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at Lynda@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

On today's episode Big T and PFT are back in the studio to get into all the news from the weekend. We get to Donald Trump threatening the Washington Commanders stadium deal, Stephen Colbert's Late Night cancelation, a new college admissions application, Tulsi Gabbard and much more. Enjoy! (00:02:27) Washington Commanders (00:12:54) Stephen Colbert (00:20:51) Teed off (00:32:55) College Admissions (00:59:29) Tulsi Gabbard (01:06:27) VoicemailsYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/macrodosing