Podcasts about colleges that change lives

In this episode you will hear:   (01:45) Question from a listener:  Mark and Hillary answer a question from a listener who wants to know how AI is being used in admissions (17:33) Second Question from a listener: Barry from New Jersey wants to know more about dual enrollment, and especially how dual enrollment classes are interpreted by colleges for a physical applicant (42:20) Interview: Mark Stucker and Nate Haveman,  VP of enrollment of Hope College Preview of Part 3 of 4 v  Nate tells us about why he is so impressed with President Scoggin v  Nate tells us about the Racquet Sports management program that Hope offers v  Nate tells us about the most popular majors at HOPE v  Nate tells us about what it means that HOPE is a “Colleges That Change Lives” school v  Nate talks about the outstanding art music, dance and theater programs at HOPE v  Nate answers the question, would a student who a Christian is not fit in at HOPE v  Nate talks about the political affiliation of the students at HOPE v  Nate talks about who the small colleges they overlap with are. v  Nate talks about the things that when he is reading an admissions file makes them pop and stand out v  Nate explains why students pick HOPE over there other cross-apps         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/

Imagine a group of colleges the provide a high impact educational experience where students are placed at the center not only during their four years, but also during the admissions process. Imagine a group of colleges that are accessible, affordable and where you don't have to be a finished product before you enroll. Well, folks, that's the Colleges That Change Lives group. Join Joel and Chris as they talk to Ann Marano, executive director of CTCL, and Emily Roper-Doten, VP for Undergrad Admission and Financial Assistance and Chief Enrollment Officer at Clark University, about colleges that truly do change lives. Music on this episode comes from the Free Music Archive by Lite Saturation and Jahzzar. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lite-saturation/sport-rock-trailer/sport-rock-trailer/ https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lite-saturation/sport-rock-trailer/sport-rock-trailer-short/ https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Message/A_Message_1541/

In this episode, Susan Wise Bauer and Susanna Jarrett discuss what NOT to do when navigating the college admissions process as a homeschool family. They are joined by two educational consultants and college admissions experts, Holly Ramsey and Michele Evard.Show Notes: Holly Ramsey's WebsiteMichele Evard's Website Holly and Michele's Book (Use promo code: HOMESCHOOL10 for 10% off the book and everything else College UnMazed sells)Links mentioned: 3:42: Independent Educational Consultants Association (Holly and Michele are part of this organization, the other association they mentioned is HECA)19:49 Methodology on How US News and World Report Rank Colleges 28:48 Holly mentions Colleges That Change Lives as an example of the many smaller schools that may be a great fit for your student. 29:42 Holly's recommendations for finding right fit colleges: New York Times Build Your Own College Rankings and Georgetown Return on Investment Chart. 32:29 Holly recommends MEFA Student Aid Index calculator to determine what kind of aid you can get. 37:52 Holly recommends Loper App (the dating app for colleges) (00:00) - Intro with Holly Ramsey and Michele Evard (06:42) - What not to do while thinking about the college application process (07:07) - Don't worry about what your third grader is doing (17:44) - Break (18:38) - Keeping on topic (19:02) - Don't worry about "Ivy Leagues" (34:33) - Don't get emotionally invested (40:39) - Don't shape your curriculum to have a good looking transcript (48:48) - Come back next week for the "Do-s"!

Are you applying for financial aid? Can't figure out what the FSAID is? College Coach finance consultant Jess Mosley will be joining host Shannon Vasconcelos to answer that question and explain how to sign up for it. Shannon will also be interviewing Ann Marano, Executive Director of the Colleges That Change Lives, a non-profit organization that champions colleges that might not be name brands but provide a transformational experience for students.

Today's episode is part three of our series, Inside the Application. Ethan is joined by Cassidy, a current high school senior who is working on her college applications for the Fall 2025 term.  This episode is a deep dive into the supplemental essays — specific essays that many selective colleges and universities require. In particular, Cassidy and Ethan get into:  How to write the “What would you bring to our campus” essay How to write an essay that focuses on “intellectual vitality”  How to write the “roommate” essay Tips on the short answer questions (50 words or less) And more Finally, we close the episode out with a special guest appearance from Renee Ferrerio to review Cassidy's college list. Renee has been working in college admission for three decades. She has a Masters in school counseling, has worked as both a public and independent school counselor, and serves on numerous college advisory boards and committees, including the Common Application Outreach Advisory Board, and many others.  Stay tuned for future episodes where Ethan and Cassidy continue the conversation. We'll continue to check in with Cassidy to see how things are going, and you'll find out how it turned out a few months from now. Cassidy is a current high school student going through the college application process. She lives in the Bay Area, loves ballet, knows a lot about Biology, and identifies as a “yapper”—more on that in our conversation.  We hope you enjoy!    Play-by-play 1:55 - How's Cassidy doing on her supplemental essays so far? 4:00 - Ethan reads Cassidy's “what would you bring to our campus” essay draft 8:48 - Ethan's feedback on the essay 15:38 - Additional supplemental essay prompts + Ethan's impressions 19:28 - Using the Roles and Identities Exercise to brainstorm ideas 24:48 - Ethan reads & reviews Cassidy's draft of her “community” essay 35:41 - Ethan reads and reviews Cassidy's draft of her “roommate” essay 44:42 - Reviewing Cassiday's “short answer” prompts (and why they're like an advent calendar) 53:45 - Introducing Renee Ferrerio  (CEG college counselor with 25+ years experience) 59:28 - Discussing impacted majors, Colleges That Change Lives, and suggestions for Cassidy's college list Resources Part 1 of this series, Inside the Application  Part 2 of this series, Inside the Application Cassidy's Supplemental Essay Doc The Roles and Identities Exercise How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay + Examples A How-To Guide for the Short Answer Questions for Highly-Selective Colleges How to Choose a College: A Step-By-Step Guide

Megan is sharing a special book that is perfect for those who aren't sure what colleges they might be interested in. Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope covers some great colleges that might not be known because they are ... Read More » The post 535: Short Summer Series: Megan–Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

On Season 1 of the podcast, Ethan had a great conversation with Maria Furtado, then Executive Director of the Colleges That Change Lives organization (also known as “CTCL”). It's a lovely chat and to date one of our most downloaded episodes.  On today's episode Ethan had the pleasure of sitting down with her successor, Ann Marano, and they get into:    Where to start when it comes to the college search How to myth bust yourself (a practical exercise) What questions to ask when you're searching for a college Some things Ann and Ann and Ethan wished they had done differently when they went through the process themselves  Busting some affordability myths What it means to keep a student at the center of the college search  If you've never met Ann, you should know that she is a proud first-generation college graduate of Mount St. Mary's University (CA) who earned her M.A. in Education-Psychology from Pepperdine. She's served on several counselor advisory boards, including the Common Application Board of Directors and the Johns Hopkins University Access Advisory Board. After 20 years in college admissions counseling at several different universities and high schools and 12 years as the college bound advisor at the first all girls' public school in the state of Texas, Ann Marano moved into the role of Executive Director for the Colleges That Change Lives. We hope you enjoy the conversation.   Play-by-Play 1:57 - What is CTCL and what is Ann's role as Executive Director?  3:58 - What's it like to be a student at a liberal arts college? 8:09 - What kind of student is right for a liberal arts college?  10:01 - What's a good place to start in the college search process? 14:49 - How to combat myths about colleges  19:04 - What are some questions that are important for students and families to be asking themselves as they go through this process? 25:52 - An exercise for picturing yourself on a college campus  29:45 - What would Ann and Ethan have done differently in college? 32:04 - How does a student get a sense of a school if they're not able to visit the campus? 34:15 - College affordability at private schools 39:17 - What are some tips for parents about keeping students at the center of the search? 43:56 - Another example of what it's like to be a student at a liberal arts college 48:27 - An exercise students can do to begin this process of finding a great college 52:55 - Final thoughts / wrap-up   Resources CTCL.org CTCL How To Choose A College Brochure The Values Exercise How to Choose a College: A Step-By-Step Guide  How to Research Colleges Without Visiting a Campus Paying for College in Four Steps: The Five College Types U.S. Department of Education College Affordability and Transparency Center College Cost Transparency Initiative The Common Data Set: What It Is and How to Use It in College Admissions   

Colleges That Change LivesCTCL Information Sessions & College Fairs CTCL How To Choose A College That Is Right For YouCTCL Member InstitutionsPrep Expert Coupon Code/Affiliate Relationship ExplainedDormify Coupon Code/Affiliate Relationship ExplainedAlphabetical List of All Episodes with LinksClick Here To Join The Podcast Email ListThe College Application Process Podcast - Social Media Links

As tuitions rise faster than inflation, more and more students and their families may wonder what value college offers and which colleges offer the most opportunities to help set them up for success. Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Ann Marano, Executive Director for the Colleges That Change Lives organization, to discuss the value of liberal arts education and what truly sets colleges in that organization a part from the hundreds of other colleges and universities in the country, including a student-centered approach to education. Learn more about Colleges that Change Lives at https://ctcl.org.

Season 1: #5 - Maria Furtado: “Know” Before No. There are over 4000 colleges and universities in the US. Let me let that sink in for a moment. There are more colleges than there are shopping malls, Apple stores, amusement parks, and national parks COMBINED. I've researched and/or visited over one hundred colleges, but I could not begin to name more than maybe 300. My question this week is, “How many could you name?” My guess is that most people would name the same 50 -150. So if this is true, why do so many shake their head, “No” to a college they've never heard of? Where did we learn this? Teachers everywhere teach students that when you don't know something, if you don't have the answer, you should ask questions. You can ask the teacher, ask a parent, ask you neighbor, or phone a friend. This week our guest, Maria Furtado, the Executive Director and national spokeswoman for Colleges That Change Lives, shares her journey to college. As the first in her family to attend college, Maria applied two golden rules; 1) Follow The Leader, and 2) Know before No. Maria's story will open your mind and heart to a group of 44 colleges and inspire you to fall in love with the college admission process. She believes you can land at your perfect destination: YOUniversity. Guest Bio Maria Furtado is the Executive Director of the non-profit organization, Colleges That Change Lives. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years, and she worked at two CTCL schools, Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Florida. Maria speaks all around the country to students, parents and counselors about college rankings and popular misperceptions about college admission, the strength and worth of a liberal arts education, the lifelong value of a college education – the return on investment - and offers tips for students and parents on how to manage the college search. She really enjoys helping students and families as they take on the college search process, and she believes that finding the right college should be about "fit,” not just settling or chasing the name brand. Maria also believes that it's OK, and actually preferable, to enjoy talking about colleges. She also thinks the college search should actually be fun. Get FREE College Admission Essay Help: https://www.drcynthiacolon.com/essay-mini-training Check out the Destination YOUniversity FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2489993244570408 See our website here: https://www.drcynthiacolon.com/ Schedule a call with Dr. C: https://www.drcynthiacolon.com/schedule ________________________________ #Drcynthiacolon #Collegeessaybootcamp #collegeessay #Highschool #Juniors #seniors #tipstalestruths #Tips #collegecounseling #collegeconsulting #collegeconsultingservices #collegeadmissionsconsultant #collegeadmissionsconsultingservices #bestcollegeconsultants #collegeadmissionshelp #collegeconsultant #collegeadmissionsconsulting #admissionsconsulting #college #collegeadmissions #Collegeadvice #collegeprep

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

This week Courtney and Conner sit down with Director of Residential Life at OWU, Brian Emerick, to talk about where students live on campus and all of their unique residential options.

#049 – Today, Jankel and I talk about the different types of colleges available to high school graduates. The truth is that all high school kids, with different levels of academic preparation, can obtain a college education immediately after high school, if they choose to do so. There are a variety of types of colleges in the United States that exist to serve students from different levels of academic achievement and preparation. That also includes those students who had what may be considered an abysmal high school preparation. On this episode, we explore the different types of colleges, starting with those that are highly-selective (private and state), and transition to state schools that have a higher admission rate, private schools that are not highly selective, and community colleges. We also present the minimum requirements for admission into each type of institution. During our talk, Janekl and I debunk myths about two very inclusive and helpful types of institutions, state and community colleges. At the beginning of our conversation, we uncover the meaning of highly-selective, selective, and competitive colleges and universities. We also talk about the marked effect Mr. Loren Pope had in the world of college admissions in America. His writings, including Colleges That Change Lives, have led to changes in the way students, parents, and counselors approached the college admissions process. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/49. You can help us reach many other high school students and parents who could also benefit from our content, by giving this podcast a 5-star rating, by leaving us a positive review on the platform you used to download this episode, and by sharing our show with others. We will be very grateful to you for your valuable help. Thank you!

You may have noticed that I’ve published several episodes lately having to do with college admissions. That's not the norm for me but I thought this one was definitely worth sharing. If you are a loyal listener, I hope you know by now that I have nothing against college but my primary goal with this podcast is to help parents guide their teens as they explore all paths through and beyond high school, whether that includes college or not. My guest today is Kristina Dooley. Kristina is a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) and founder of Estrela Consulting, an Ohio-based independent educational consulting firm. She has more than 20 years of experience working with students from around the world navigating the complex college and school search processes. In this episode, we’re talking about Colleges That Change Lives. You may already be familiar with the book and/or the website with the same title . It’s a pretty cool group of colleges that are definitely worth investigating. Most of them are smaller, private liberal arts colleges, but please don’t let that deter you from at least taking a look. These schools made the list for a reason and you just never know which college may turn out to be the best fit for your teen. During our conversation, Kristina shares valuable advice for parents about the right time to have the financial discussion with your college-bound kids, why you should view colleges like you would a hospital and two very important questions you should be asking those colleges that your teen is considering before they make a decision. I’m a huge fan of the Colleges That Change Lives book and website and this conversation with Kristina really inspired me to encourage my kids to take a closer look at these schools. Please visit the show notes page for more information and links mentioned during this episode. Connect with Me! High School Hamster Wheel Facebook Page Life After 12th Facebook Group Instagram LinkedIn Subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight Little Piggies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Little_Piggies) Reconstructing trees: A simple example (https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/phylogenetics_07) Colleges That Change Lives (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_That_Change_Lives) John Costello (https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/john-costello.html) Richard Stallman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman) Map projection (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_projection) Accidental Tech Podcast: 356: With a Heavy Heart (https://atp.fm/356) ArcGIS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArcGIS) QGIS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QGIS) Programming languages used in most popular websites (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_languages_used_in_most_popular_websites)

Ken chats with Maria Furtado, Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives, which is dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process. Maria shares the origin story of Admissions Aerobics (it's real and it's magic), as well as lessons she's learned along the way as a former director of admission herself. Special shout-out to Marty O'Connell and Virginia Buege two of the big brains behind the birth of Colleges That Change Lives.Rapid DescentWalkout song: Flowers are Red by Harry ChapinBest recent read: The Unwind Dystology Series by Tom Rachman Eager to read next: Half Broke: A Memoir by Ginger GaffneyFavorite thing to make in the kitchen: "Drinks."What he uses to take and keep notes: Paper and pen, especially one with a nice wide tip; not one of those sharp pointy ones.Memorable bit of advice: "Make a decision. It may be good; it may be bad. But make a decision. The best one you can at the time."Bucket list: Go to Fiji.

Listen in to get a sneak peak of the upcoming podcast, Bishop Banter. Get to know your hosts, Courtney Dunne and Conner Green, as they talk about their experiences at Ohio Wesleyan.

Have you had The Talk with your kids yet? No, not that talk. The one about how much you can afford to pay for college! We have advice for why this talk is important, how to discuss it, and the best time to broach the subject. We're also doing the second in our series on popular admissions myths that we're trying to dispel. Our final segment focuses on Colleges That Change Lives, the group of colleges originally identified in Loren Pope's popular book of the same name. Tune in to learn more about the criteria used to select these CTCL schools and why they might be a great fit for you.

Have you had The Talk with your kids yet? No, not that talk. The one about how much you can afford to pay for college! We have advice for why this talk is important, how to discuss it, and the best time to broach the subject. We're also doing the second in our series on popular admissions myths that we're trying to dispel. Our final segment focuses on Colleges That Change Lives, the group of colleges originally identified in Loren Pope's popular book of the same name. Tune in to learn more about the criteria used to select these CTCL schools and why they might be a great fit for you.

SUMMARY Julie Lythcott-Haims, former Dean of Freshman at Stanford University, offers her New York Times bestselling anti-parenting manifesto, How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success. In the book, Lythcott-Haims explores how and why hyper-attentive parenting, or helicopter parenting, has taken parents and their children hostage in this country. This trend of well-intentioned parents who hover is creating real-life dangers for 21st-century smart kids who can’t even make their own beds. Their parents have been lured into creating "check-listed childhoods" or "redshirting" their kindergartners. Left inept in essential life skills because their parents watch, handle, fix, and organize everything for them, these kids are unprepared to work, lead, and take their rightful place as the next generation of adults. So, here to stop the madness of overprotecting, overscheduling, and overparenting is Lythcott-Haims. She speaks with the compassion of a parent yet the unapologetic urgency of someone who spent a decade observing some of our brightest young people fail to launch. In short, Lythcott-Haims teaches us how to change the definition of success and how to raise an adult. KEY POINTS “Existential impotence” – a state of being among young adults who remain, effectively, small children-in-arms lovingly attended to almost 24/7 and who feel perfectly content to be cared for by parents indefinitely Helicopter parenting is borne of five causes during the 1980s: 1- the playdate, 2 - the self-esteem movement, 3 - “stranger danger” 4 - seatbelt and bicycle helmets laws, and 5 - A Nation at Risk. Three types of overparenting: overprotecting, overdirecting, and hand-holding.  The shift to round-the-clock parenting has short-term gains but long-term losses. Four-step method for teaching children skills: do it for them, do it with them, watch them do it, and they do it themselves. Baby Boomers started helicopter parenting, and the movement has now continued into the present when Millennials are parenting. Give kids unstructured time for free play with no adult supervision. Kids are more likely to be harmed as a passenger in a car than to be abducted. Normalizing struggle by allowing small setbacks to teach is what leads to having autonomous kids and independent adults. QUOTES FROM LYTHCOTT-HAIMES “The most loving thing we can do as parents is to prepare ourselves to fend without us.” “Short of the disasters that can befall them, we’re supposed to let life teach our kids lessons.” “We have to as a community, as a neighborhood, as a school district, as a town—we have to call time out…and blow the whistle. We need to do things differently!” “Free play is essential the developmental wellness of children, so this is not some fuzzy thing…They will be mentally unwell (compromised) if their childhood doesn’t include a pretty regular dose of free play.” “A long-term study conducted over decades [the Harvard Study] shows that a kid who did chores in childhood is more likely to be professionally successful later in life. Why? Because chores build a work ethic and also a mindset of ‘Pitch in, and be useful!’” “What’s really best for a child is to figure out, ‘What do I want? What am I good at? Let me craft my life accordingly.’” Connect with Julie Lythcott-Haims on her website, and check out her wildly popular TEDTalk (with over 4 million views) about how to raise a successful kid without overparenting. Check out the Wilton Connecticut Free Play Matters Task Force website. Read articles by Peter Gray, the guru of free play, found at the Natural Child Project website. Visit the Let Grow website for “future-proofing our kids and our country.” BUY How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success RECOMMENDATION For student-centered college searches, visit the Colleges That Change Lives website, OR BUY Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Connect with us on social media! Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Special thanks… Music Credit Sound Editing Credit

Reon and I discuss the Colleges that Change Lives, an amazing group of US colleges, as well as her own college, the College of Wooster.

In this episode of Demystifying College Admissions, I’m interviewing Maria Furtado, the executive director of Colleges That Change Lives. The mission of CTCL is to help students and families better understand the college admissions process to find the best college fit possible. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: The practicality piece of getting accepted into an Ivy League Why the Ivy Leagues will not be the best for every student. Why it’s a mistake to apply to all 8 Ivy Leagues The importance of being true to yourself. Why there’s a cultural need to meet an expectation Why students need the freedom to be who they are The importance of building your back-up schools How many schools you should have on your final college list What action steps parents can take during their children’s college admissions journey The “Course catalog” exercise!    NOTABLE QUOTES: “All we can do is give our students factual information.” “Is your child amazing in a national or International pool?” “Your parental perspective doesn’t change the fact that these schools (Ivy Leagues) receive 10x the applications than they can admit” “Do you think your child will thrive here?” “Expand your horizons by one” “There’s nothing that’s going to cause a sweeping change”   “Be honest with your answers”   “Own your search” “Be braver” SHOW NOTES:  http://www.juliekimconsulting.com/episode-17-colleges-that-change-lives STRATEGY SESSION:  http://www.juliekimconsulting.com/now 

Colleges that Change Lives                                                        Episode 78 This episode is the first in a 6-part series focusing on Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL). Be sure to download the action guide […]The post 078: Colleges that Change Lives appeared first on The Scholarship Shark.

From the time kids enter high school, thoughts of “What's next?” become increasingly important. How do I find the right college for me? Do I want a large university or small college? Close to home or far away? How can I look beyond big name schools to discover a gem I might not have heard of? What do I need to do now to increase my odds of getting in and getting a scholarship or financial aid? How do I prepare an application that stands out from the crowd?   Mary Hill, Director of College Counseling and Academic Planning at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, takes on these question and more in this informative and important discussion. With two kids starting high school this fall, Erin (and Grandma Marti) were soaking up everything this guest had to offer!   What do you and your children know or think about college or other higher ed options that might work? What practical tips and resources did you learn about in this Mom Enough discussion that could help you and your kids find the right college match for them?   For College Counseling Resources, click here. For Questions to Ask on College Tours, click here. For BigFuture, click here. For the Colleges That Change Lives website, click here. For the Colleges That Change Lives book by Loren Pope, click here. For the Net Price Calculator Center, click here.

If there was a group of colleges focused on a personalized, student-focused college experience, would you be interested? Well Colleges That Change Lives is that group, and executive director Maria Furtado joins us to share more about their mission. We'll also go inside the St. Olaf financial aid office and help students and families prep for early round results in Office Hours.

If there was a group of colleges focused on a personalized, student-focused college experience, would you be interested? Well Colleges That Change Lives is that group, and executive director Maria Furtado joins us to share more about their mission. We'll also go inside the St. Olaf financial aid office and help students and families prep for early round results in Office Hours.

Today’s episode in our series Researching College Options focuses on a trend in college enrollment that you might have missed entirely. But if you have a son at home, it might be of particular interest to you--especially if your son is in the early days of high school (or even younger!).  1. A Quick Historical Look at Men in College Let’s look back for a moment at the history of male students in U.S. colleges. We wrote about this back in our first book, How To Find the Right College: A Workbook for Parents of High School Students, when we discussed the very real college option for your teenager of attending a single-sex institution vs. a coeducational institution. Here is what we said then:  Colleges and universities that were started in America’s earliest days were all institutions for men. They were all single-sex institutions then. Seven of the eight well-known Ivy League institutions served only male students when they were founded in the 1600s and 1700s: the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. Among the Ivies, only Cornell, the youngest of the Ivies, was founded as a co-educational university, which took as its mission from its first day to enroll both men and women.  As time went on, many Ivies created a “sister” school for women: the University of Pennsylvania had its College for Women, Columbia had Barnard, Brown had Pembroke, and Harvard had Radcliffe. Of these, only Barnard remains. The tradition of single-sex colleges is particularly strong in the Northeast, perhaps because that is where so many of our country’s oldest higher education institutions are located. In addition to Barnard, women’s colleges in the Northeast include Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Simmons College, Smith College, and Wellesley College. But there are well-known women’s colleges located in other regions of the U.S. as well—like Mills College and Scripps College in California, Stephens College in Missouri, Hollins University and Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, Saint Mary’s College (the sister school of the University of Notre Dame) in Indiana, and Agnes Scott College and Spelman College in Georgia. Spelman has the distinction of also being an excellent HBCU. Interestingly and for whatever reason (probably rooted in financial issues), some of these women’s colleges now allow men to enroll in their graduate programs only, thus maintaining the traditional women’s college atmosphere for their undergraduate residential students. Today, there are just over 40 women’s colleges in the U.S. Oddly, only a handful of men’s colleges remain, perhaps partly because now there are actually more women than men going to college. The men’s college you have most likely heard of is Morehouse College, which is an academically rigorous HBCU located in Georgia and which is the men’s counterpart to Spelman. Morehouse has a roster of famous alumni, ranging from Martin Luther King, Jr., to Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee. Here are two more appealing men’s colleges: Hampden-Sydney College, which was founded in 1775 in Virginia and has a long and fascinating history (Patrick Henry and James Madison were among its first Trustees); and Wabash College, which is located in Indiana and was cited in the book Colleges That Change Lives as an institution that is successful in creating engaged students, who become leaders in their chosen fields. While most single-sex institutions have opened their doors to the opposite sex over the years and especially in the past 50 years, those that remain carry on a tradition that their graduates wholeheartedly support. Some of their graduates--and indeed their families--believe that students can focus better on their studies when they are not being distracted by social interactions with the opposite sex in the classroom. Some of their graduates believe that students will develop a stronger sense of community and camaraderie with their classmates in single-sex institutions. Some of their graduates appreciate the histories and philosophies of these institutions--especially perhaps graduates of women’s colleges who feel that they are better supported as young women and are encouraged to set and pursue whatever education and career goals they can imagine for themselves. Clearly, there are great reasons for your teenager to choose to apply to and attend a single-sex institution, as we have said before, but there are also great reasons for your teenager to choose a coeducational institution. What is happening now, however, is that some coeducational institutions--institutions that some students chose to attend precisely because they were coeducational--are losing their balance between male and female students in a way that no one would have predicted 40 years ago. Let’s look at why. 2. Male College Enrollment Today  In a very interesting August article, which you should read in its entirety in The Hechinger Report (which also appeared in The Atlantic), reporter Jon Marcus gave us these facts and figures: Where men once went to college in proportions far higher than women--58 percent to 42 percent as recently as the 1970s--the ratio has now almost exactly reversed. This fall, women will comprise more than 56 percent of students on campuses nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Some 2.2 million fewer men than women will be enrolled in college this year. And the trend shows no sign of abating. By 2026, the department estimates, 57 percent of college students will be women. . . . Reeling from a years-long decline in overall enrollment, colleges and universities nationwide are vying for all the students they can get, and suddenly paying new attention to bolstering the number of men who apply. (quoted from the article) At this point, I think we might say either “You’ve come a long way, baby” to any young women in the audience or “Where will it end?” Of course, for many years, we lived in a world where more males than females went to college, so is it a problem if those figures are now reversed? Maybe not, unless you have a son at home, and you are wondering if this trend will affect him--either positively or negatively--as he looks toward college and his future. 3. Is College Too Late To Fix This? The Hechinger Report article goes on to explain some likely causes for the state of male college enrollment. Marcus reports: Though advocates complain that few in higher education are doing enough to keep those men who do get there from leaving, there’s consensus that men’s reluctance to enroll in the first place isn’t necessarily the colleges’ fault. The problem has its origins as early as primary school, only to be fueled later on by economic forces that discourage men from believing a degree is worth the time and money. “It’s funny that it’s the colleges that are finally seeing this issue and trying to resolve it,” said Patrick Maloney, president of the Nativity School, a Jesuit Catholic middle school in the central Massachusetts city of Worcester that tries to aim low-income boys toward college. That’s because, by the time students reach college age, Maloney said, “It’s way too late. You’ve already lost them. Maybe [admissions officers] should be going into middle schools and [should] start talking to fifth-graders about the benefits of college education.” Or even earlier than that. The “anti-school, anti-education sentiment” in boys has roots in kindergarten, when they’re slower to learn to read than girls, said Jim Shelley, manager of the Men’s Resource Center at Lakeland Community College in Ohio. Girls at the primary and secondary level worldwide far outperform boys in reading, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. That disparity continues until, “by eighth or ninth grade, boys have lost interest,” Shelley said. (quoted from the article) All this is likely true, but none of it accounts for the decline in male college enrollment. Why? Because I believe all of this was true 40 years ago when there were more male than female students in colleges. With that said, we will, nonetheless, underline the importance of not waiting till high school to engage actively about college-going with any younger children you have at home. For many students in high schools my nonprofit organization has evaluated, it is clear that they gave up on the goal of pursuing a college education much earlier, just as the article says. I believe that this is especially--and unfortunately--true for low-income students in urban school districts. And here are some additional issues that are concerning if you have a son at home, according to this article: Men who do enroll in college, at whatever age, are more likely than women to drop out, and they graduate at lower rates, the Education Department reports. That’s one thing universities and colleges can address directly, but generally don’t, Shelley, [manager of the Men’s Resource Center at Lakeland Community College], said. Through 21 years running one of the few campus support centers exclusively for men, he said, “I’ve thought it can only get better. But it just has gone nowhere. Not only are there not programs like ours that are supportive of male students, but at most college campuses the attitude is that men are the problem versus men have problems, too. . . .” Meanwhile, boys in many American communities don’t see male role models who have been to college and succeeded, said Keith Bullock at Kentucky’s Berea College (56 percent female). Bullock is coordinator of programs to support male students, many of them from Appalachia. “They don’t have those examples of doctors and lawyers and professionals.” . . . The male students under his care are black, white and Hispanic, Bullock said, and they all face similar pressures. He escorts them to the counseling and advising offices and texts them every day to make sure they get to class on time and know when tests are scheduled. “My guys,” he calls them. He also works with them on study habits and time management. “It’s very challenging. It’s very emotional. Sometimes I’m hugging them up and there’s times when I feel I have to curse them out.” (quoted from the article) 4. What Does This Mean for You?  So, if you have a son at home, perhaps The Hechinger Report article has given you some new perspectives and some new facts to think with. But there is also some information here for those of you with a daughter at home. As we said in our new book, How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students, the gender breakdown on a college campus is one thing prospective applicants might want to consider. And now that we know that male students are sometimes in shorter supply than you might have expected, I am glad that we included a question about gender breakdown on the College Profile Worksheet. We give the Worksheet to students to complete for colleges they are interested in applying to (it is found at the end of our book). Here is some of what we wrote in the new book: If you look at the enrollment statistics for many colleges, you will notice that some are split pretty evenly between male and female students (say, 46 percent vs. 54 percent), while others are way out of balance (say, 30 percent vs. 70 percent). Sometimes colleges that are out of balance can be explained by their history (for example, they were once women’s colleges) or by the types of majors they are best known for (given that some majors, unfortunately, continue to attract more students of one gender). If you want a college to reflect the general undergraduate college student population, it is interesting to note that enrollment figures overall in the fall of 2014 showed that 56 percent of undergraduate students were female. So, if a college is better balanced than that (in other words, closer to 50–50), it might well be working hard to achieve that balance.   Let’s look at a few examples. Carleton College (a great private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota) is 53 percent female and 47 percent male. Carleton is working at it, we would say. Oddly enough, the gigantic University of Minnesota (the excellent public flagship university in the Twin Cities) gets even closer--at 51 percent female and 49 percent male. Not too far away, the Milwaukee School of Engineering (a Wisconsin college that specializes in engineering and technical subjects, though not exclusively) posts a 24 percent female and 76 percent male enrollment--for perhaps obvious reasons. So, if gender balance at a college is important to your teenager, you all should check it out for each college on your teenager’s list. If you have never thought about it, you should think about it now. By the way, as we said in our new book, “we have not yet seen data reported and presented across colleges on enrollment of students with gender identities other than male and female. However, if you are looking for a college that is particularly accepting of more diverse gender identities, that is a topic that can and should be pursued by looking further on the college’s website and by calling the Admission Office and asking about relevant data and policies.” Find our books on Amazon! How To Find the Right College: A Workbook for Parents of High School Students (available as a Kindle ebook and in paperback) How To Explore Your College Options: A Workbook for High School Students (available in paperback) Ask your questions or share your feedback by... Leaving a comment on the show notes for this episode at http://usacollegechat.org/episode136 Calling us at (516) 900-6922 to record a question on our USACollegeChat voicemail if you want us to answer your question live on our podcast Connect with us through... Subscribing to our podcast on Google Play Music, iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter Reviewing parent materials we have available at www.policystudies.org Inquiring about our consulting services if you need individualized help Reading Regina's blog, Parent Chat with Regina

  In this paradigm-shifting interview with Maria Furtado, the Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives (aka CTCL), we discuss, among other things: What is a liberal arts education and why is it important? Three questions every student should ask when it comes to picking a college Three ways to reduce anxiety during the college application process: the Car Idea, how to avoid “college creep,” and how the Ice Cream Prize can make a tour better One great way to increase (not decrease) stress during the college selection process How to make the most of a college fair experience Perhaps the single most important thing for parents to consider when it comes to the college application process    

Beason College Admission Coaching336-407-5951david@beasoncac.comwww.beasoncac.comCTCLs: http://ctcl.org/category/college-profiles/Loren Pope's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Colleges-That-Change-Lives-Schools/dp/0143122304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487563469&sr=8-1&keywords=loren+pope+colleges+that+change+livesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an episode we like to call “It’s Never Too Late To Add One More College.” Now, if your teenager and you have done your nine assignments this summer to expand and then investigate seriously the colleges on your teenager’s long summer list of college options, you are probably wondering what we mean by “adding one more.” But, first, let’s review the nine assignments you have already done—and it’s an impressive group: First, you expanded your teenager’s long summer list of college options. Next, you checked out four key admission standards for the colleges on that list--namely, average high school GPA, high school class rank, SAT or ACT scores of admitted and/or enrolled freshmen, and both required and recommended courses to be completed in high school. After that, you looked at each college’s undergraduate enrollment, broken down by part-time vs. full-time study, gender, race/ethnicity, and place of residence. Then, you checked out the student-to-faculty ratio and class sizes for each college on the list. You went on to look at the type of community each college is located in and what it has to offer off campus. Next, you found out what kind of core curriculum requirements--if any--are in place at each college. Then, you checked out the types of campus housing available at each college and what some of its security measures are. And finally, you examined the way each college divides up its academic year into terms--both the traditional and the innovative ways. We are truly impressed if you got all that done. Even if you didn’t do it for 50 colleges--one from each state, which was our original challenge--we are impressed. Even if you did it for just half that many colleges we are impressed. But, let’s say that we hope you did it for at least 20.  1. Your Assignment #10 Download the Assignment #10 Worksheet And so, we come to the last assignment in building and investigating your teenager’s list. This assignment is not like the others. It is designed to give your teenager and you one last chance to consider a college you might have missed in your search, and it does that by looking at several categories of colleges you might have overlooked or you might have thought were not right for your teenager. At the end of this episode, you might be able to rule out each category we are suggesting; if so, your list is done. On the other hand, you might want to look further at one category or another and consider adding a few colleges to that long summer list of college options. 2. What About Faith-Based Colleges? As we explained at some length in our book How To Find the Right College: A Workbook for Parents of High School Students (on sale at Amazon until we declare the summer officially over), “faith-based”--that is, religious--colleges and universities are a broader category than you might think. This category includes hundreds of small Bible colleges, which are indeed dedicated to religious life and the study of religion, but it also includes very large universities that offer all fields of study, though with an underlying religious or moral or service-to-others orientation. Some faith-based institutions require more religious study than others. Some require students to take just a couple of courses in theology or perhaps philosophy instead, while others infuse much of their curriculum with their religious beliefs. Some require students to attend chapel services, but many do not. In our experience, faith-based institutions are usually quite up front about what they are all about. They are not trying to trick your teenager into going there, because that wouldn’t be good for you or for them. Sometimes a college application will give you a clue by asking for your religion and the name and address of your church. Some ask for a recommendation from a minister. Many have a statement of their religious beliefs on their website or in their student handbook; you can read it and see whether your family supports it. As a matter of fact, more U.S. colleges and universities than you might think have been founded by religious denominations--especially a lot of our earliest and most prestigious colleges, as you learned if you listened to our virtual nationwide tour of colleges (Episodes 27 through 54). Some of them retain their religious affiliation today, and many do not. Some faith-based institutions are Jewish, some are Catholic, and some are Protestant. One very interesting choice is Soka University of America (SUA), located in Orange County, California: “Proudly founded upon the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the sanctity of life, SUA offers a non-sectarian curriculum” and welcomes students of all beliefs (quoted from the website).    Understanding the world of some 200 Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. is particularly complicated because they have been founded by various orders (including the Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, and more) and by other groups within the Catholic community. And, in case you didn’t listen to our virtual nationwide tour of colleges, many respected Catholic institutions, including some of the best-known ones, actually attract many students who are not Catholic.  As I have said in previous episodes, I sent my daughter Polly to the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University joint dance B.F.A. program. Fordham is a Jesuit university, something I am always embarrassed to admit that I knew very little about before I sent Polly there to dance. For those of you who don’t know, the Jesuits--that is, the Society of Jesus--which was founded in Paris in the 1500s, traces its commitment to education to St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the first Jesuit college in Messina, Sicily, in 1548. Jesuit institutions today place a strong emphasis on intellectual rigor and a liberal arts foundation, social justice issues worldwide, and a life of service. It is my belief that students of all faiths, including my daughter who is not Catholic, are welcome and comfortable at Jesuit institutions. When I heard Father Joseph McShane, Fordham’s president, speak at orientation, I knew that we had, accidentally, made a great decision in sending Polly to Fordham. Father McShane said that Fordham students were taught to wrestle with important moral and ethical issues, to care for others, to despair over injustice, and to give back to their communities. So, if your teenager is interested in social justice, if your teenager has done extensive community service projects in high school and has valued those experiences, or if you would like this sort of underpinning for your teenager’s collegiate education, I am going to suggest that you put a Jesuit college or university on your teenager’s long summer list of college options now so that you can think about it over the next few months. There are 28 to choose from (actually 189 worldwide), and they include small and large institutions all over the U.S. Some that you have likely heard of, in addition to Fordham in New York City, are Boston College, the College of the Holy Cross (in Worcester, Massachusetts), Georgetown University (in Washington, D.C.), Marquette University (in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Saint Louis University (which has a great campus in Madrid, too), Santa Clara University (in California), and the University of San Francisco. 3. What About Historically Black Colleges and Universities? Commonly referred to as HBCUs, historically black colleges and universities were established with the mission of educating African-American students solely or at least primarily. Today, just over 100 HBCUs can be found in many states and in both rural and urban settings. They are public and private, large and small (even very small), faith-based and not, two-year and four-year colleges; some have graduate schools.   HBCUs were founded to serve students who had been excluded from many other higher education institutions because of their race. The three earliest HBCUs were founded in Pennsylvania and Ohio before the Civil War, but many were founded in the South shortly after the Civil War. Those Southern HBCUs share a proud tradition of becoming the first collegiate homes of family members of freed slaves. Some HBCUs have produced great black leaders--like Booker T. Washington, who attended Hampton University, and like Thurgood Marshall, who attended both Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law. Some have put great black leaders from many walks of life on their payrolls as professors and administrators--like Fisk University, where Charles Spurgeon Johnson, the intellectual architect of the Harlem Renaissance, served as Fisk’s first black president and where Harlem Renaissance writers and artists, like Arna Bontemps, James Weldon Johnson, and Aaron Douglas all worked. If you have listened to many episodes of USACollegeChat, you probably know that Fisk is my favorite HBCU, precisely because of its history (and if you don’t know about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, organized in 1871, you should). Today, HBCUs enroll students who are not black--just as historically white colleges and universities now enroll students who are not white. Some observers say that it has become harder for HBCUs to recruit African-American students now that they are welcome at both selective and nonselective colleges across the U.S. That is probably true to some degree. Nonetheless, there is still a strong sense of community among the alumni/alumnae of HBCUs and a strong sense of tradition on HBCU campuses. For some African-American students especially, that could be a good fit for what they are looking for in a college, and a shared culture could go a long way toward helping them feel comfortable on a college campus, especially if it is far from home. So, if your teenager is interested in living and studying in the shared culture that characterizes HBCUs or if you would like this sort of cultural and historical underpinning for your teenager’s collegiate education, I am going to suggest that you put an HBCU on your teenager’s long summer list of college options now so that you can think about it over the next few months. There are plenty to choose from, including some small and very accommodating ones that might be a perfect choice if your teenager has not gotten the high school grades or test scores that you might have wished for. 4. What About Hispanic-Serving Institutions? There are over 250 colleges and universities that have been designated during the past 50 years as Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), meaning that they have a student enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic. For example, The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, a federally designated HSI, was one of the first minority-majority universities, with an approximately 45 percent Hispanic student body and an Anglo student population of just about 35 percent. HSIs are located in states across the U.S. from California to Massachusetts and from Washington to Florida. Some HSIs are large public universities, some are large public community colleges, and some are small private liberal arts colleges. Many HSIs receive federal funds to support programs and scholarships that are designed to help low-income Hispanic students succeed in college. Although HSIs do not have the same kind of historical traditions that HBCUs have--perhaps because they were not founded originally with a mission to serve Hispanic students--they do offer an environment where Hispanic students might more easily find classmates with a similar cultural background. First-generation Hispanic college students--that is, students whose parents did not attend college--might find it easier to fit into this supportive college environment, thus improving their chances of long-term success. So, if your teenager is interested in living and studying with a substantial number of students from a similar cultural background or if you would like this sort of cultural underpinning for your teenager’s collegiate education, I am going to suggest that you put an HSI on your teenager’s long summer list of college options now so that you can think about it over the next few months. Remember that many HSIs are two-year colleges, so look over the options carefully. 5. What About Single-Sex Colleges and Universities? Let’s start by remembering that colleges and universities that were started in America’s earliest days were all institutions for men. They were all single-sex institutions then. Seven of the eight Ivy League institutions served only male students when they were founded in the 1600s and 1700s. Only my alma mater, Cornell University, the youngest of the Ivies, was founded as a co-educational university, which is, frankly, one reason I went there.  As time went on, many of the Ivies created a “sister” school for women: the University of Pennsylvania had its College for Women, Columbia had Barnard, Brown had Pembroke, and Harvard had Radcliffe. Of these, only Marie’s alma mater, Barnard, remains. The tradition of single-sex colleges is particularly strong in the Northeast, perhaps because that is where so many of our country’s oldest higher education institutions are located. But there are well-known women’s colleges located in other regions of the U.S. as well--like Mills College and Scripps College in California, Stephens College in Missouri, Hollins University and Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, Saint Mary’s College (the sister school of the University of Notre Dame) in Indiana, and Agnes Scott College and Spelman College in Georgia. Spelman has the distinction of also being an excellent HBCU. Interestingly and for whatever reason (probably rooted in financial issues), some of these women’s colleges now allow men to enroll in their graduate programs or in their special programs for returning adult students, thus maintaining the traditional women’s college atmosphere for their undergraduate residential students. Today, there are just over 40 women’s colleges in the U.S. If you have a daughter interested in a women’s college, check out the Women’s College Coalition website and the available downloadable guide Why a Women’s College? Or, you can just have her listen to Marie talk for the next few minutes. Okay, what about the men? Interestingly, only a handful of men’s colleges remain. There is Morehouse College, which is an academically rigorous HBCU located in Georgia and which is the men’s counterpart to Spelman. Morehouse has a roster of famous alumni, ranging from Martin Luther King, Jr., to Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee--and that is quite a range. Hampden-Sydney College was founded in 1775 in Virginia and has a fascinating history (Patrick Henry and James Madison were among its first Trustees). And there is Wabash College, which is located in Indiana and is my father-on-law’s alma mater. Wabash is cited in the book Colleges That Change Lives as an institution that is successful in creating engaged students, who become leaders in their chosen fields. If I had a teenage boy at home who needed to focus on his studies so that he could become all that he could be, I would strongly consider Wabash. While most single-sex institutions have opened their doors to the opposite sex over the years and especially in the past 50 years, those that remain carry on a tradition that their graduates wholeheartedly support. Some of their graduates--and indeed their families--believe that students can focus better on their studies when they are not being distracted by social interactions with the opposite sex in the classroom. Some of their graduates believe that students will develop a stronger sense of community and camaraderie with their classmates in single-sex institutions. Some of their graduates appreciate the histories and philosophies of these institutions--especially perhaps graduates of women’s colleges who feel that they are better supported as young women and are encouraged to set and pursue whatever education and career goals they can imagine for themselves. So, if your teenager is interested in living and studying in a supportive environment typically with high expectations or if you would like this sort of social and intellectual underpinning for your teenager’s collegiate education, I am going to suggest that you put a single-sex institution on your teenager’s long summer list of college options now so that you can think about it over the next few months. And let me make one point here: Even though I don’t prefer single-sex institutions now, I had two on my own list of colleges that I applied to. It was only after I had been accepted to them that I figured out they weren’t for me. But I was glad that I had the options and could consider them calmly over some months. And Marie, even though you chose to attend Barnard, you also applied to co-educational colleges. So, having both types of institutions on your teenager’s long summer list of college options might be just the thing to do. So, have your teenager take the Assignment #10 worksheet and take one last look at whether to add another college to his or her long summer list of college options. And, since Monday is Labor Day, we are going to take a week off while you all enjoy your last three-day weekend of the summer season. Fortunately, this next week will give you and your teenager some time to let that long summer list of college options sink in--right before we start helping you narrow it down and begin the serious application process. We will see you back with us on September 15! Download the Assignment #10 Worksheet The Kindle ebook version of our book, How To Find the Right College, is on sale for $1.99 all summer long! Read it on your Kindle device or download the free Kindle app for any tablet or smartphone. The book is also available as a paperback workbook. Ask your questions or share your feedback by... Leaving a comment on the show notes for this episode at http://usacollegechat.org/episode90 Calling us at (516) 900-6922 to record a question on our USACollegeChat voicemail if you want us to answer your question live on our podcast Connect with us through... Subscribing to our podcast on Google Play Music, iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter Reviewing parent materials we have available at www.policystudies.org Inquiring about our consulting services if you need individualized help Reading Regina's blog, Parent Chat with Regina

Alexis Avila talks to Maria Furtado executive director of the non-profit organization Colleges that Change Lives. Maria is a Stonehill College graduate and served as Director of Admissions at both Eckerd College and Clark University. Maria educates parents and teens about how to look beyond college ranking and explore colleges that best fit the student's particular needs.