Getting into college as an artist is an art in and of itself.  In this installment of Access College, we delve into the particulars of the college admissions process for budding artists. We talk with arts admissions experts from UCLA, CalArts, and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), and spend time with a young filmmaker whose was recently accepted to the film program at the San Francisco Art Institute.  Along the way, we learn about some of the key ingredients to any successful college application.

Trying to find your passion and convey that passion in the college application process is sometimes confusing for students and parents. Partly because passion can be so illusive – a difficult thing even for middle aged adults to identify! Sometimes students have multiple passions, say in athletics and service work, and have a different challenge – figuring out how to choose which one to highlight in their college applications.

This week on Access College, we cover key points in Finding Your Passion in the college admissions process. Our two featured guests, John Kobara of the California Community Foundation, and Melissa Palmer from the Oakwood School, shed invaluable light on how to help young students find their passion and how to communicate these passions to colleges.

So many students get hung up on writing their college essay because they are too focused on what they think colleges want to hear instead of how to tell their own unique story. Some students become overwhelmed by the process, procrastinate and unfortunately write a flat, uninteresting college essay.

This Access College show covers essential elements students should know about writing a compelling college essay. Terri Devine from the Francis Parker School in San Diego is our featured guest along with our student commentators, Charlie, a Boston University student, Lukas, a senior from Woodrow Wilson High School, and Stephanie, a senior at Carson High School Medical Magnet.

As the second part of our two-show series devoted to the costs of college, this Access College show gives listeners more tools for how to pay for college, how to save for college, and how to apply for scholarships.

Featuring scholarship expert Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.org, two of the nation’s leading search sites for scholarships, Mark offers strategic tips on applying and winning scholarships for college. Mark is the author of “Secrets to Winning a Scholarship” that can be found on Amazon.com.

As the second part of our two-show series devoted to the costs of college, this Access College show gives listeners more tools for how to pay for college, how to save for college, and how to apply for scholarships.

Featuring scholarship expert Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.org, two of the nation’s leading search sites for scholarships, Mark offers strategic tips on applying and winning scholarships for college. Mark is the author of “Secrets to Winning a Scholarship” that can be found on Amazon.com.

The average cost of college has increased over 570% in the last 30 years and is causing serious concerns for many students and parents about how they will be able afford such an undertaking.

Listen to Jenny Umhofer hosting this important Access College show (the first of two shows on the Rising Costs of College) if you would like helpful tools on how to pay for college without going broke.

Featured guests include Georgette Deveres, the Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid for Claremont McKenna College, Fred Stennis of the US Department of Education Office of Student Aid, and the people on the streets of Pasadena.

Access College (Pilot): Why College? by