College Admissions Decoded

Creating a college list is both art and science. Our guests recommend first answering some important questions, like: What are my goals? What am I passionate about? Who do I want to be? Then they recommend giving yourself lots of options in terms of size, distance, location, even ‘vibes.’ 

Guests: DeEnna Wisdom Holohan, founder of Collective Wisdom College Counseling, and Leilani Arita Takayama, associate director of college counseling at the 'Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Moderated by NACAC member Eddie Pickett, a college counselor and dean at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California.

When we ask students what part of the application process makes them the most nervous, frequently the answer is the essay. It can make students feel vulnerable and exposed. They wonder how much to reveal about themselves, and what story would be the most effective.  Often, they just want to know what colleges are looking for.

Guests: Gabrielle Dorsey, Executive Director, Bridges Educational Consulting in California, and Kelly Herrington, Director of College Counseling, University Preparatory Academy in Washington State. Moderated by NACAC member Eddie Pickett, a college counselor and dean at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California.

Traditionally, campus visits have played a critical role in helping students figure out which school is right for them. But with coronavirus restrictions keeping many campuses (and families!) on lockdown, how can students get a feel for what life—and learning—looks like at their targeted institutions? Experienced school counselors offer tips for determining the right “fit” from afar.

Four higher education experts share tips and advice for making the right college choice. With Nicole Hurd, founder and CEO of College Advising Corps; Jeff Selingo, education reporter and bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why; Tevera Stith, Vice President for KIPP Through College & Career at KIPP DC; and Angel B. Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

In these final weeks of the college admission season, many high school seniors and their families still have important decisions to make. Some are weighing offers of admission from multiple colleges and universities, comparing and contrasting those institutions’ respective communities and course offerings; others are crunching the numbers, taking the measure of potential tuition bills and financial aid packages. Still others may be in limbo on waiting lists or considering a gap year. But for all those uncertainties in the admission process, many students are now in a position of empowerment, and very much in the driver’s seat as they decide where they will go to college next year.

Colleges across the country made big changes in their admission requirements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,600 institutions are currently test-optional, meaning students are not required to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications. Transcripts look different, too, especially at schools that have canceled extracurricular activities and moved courses online. How are colleges evaluating applicants? What can students do to strengthen their admission chances?  Two admission directors take you inside the process.

The coronavirus pandemic has put severe financial strains on US colleges, and on students and their parents as well. As a result, more families need financial aid. Experts talk about applying for assistance, how to read an award letter, how to ask for more if it’s not enough, and other options for students on path to college.

Multiple studies have shown that the coronavirus crisis has made us more depressed, anxious, and stressed. Students are not immune from these effects, particularly when they are juggling other stressors, including the college admission process. Remote learning, physical distancing, and the cancellation of extracurricular activities and other milestone events have only ratcheted up feelings of isolation and anxiety for many students – and all this is happening as they’re engaged in the college search process, which can be overwhelming in the best of times. Hear real-life advice from veteran college counselors for easing students’ mental health concerns.

Though many of us find a linear path from high school to college, that is not the case for a set of students whose life circumstance, economic realities, and ambitions lead them on slightly different paths to higher education. This episode is all about the late bloomers among us who come at college from a wide range of experiences and with their own unique advantages.

College Admissions Decoded is sponsored by NACAC's National College Fairs. Start your college search for free at a National College Fair, hosted annually in over 90 cities across the country and internationally. Learn more at nacacfairs.org.

Various magazines, websites, and listicles publish their college rankings every year, generating a lot of anxiety from college-bound students and their families. But what are they really telling you? Should these rankings have any influence on what college you choose? And, why do they generate such anxiety?  Our panel of experts from the National Association for College Admission Counseling will take a closer look: Earl Macam, college counselor at Mary Institute/St. Louis Country Day School (MO); Nancy Gibson, senior director of admission at Denison University (OH); and Tevera Stith, vice president for KIPP Through College & Career (DC).

College Admissions Decoded is sponsored by NACAC's National College Fairs. Start your college search for free at a National College Fair, hosted annually in over 90 cities across the country and internationally. Learn more at nacacfairs.org.