College App 101

Colleges want to admit intellectually curious students, who love to learn. This attribute is inborn in some students. It needs to be developed in others. In today’s podcast, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses how to develop a love for learning, by explaining the importance of November 22 in history. Indeed, today, Wednesday, November 22, 2023 is the anniversary of significant world events. Join Dr. Riley on a journey through history, as he explains November 22’s significance and, hopefully, inspires the audience’s love for learning.

A recent article, by Francie Diep and Brian O'Leary, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, has the title "How Much Money Should You Borrow for a College Education?" With his typical illustrations and anecdotes, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses the content of this article and offers action steps to college bound high school students on financial savings to pay for college with cash, scholarships, and grants.

Test taking characterizes the college bound student's high school experience. Tests come in a variety of formats: written, take-home, open note, oral, closed note, standardized, and so forth. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his characteristic illustrations to offer practical strategies for success on tests. 

An academically elite program, College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum has dozens of college level courses that come with the opportunity for college bound high school students to earn college credit in high school. In the present episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) interviews an AP Scholar. Topics in this episode include tips on preparing for May's AP exams, strengthening a student's writing skills, strategies to prepare outside the classroom, and more.

In a few days, the calendar will turn from September to October. October is PSAT month, when many schools offer the Preliminary SAT (or PSAT) to their students. The PSAT is a great way for college bound high school students to prepare for the SAT. And, for eleventh graders, the junior year PSAT is also the National Merit Scholarship® competition. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) provides some final inspiration in the form of an excerpt from one of the most popular episodes of College App 101 season 1: Interview with a National Merit Scholar.

This fall's FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is significantly different from previous years. Typically, the FAFSA opens on October 1. But due to a major redesign, the U.S. Department of Education estimates the opening will be in December. As soon as the FAFSA opens, college bound seniors and parents/guardians should plan to complete and submit it. Put simply: the FAFSA is a crucial first step toward receiving financial aid in college. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses several tips for the modified FAFSA. 

In a recent College App 101 episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses the most important part of a college application, which is a high school student's GPA. The present episode takes up the topic of the second most important component of an application, which Dr. Riley suggests is the admissions essay. Portions of this episode were published originally in October 2022. But the information is still relevant today.

A student's college application could be compared to a pie. There are several pieces in the college application pie: transcript, resume, essay(s). But the largest piece is the student's GPA (Grade Point Average). The beginning of a school year is a great time to revisit this most important component of a college application. With his typical anecdotes and illustrations, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) takes up the topic of GPA, providing practical tips to college bound students on earning a high GPA.

In a few short days, many college application platforms will begin accepting applications for Fall 2024 admission. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) provides some final encouragement to college-bound seniors before these platforms open. Topics include the importance of being proactive, a student's personal organization, investing time with like-minded college-bound seniors, creating an application timeline, and more.

College App 101 helps college-bound students achieve academic success in high school and produce compelling, competitive college applications as a senior. A student’s extracurricular activities throughout high school enhance their college apps in a variety of ways. Today's episode features an interview between Dr. Riley and a very high achieving high school graduate. They discuss several topics, including tips on remaining academically focused while engaged in extracurriculars, a parent's role in encouraging their student's extracurricular involvement, and more.