collegepreppodcast's podcast

Admission to state universities can be very competitive. Your chances of admission increase significantly when you tailor your college application to the specific focus on each school on your list. Listen in a Megan visits with Wei-Li Sun an expert in the University of California System.

Find out the types of issues that can make (or break) your applications. 

• Know the profile and type of student your school wants.
• Get to the point in your application– give the college what they want to know.
• Focus on rigorous courses and good grades (grades 9-12).
• Make sure your application offers the evidence for how you will succeed academically in college.
• Don’t get swept up in rumors or attempts to game the system– these strategies don’t work and can actually backfire.
• Just as you would stage your home if you were trying to sell it, you need to “stage” your application by focusing on presentation (of key factors.)

You can find Wei-Li Sun at AskMsSun.com

The post 312: Tailor Your College Application to Improve Your Admission Chances appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

Recently we got a question about when students should take their SAT subject tests. Tune in as Megan answers that question…and provides other tips about test prep for the subject tests.

Here is the exact question the mom Nathalie asked:

My daughter is a HS Freshman taking Honors Biology with a plan to take AP Biology by her senior year. We noticed that some schools (premed programs) that she may be interested in require SAT subject tests in Biology, Chemistry and Math Level I, II, English. She is an A minus student on a 4.0 scale (core only). The SAT website suggests that students take the Subject Tests after completing the class. Do you suggest that she take the SAT Biology Subject Tests after the Honors class, or after her AP exam and class? Also, if my HS Fresh. student is taking Hon. Alg. 2 student and Hon. English, is it too soon to start this summer with SAT/PSAT or ACT test prep? She took PSAT 8/9 and scored 1100 out of 1400. If not, what would be recommended?

We love questions, by the way. Please keep them coming!

The post 311: Is Freshman Year Too Soon for SAT Subject Tests & Test Prep? appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

Ever wonder what the folks in college admissions departments actually think about students’ applications?

Maxine Seya actually interviewed several of them, and learned a lot in the process, which she shares with the College Prep Podcast.

Join Gretchen and Megan, as they interview Maxine and find out what she learned from admissions insiders about what colleges look for in regards to college essays, extracurriculars, and more! :

Maxine Seya quit corporate America to start SocratesPost, an Amber Grant-winning subscription newsletter delivering US higher ed insights to the world. A journalist by training, she wrote for CNN and HuffPost before working as a college consultant and test prep instructor. After leaving the ed field, Maxine became a US State Dept. featured speaker. She’s a proud Northwestern alumna who spends her free time exploring the world with her husband.

The post 310: Tips from Admissions Insiders About What Colleges are Really Looking For appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

It’s the time of year students get the news about what colleges they have (and haven’t!) been accepted into. The reality of the rejection is a lot harder than many families expect.

Megan and Gretchen reflect about how parents can handle the news in ways that build students’ ability to accept defeat with grace.

The post 309: How Teens Can Accept Defeat with Grace (In College Admissions and Beyond) appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.

Should we change our podcast programming during the Corona Virus shutdowns?

Megan and Gretchen decided not to, and explain why during this check in.

Megan also gives an update on college admissions for high school juniors and seniors.

The post A Personal Message from Megan & Gretchen appeared first on The College Prep Podcast.