Confused to College Ready Podcast: Unlocking the Secrets to Your College Search

The winter break is over and a new semester is starting! This is the time of year when semesters already ended or they will be. Whether you are starting new classes, or a new marking period, the way we think, and encourage our children to think, about the new beginning can make a huge difference in how the semester goes.

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Your student worked SO hard on their college applications! From The effort they put in over the last four years with their coursework and extracurricular activities, to completing college applications, spending hours on making sure the essay is JUST RIGHT and that it has the right college name on it, and then you have to wait….and wait….and wait! Have you ever heard the saying “Hurry up and Wait?” It isn’t easy, but today I want to talk about some steps you can take and how to survive the waiting game for your admissions decisions!

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Several career assessment quizzes can help your students consider possible careers that may be a fit for them. There are multiple aptitude tests and career interest inventories that can provide helpful information as your student begins their career and college search. Today we are going to talk through 6 different tools to help your student start their exploration! 

Links Mentioned in the Episode

16 Personalities: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test 

MAPP Career Assessment https://www.assessment.com/ 

MyNextMove Interest Profiler: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip 

Holland Code Career Quiz: https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test 

Career Personality Profiler: https://www.truity.com/view/tests/personality-career 

Career Explorer: https://www.careerexplorer.com/ 

Roadtrip Nation: https://roadtripnation.com/

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

Schedule your free 15-minute college search consultation meeting here! 

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

December is here and more and more conversations will circle around how people plan to spend the winter break. If you’re like most of the families I work with, and my family, you are looking forward to the winter break from school! We have a lot that is still coming in the next few weeks, but having time away from routines, busy schedules, and having family time is something so many are looking forward to! I’m going to share 7 ways you can spend your winter break!



This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Do you know how to search for scholarships? ’ll never forget the day I got an email from a parent in a state of shock over college price tags. I could sense the panic in her words. She had no idea how much college cost, and more importantly how they were going to pay for it! Today we are going to talk about when and how you can start searching for scholarships and navigate college expenses and how to pay for them.

You can find links referenced in the podcast below.

Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/
College Board Opportunity Scholarship: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/bigfuture-scholarships
Cappex: https://www.appily.com/scholarships
FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
CSS Profile: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

As we get closer to December 1, parents may be wondering what to do if their student still hasn’t applied to any colleges. Don’t stress! There are still options and we are going to look at the steps you need to take with the college application process. Maybe your senior already submitted applications but is considering applying to another school or they are interested in applying to an honors college. If you have underclassmen at home, this is still something you can benefit from in learning about what you should expect in the college application process. The sooner you start thinking about everything, the more time you have to not feel stressed For those of you with seniors, let’s get this party started!

You can find links referenced in the podcast below.

College Board Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
CollegeXpress: https://www.collegexpress.com/
Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/
Coalition Application: https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/
Common Black College Application: https://commonblackcollegeapp.com/


This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Today we are going to talk about the upcoming FAFSA New Changes for the 2024-2025 school year. The FAFSA is the official federal aid tool to determine if students qualify for federal aid to pay for college. Even if you won’t qualify for need-based aid, your college may require you to complete the FAFSA. Learn about the newest updates today! 

You can find links referenced in the podcast below. 

• Federal Student Aid Estimator: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/ 
• FAFSA Prototype: https://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/announcement-detail.jsp?id=fafsa-prototype 
• Federal Student Aid: https://studentaid.gov/ 
• FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa 

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

As birthdays or the holidays get closer, many families are looking for good gift ideas for teens. Whether you are looking to buy something for your child, a niece, a nephew, a grandchild, or a friend of the family, you want to make sure the gift you buy is one that they will like – and something that will be useful!  Today we are going to dive into several areas to make your holiday gifts count!

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations.  This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college! 

Please subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes!  Here are a few episodes you might be interested in:

Episode 6: Does College Searching Have to be SO Stressful?
Episode 12: 5 Organization Strategies for College Searches
Episode 58: Is College Right for Me?
Episode 59: Is a Four-Year College Worth the Cost?
Episode 61: How to Find Colleges For Me
Episode 62: 7 Most Important Things to Create Your List of Colleges Part 1
Episode 63: 7 Most Important Things to Create Your List of Colleges Part 2

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

One of the questions I am asked most often is how to pay for college. Whether you have been saving for college for years, or don’t have anything saved at all, today we are going to talk about different ways you can pay for college. If you don’t talk about finances as a family, it may feel uncomfortable but this is a great conversation to have!

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations.  This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college! 

Please subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes!  Here are a few episodes you might be interested in:

Episode 6: Does College Searching Have to be SO Stressful?
Episode 12: 5 Organization Strategies for College Searches
Episode 58: Is College Right for Me?
Episode 59: Is a Four-Year College Worth the Cost?
Episode 61: How to Find Colleges For Me
Episode 62: 7 Most Important Things to Create Your List of Colleges Part 1
Episode 63: 7 Most Important Things to Create Your List of Colleges Part 2

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

The college application process can feel daunting as you look at personal statements, optional essays, extracurricular activities, potential majors and requirements for programs, whether or not to send your ACT or SAT score, and so much more. Join us today as we look at the specific information colleges are looking for when they review applications and what you need to include!

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations.  This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college! 

Please subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes!  Here are a few episodes you might be interested in:

Episode 6: Does College Searching Have to be SO Stressful?
Episode 12: 5 Organization Strategies for College Searches
Episode 58: Is College Right for Me?
Episode 59: Is a Four-Year College Worth the Cost?
Episode 61: How to Find Colleges For Me
Episode 62: 7 Most Important Things to Create Your List of Colleges Part 1
Episode 63: 7 Most Important Things to Create Your List of Colleges Part 2

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!