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

I have had many students sit in my office close to tears and some in the middle of a panic attack because they are so overwhelmed with their course work, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, and worry that they won’t be successful or get into their dream college. 

As the student sat in my office crying, she told me she didn’t know how she was going to manage everything she had to do. Her AP tests were coming up soon, she was a student-athlete who spent every day at practice, at a game, or traveling for her sport, and in our previous conversations, I knew she had aspirations of attending a top college. She had gotten herself worked up to the point she was convinced she was never going to get into the college she wanted. The student, her parents, and I worked through multiple strategies to help them effectively manage their stress during their college search. 

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 3     College Application Success: Having Positive Conversations

Episode 6 Does College Searching Have to be SO Stressful?

Episode 10 College Financial Planning: How to Have Challenging Conversations with Ease

Episode 11  3 Easy Ways to Manage Your Time While Searching for Colleges

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

Managing financial aid for students is a common response I get when I talk to families about their biggest challenges with the college search. How will you afford college? What is the FAFSA and how do you fill it out? Are there scholarships that aren’t just looking to send you spam emails?  Today we’re going to talk about 5 mistakes you’re making when you look at financial aid for students.  


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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 10 College Financial Planning: How to Have Challenging Conversations with Ease

Episode 13 How to Track Your College Application Deadlines

Episode 16 College Application Timeline for Juniors: Spring and Summer Tasks

Episode 17 Visiting College Campuses: Making the Most of Your Time

Episode 18 Questions to Ask College Admissions Counselors

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

The college planning schedule for the fall and winter of a student’s junior year is a major stepping stone for you and your student!  Students are continuing to focus on doing their best in their coursework, reviewing the criteria that make up their prospective college list, preparing for national testing, and staying involved with extracurricular activities. This is a busy time and on top of that, there is family time and social time with friends. These tasks for the fall and winter of junior year will help you be fully prepared for spring and moving into your senior year. 


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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 10 College Financial Planning: How to Have Challenging Conversations with Ease

Episode 13 How to Track Your College Application Deadlines

Episode 16 College Application Timeline for Juniors: Spring and Summer Tasks

Episode 17 Visiting College Campuses: Making the Most of Your Time

Episode 18 Questions to Ask College Admissions Counselors

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

Your college planning checklist for freshman year is your starting point for what your search will look like.  This is a time for you to focus on the foundational skills to help you navigate what is coming over the next 4 years.  We want students to enjoy their freshman year, learn what it takes to succeed in their high school classes, get involved with extracurricular activities, navigate friendships, and start to look at their 4-year plan of what they want to focus on in high school, knowing it can change.  

This is also a time for students to learn about themselves, to see what they do or do not like, to adapt and change. Today we’re going to talk about the specific steps students can take in their freshman year to get started! 

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 2   How to Find the Right College for Your Student Part 1

Episode 4    You Don't Have to Attend an Elite College to Be Successful

Episode 9    Now is the BEST Time to Start Your College Search

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

When you look at the college timeline for high school sophomores, many of the families I work with say it seems like it is too early to start the search or ask if they are already behind.  You are in exactly the right place, no matter where you are in your search! We actually talk about that in another episode and we have it linked below. 

Today we are going to talk about steps your sophomore can focus on.  When you start out by taking small steps in freshman and sophomore year, students are going to feel much more confident about how to spend their time and less overwhelmed in the long run.  

From considering careers to thinking about your values and beginning research on schools that might be a good fit, following the college timeline for high school sophomores will help you feel balanced. 

The families I work with have followed these steps to manage their time, know what tasks they should be focused on, and have positive conversations at home. 

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 2   How to Find the Right College for Your Student Part 1

Episode 4    You Don't Have to Attend an Elite College to Be Successful

Episode 9    Now is the BEST Time to Start Your College Search

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

The college admissions timeline for seniors is a busy, and exciting, time!  We discussed what your timeline will look like in the spring of your junior year and the summer before your senior year.  Today, we’re going to talk about the steps you need to follow in your senior year to make things go smoothly!

When can you start your college applications?  What is the timeframe for searching for scholarships?  What is the FAFSA and when does it open?  What if we haven’t started searching at all? 

I’m going to share a story about a hard lesson learned about procrastination, how that helped me in the long run, and how that story can help you and your student.  We’re also going to go through the college admissions timeline for you and your student to follow in their senior year. I learned about procrastinating in high school, and what your student can take from that experience as they enter their senior year. 

Then we will talk through the steps you need to take in the fall, winter, and spring of your senior year!  This is an incredible time, and while it feels overwhelming, these are the first steps on your next journey! 

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 10 College Financial Planning: How to Have Challenging Conversations with Ease

Episode 13 How to Track Your College Application Deadlines

Episode 16 College Application Timeline for Juniors: Spring and Summer Tasks

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

Hey there! Knowing what questions to ask college admissions counselors and having a system to track answers can help reduce your stress!  

Whether you are having face-to-face conversations with an admissions representative or student tour guide,  or you are communicating by email, phone, or virtual meeting, you are interviewing the schools as much as they are interviewing you!  We want you to know what questions to ask and be confident in your interactions with the college admissions counselors. 

Today, we are going to talk about the categories of questions you can ask, specific examples of questions, and how one of my students used the Confused to College Ready system to track her questions and answers. 

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 2 How to Find the Right College for Your Student Part 1

Episode 12 5 Organization Strategies for College Searches That are Guaranteed to Save Time and Energy

Episode 15 Rules for Email Etiquette: Making the Best First Impression

Episode 17 Visiting College Campuses: Making The Most of Your Time

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

Hey there! Visiting college campuses is an exciting part of the college search process!  Today I’m going to share about how two of the families I work with planned their visits, saved money, had great conversations and family time, and were able to learn more about whether the colleges were a potential fit for their students. 

How are the steps different if your student has a defined college list, or if they aren’t sure where they want to apply? Are you going to have to pay a fortune in expenses to travel to all of the colleges?  How will you make the time for everywhere you want to go?  What if the colleges aren’t having official tours? 

Today, you’re going to learn the answers to these questions, and more!  I’m going to share how I helped these two families plan their trip and have fun doing it! 

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 2 How to Find the Right College for Your Student Part 1

Episode 12 5 Organization Strategies for College Searches That are Guaranteed to Save Time and Energy

Episode 15 Rules for Email Etiquette: Making the Best First Impression

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

Hey there!  The college application timeline for juniors is so important! Today, we are going to focus on the spring of your junior year and the summer before your senior year!

How can you make the most of your time between spring break and summer break? When should you take tests? Are you ahead of schedule or behind? Do you want to have your senior year be easier and feel less stressful?

Today, we’re going to learn about the college application timeline for juniors.

Grab a pen and notebook and learn what the spring and summer before your senior year should look like! We're going to give you a timeline through and provide you with a timeline for college admissions.

You’re going to hear how some of the families I work with manage their time in the spring and summer of their junior year to make the senior year go more smoothly!

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 and leave a review so others can find us! Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 2 How to Find the Right College for Your Student Part 1

Episode 3 College Application Success: Having Positive Conversations

Episode 11 3 Easy Ways to Manage Your Time While Searching for Colleges

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.

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

There are some rules for email etiquette you should follow when you need to communicate with someone in a professional capacity, such as your teachers, college admissions offices, or scholarship contacts.  These rules will help you make the best first impression possible and you are showing respect to the person you communicate with. Today, we are going to talk about the definition of email etiquette, why professional communication matters, and give you some examples of appropriate email etiquette. 

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 and leave a review so others can find us!  Here are a few episodes you might also be interested in:

Episode 3      College Application Success: Having Positive Conversations

Episode 11   3 Easy Ways to Manage Your Time While Searching for Colleges

Episode 14    Empowering Students in the College Search: Don't Do Everything for Them

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here. 

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