More Than A Transcript: College Admissions Insights and Strategies

Episode Summary

The college deposit has been made and high school graduation celebrations have begun and now it’s time to think about your first year in college! This final episode in our series on the essentials of the college search and application process is devoted to making a successful transition from high school to college - for both students and parents.

We begin with a check list of summer to-do’s for students, including, most importantly, signing up for the earliest orientation session available to you. Remember to send official test scores (if you reported them) as well as your final academic transcript. Consider getting a job for the summer if you haven’t had one yet because this prior work experience will be helpful for campus opportunities later.

Think about your game plan for the first year of college with some intentionality. We talk about some ideas for finding your people, places and support. Understand that some days will not be perfect in your first few months. Try to give yourself time for the adjustment and look for ways to add routine to your days and weeks, beyond your course schedule.

In our second half we talk about tips for parents as their child leaves for college. Consider the three major legal documents to have once your child is 18 years old. Apart from the legalities, it is probably  most important to agree on a communication plan and to have clear expectations for college expenses. We hope that when your child returns home for their first big break that you have moved positively into this next phase of your relationship…even if they still leave their laundry on the floor. Good luck to all of our listener students and parents! 

Time Stamps:

00:42  College Transition Tips For Students: Our checklists for the summer and reminders for handling the ups and downs of the first semester of college.

21:22 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  In our last quiz segment Katelyn gives Whitney some rapid-fire questions about college search advice.

26:08 College Transition Tips For Parents: We discuss legal documents to consider, communication plans with your child, and agreements around college expenses. 

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

Why is high impact and experiential learning such an important part of your college education? We talk about how these experiences, which often include risk-taking and exploration, contribute to deeper student engagement. 

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which has roots in studies that focus on the impact of student involvement in their own educational pathway, is a longitudinal survey that looks at these learning modes. If you are an active partner in your own education you will be better prepared for a rapidly changing and fluid workplace landscape.

There are five high-impact learning models that are measured including service learning (what Katelyn calls community engagement class models), internships and co-ops, study abroad, faculty-partnered research, and capstone projects. To this we also add living-learning dorms and honors colleges.

In our tips section we encourage you to look at NSSE results if published by a college and to think about how you will intentionally map out your own experiential learning plan...with flexibility in mind.

Time Stamps:

00:37 What Are We Learning This Week?  Katelyn continues our prior conversations around the shrinking of higher education and managing the panic response to headlines.

05:43  Big Picture: What are high impact experiences in a college education? We introduce you to the National Survey of Student Engagement and the measurements of experiential learning that define engagement through high impact.

24:52 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)” : Can Whitney name some of the most noteworthy platinum-level bike friendly universities in the U.S.?

30:00  Tips and Strategies 

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

Broaching the topic of a gap year with families is one of the most polarizing conversations that we have as college advisors. Why? Because many parents and students are afraid of it - they are afraid that a gap year will stop an educational path forever, that it will cost too much money, and for students, that they will be doing something that is too different from their peers (even though many of their peers will be silently jealous!). 

As you think about a gap year, we suggest starting with your objectives and goals. Be reflective, just as you have been throughout your college search. A gap year can be a year to reset your academic focus (and even build missing skills), to explore majors and careers, and to earn money for college. Colleges, by and large, are very supportive of the experience that gap year students bring to their campuses.

In our tips section we offer some considerations around the timing and resources for planning your gap year. MOST students incorporate their gap year planning with their college search and application process and then ask for a year deferral from their first choice college among their admission offers. We also talk about what to expect both during your gap year and what your experience will likely be as a first year student with a year’s worth of wisdom and focus.

Time Stamps:

00:38 What Are We Learning This Week?  Katelyn has been exploring the evolution of technology use in classrooms. When a college describes smart classrooms, what does that really mean?

06:18  Big Picture: We begin with a discussion of the history, variety and benefits of taking a gap year. We also address the most common concerns around taking a gap semester or year before starting college that can be addressed through an intentional planning process.

19:43 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)” : Rapid fire questions for Katelyn around gap years.

21:12  Tips and Strategies include optimal timing and finding resources for gap year planning. We discuss structured gap program applications, deferral requests to your first choice college admission offer, and what to expect once you have committed to a gap year.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

While wait lists in the college admission process have been around for a long time, the number of students finding themselves with a wait list offer has increased fairly dramatically over the last 5 years. We discuss the reasons behind these trends, the vague nature of wait list offers, and the difficulty in determining any likely movement on a college wait list based on prior years history.

In our tips section we offer some considerations around taking a wait list offer. This includes making a decision around your second choice college if you choose to accept a spot on another school’s wait list. You will need to pay close attention to communications from both schools as you also begin to engage with the school where you have deposited. We highly recommend beginning at once to get engaged with your second choice school’s community - attend orientation, sign up for your housing and join the new student social media groups. 

If you decide to stay on a wait list, you will need to be ready to accept an offer, including the financial aid package if there is one, usually within less than 72 hours.

Time Stamps:

00:48 What Are We Learning This Week?  Inspired by the Olympics, Whitney has joined her local curling club and draws a metaphor around the college search process.

03:35  Big Picture: We begin with a discussion of the growth in wait list use by colleges in the admissions process over the last 5 years. 

09:48 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  It’s mascot madness time. Can Katelyn guess which college has an inanimate object as their mascot?

13:02  Tips and Strategies include making a decision around your second choice college if you choose to accept a spot on another school’s wait list and making sure you are monitoring communications from both schools.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

After you have completed your “me” evaluation and figured out your college “why” it’s time to build your list. Are you a student with a focus that makes your list building more specialized or are your search criteria a bit more general?

Most students start by defining their preference for size, setting and geography (or location).  Then you can layer on majors, budget, and other preferences around your academic and social needs. Be prepared to be flexible as your knowledge grows. In addition to staying open to changes in your priorities, don’t ignore your budget and try to keep an open mind about what a good college fit means for YOU!

In our tips section we provide tips for resources and favorite websites to jumpstart your search. We discuss the use of AI in a college search and the importance of feedback from the people who know you best in your community.

Time Stamps:

00:48 What Are We Learning This Week?  Katelyn has been learning more about industrial and system engineering and exploring the ways this might be a particularly great fit for a student who can’t decide between business and engineering majors.

06:10  Big Picture: Are you a student with a specialized focus, or are you starting your search with the more general aspects of size, setting and location? Learn about early mis-steps to avoid, to help you keep your search a healthy and enjoyable process.

20:25 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  Katelyn has a quiz for Whitney on Virginia’s public universities.

 25:43 Tips and Strategies for resources and online tools to help you build a balanced college list.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

A good college search begins with the student! Self-assessment and reflection about your academic, social and financial needs is our recommended first step. Then, go out and test the waters with a few very different college visits to determine how your needs will be met by the variety of options available to you.

In our tips section we provide tips for resources and approaches to help you figure out your “why?” Step one of our roadmap is to consider a personality assessment or a college values assessment like the one you can find on schoolbuff.com . Try to find someone to talk with as you look at your results.

Step two is to take a local college tour (and listen to our previous episode on campus visits).  Step three is to talk to your network. Be curious about the college and career paths of the people in your life, including your high school teachers! Step four is to have an honest conversation about college affordability for your family and look at the net price calculator on a few college web pages.

Then, tune in for our next episode where we will walk you through how to pull this all together in a balanced list of colleges! 

Time Stamps:

00:37 What Are We Learning This Week?  Whitney walks us through the hands-on-learning aspects of an animal behavior major and we discuss how to find relevancy in more obscure majors!

05:39  Big Picture: We talk about the important first steps of building a college list, and these include assessing your education, social and financial needs, as well as your interests and your own college “why?”.

21:18 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  Whitney quizzes Katelyn on the origin countries of the 40 US college students competing as members of women’s hockey Olympic teams.

 24:39  Tips and Strategies for tools to help you assess your college fit needs. In our next episode, Part 2 of this series, we will talk about bringing this all together to choose colleges and build a balanced list.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

During the winter months high school seniors move from the stress of college application deadlines to the stress of waiting for answers from the colleges that they have applied to. In this episode we want to encourage those of you who are waiting for a regular decision or early action admission decisions to use some of this wait time to further inform the decisions that you will soon be making.

We also want seniors to make the most of their final semester in high school. There is actually more to consider than you might think! We discuss the importance of revisiting your college criteria and evaluating your college goals. Also, make sure you have carved out time on your spring calendar to visit, or revisit, the colleges you have been accepted to!

In our tips section we provide some thoughts on how to approach researching academic programs, advising and your housing options so that you are ready to make an informed decision. It’s also important to follow through on opportunities like AP exams for placement in advanced courses and possible college credit. AND, it's really important to avoid the "senior slide." 

Time Stamps:

00:39 What Are We Learning This Week?  Whitney discusses the difference between how college credit versus class standing can impact an application pathway.

05:30  Big Picture: As you wait for your college acceptances, what are some of the steps you can take to be ready for your final college decisions?

16:47 “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  Katelyn’s quiz for Whitney is related to schools that require a thesis for graduation.

 23:05 Tips and Strategies for doing some additional research of academic programs, advising and housing options, as well as considerations for making the most of your last semester in high school.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

Receiving a college acceptance is always an exciting moment, but we encourage you to read beyond the first “Congratulations!” to fully understand your offer. You may be surprised to learn that you have been offered an alternative admission start and you will want to understand the details of these types of offers.

We begin with a little history of these types of alternative admission offers and the benefits to enrollment management at the colleges and universities that use them. But what are the benefits to the student? 

An offer for spring semester, or a “January admit”, is the first version of an alternative admission offer that you might receive. Apart from securing a spot in what might be your first choice college, this admission offer gives you many options during the period of time that Whitney calls a “half gap year”. 

We then discuss some lesser known admission offers including limited-access first semester pathways, alternative campus first year experiences, and finally, you might receive an offer for a guaranteed sophomore transfer if you enroll as a first year student at another university and maintain a specific GPA as outlined in the fine print.

In our tips section we provide some thoughts on what your biggest considerations might be when weighing one of these alternative admission offers. What will your summer and fall look like? Will you leave home when your friends do? Will you work, travel, explore a career track through volunteering, an internship or a structured program? Perhaps, most importantly, how will this offer impact your financial aid and college affordability game plan?

There are also some unexpected benefits to an alternative campus offer, which for many students will replace the more typical junior year abroad experience. These offers are a growing trend and no longer an anomaly, so take the time to read the details and decide if you are the right student for these options.

Time Stamps:

01:06 What Are We Learning This Week?  Whitney discusses a study out of UC San Diego on the math readiness of college freshman based on a dramatic increase in the need for remedial math courses in the freshman class of 2028.

04:54 Big Picture: Defining the primary alternative admission offers that you may receive including spring or January admission, limited-access first semester pathways, alternative campus first year experience (most of these are international) and finally, guaranteed sophomore transfer.

15:59  “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  College trivia test of Katelyn’s geography knowledge. Does she pass this time? 

18:47 Tips and Strategies for framing your considerations of an alternative admission offer, including your growth opportunities as well as the potential impacts to your college financing plans.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

Summer academic programs are great experiences for exploring major and career interests, college residential life and what it’s like to be away from home, as well as the rigor of college courses.

Whitney and Katelyn discuss the three primary buckets of summer academic options on college campuses for high school students. For one of the most affordable options, students can directly enroll in a college level course, for college credit, at many schools, including local community colleges and colleges and universities close to home. Students can also attend programs sponsored at colleges specifically for high school students, often offered for college credit as well. Many of these programs include an exploratory focus on college majors and departments at the college. The last type of summer program are those that are run on college campuses by outside organizations.

While these classes and programs can be extremely beneficial in confirming your academic interests, taking courses on a specific campus is rarely going to make a difference in the admission process for that campus. It’s the exploration, learning and reflection that will impact the content of your applications to all of the colleges on your list. 

For students who are interested in studying architecture, visual arts or the performing arts, summer programs can be vital for preparing and receiving feedback on portfolio and audition materials. 

As you explore programs and consider costs and other factors, think of the summer program applications as a warm up to your college applications as you will usually need to request your transcript, write a short essay or two, and often will need a teacher recommendation. Above all else, be clear about your goals and approach this exploration with curiosity, not as another box to check.

Time Stamps:

00:39 What Are We Learning This Week?  Katelyn discusses tuition protection insurance coverage and watching for this, as well as student health insurance, in college billing. Families should have the option to opt out of insurance plans, but don’t always catch this notation.

04:07 Big Picture: Structured academic programs on college campuses for high school students fall into three big buckets: stand alone college course enrollment; college sponsored high school academic programs (many times with a career/major exploration focus); and high school academic programs run by outside companies on college campuses.

15:25  “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  College trivia multiple choice provided by a listener! 

17:36 Tips and Strategies for exploring and applying to the best fit summer academic option for you. Keep your goals in mind and start with the list of colleges that interest you most to see what might be offered on those campuses. Applying to summer programs can also be a great warm up to the college application process down in senior year. 

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!

Admit, deny, deferral, waitlist. These are all possible outcomes from your early admission applications. November through mid-December is the typical window for students to hear back from colleges if they have applied through Early Action or Early Decision application plans, though some EA decisions may not be released until January.

Be prepared for the fact that you may not have a full financial picture with your early application admission offers, as colleges rarely set new pricing until the early spring. Additionally, you are likely not to get a need-based aid offer before December. 

Whitney and Katelyn talk about managing early admit offers, including how to share your news, your possible options for housing deposits, and how to remove your other applications from consideration if you have been admitted to your top choice college through Early Decision.

If you have been admitted Early Decision you know where you will be attending college next fall, so now is the time to start getting engaged with that campus and to learn as much as you can so that you are ready to hit the ground running as a first year student.

If your application has been deferred to the regular admission pool we have tips for you on how to provide more information IF you are prompted to do so. We also discuss the possibility of applying to a second college Early Decision (in January) if a student has been denied in a first round of Early Decision or wasn't ready for this commitment earlier.

All students, however, need to be cautious about the “senior slide”. It’s important to keep your grades up and not to drop out of any classes in your second semester because the colleges that have admitted you have done so with the expectation that you will maintain your academic trajectory.  

Time Stamps:

00:55 What Are We Learning This Week?  Whitney has been looking more closely at some unique college models, like the American College of Building Arts, that build hands-on learning in a trades-related field into an associates or bachelors degree program.

3:37 Big Picture: In November and December, students are beginning to hear back from the schools that they applied to with an early action or early decisions program. We review the outcomes you can expect and how to talk with friends and family about your admission answers.

15:12  “Stump the IEC (Independent Educational Consultant)”  Inspired by election day, Whitney quizzes Katelyn on the colleges attended by U.S. Presidents.

19:01 Tips and Strategies for managing your early admissions decisions. We have thoughts on being considerate of others, how to provide more information if you have been deferred to the regular admissions pool, considerations for a second Early Decision application, and how to make the most of an early admission.

More Than A Transcript © is a production of Whitney Bruce College Consulting and College Options, LLC. It is supported by Susan Lanigan and Katie Bruce, with artwork by Heidi Rehbock and original music by Will Morrow.

Visit our website at www.morethanatranscript.com for resources or to ask questions.

Thanks for listening!