Office Hours

In this episode, Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn, Vice President of Scholarship Programs at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, walks through the Foundation's three scholarship programs, including the Cooke Young Scholars Program, the Cooke College Scholarship Program, and the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Natalie also pulls back the curtain on what the Foundation looks for in applicants, why getting in the door is only part of the experience, and how the wraparound supports behind the award are designed to move students from simply getting through college to thriving there.

Natalie then shares candid advice for students and families navigating cost and competition. She explains the Foundation's stance on AI, which uses no artificial intelligence in its own review process and reminds applicants that tools are tools and not authors. She closes with practical guidance for parents, including running the detailed version of net price calculators in eleventh grade and advocating for more aid when a package falls short, and a reminder that the goal is not an impressive list your neighbors will admire but a pragmatic one that lets a student dream with the comfort of knowing how it gets paid for.

In this episode, Joan Liu, founder of Second Chance, shares the origin story behind her nonprofit, which began as a crisis response when 60 Nepali students had their full-ride scholarships revoked after April 1st and has since grown into a program that helps high-achieving, low-income international students find full scholarship seats around the world after the US admissions cycle closes. Joan pulls back the curtain on a side of college admissions most students never see, including the reality that the effective admit rate for an international student who needs a full ride at a US institution is often less than one percent, and explains how Second Chance selects its cohort, what geo-swerving means, and why expanding the college search beyond the US is not a consolation prize but a genuine opportunity.

Joan then shares frank advice for high-achieving international students beginning their senior year search. She walks through how to build a diversified college list across different funding buckets, why applying only to need-blind or only to merit schools is a costly mistake, and why students need to secure three things to make college happen: a seat, a scholarship, and a visa. She closes with a broader message about seeking honest feedback and knowing your blind spots, reminding students that the process is not just about optimizing an application but about becoming the kind of person any campus would be lucky to have.

In this episode, Mike Drish, Executive Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University, draws on a career spanning public universities, private institutions, and everything in between to break down what holistic admissions really means in practice. Mike explains how context shapes every admissions decision, including how Vanderbilt's participation in the Common App Student Context Pilot helped the team better understand the full picture of who applicants are, from family responsibilities and part-time work to translating documents and caring for siblings. He also addresses Vanderbilt's decision to reinstate standardized testing requirements for fall 2029 applicants, sharing what the test optional era taught the team and why the change is being announced early so students and families have time to prepare.

Mike then tackles some of the most anxiety-inducing parts of the process head on. He explains why a perfect GPA and test scores are not enough at a highly selective school, how to write a "why us" essay that actually reflects a specific institution's values rather than recycled answers, and what the team is really looking for in a personal essay: not polished prose, but genuine insight and personal storytelling that no AI or outside editor can easily replicate. He closes with a message that applies to every student approaching senior year: stop trying to fit a mold, be true to who you are, and remember that a denial from one school is rarely a judgment of your potential. The right fit is out there, and the process works best when students let themselves show up as individuals.

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Williams, Senior Director of Scholarships and Enrichment Programs at the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, pulls back the curtain on one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the country and immediately challenges the assumptions students make about who gets in. Jamie explains what the Foundation is actually looking for: not the longest list of accolades or the most polished resume, but students who are genuinely others-oriented and who have found meaningful ways to serve and lead in their schools and communities, regardless of where they live or what resources they have access to.

Jamie then shares candid advice for students who are ready to apply or on the fence about it. He breaks down the two-phase application process, explains why a 3.0 GPA is the academic floor rather not the ceiling, and addresses the program's AI policy directly. He closes by tackling imposter syndrome head-on and encouraging students to not count themselves out.

In this episode, Kiya Jones, Director of the Guided Pathway Support Program at the Ron Brown Scholar Program, opens by sharing her own remarkable journey as a first-generation college student who became a Ron Brown Scholar herself. Her story begins with a brochure handed over on a whim and ends with a life-changing moment in Washington D.C.. Kiya brings a uniquely personal perspective to her work, having experienced firsthand what it means to navigate the college and scholarship process without a roadmap, and she explains what truly sets the Ron Brown Scholar Program apart: not just the scholarship dollars, but the decades of genuine, scholar-centered support that follows students from senior year of high school well into their careers.

Kiya then pulls back the curtain on what the Ron Brown Scholar Program is actually looking for in applicants, and it may surprise students who think it comes down to GPA and test scores. She shares stories of scholars who won despite imperfect transcripts, limited extracurricular access, or unconventional paths, because they demonstrated the core ethos of the program: using their time and talents to uplift others. Kiya also offers candid advice on AI in scholarship applications, why authentic and even imperfect essays consistently outperform polished but soulless ones, and how students can overcome the fear of applying to highly selective scholarships.

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In this episode, Dr. Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalester College and Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, opens by debunking one of the most persistent myths in higher education: that the sticker price is what families actually pay. With average discount rates approaching sixty percent at private colleges, Brian encourages students and families to look past the top-line number before ruling out a school. He then pulls back the curtain on why higher education has been so resistant to change and shares what genuine innovation actually looks like, and how students can tell the difference between a school that is truly distinctive and one that is simply using the right buzzwords.

Brian then offers a candid assessment of where higher education is heading, including a frank conversation about college closures, declining enrollment demographics, and the schools most at risk. He shares his perspective on how struggling colleges can reinvent themselves by leaning into their local communities and expanding beyond the traditional 18-to-24 student market. The episode closes with a wide-ranging discussion on AI's impact on both teaching and admissions.

In this episode, Martha Kortiak Mert, Chief Operating Officer at Saving for College, breaks down everything families need to know about 529 plans, starting with why getting started early matters more than finding the "perfect" plan. Martha tackles common misconceptions head-on, including the myth that families must use their own state's plan, the confusion around prepaid tuition plans, and the financial aid impact of 529 savings on the FAFSA. She also explains why families get stuck in analysis paralysis, both before opening an account and when choosing investments, and why age-based portfolios are often the simplest, most stress-free option for parents who don't want to actively manage their child's account.

Martha then walks through what to actually look for when choosing a 529 plan, from state tax deductions to performance history and convenience, while reinforcing that no single decision is permanent since funds can be rolled over or beneficiaries changed at any time. She highlights just how flexible 529 funds have become, covering K-12 expenses, vocational and apprenticeship programs, graduate school, student loan repayment, and even rollovers into a Roth IRA.

In this episode, Kevin Mathes, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Bucknell University, dives deep into one of the hottest topics in higher education: the role of AI in the college admissions process. Kevin shares how Bucknell became one of the first schools to publish an official AI admissions statement, and walks through the collaborative campus process it took to get there. He explains how his team has trained readers to spot AI-generated essays, and why he still believes admissions must remain a fundamentally human process, where students tell their own stories in their own voices.

Kevin also opens up about where he sees AI genuinely helping students, from brainstorming essay topics to condensing activity descriptions, while issuing an important reminder that AI policies vary widely from school to school.

In this episode, Dr. Jacob Imam, President and founder of the College of St. Joseph the Worker, shares the story behind one of higher education's most unconventional institutions, a rigorous honors-level liberal arts college that also trains students in the skilled trades. Jacob explains his philosophy around the "great divorce between the head and the hands," making the case that intellectual and manual work are not opposites but deeply complementary, and that reconnecting the two produces better thinkers and more capable people. He also breaks down how the college's apprenticeship model allows students to earn while they train, fully offsetting tuition costs so graduates leave with both a bachelor's degree and zero debt.

Jacob then walks through the practical questions students and families should be asking as they weigh their options in higher education, including whether college is even the right path, and how to honestly assess return on investment. He shares why the skilled trades are consistently underestimated as an intellectual and financial opportunity, how AI tailwinds are making both hands-on skills and deep thinking more valuable than ever, and what advice he has for students already in college who want to start reconnecting with practical, real-world skills.

In this episode, VP for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions at Tulane University Shawn Abbott pulls back the curtain on what makes Tulane a unique institution, from its university-wide admissions model that lets students choose their academic path after arriving, to the Louisiana Promise, a suite of programs designed to make Tulane accessible and affordable for students from the state of Louisiana. Shawn also discusses how Tulane has simplified its scholarship application process, eliminating a separate merit scholarship application so more students can be automatically considered for aid.

Shawn then shares practical advice students shouldn't miss: why treating financial aid applications with the same urgency as admissions applications is critical, how demonstrated interest actually factors into Tulane's process, and why obsessing over admit rates is one of the biggest mistakes a student can make in the admissions process.

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