Six Degrees of Bacon and Eggs

If you have a kid in high school, or one who'll be there sooner than you think, this episode is for you.

College admissions has never felt more confusing, competitive, or stressful. So we went straight to the person who guided our own family through it. Martha Jones is the college counselor who worked with our oldest son, Griffin, and hiring her was one of the best investments we've ever made.

We came into this conversation with one goal: get Martha to reveal the secret sauce. The insider trick. The one thing that gets kids into a great college.

Her answer? There isn't one.

What Martha shared instead turned out to be far more valuable. She believes there is no single "perfect" school, but there are many great places where each student can thrive, and her job is helping families find them.

Martha is the founder of Jones College Counseling and a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) based in Petaluma, California. For more than a decade, she has worked with students throughout high school and through every stage of the college journey, including:

Academic and testing planning to keep students on track from freshman year on

Building thoughtful college lists that match each student's interests, goals, and priorities

Developing smart application strategies

Guiding students through essays that show who they really are

Navigating financial aid

Making the final college decision with confidence

Martha is a professional member of IECA, NACAC, WACAC, and AICEP, and she regularly visits colleges and attends professional conferences to stay current in the rapidly changing admissions landscape. Most of all, she loves helping teenagers discover possibilities they never imagined for themselves. By the end of this conversation, you might discover a few too.

Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and join us at the table.

I’m Renee McArdle I live in Petaluma, a small town that was once known as the “egg capital of the world” where everyone feels connected only by a couple of degrees (hence the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon reference). I can ask anyone in town a couple of questions and it won’t take long for us to find a mutual friend, colleague, or a place that we are both connected to. I know so many interesting people in Petaluma who are doing really cool things, have interesting experiences to share, are deep rooted in Petaluma, can help others in our community or can share about their local businesses.

I’m going to start each episode talking about how my life is connected to my guest. Listeners out there are going to find connections with my guests, their kids, people they know, places they spend time. I hope they will all play along…