The College Metropolis Podcast: College Admissions Talk for High School Students and Parents

#019 –On this solo episode, I conclude my talk about the seven most valuable pieces of advice I commonly share with parents of college-bound teens, by going over the remaining three. As you may remember, these are seven pieces of advice I share with personal friends who are parents of kids in high school who want to go to college. I am sharing them with you hoping these can help you add value to your kid’s college prep and admission process. Today you will hear the reason why it is important to reach out to your kid’s high school guidance counselor early in high school (or early in the school year, whichever year it may be), the importance of being thoroughly informed before talking to your kids about matters related to the college admission process, and ways to help your kid with volunteering opportunities. You will hear me talk about two ways you may help your kid showcase his or her academic interests or passions through blogs and podcasts. It was a different experience for me to record this and the last episode by myself. If you like these solo episodes, let us know and I will continue to do them, as well as the regular episodes with my co-host. We welcome your questions and comments. You can get in touch with us by leaving us a voice message on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page. You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/19. Also, we will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. In doing so, you would be helping us greatly. Thank you!

#018 – On this solo episode, I cover the first four of the seven most valuable pieces of advice I commonly share parents of college-bound teens. As a parent, you have the opportunity to exert a profound influence in your kid’s college admission process. Today, you will learn about your ability to lower your kid’s anxiety about college, the role you play in the college admission process, the importance of outlining every course your kid will take in high school, and the importance of becoming and remaining involved with your kid’s high school. You will hear some of what I have experienced with my own on, who is a college-bound high school student with a strong interest in paleontology. I think you will find this to be a very interesting episode. We welcome your questions and comments. You can get in touch with us by leaving us a voice message on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page. You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/18. Also, we will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. In doing so, you would be helping us greatly. Thank you!

#017 – On this episode we uncover the importance of planning the courses that a student will take throughout the 4 years of high school. Different schools, including those with open admission policies and those that are highly selective, each requires a slightly different amount of courses to be presented in the transcripts. Missing important courses will severely weaken an applicant’s chances for admission. That is a mistake that can be easily avoided by following advice we share today. Remember, you can get in touch with us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page. You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/17. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. In doing so, you would be helping us greatly. Thank you!

#016 – We continue our conversation about the differences between private and public colleges and universities, starting with the number of students in the larger classes, and following with differences in campus culture, student support, availability of undergraduate research opportunities, number of degree programs, student diversity, perceived prestige, access to the alumni network, and the likelihood of students graduating on time. All of these are important components of the college experience and can make a sizeable difference in the educational life and future professional career of every student. Remember, you can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page. You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/16. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. In doing so, you would be helping us greatly. Thank you!

#015 - On this episode we highlight the differences between private and public colleges and universities. These marked differences will affect your kid’s college opportunities and experience in several ways. It is important to understand them so that your son or daughter knows how prepare for them. Today, we will talk about differences on how private and public colleges are funded, differences in tuition cost and available financial aid, and differences in the size of their campuses. Each type of institution has great advantages and disadvantages, depending on what each student applicant is looking for. This episode will help you guide your kid to the schools that better meet their needs. Remember, you can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page. You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/15. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. In doing so, you would be helping us greatly. Thank you!

#014 – On this episode we cover that very important question every parent asks, “Can my kid afford going to the school he or she wants to attend?”  We uncover the real cost of going to college and go over the elements that your kid will receive as part of his or her financial aid. We also talk about the importance of finding out the potential aid your kid may receive from a college or university itself, also called Institutional Aid, and the efficacy of asking for it. Remember, you can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page.  You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/14. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. That would help other parents find us more easily. Thank you!

#013 – On this episode, we help you identify the colleges or universities that meet your needs by asking questions related to life on campus. We dive deep into the importance of applying to schools with a campus culture that provides you with a good fit, and offers the right type of social life. Our discussion will present you with questions to ask yourself about the type of facilities you will like to find in a school, including, types of libraries, labs, technology, gyms, and medical facilities, among others. We will cover the question of whether or not you will want to live at home while attending college. That is a very important question! We will also go over questions related to housing and the meal-plans you may need in college, questions about choosing a dorm, the importance of finding out for how long dorm assignments are guaranteed, and whether or not you will initially be made to share your living facilities with other freshman students. Our conversation will also uncover the different types of extracurricular activities that may be offered to your kid depending on the school you attend, and we finish our conversation by talking about an extremely important subject, campus safety. You will find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/13. Remember, you can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. That would help us tremendously. Thank you!

#012 – Dr. Anthony Bosman, professor of Mathematics at Andrews University in Michigan, joins us to share his experience and insights on his path from Forest Lake Academy, a small Seventh-day Adventist School in Florida with less than 400 high school kids, to Stanford University. Dr. Bosman talks about the steps he took while in high school, and the one program he took advantage of, which gave him an advantage on his way to Stanford. The program he talks about is free and available to the vast majority of high school kids in the country. He shares with us the qualities that highly selective schools look for in candidates, and talks about the importance of seeing the college application process as an opportunity for kids to reflect on their goals and where they want to be in the long run. Dr. Bosman was very generous with us in this interview. You will gain plenty of insights from someone who was accepted to one of the most selective universities in the country.  Remember, you can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page.  You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/12. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. That would really help us tremendously. Thank you!

#011 – On this episode, continuing our theme of important questions to ask to uncover the colleges or universities that are a good fit for your kids, we go over questions related to academic fit.  No college or university is a good fit for every student, and that is extremely important to consider when it comes to academic fit. Every school has its own academic culture, and that culture brings along with it certain expectations on its students.   When there is a good fit between a school’s academic culture and a student, that student will get every opportunity to thrive. When there is not a good fit, a student will find it difficult to simply do well. That is not something any parent wants for a kid. We will go over different questions that will allow you to help your kid identify schools that offer them a good academic fit.  You can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page.  You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/11. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. That would really help us tremendously. Thank you!

#010 – After listening to this episode, you will be able to help your kids make a list of colleges or universities to apply to, by asking questions that will get them to pinpoint the colleges that are a good fit to them according to their location. When location is a good fit, it can make the educational experience better, when it isn’t, it can become a difficult obstacle to overcome. Because of that, choosing a college that is a good fit is extremely important.    No college or university is a good fit for every student, regardless of how prestigious or high-ranking that school may be. Every kid is different, therefore what can be a good fit for one kid, may not be a good fit for another. To get the most out of a higher education, it is important for kids to be sure the colleges or universities they apply to are those that offer them a perfect fit.  You can contact us on our homepage at collegemetropolis.com, by leaving us a voice message, or by sending us an email through our contact link at the bottom of the page.  You can also find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/10. We will be very grateful if you would write a great review for our show and leave us a 5-star rating. That would really help us tremendously. Thank you!