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

#069 – The information in your high school transcripts is the first element of your college application that will be scrutinized by the college admission officers of the colleges to which you will apply. The classes you took, the grades you earned, and your GPA, will all come together to give them an idea of how prepared you are for college. On this episode, Jankel and I explore this and everything else related to your academic record. At the beginning of the episode, we explore the reasons why your academic record is so important to your chances for admission. We also discuss the choices a student has if the academic record of that student has not been the best. The truth is, even when students have had a poor academic record, there is a lot they can do to fix it and strengthen themselves academically, to enjoy much better chances for admission. We continue our talk by going over a very important and often-misunderstood subject; the required high school courses for different colleges and universities, may be slightly different. Not knowing those differences may severely limit a student’s chance for admission. We compare the course requirements to grauate from high school in California, as well as the high school course requirements for admission into schools within the California State University system, UCLA, and Stanford University. Towards the end, we explore a video presented by the Admissions Department at the University of Pennsylvania, which explains the details of how they analyze each applicant’s academic record and their overall preparation for success at the university. The video was very rich and confirmed plenty of the information we have been sharing with our audience since our first episode. You can find the show notes to this episode at https://www.collegemetropolis.com/69. You can help our show greatly by telling others about us and by leaving us a positive review and 5-star rating on the platform you used to download this episode. That will be very helpful to our efforts to help high school students and parents through the college admission process. Thank you!

# 068 – On this episode, Jankel and I, continue outlining the habits of successful and overachieving students by going over habits number 4 to 6. We begin by describing what “owning the course material” means and the ways in which students can do so, in ways that affect their academic performance. We also uncover an often-automatic and very positive action that overachieving students take, that is reverse engineering the many seemingly unsurmountable tasks that are part of the high school and college experience. We end the show by discussing the importance of prioritizing and establishing a system that will allow you to prioritize. In our talk, we ask our listeners to grab pen and paper to create an Eisenhower Matrix with us. That is one of the most effective tools to prioritizing, because it allows you to categorize the many items on your to-do list as urgent and important, important but not urgent, not important but urgent, and neither important nor urgent. Jankel and I talk about what to do with the items in each category. We also provide examples of the types of tasks that may be placed in each of the categories. Our hope is that you can gain an appreciation for these habits, if they are not already part of your daily routine, and that you may also be a very successful and overachieving student. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/68. Would you please help us reach out to more high school students and parents? You can do so by leaving us a 5-star rating and giving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. That kind gesture will be very helpful and much appreciated. Thank you!

# 067 – In my life as a professor I have had the sweet privilege of seeing a number of students who went on to accomplish and surpass their goals. These are the students I refer to as successful and overachieving. Their paths were crafted with care and their steps were taken with absolute precision. Some of them went on to complete their bachelor and graduate degrees at great universities. Today, they are successful professionals, each making the world better within their own domain. I have also seen my share of students who coasted along to graduate and do something with their degree. These are students who, perhaps, saw their education as a means to a small promotion at work, or to secure a better job. And lastly, I have seen my share of students who never achieved their goals. This episode is a first in a series of episodes, in which I highlight and outline the habits inherent of those students who I consider to be my successful overachievers. Although I identified the majority of these from my personal observations of these students, I also included essential habits that I have learned about in training seminars and workshops, and from studies and literature related to success in higher education. The habits I present today are all founded on the importance of having a vision. With vision as the starting point, the habits that follow are as coherent as they are essential for success. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/67. Please help us reach out to more high school students and parents by leaving us a 5-star rating and giving us a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. You help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

#066 – On this episode we dive into the details of Advanced Placement courses, including the importance of having a number of them reflected in your transcripts, especially if you are planning to apply to highly selective colleges and universities. There may be departments or programs within colleges or universities that will expect to see specific AP courses on your academic record. An example of this may be Engineering Programs expecting to see a number of AP math and science courses in your transcripts. Jankel and I go over the different AP courses available, the number of AP courses you should take, the necessary scores to pass your AP Exams, the effect that a holistic approach employed by some admission departments will have on your application, and the one person in your high school who is prepared to help you with any AP questions you may have. That person can help you take the courses that will help you become a strong candidate for admission into the schools to which you will apply. We also explore the unit credit that colleges and universities may give you for taking AP courses and passing the AP Exams in those courses. Lastly, we analyze how Advanced Placement courses are managed at the Undergraduate Admission Office at Columbia University, and at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. There was a moment on this episode when I addressed an issue as a parent. The vast and challenging amounts of work that high school students have to do, especially when they are taking advanced courses. I mentioned I see it with my son, who currently is a sophomore in high school. The huge amounts of work are impossible to get done within a time that allows for appropriate rest for a teenager. You will hear my thoughts on that issue and what we are doing to make sure we support our son as he maintains his sanity. We think you will find this episode to be very supportive and helpful. You can find our show notes at https://collegemetropolis.com/66. You can help our podcast greatly by telling others about us, by giving us a 5-star rating, and by a leaving us a positive review. We will greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

#065 –Today, on this Career Episode, we present Industrial Engineering, one of the hottest careers for the period between 2020 and 2030. Jankel and I begin our conversation by explaining what industrial engineers do and highlighting their utility in diverse industries and organizations throughout the world. As I define industrial engineering as “Project Management on Steroids,” we uncover the robust activities that industrial engineers perform on a daily basis, from using computer simulation to decide on the best way for passengers to board planes at United Airlines, to performing quality control at Hershey Food to minimize candy breakage on its way to retail stores, and to doing the job of project manager at the Walt Disney Company to develop pickup and drop-off schedules for trains and shuttle busses. The work that industrial engineers do is highly necessary and without it, elements, such as, production, efficiency, quality control, and innovation, decrease or outright cease to exist. We also go over the Industrial Engineer Program at Georgia Tech, one of the best IE programs in the country. We go over data from the most recent freshman class, courses that a student interested in industrial engineering should take in high school, areas of specialization, the 5-year path that leads to a Master’s Degree in IE, and the benefits of the Co-op model used as a means to provide students with real experience. You can find the show notes and links to everything we mentioned on this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/65. Please help us by giving us a 5-star rating and leaving us a great review. In doing so, you will ensure that more high school students and parents find us and benefit from the information we provide. Thank you!

#064 – Selective Colleges and universities want to give admission to applicants who have a demonstrated record of great academic performance. One of the ways in which college admission officers are able to gauge the academic abilities of applicants is by scrutinizing the information provided in their transcripts. The more high-level classes students take and do well in, the more favorable they will be perceived as applicants. On this episode, Jankel and I go over the different levels of classes offered in high schools across the country. These include regular classes, honors classes, and advanced placement classes. Each type of class is different, some are more challenging than others, are more demanding, and require for students to apply more time and effort to do well in them. Because of those differences, the sum total of the different types of classes students take in high school tell a story about those students. During the episode we present the effect of each type of class has on weighed GPA. Doing well in some of the higher-level classes may lead to a GPA above 4.0. Additionally, we present the steps to take to receive possible college credit for advance placement classes. We will talk about the stories those classes tell about students, what students can do to create course schedules that are challenging and result in amazing transcripts, always keeping in mind that they should only take classes at a level they know they can handle. We dive into the details of all of these topics. By the end of this episode you will be able to differentiate between the different levels of classes, select those that will help build your high school transcript, and know what to do if you want to take those that are at higher level. You can access the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/64. You can also help our show greatly by leaving us a 5-star rating and a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. You help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

#063 – Each year, thousands of students find themselves in the unfortunate position of not being ready for college, even as they get close to graduating high school. On this episode, I talk about the different reasons why students fall behind on their college preparation, even as some of them do all that they think they should be doing in addition to their academic work. There are two pieces of advice I introduce, based on my personal experience, research on this topic, and years of participating in workshops and seminars devoted to helping high school students succeed in the college admission process, even when they have low resources, very little college-admissions related support, and low college preparation. This information is very valuable, especially for students who may feel lost in the college admission process, as they will learn where to secure the information, guidance, and accountability they need to successfully prepare for and succeed in college. During my talk, I introduce the importance of intentionally choosing a peer group of like-minded individuals, protecting the optimal hours of productivity, and the value of the Federal TRIO Programs. I conclude the episode by going over two examples of TRIO Programs in California and Maryland. Ones is offered by the University of California, Riverside, and the other is carried out John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Springs, MD. These TRIO programs have been a catalyst for success for a great many thousands of students since they were instituted several decades ago. My hope is that these can help you as well. You can find the show notes to this   episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/63. Please help us reach a wider audience by letting your favorite podcast platform know that you like our show. You can do this by leaving us a 5-star rating and a positive. We will greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

#062 – Misinformation about college admissions is widespread and constant. And, although poor and downright wrong information is often circulated with the best of intentions, it has the potential of taking you down a path that does not help your college goals. On this episode, I uncover the truth behind six popular myths, having to do with preparing and applying to highly selective colleges and universities, the affordability of a private college education, school rankings, the role that legacy and networking play in college admissions, whether some people simply cannot succeed in college, and the value of community colleges. Using a combination of personal experience, the use of reputable outside resources, and examples, I outline the facts that debunk those myths. Some contain pockets of truth, while others are vehemently false. My hope is that by understanding these prevalent myths, you can accurate decisions and take the steps that will get you closer to achieving your college admission goals. You can find the show notes to this   episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/62. You can help our show greatly by telling others about us and by leaving us a positive review and 5-star rating on the platform you used to download this episode. That will be very helpful to our efforts to help high school students and parents through the college admission process. Thank you!

#061 – Today, on this solo episode, we uncover the default assumptions colleges and universities make about First-Generation College Students (FGCS). Those assumptions aim to guide the efforts higher education institutions make to support applicants who are considered FGCS. They have to do with the applicants’ academic preparation, ability to afford college, and the ability to manage the college admission process and college success. As the episode progresses, I present the different ways in which First-Generation College Students are defined, each depending on the college or organization doing the defining. This presents problems to students who may be classified as FGCS under one definition, but not under another. This issue gains importance as I reveal the ways in which most colleges and universities have taken steps to support FGCS. For many students, college success hinges on access to that support. Additionally, I talk about the reason why colleges and universities make such important efforts to assist FGCS, why it is important for students to find out if they fit the definition, and the simple way colleges re able to know the educational history of their applicants’ parents. Towards the end of the episode, I provide ways for FGCS to present the challenges most of them have to endure, in ways that allow them to shine during the college admission process. You can find the show notes to this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/61. Please help our show by telling others about our show and by leaving us a 5-star rating and a positive review on the podcast platform you used to download this episode. That will go a long way in helping us reach other high school students and parents. Thank you!

#060 – Becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine is a goal that requires full commitment and dedication. Our guest today is Dr. Jonathan David Dear, professor of medicine and epidemiology at one of the premier veterinary programs in the world, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Dear is also very involved in the SVM’s admission board. That is the group of people who are in charge of selecting the applicants who will become part of the veterinary medicine program for a given academic year. He shared extremely important details related to the path to becoming a veterinarian and tips students should follow in the admission process. Although the information is related to the doctor of veterinary medicine program, the information provided can be used by students who will pursue other majors and educational programs. Dr. Dear talked about the steps to becoming a veterinarian, pre-requisites to apply for the program, and the traits veterinary medicine schools are looking for in applicants. Additionally, he highlighted the one thing all applicants should do, which a lot of them do not do, and as a result miss a great opportunity to stand out. Dr. Dear also shared the steps he took while in high school to prepare for a career in veterinary medicine. These included a volunteering opportunity that eventually became a job, and which played an important role as he applied to college. This was an interview and conversation in which we covered a lot of important information, useful for students interested in veterinary medicine and other majors. Dr. Dear received a Bachelor of Science degree from Emory University, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Applied Science degree from UC Davis, and a certificate from the University of California Extension at Davis. During my episode introduction, I introduced information related to veterinarians, including median pay, typical level of entry-level education, number of veterinary jobs in 2019, and job outlook for the ten-year period between 2019 and 2029. You can find the show notes for this episode at https://collegemetropolis.com/60. Please share this episode with other students and parents who may benefit from it. You can also help us greatly by giving our show a 5-star rating and a positive review on your favorite podcasting platform. Thank you!