In this episode of Highway to Higher Ed, Alex is joined by Janae McCullough-Boyd, founder and CEO of More Than Athletics, LLC. Janae quickly realized during her oldest son’s recruiting process, that for him to be able to choose the college that was the best fit for him, they had to be proactive in the academic and recruiting process. Basically, looking for the best fit school, takes hustle and grit, which consists of time, effort, education on the process, and a lot of patience for the student-athlete and their family. Alex and Janae talk about the numerous facets of Janae’s consultancy, from complications in finding the right schools, managing a students expectations, preparing a student academically well in advance, the role of high school coaches and relationships with coaches playing a key role. They also discuss ways of improving a students chances, a success story and tips of mitigating the struggles student athletes can have when transitioning. 

In this episode of Highway to Higher Ed, Alex is joined by Drew Boudreau, owner of College Audition Pros. As an actor, Drew's credits include regional theatre across the country, OffBroadway, national tours, cruise ships & more. As a teacher, Drew loves helping students & their families boost their confidence in their college auditions, giving them the keys to elevate their performances & maximize their admissions. Alex and Drew discuss the musical theatre application process, give advice for parents of students seeking to pursue a path in musical theatre, the challenges of the application process, the future changes of musical theatre higher education, how best to prepare for them and advice for parents of younger students.

In this episode of Highway to higher Ed, Alex talks to Michele Evard of Evard Consulting. Michele is a veteran in the field not only of college applications for non-traditional students but also of homeschooling, having home schooled her own three children. Michele talks about the uniqueness of her practice, the different education profiles she experiences in her practice, how the pandemic has impacted her clientele, the differences of the process for alternatively educated students, the support she gives families and the challenges non-traditionals face when transitioning to college.

In this episode of Highway to Higher Ed, Alex is joined by Trevor Ramos of College Funding Remedies, an expert at locating and securing large grants and scholarships for college admission as the cost of higher education creeps steadily upwards. In 12 years of service, Trevor has helped over 400 families get accepted to the top colleges in America for pennies on the dollar by helping students get free money grants and scholarships (over 12 million dollars)! 

In this episode of Highway to Higher Ed, Alex is joined by Alex Ince and Mike Corbelle of Cairn Educational Consulting to discuss the state of Boarding school applications in today’s pandemic landscape. Their philosophy centers around a demystification of elite admission on the track to competitive college admission. With a wealth of experience from both sides of the spectrum, they provide some insider secrets on the best way for parents to assist their young students in navigating the process of applying to boarding schools.

In this episode of Highway to Higher Ed, Alex is joined by Michelle McAnaney the founder of the College Spy, a college admissions consultancy. With a history as a counsellor in

schools and a background in psychology, Michelle decided to set up her own consultancy business, so she could concentrate fully on the needs of students going

through the college admissions process. Michelle discusses her background, how changes in standardized testing has changed the college admissions process and how

she believes the future of college admissions is going.

Episode Description:

In this episode of Highway to Higher Ed, Alex is joined by College Success Coach Dale Troy, who works with college students to reduce their level of stress and improve their college experiences. Dale, with an undergraduate degree and law degree from Yale University and extensive experience in wellness coaching, offers a wealth of knowledge on college student fitness. Alex and Dale discuss the secrets to college success coaching, the impacts the pandemic has had on student experience, and how to best support students in today’s college world. 

Key Takeaways:

-Stress management skills are increasingly important in surviving in today’s college world.  It’s critical to help young students develop these skills.  Typically this involves not only educating them from a third party (not parents! God no), but getting them to buy in to trying new healthy practices.

-Parents can help prepare their kids to succeed in college by allowing them a bit more space in the middle and high school years.  Allowing them to fail a bit more then is key, and avoids the syndrome of them diving off of a cliff when they graduate from high school, going from a system of complete dependence to one of complete autonomy.  

-Most critical of all may be time management skills. The use of a planner to organize one’s life is critical, not only in completing assignments and arriving to events on time, but it also provides a sense of control over one’s life.  This sense of control is key to combating the rising epidemic of anxiety that has resulted from the pandemic.     

In this episode, Alex is joined by Meg Flanagan of Meg Flanagan Educations Solutions.  Meg is an expert on special needs high school students, such as those with processing disorders, ADHD or Anxiety. In the episode, Meg outlines the distinctions between 504s and IEPs and discusses the best strategies for parents with students of alternative learning profiles.  Her resources for navigating this process mentioned in the episode are listed below. 

In this episode, Alex is joined by Josephine Vonarburg, the owner and founder of Transitions College Advising, an organization committed to providing support to those with ADHD, Anxiety & LD successfully making the transition into higher education.  Josephine explains the college process for a student with special needs and provides some secrets for successfully navigating the change in regards to 504s & IEPs, a critical value to those who are unfamiliar with higher education’s distinct system of accommodation.  

Key Takeaways:-Finding the right school is critical for any student, but particularly important for students with different needs.  The specific type of learning profile (anxiety, ADHD, ASD, etc.) will often dictate the best choices for the student in making their college list.  -Self-advocacy is an important skill to develop, especially for these students with different needs.  Developing the confidence to approach professors, to discover key college offices, and utilize campus resources can make all the difference for a student with a unique learning profile.

-Backward planning is key with these students.  It’s worth considering where the student may end up in 5-10 years after college.  Imagining their future options and their future challenges should guide the decision-making in the college process.   

In this episode, Becky Grappo of ING consulting joins Alex to discuss the nuances of international versus domestic application in the pandemic era.  With over 30 years of experience, living in Europe, Central America, the Middle East and United States, Becky brings a wealth of cultural fluency to the discussion.  As a highly regarded member of the IECA and noted author and presenter, Becky’s knowledge on the process from different angles is revelatory of some underlying assumptions about college application.  

Key Takeaways -Higher education seems to be moving towards more professionalized degrees and niche specialization.  It’s important to consider where the world may be ten years from now in weighing the best option for young students, given how quickly the professional world is evolving.

-Given the complications of test-optional and test-blind applications, the game in college admissions is quickly changing.  The diversity of high school experience makes grades a complex metric to lean on, so where will college admissions officers turn to?

-International schools tend to focus more on objective numbers in the application process, relying on grades from standardized exams in schools to place students in college.  It’s far more elaborate in the US, with personal essays, recommendations and a number of other components that complicate the picture.  How can these distinctions best shape our own approaches and better understand the process?