Brennan and Rick are joined by Emily Pacheco, a Community Organizer for Imperial College London, to talk about AI through the whole application and admission process from how students can use it, how parents should approach guiding their students through using, how admissions offices have found useful ways in the admission process, and how college level leadership has reacted to AI's adaption.

LINKS:

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Private College 529 Plan

Visit Brennan & Rick in Boston

EdHub

CalTech Ethical Use of AI Policy

Georgia Tech First Year Application Review Policy

The Truth About AI and Essay Reading - TACA with Juan Espinoza

"Why Transparency is the White Whale of College Admissions" - Chronicle

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Emily Pacheco

Production: Jack Purdy

Rick is joined by Dr. Steven Antonoff and Jay McCann, the authors of the The College Finder, 5th Edition, to talk about the purpose of their book, how prestige impacts the college search process, recogizing what fit can mean for students, and why counselors are so valuable to the college search process.

LINKS

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Private College 529 Plan

College Finder

The Application Trail

College Admission Speaker Series - Khan Lab School

Host: Rick Clark

Guests: Dr. Steven R. Antonoff & Jay McCann

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Anna Follenbee, the Associate Director (and soon to be Director) of College Counseling at Gilman, to talk about the current period in admissions of students choosing a college, advice for what to do now in that selection process, what parents can do to be supportive, the dynamics of the waitlist, and the importance of college responsiveness in this period.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Podcast

Private College 529 Plan

"Choosing a College: Is It Right?" - The Application Trail

"Choosing a College: Advice From Admission Experts" - The Application Trail

"Ask This Before You Choose a College" - The Application Trail

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Anna Follensbee

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Kelley Lips, Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment at Emory University, to talk about how Emory's pathways provide more opportunities for students to start and finish college compared to the normal four-year track, why colleges offer different tracks, and advice for high school juniors and seniors considering different start term options.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Emory University and Oxford College

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Kelley Lips

Production: Jack Purdy

In a cross-post special, Rick heads to the College Admissions Process Podcast hosted by John Durante to talk about building a class, AI, how to best use the Common Application, and other tools families can use in the admissions process.

LINKS

CAP Episode Link

Truth About College Admissions Newsletter

Host: John Durante

Guest: Rick Clark

TACA Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Gerry McCrory and Ashley Smith from Scoir to talk about the platform, their recent data reports, advice for juniors beginning the admission process, and tools on Scoir that everyone from families to counselors can use.

LINKS:

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

"Getting into college is getting easier" - The Hechinger Report

Scoir

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guests: Gerry Mcrory, Ashley Smith

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and the new Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Georgia Tech, Rick Clark, are joined by friend of the podcast Jeff Selingo to talk about his new book, Dream School. Their conversation details why Jeff was inspired to write the book, how to get a sense of the resources on campus when visiting schools, misconceptions about college value, and how life has been going through the college admissions process with his daughter.

LINKS:

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

"Clark Named Vice Provost of Enrollment Management" - Georgia Tech

Jeff Selingo's website

Buy Dream School 

List of Harvard 1L Institutions

Future U Podcast

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Jeff Selingo

Production: Jack Purdy

Returning from their winter breaks, Brennan and Rick go through their items to watch for in 2026, books they're reading, tips for the current application cycle, their words for the year, and preview a couple guests who will be on the show this semester.

LINKS:

Brennan Barnard on Forbes

The Application Trail

12-Hour Walk

"AI is scoring college essays" – LA Times

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Denise Pope, Ph.D., the co-founder and Strategic Advisor at Challenge Success (and Senior Lecturer at Stanford University) to talk about her work in researching student mental health, what families may be getting wrong about what they think colleges want to see in the admissions process, and advice for students to improve well-being in high school and beyond.

LINKS:

Challenge Success

"A 'Fit' Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity" - Challenge Success

Time Management Worksheet - Challenge Success

"Go Wilde For College Admission In The New Year" - The Application Trail

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Denise Pope, Ph.D.

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Lisa Keegan, Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy at William & Mary, to talk about her role at William & Mary and how they approach admissions in their context, understanding the culture of a school, and what juniors can think about this upcoming spring.

LINKS:

Making a (College) List - The Application Trail

Building a College List Part II: Outside the Echo Chamber - The Application Trail

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Lisa Keegan

Production: Jack Purdy