Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews

In this episode you will hear: (05:44) In this week's news, an article from Business Insider, "9 Ways College is Different for Millennials Than it Was for Previous Generations", by Hillary Hoffower. Most significantly, college today is more expensive for millennials — but it has also experienced an increase in technological advancements and opportunities, diversity, stress and competition. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-college-is-different-now-then-millennials-vs-baby-boomers-2018-9 (22:28) We are in chapter 89 of 171 Answers and Mark walks us through the similarities and major differences between advanced placement courses and the international baccalaureate diploma. We look at how AP and IB are similar and different from many different angles and we also talk about how the tests differ. Mark shares his perspective on which curriculum he prefers but he urges parents to understand that every college admissions officer will evaluate your child based on what was offered at their particular high school. Here is a sample of an AP credit policy for Georgia Tech: http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/credit-tests-scores/advanced-placement-exams/ Here is a sample of an IB credit policy for Georgia Tech: http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/academics/undergraduate/credit-tests-scores/international-baccalaureate-exams/ (39:28) This week's question is from Shannon in California and she wants to know more details on what exactly high school counselors are asked to write within their recommendations for students. She also wants to know how kids should best communicate to their counselors to ensure they convey the child's best qualities to the schools in which they are applying. (53:31) Mark is in the 4th and final part of his interview with one of his former students, Tara Kalinisan, the Assistant Director of Admissions at Smith College, and they are talking through what admissions officers do during the last 6 months of the year. (01:03:06) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the FAFSA 2020-2021 FAFSA Full Walkthrough by Utah Futures. Here is the video that shows you how to answer every question on the FAFSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liO5RKKNrhE&t=989s (1:18:59) College Spotlight: Winthrop Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click: https://smile.amazon.com/171-Answers-Most-Asked-Admission-Questions/dp/0692953477/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=171+answers&qid=1568305805&s=books&sr=1-1 If you want a signed copy of this book, order it at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (04:51) In this week's news, an article from Wall Street Journal, "Fed Says Student Debt Has Hurt the U.S. Housing Market", by Josh Mitchell and Laura Kasisto. Student loans prevented 400,000 young Americans from buying homes, between 2005 to 2014. The amount of student loan debt has either damaged their credit or doesn't allow them to save for a house down payment, because their income goes toward paying student loan bills. We discuss this article and we ask what our takeaways should be from this. https://www.wsj.com/articles/fed-says-student-debt-is-u-s-hurting-housing-market-11547657473 (18:39) We are in chapter 88 of 171 Answers and we're discussing whether colleges evaluate the high school that your child attends. (47:46) This week's question is from a high school mom who wants to know how bright students -who are not the valedictorians or sports super stars of their schools- can stand out to the most respected colleges and universities. We have a very honest and frank conversation about what are the best options in this instance. We talk about SAT subject tests and institutional priorities. (01:01:07)Mark continues his interview with one of his former students, Tara Kalinisan, the Assistant Director of Admissions at Smith College, and they are talking through what admissions officers do during the first 6 months of the year. (01:10:05) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the list of colleges where Harvard's current incoming law students received their Bachelor's list. The list includes many designer degree schools but it also includes many schools that are regarded as highly selective, well-known colleges. Here is the list of those colleges: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/jdadmissions/apply-to-harvard-law-school/hls-profile-and-facts/ (1:24:15) Our College Spotlight for the week is William and Jefferson College (PA) Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click: https://smile.amazon.com/171-Answers-Most-Asked-Admission-Questions/dp/0692953477/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=171+answers&qid=1568305805&s=books&sr=1-1 If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (06:12) In this week's news, an article from savingforcollege.com, "Surge in Number of Colleges Cutting Tuition", by Mark Kantrowitz. Between 2012 through 2018 small non-selective, private 4-year colleges began enacting tuition re-sets. These re-sets are a one-time reduction in a college's tuition rate, usually accompanied by a cut in financial aid. https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/surge-in-number-of-colleges-cutting-tuition (23:50) We are in chapter 87 of 171 Answers and we're talking through how college admissions committees make their acceptance decisions. You may be surprised by how many evaluation systems are used by colleges. Mark introduces us to the Committee Based Evaluation method developed at the University of Pennsylvania, and explains why it has been lauded as an effective evaluation approach by some while criticized by others as a system that is benefits admissions more than it benefits the applicant. (43:58) This week's question is from Tamara from Discovery Bay, California who wants to know if consent is required for her younger aged daughter to start college. Mark walks through the FERPA laws that impact how much information parents will have access to once a student is 18 – or enrolled in college, as in Tamara's daughter's case. (55:49) Mark continues his interview with one of his former students, Tara Kalinisan, the Assistant Director of Admissions at Smith College, and they are talking through what you need to know about college fairs and college admissions interviews. (1:09:49) Mark has two recommended resources for this week and both resources will help students and parents to understand how to get an athletic scholarship. The first resource is The Recruit Me-Athletic Scholarship podcast by John Fugler and the second resource is the Athletic Scholarship Playbook which is also by Fugler. The book is available in Audiobook, Kindle or as a paperback. It is time to get your FSA ID if you are applying for Financial Aid, and remember, there are some colleges that do not give merit aid to anyone who does NOT apply for the FAFSA. Here is a link to get your FSA ID: You can learn more about this FSA ID and you can get your FSA ID now through this link: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid Inquiry Card-What to put on them? Preprinted Labels Full Name Gender Full Mailing Address (including Zip code) Student Email Parent Email Date of Birth High School Name Year you plan on enrolling Freshman or Transfer student? Test scores (if they are good) GPA (if it is good) Majors or careers of interest Extracurricular interests Cell phone I would like to receive emails? Yes or No I would like to receive tests? Yes or No Feel free to call me? Yes or No Sample Sticker Content William Mark Stucker Male 7797 The Lakes Dr. Fairburn, GA, 30213 B/D: 9/9/2002 Student: [email protected] Year to enroll: Fall 2020 Parent: [email protected] HS: Westlake HS Majors: Psychology, Sociology GPA: 3.69 Interests: Chess, Robotics, Creative Writing ACT: 25 SAT 1230 I would like to receive emails? Yes Cell: 404-664-4340 I would like to receive texts? Yes I am open to a phone call? Yes Note: You still need to peruse to see if you need to write in an Answer to a question that you didn't answer. (1:23:14) Our College Spotlight for the week is Occidental College (CA) Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! Anika and I are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. Anika and I would like to thank you in advance https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click: https://smile.amazon.com/171-Answers-Most-Asked-Admission-Questions/dp/0692953477/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=171+answers&qid=1568305805&s=books&sr=1-1 If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (04:16) In this week's news, an article from the University Gazette, "Study Finds that More AP Classes May Not Be Better". University of NC Chapel Hill's undergraduate office found that taking more than 5 AP courses, probably doesn't prepare students any better for college. Taking AP courses up to that certain amount does help students in college. The article cites the original purpose of AP was to prepare students for college level work but that has now evolved into a mindset that the more AP's the better. Many kids have been responding by taking on as many as 12-15 AP courses over their high school career. The research done at UNC Chapel Hill will now lead them to not give students more credit for taking an excessive amount of AP's. We acknowledge that other colleges may think differently. https://gazette.unc.edu/2013/01/08/study-finds-that-more-ap-classes-may-not-be-better/ (16:02) We are in Chapter 86 of 171 Answers and we're talking about when to start the college admissions process with your kids. We discuss a wide range of different starting points. We talk about the balance between reaping the value of starting early but the downside of being college obsessed. We talk about the difference between formally starting the process and informally starting the process. Mark shares his bottom line question that determines when someone should start the college process. (31:44) This week's question is from Meredith in Phoenix and she asks if an AP score of 3 in biology, a subject her daughter wants to major in while in college should be submitted to a highly selective school. Meredith and her daughter have been having a debate about this. The concern about not submitting the 3 on the AP Bio test is that colleges will assume you took the test and that you probably got a 1 or a 2. Mark does something different for this question, he actually asks a highly selective school how they would answer this question. Next he shares their answer in this segment. Mark shares the perspective that most admissions officers have about students who don't submit scores. This is a perspective that he thinks will surprise a lot of people. (51:10) Mark kicks off his interview with one of his former students, Tara Kalinisan, the Assistant Director of Admissions at Smith College, and they are talking through the do's and don'ts of what students and parents should do while attending a college information session. (59:27) Mark's recommended resource of the week is a lecture by Paul Tough on his book, "How Children Success-Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character". The lecture as well as the book are based on the latest neurological and psychological research that challenges the notion that IQ and high standardized tests are the key to career success: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx7EGal0qmg&t=532s for the lecture or you can get the book: https://smile.amazon.com/How-Children-Succeed-Paul-Tough/dp/0544104404/ref=sr_1_2?crid=COUPZ3XM4XG0&keywords=paul+tough&qid=1568305624&s=books&sprefix=paul+tough%2Caps%2C148&sr=1-2 (1:11:05) Our College Spotlight for the week is Case Western Reserve University (OH) Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! Anika and I are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. Anika and I would like to thank you in advance https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click: https://smile.amazon.com/171-Answers-Most-Asked-Admission-Questions/dp/0692953477/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=171+answers&qid=1568305805&s=books&sr=1-1 If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (04:45) In this week's news, an article from The Atlantic, "Parents Gone Wild: High Drama Inside D.C.'s Most Elite Private School" by Adam Harris. Sidwell Friends, a highly selective Quaker school in Washington DC, has been dealing with abhorrent parent behavior that has resulted in the resignation of some of their college counseling staff. The conduct of these parents led to a list of policies that were released by the school's leadership reminding parents of such things as: recording of conversations with counselors being prohibited; anonymous and/or unsubstantiated claims made about student behavior would not be considered; and that the school would not respond to calls issued from blocked telephone numbers. We discuss what messages these parents are sending to their children. https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/whats-new/parents-gone-wild-high-drama-inside-dcs-most-elite-private-school (14:20) We are in Chapter 85 of 171 Answers and we're talking about what parents can be doing now for their kids that are 12 and under, that will prepare them for college. Anika shares about four of her favorite "to do's" from this book chapter and Mark shares a couple others that he wants to emphasize. Mark talks about an outstanding book that he recommends that will help parents stay grounded and to avoid getting caught up in all of the insanity: https://www.amazon.com/Childhood-Roots-Adult-Happiness-Lifelong/dp/0345442334/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= (24:06) This week, Mark takes a good half an hour to share some bonus content on 8 things he wishes admissions counselors could or would tell students and their families. Mark does a deeper dive into some of these eight things, most of which he has briefly touched on in other podcasts but he has never put them all together like this. Mark has been sitting in on 12-15 information sessions a week in September; he also visits 40 colleges a year. He draws of what he only wishes those who were listening could know about what really happens when it comes to things like how decisions are made. Mark is not critical of admissions counselors; it is a career he venerates and holds in very high regard. Most admission counselors choose to do the work over higher paying professions because they love kids. Mark gets very candid at the end and he shares one way in which he presented information when he was doing boarding school admissions in a way that was technically honest but it was designed to help his school more than it was designed to help the parents and students who were listening. Some of these eight things Mark lists are things he wishes AO's would share but most of them are things he knows they can't share but he wishes (in an ideal world) they could share. (01:02:39) Mark's interview is with Dave Wagner, Director of Admissions of St. Olaf, in Part IV of "St. Olaf College and Who It's Good For". For this week, it is all about who is St. Olaf. Dave explains what makes St. Olaf different and special. He includes a conversation about, what are their strongest programs Dave talks about the changes he has seen at St. Olaf in his 19 years in admissions and as a student Dave lets us know what type of student that will do well at St. Olaf and he talks about areas the college can continue to grow and improve (01:12:31) Mark's recommended resource of the week is cb.org/landscape. This is the College Board's new version of what they formerly called the Environmental Context Dashboard. Landscape involved a score out of 100 for both the Neighborhood and for the High School. Mark shares how the new version is different from the old score and it is shares where to go to go more information on Landscape Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! Anika and I are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. Anika and I would like to thank you in advance https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and search for 171 Answers: To the Most Asked College Admissions Questions. If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answer.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (04:53) In this week's news, an article from Wall Street Journal, "Survive College Application Season with the Family in One Piece" by Sue Shellenbarger. Many parents take total control of their kid's application process believing that it's too important for it to be a learning experience for their kids. Shellenbarger argues that though there is a role for the parent to play, students are usually most satisfied when they own the outcome. She goes on to share 14 recommendations for parents when their kids are applying to college. https://www.wsj.com/articles/survive-college-application-season-with-the-family-in-one-piece-11544538805 (17:54) We are in Chapter 84 of 171 Answers and we're talking about honors colleges and how students can benefit from them. We also share the difference between an Honors program and an Honors College. We discuss the fact that all Honors Colleges and programs are not equal. We suggest some questions to ask to assess how strong the Honors College is. We rely heavily on the exceptional research completed by John Willingham and his excellent website: http://publicuniversityhonors.com/ This website has already been one of our recommended resources in the past. Mark shares a couple questions that he really likes that John Willingham recommends in an article he wrote entitled: https://publicuniversityhonors.com/choosing-an-honors-program-20-questions-to-ask/ (32:37) This week's question is from Gus in Massachusetts and he asks, what there is to know about Canadian schools. Mark's only brother and his only sister went to a Canadian university. Mark takes a real deep dive into the pros and cons of Canadian universities. He shares about ten cons of going to a Canadian school and ten pros of going to a Canadian university. (55:10) Mark's interview is with Dave Wagner, Director of Admissions of St. Olaf, in Part III of "Understanding the 7 Sections of the Common Application". In Part 3 of 4, Dave talks about his favorite section of the Common App, Section 6, the writing section Dave talks about the Institution specific questions that St. Olaf asks and he shares how they help the admission office We briefly talk about part 7, Courses and Grades, but most schools don't use this section, including St. Olaf so Mark makes a comment and then we move on. Finally, Dave answers a tough question, if a student has choice between doing the Coalition or the Common App, how should they decide which application to complete. (01:01:15) Mark's recommended resource of the week: http://www.ulifeline.org The motto of this website is, "your online resource for college mental health. Their self-evaluator tab screens for thirteen of the most common mental health conditions. The search bar lets you put in any college and it tells you where to go for mental health counseling on each campus. Three other tabs I love on this website are their "Help a friend" tab, their "The Facts" tab and their "Get Help Now" button. This completes our 10th and final (for 2019) recommended resource related to mental health that we have recommended in the last three months. (1:11:33) Our College Spotlight for the week is Elon University (NC) At the very end of the podcast, Mark takes a look at Elon University. One thing that is a hallmark of an Elon education is Elon Experiences: Elon.edu/u/experimental-learning Anika was very impressed with Elon Experiences. Mark discusses exactly what this is but he also takes almost 10 minutes to help the listener better understand other key features about this excellent university. Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! Anika and I are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. Anika and I would like to thank you in advance https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and search for 171 Answers: To the Most Asked College Admissions Questions. If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answer.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (06:50) In this week's news, an article from Forbes, "Admission Deans Share Tips for College Applications" by Brennan Barnard. Recognizing the many students will procrastinate until days or even hours before their application deadlines, Barnard sought sound advice from admission leaders on how to avoid submitting low quality applications. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2019/07/30/admission-deans-share-tips-for-college-applications/#12698fc83bb0 (27:22) We are in Chapter 83 of 171 Answers and Mark and Anika discuss five different ways a college resume can be used in the college admissions process. We also discuss why come colleges do not like resumes and others love resumes. We also discuss some of the things that should go on the resume that a college student uses. (36:30) This week's question asks how a student who is half Asian and half Caucasian should identify themselves on the Common Application. This is one of the more complex questions that we have tackled because it is fraught with so many nuances. Mark explains his evolution on this topic. He explains how he once handled this question with his students and how he has evolved to a new perspective that is significantly different from how he used to advise Asian students and bi-racial and multi-racial students. (50:46) Mark's interview is with Mr. Dave Wagner who is the Director of Admissions of St. Olaf, in Part 2 of 4, Dave explains the 3rd section of the Common App, the Education section and he talks about what goes here and how this section is used in admission decisions Dave talks about whether students should include their GPA in this section. Dave talks about the 4th section, the testing section and he explains why St. Olaf allows students to self-report their test scores Next Dave talks section 5, the Activities section, he also tells us what he thinks about the student adding a Resume to the application (01:01:47) Mark's recommended resource of the week is https://www.coursera.org/learn/applying-to-college (1:16:33) Our College Spotlight for the week is University of Pennsylvania (PA) This is a free online college admissions course about, How to apply to college. It is produced by the University of Pennsylvania and it is designed to level the playing field with access to quality free information about the college admissions process. It is co-developed by Eric Furda, Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania and it is co-developed by the Steppingstone President, Dr. Sean Vereen. The course involves reading, watching videos and taking quizzes, but it is an excellent free way to understand the college admission process. The course is what is known as a MOOC, a Massive Open Online Course. The course involves dialogue with current students and students applying to college. It is a great course for future college counselors and for parents and students. You will be exposed to a wide range of resources to help you with the college process. Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: [email protected] If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! Anika and I are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. Anika and I would like to thank you in advance https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and search for 171 Answers: To the Most Asked College Admissions Questions. If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answer.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day. If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section, just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (06:20) In this week's news, an article from Pro-Publica.org, "Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid" by Jodi Cohen and Melissa Sanchez. Dozens of rich families in Chicago have been discovered scamming the admissions system, this time as it relates to financial aid. These families are turning over guardianship of their teens to a friend or relative so the student can declare financial independence, which allows them to qualify for tuition and scholarships they would not be otherwise eligible for. This is a newly discovered scam and some schools have started to investigate some of their guardianship cases of students who are currently enrolled on their campuses. (21:10) We are in Chapter 82 of 171 Answers and Mark describes the gap year and the gap semester year. We talk about six of the common reasons students take gap years. We talk about the benefits of a gap year. We talk about the school policies when it comes to gap years. (31:04) This week's question is from a parent who is torn between their child's acceptance at Wake Forest with a scholarship and their acceptance at Stanford where they will not qualify for financial aid. The parent says, it is a classic case of money vs prestige. The parent wants to know how Mark would handle this situation. The parent shares some very personal financial information, and even though the parent said we could share it, we keep this parent anonymous. Mark shares what advice he gave the parent and then we find out what the student and the parent ultimately decided. What factors influenced their decision. Anika communicates how this whole discussion inspired her. (45:51) Mark's interview is with Mr. Dave Wagner who is the Director of Admissions of St. Olaf, in Part I of "Understanding the Common Application" Dave shares his backstory, including his experience as a student at St. Olaf, how he ended up at St. Olaf, the various roles he has had in his 15 years there Dave explains what the Common App is and he shares why he likes the Common App Dave explains what Part 1, the Profile section is and he talks about how the Profile section is helpful in the admissions process. Next Dave explains Part 2 of the Common App, the Family section and he shares how this section helps admission officers in the decision making process (54:38) Mark's recommended resource of the week is a Barnes and Nobles Colleges Insight Report entitled, "Mental Health and Well-Being- How we better care for the whole student" Here is the PDF of this excellent report that is based on a survey of 762 college students and 1708 parents: file:///C:/Users/MStucker/Documents/Mental%20Health%20and%20Well-Being%20on%20Campus-How%20we%20better%20take%20care%20of%20the%20whole%20person.pdf (1:11:43) Our College Spotlight for the week is University of San Francisco (CA) Please complete our podcast survey so we can improve our podcast and meet your needs. Here is the link: https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to [email protected] Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (03:00) In this week's news, an article from Pro-Publica, "The Admission Arms Race: Six Ways Colleges Game Their Numbers" by Marian Wang. Colleges are gaming their numbers through what the writer calls strategically achieved statistics. College-bound students often look at stats to weigh their options, and colleges are using tactics such as fast apps, the common application, early applicants, and moving toward test optional to skew the rise in their applicant pools and selectivity. (31:32) We are in Chapter 81 of 171 Answers and Mark talks through some common mistakes that international students make when applying to US colleges. (40:49) This week's question is from a mom who wants to know if LinkedIn could be useful in the college application process. (51:52) Mark returns with Ms. Chika Nwosu a recent high school graduate and she updates us on her college admission process. (01:08:17) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the book: How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haim (1:25:10) Our College Spotlight for the week is Smith College Please complete our podcast survey so we can improve our podcast and meet your needs. Here is the link: https://tinyurl.com/YourCollegeBoundKid Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to [email protected] Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (5:28) In this week's news, an article from Inside Higher Ed, "When Colleges Seek Diversity through Photoshop" by Scott Jaschik. Schools have been busted using Photoshop to add students of color into their marketing materials in places where the original photo was taken with a white student. Though the practice is deemed unethical, research has proven that over 75 percent of colleges appeared to over represent black students in their admissions publications. Most schools also over-represent Asian students. This is a major concern because many students rely on a university's image to make their enrollment decisions. Others argue more pragmatically, how are they going to attract a more diverse applicant pool unless they depict them in pictures. Mark and Anika discuss the pros and the cons of this practice. (21:57) We are in Chapter 80 of 171 Answers and Mark shares advice for non-traditional students applying for college. (38:50) Mark covers a bonus topic this week as we talk about the push for test-optional schools, one year after the University of Chicago's decision. There have been 41 schools who have decided to no longer test scores since the University of Chicago went test-optional in early 2018. We have a discussion about who these schools are; are they all very similar or are they quite different. Mark also speculates what the future has for the test-optional movement. (59:23) Mark interviews Daniel Greene, a parent and dedicated listener to Your College-Bound Kid in "Understanding how the Trello app can help you stay organized in the college process". Daniel shares how he uses the Trello app; how his son uses the Trello app and what his wife thinks about the Trello app. Daniel then generously offers to demo the Trello app for every one of our listeners who wants to see the Trello app in action. (71:54) Mark's recommended resource of the week is He's Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe In Himself Adam Price (1:29:03) Our College Spotlight for the week is Stanford University (CA) Daniel Greene has set up a Trello board for YCBK listeners; it is public at: https://trello.com/b/6aPVsvc7/college-admissions. Listeners can play around all they want with this Trello Board It also contains a card with information on how to contact me at [email protected].