YCBK 84: How Students Can Benefit from Honors Colleges

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.   (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: 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:   (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: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 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"