The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

Hi friends! This is the first time on the podcast that I discuss the “what comes next” of the college admissions process--and who better to do it than Harlan Cohen, author of the NY Times bestseller, The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College--a book I’ve had on my bookshelf for many years. On this podcast Harlan offers so much great advice from: A simple exercise to help set you up for a great freshman year How to find your people on campus Whether or not you should break up with your high school sweetheart (what Harlan says might surprise you) Three great questions to put on your contract with your roommate On-campus resources that he (and I!) wish we’d known more about when we were in college Harlan’s “three-box” strategy for packing Harlan Cohen is a New York Times bestselling author, nationally syndicated advice columnist, and speaker who has visited over 500 high school and college campuses.  He is the author of six books including, The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College, The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only, and Dad’s Expecting Too!  Harlan is a frequent guest on television and radio programs.   He is the founder of Best First Year, an online college readiness and success program for high school and college students. You can find him on social media @HarlanCohen and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HelpMeHarlan and you can watch his TEDx talk at www.HarlanCohen.com/TEDx

  For this episode, which is Part 2 of 3 on my series on access and equity, I interview Marie Bigham of ACCEPT. Marie and I jam on 30 practical ways that you can increase your participation in equity and justice in the world of college admissions and beyond. Whether you’re a parent, student, counselor, or admissions rep, you’ll find something for you.   Marie Bigham is the founder of ACCEPT: Admissions Community Cultivating Equity and Peace Today, a social media-based action group for the admissions profession, which received the Excellence in Education Award from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling AND was honored by Facebook at the 2017 Facebook Community Summit With over 20 years in the profession, Marie has served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC); as Vice Chair of the Board for Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS); and on the Board of Directors of Texas Association of College Admissions Counseling (TACAC). Marie is also the Director of College Counseling at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans.   On this episode we discuss: Why you should maybe consider not using the word “ally” How to stand up for others, even when -- or especially when -- it’s most uncomfortable 10 specific ways counselors and colleges can help build a more inclusive environment on their campuses Where anyone can find a treasure trove of resources on racial equity   Hope this inspires! For more information, and to download a PDF of these resources, head over to https://collegeessayguy.squarespace.com/blog/30-ways-center-justice-equity  

This episode is part one of three on access and equity in the college counseling community. Today we meet Joan Liu, a counselor at a high school in Southeast Asia, who has been working on the front lines of access and equity issues during her career. When over 60 Nepali students suddenly lost their full-tuition scholarships in April of last year, Joan decided to do something about it. That story--and what happened next--is what we discuss on this podcast. This story was picked up by the Washington Post and the Chronicle of Higher Ed. They are seeking help for these students--we’ll let you know at the end how you can get involved. Enjoy.

In this episode you’ll hear Adam’s take on: What’s a “good” score? How much do SAT scores matter? Do students even need standardized tests? When should students take the test? What’s the difference between the SAT and the ACT? Do students need the optional essay? The most important things to know about subject tests A few words about the PSAT Important notes for students with learning differences How students should define success in college admissions testing

On this podcast we discuss: Why parents should stop telling their students that there are tons of school and to not worry about where they will go Why (and how) to limit the amount of time you spend talking about college When the best time to start talking about college is  The three most stressful parts of college admissions for students--and how to mitigate that stress What Lisa is most and least proud of as a parent when it came to helping her own kids through the college application process

On this episode we discuss, among other things: How common testing anxiety is (you may be surprised) How anxiety functions in the body Strategies for changing how you think about anxiety #reframing Some ways you can understand and adjust self-talk What cognitive rehearsal is and how it can help A brief intro to the emotional freedom technique How regulating your breathing can help

On this episode we discuss: Are standardized tests evil? What are some other standardized test myths that people tend to believe? To what extent does the SAT or ACT measure what students need to know in college? Important statistics from “Crossing the Finish Line,” a book that outlines the research around how well standardized test scores predict actual student performance in life and in college. What is the difference between “test optional” and “test flexible”? If students don’t submit standardized test scores, does this have an impact on scholarships and financial aid? Does applying to a college without a test score hurt a student’s chances? Advice for students with test scores that are “just okay”

This episode is an interview… on interviews! Monica James--whom you may’ve heard previously on the podcast in the episode on Demonstrated Interest--absolutely crushes it in this interview, offering more practical advice than you’ll find in most weekend workshops on this topic. And it’s no wonder: for years she’s been teaching people (and in particular high school students) how to give great interviews. We cover, among other things: Why do colleges give interviews? Can a bad interview actually hurt your application chances? How do you prepare for the interview? What’s the one thing that colleges are looking for above all else? How do you answer the “Why this college” interview question? How do you answer the Strengths and Weaknesses interview Question? How do you answer the Tell Me About Your Reading Life or “What books have you read recently” question? What is the hardest interview question and how do you handle it? What if you get a “bad” interviewer? What if you’re asked a question in an interview that you truly don’t know the answer to? How much does body language matter in an interview? What should you wear to an interview? How do I handle a Skype or Phone Interview? How do I set up an interview? How should I practice? What about Scholarship Interviews—are they different?

Should you apply Early Decision or not? Is there a statistical advantage to applying early or not? When making this decision, it might help to know what the regular decision acceptance rate is for a school and what the Early Decision acceptance rate for a school is and then compare those numbers. That’s the first thing we cover on this episode. After that we discuss: Why did they choose the metrics they chose (i.e. why do these numbers matter)? What are some of the dangers of interpreting this data Who is early decision right for and who is it not right for? And, of course: How can you use this chart practically in when applying to college?  

  On this episode I talk with Jennie about: Why she created the chart in the first place She explains why your student doesn’t have to be incredible in order to get merit aid How much students’ ability to pay matters in admissions How to use the chart, including how Jennie walks students through a consultation Why students might decline to ask for merit-based aid Links: The excel sheet of universities sorted by financial aid generosity (international students) How to sort an excel sheet by column FAFSA Forecaster Jennie Kent’s website A PDF version of the chart with financial aid generosity for international students Duolingo Moment: an app for tracking your screen time