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

In this episode you will hear:   (01:48) Mark and Susan discuss the first of three reports by Educational Reform Now entitled, “The Future of Fair Admissions Report 1: Early Decision”. The Report was written by the Senior Policy Analyst, James Murphy. The Report looks at a number of questions including: Who benefits from Early Decision; which colleges utilize Early Decision the most; does ED give students an inherent advantage; What can be done to change affirmative action to make it more just and equitable. Mark and Susan discuss the full range of issues related to affirmative action. This discussion will air in two parts over the next two Thursdays. Each discussion is approximately 32 minutes. This is Part 2 of 2 https://edreformnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Future-of-Fair-Admissions-Report-1-Early-Decision.pdf   (31:38) Mark and Lisa discuss a second article. It is a Washington Post article entitled, “Yale accused of discriminating against students with mental illness” The article was written by William Wan on November 30th, 2022.       (01:09:20) Mark continues his interview with Milyon Truelove, the Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Reed College. We turn our attention to the topic of, “Understanding Reed College” Part 2 of 2   Preview of Part 2   Reed talks about an iconic aspect of Reed students that makes them distinct Milyon tells us what they look for in a Reed student? Milyon talks about a college-specific essay that Reed asks that is very helpful in discerning who is a good match at Reed Milyon talks about phone calls the admission officer often makes to get clarification Milyon talks about how recommendations help Reed in their assessment Milyon shares the role interviews play in their process Milyon gives advice on what a student should ask a teacher when they are requesting a teacher recommendation Milyon talks about demonstrated interest     (01:20:00) The recommended resource is . This is the best free calculator I know of at estimating your student’s chances of admission at the colleges they are applying to.   (01:33:03) College Spotlight: George Washington 2/2   We now have set up audio recordings in your own voice for any question you send in for our “question from a listener” segment. In order to send us an audio message, just go to speakpipe.com/YCBK. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our preferred method for you to ask a question but if you are not comfortable with this, we will also receive your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab or via email at If you have a question for one of our upcoming interviews with admissions professionals, here is a list of admissions professionals who we will interview in 2023 or 2024 Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Brian Hodges Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Bard College Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Creighton University   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up popup.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   YCBK PLUS is finally here and Lynda Doepker is here to explain to listeners how it works! Lynda gives an update on how you can leave a message on our website by using spikepipe.com/YCBK Mark shares 8 new Higher Ed Updates Mark interviews Vern Granger, Director of Admissions at the University of Connecticut and Chairman of the Board at NACAC   Preview-Part 1   Vern Granger gives his backstory How is U Conn different from the other Flagship schools in New England Vern talks about the role sports plays in playing a close community Vern talks about why U Conn has such a high retention rate Vern talks about U Conn’s “time to completion rate” Vern talks about U Conn’s student “indebted rate” What brought Vern to U Conn Vern shares the role of technology at U Conn Vern discusses the role of diversity, equity an inclusion at U Conn Vern lets us know what factors other than the transcript that matter in the U Conn admissions process Vern discusses how students are admitted at U Conn     Our favorite way for you to leave a question or any message for us is to put speakpipe.com/YCBK in your browser and take up to 90 seconds to leave a message. We recommend you share your first name and your state, but you can also be anonymous.   If you do not want to verbally leave a message for us by using speakpipe.com/YCBK you can send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab  or via email at .   You can also send in questions for our interviews by using speakpipe.com/YCBK. Our interviews are confirmed for 2023 and 2024 with the following leaders at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Bard College- Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Creighton University     To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (15:48) Mark and Susan discuss the first of three reports by Educational Reform Now entitled, “The Future of Fair Admissions Report 1: Early Decision”. The Report was written by the Senior Policy Analyst, James Murphy. The Report looks at a number of questions including: Who benefits from Early Decision; which colleges utilize Early Decision the most; does ED give students an inherent advantage; What can be done to change affirmative action to make it more just and equitable. Mark and Susan discuss the full range of issues related to affirmative action. This discussion will air in two parts over the next two Thursdays. Each discussion is approximately 32 minutes.     (35:18) Mark and Lisa answer a question from Nina of Massachusetts:  I keep hearing a lot about the "reach for all" schools and the importance of a well balanced college list. I guess I'm struggling with knowing what schools are actually target vs reach vs reach for all. By way of background my son has a strong GPA and ACT scores and seems to check a lot of boxes but I have a hard to believing any school is in his reach just given the amount of applications schools are receiving. Are "reach for all" schools just the ivies or is it schools usually in the Top 20 (on those awful rankings)? Is a 20% acceptance rate still a reach for all? I guess it just seems like everything is a reach for all when it comes to schools (especially those in the northeast!).   (57:32) Mark continues his interview with Milyon Truelove, the  Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Reed College. We turn our attention to the topic of, “Understanding Reed College” Part 1 of 2   Preview of Part 1   Milyon gives a great overview of the type of student that excels at Reed Milyon describes where Reed is located, what the campus is like and how well students have done in getting advanced degrees Milyon talks about the mission of Reed and how it impacts the student experience Milyon shares something unique about Reed’s faculty Milyon talks about Reed’s unique position on sports Milyon talks about how being in Portland impacts the student experience Milyon and Stuck discuss what are the distinctive traits of the Reed student Milyon talks about why Reed has it’s grading policy that it has Milyon talks about some of the distinctive programs that Reed offers   (01:09:32) Our Recommended Resource is a Forbes article that does a great job at explaining the difference between REPAY (Revised Pay as You Earn) and PAYE (Pay as you Earn) Melissa Ford of the Damsel of Success YouTube channel also has a great video on REPAY that I recommend you check out, but this article has a great explanation of the differences between the two leading Income Driven Repayment Plans. Income Driven repayment plans are usually appropriate for students who have more student loan debt then their salary. Every college counselor needs to be familiar with these differences but every parent should also know their options when it comes to having their student pay student debt. The article is written by of Forbes and it is entitled, PAYE vs REPAYE, which student loan repayment plan is right for you? It is an excellent article we encourage you to read.   https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/paye-vs-repaye/   We now have set up audio recordings in your own voice for any question you send in for our “question from a listener” segment. In order to send us an audio message, just go to speakpipe.com/YCBK. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our preferred method for you to ask a question but if you are not comfortable with this, we will also receive your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab or via email at If you have a question for one of our upcoming interviews with admissions professionals, here is a list of admissions professionals who we will interview in 2023 or 2024 Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Brian Hodges Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Bard College Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Creighton University   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up popup.   Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   Mark lets the listeners know about a new feature called spikepike.com/YCBK where listeners can leave verbal messages for us. The messages can be suggestions, compliments or questions that we will play the actual voice of our listener on Thursday episodes beginning in late December. Mark explains why Biden paused student loan payments after saying he wouldn’t pause them again Mark discusses why North Carolina A & T was just fined over 2 million dollars. Mark discusses Stanford university’s expansion Mark explains why you won’t be hearing the term “Room & Board” as often as you used to here it Mark describes a new acquisition of another college campus by Stanford University Mark reveals three more elite law schools who will no longer participate with US News Law school ratings. Mark shares two new African countries that just cracked the top 5 of countries sending students to US schools. Mark explains why the “Double Pell” movement is on life support and he shares some of the Higher Ed priorities of the new Republican lead House. Mark does a Preview of the content of his interview with Arlene Cash   Part 3   Arlene gives students tips on what to do on a college visit Arlene gives her perspective on student loans Arlene, answers the question, how important is a school’s name recognition? Arlene goes on an extended version of the hot seat and she shares many tidbits of wisdom     Our favorite way for you to leave a question or any message for us is to put speakpipe.com/YCBK in your browser and take up to 90 seconds to leave a message. We recommend you share your first name and your state, but you can also be anonymous.   If you do not want to verbally leave a message for us by using speakpipe.com/YCBK you can send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab  or via email at .   You can also send in questions for our interviews by using speakpipe.com/YCBK. Our interviews are confirmed for 2023 and 2024 with the following leaders at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Cornell College, Iowa, Wendy Beckemeyer Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Bard College- Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Cornell College Creighton University     To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (07:15) Mark and Dave discuss an article, “One state offers lessons in how to cope with the college enrollment crisis”. The article is by Jon Marcus of the Hechinger Report and it was written on 8/28/2022. Mark and Dave discuss all of the steps the University of Maine took to turn around their bleak enrollment situation. Dave and Mark discuss what other colleges can learn from the actions that the University of Maine took.   (35:06) Mark and Lisa discuss 8 signs to look at when trying to determine if a college values test scores, even if they purport to be test-optional. Part 2 of 2     (01:06:35) Mark continues his interview with Milyon Truelove, the  Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Reed College. Milyon explains why Reed College made the decision to not contribute to the US News and World Report’s college rankings (Part 2 of 2) Preview of Part 2   How much would movement in the rankings impact Reed Does Reed uniquely benefit because they flouted US News Ranking Milyon comments on the new book by former Reed President, Colin Driver, Breaking Ranks: How the Rankings Industry Rules Higher Education and What to Do about It Milyon explains why he likes “test-blind” Milyon talks about whether the rankings are helpful in any way Mark and Milyon discuss the downside of putting too much emphasis on the number of Pell recipients in your recruitment   (01:13:52) Our Recommended Resource is PAYE (Pay as you Earn) video that Melissa Ford of the Damsel of Success YouTube channel produced. The video does an excellent job explaining when it makes sense for a student use the PAYE plan for loan repayment and how it may be able to save you tens of thousands of dollar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5454IKZ49k     Please send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab (this is our preference) or via email at for the 25 admissions interviews we are doing in the summer and fall. Our interviews are with the following people at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Brian Hodges Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Bard College Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Creighton University   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   Mark lets the listeners know about a new feature they can expect in the month of December and moving forward on Thursdays episodes. Mark discusses the largest labor union strike in Higher Ed history that is happening on the 10 University of California campuses right now Mark discusses why six of the top ranked law schools are dropping out of the US News Law school rankings. He discusses what impact will this have on US News. Mark shares another thing that is “grinding his gears” Mark does a Preview of the content of his interview with Arlene Cash   Part 2   Arlene continues advice on how to research colleges Arlene talks about the importance of Core Values Arlene talks about how HBCU’s have changed Arlene talks about admission practices and admission trends Arlene talks about whether a certain type of student does better at a small, mid-size or large school Arlene talks about the resources on a college campus that students don’t take advantage of enough           Please send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab (this is our preference) or via email at for the 25 admissions interviews we are doing in the summer and fall. Our interviews are with the following people at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Cornell College, Iowa, Wendy Beckemeyer Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Bard College- Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Cornell College Creighton University     To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (25:40) Mark and Julia discuss a Hechinger article by Liz Willen entitled, “Why some in Higher Education are freaking out about new affirmative action showdown. The article appeared in January 22, 2022. Julia and Mark discuss affirmative action.  Why is it so misunderstood? What will the Supreme Court do?     (51:34) Mark and Lisa discuss 8 signs to look at when trying to determine if a college values test scores, even if they purport to be test-optional. Part 1 of 2     (01:23:00) Mark starts a new interview with Milyon Truelove, the  Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Reed College. Milyon explains why Reed College made the decision to not contribute to the US News and World Report’s college rankings (Part 1 of 2) Milyon shares his interesting background Milyon explains what he means by cooking the books and he gives an example of how easy it is to “cook the books” Milyon answers the question, “Did US News single out Reed and drop their ranking when they refused to participate in the their rankings? Milyon answers the question, how much pressure admission leaders feel to move up the ranking or keep their ranking at the level they are at   (01:31:30) Our Recommended Resource is the website: todoist.com. You can also download the todoist app to help you to stay organized.     Please send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab (this is our preference) or via email at for the 25 admissions interviews we are doing in the summer and fall. Our interviews are with the following people at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Brian Hodges Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Cornell College, Iowa, Wendy Beckemeyer Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Bard College Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Creighton University   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   Mark reveals one more must-have reference book and he takes a look at where are we with Student Loan forgiveness in light of the announcement on November 10th. Mark does a Preview of the content of his interview with Arlene Cash   Part 1   Arlene gives her illustrious background at 11 different institutions of Higher Ed from the east to the south to the west Arlene shares the highlights of her career Arlene shares what she is doing at the Character Collaborative Arlene shares what students and parents are overlooking when it comes to picking a college Arlene answers the question, how can someone break through the noise to figure out if a school is character or personality match Arlene answers the question, how important is the financial health of the school Arlene says something very surprising about strategic plans Arlene gives her advice about each school’s IR page.           Please send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab (this is our preference) or via email at for the 25 admissions interviews we are doing in the summer and fall. Our interviews are with the following people at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Andy Borst Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Cornell College, Iowa, Wendy Beckemeyer Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Bard College- Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Cornell College Creighton University     To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (17:18) Mark and Vince discuss an opinion piece that was written by current Stanford Student, Sophie Callcott. The column appeared in the New York Times. The name of the guest column is, “There is still one big trick for getting into an elite college” Mark and Vince share what they respect about the angle this Stanford student takes, but they don’t hesitate to point out where they disagree: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/01/opinion/school-private-college.html   (38:46) Mark and Lisa discuss how students should answer the following question that The University of Texas at Austin is asking all of its applicants to answer this year this year: Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community, or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT  (250-300 words).     (01:04:00) Mark continues with his four part interview that some of our listeners have been asking about for years. Trinity University in San Antonio’s Admission Director (Justin Doty) is joined by their athletic liaison of over 30 years (Paul McGinlay) for an in-depth interview of how athletic recruiting works at an academically selective D-3 school. Justin and Paul answer 40 questions that Mark asks them about athletic recruiting and how it works over this four part series. Part 3 of 4 Preview-Part 4   We talk about the role Early Decision plays in athletic recruiting Justin gives a shout out to a very special person who really has been invaluable to Trinity’s process Mark puts Justin and Paul on the hot seat in our lightning round   (01:12:56) Our Recommended Resource is the book:   (01:29:40) Kevin Newton is back for a College Spotlight trilogy that will look at the Ancient Scottish Universities. Over the next three weeks Kevin will answer questions about what makes these five universities special. Part 3 of 3     Please send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab (this is our preference) or via email at for the 25 admissions interviews we are doing in the summer and fall. Our interviews are with the following people at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Andy Borst Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Cornell College, Iowa, Wendy Beckemeyer Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Bard College Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Creighton University   To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   Mark shares why the admission profession is in crisis right now. Mark shares three reference books he recommends every family have in their college admissions library. Mark shares one pet peeve he has in the vocabulary that so many people use. Mark does a Preview of the content of his interview with Dr. Martha Saunders-Part 3/3   Part 3-Preview   Saunders talks about what makes the University of West Florida special and distinct from other colleges? Saunders talks about what are the programs that will draw a student to come to UWF from across the country. She points our three programs that are exceptional that are drawing students from all over. Saunders describes the type of student that thrives at UWF, and she also describes the type of student that is at risk of floundering Saunders tells us what she means when she refers to inner-ballast Saunders tells us the cost to come to UWF and why it is such a bargain Saunders goes on the hot seat Saunders talks about how to evaluate if a college is good at crisis communication. This is an area she is regarded as a national expert.       Please send in your questions either on Twitter at @YCBKpodcast using the Messages tab (this is our preference) or via email at for the 25 admissions interviews we are doing in the summer and fall. Our interviews are with the following people at the following schools: Confirmed interviews not yet completed Bard-Mackie Siebens Mercer-Kelly Holloway Rice University-Tamara Siler American University-Andrea Felder Pitzer College-Yvonne Berumen Chapman University-Marcela Meija-Martinez Connecticut College-Andy Strickler* Trinity College-Anthony Berry* College of the Atlantic-Heather Albert* Spelman College-Chelsea Holley* Scripps College-Victoria Romero* Saint Louis University-Daniel Wood-(Interview is about transfer admissions, Daniel is a transfer counselor) Colby College-Randi Arsenault* University of Georgia-David Graves* Washington University St Louis-Ronne Turner University of Wisconsin-Andre Phillips University of Illinois-Andy Borst Purdue University-Mitch Warren University of Minnesota-Keri Risic Cornell University-Jonathon Burdick Akil Bello of Akilbello.com Oberlin College-Manuel Carballo UW-Madison-Andre Phillips Carleton College-Art Rodriguez Swarthmore-Jim Bok Joy St. Johns-Harvard Duke-Christoph Guttentag Florida State-John Barnhill Southern Methodist University-Elena Hicks Johns Hopkins-Calvin Wise Cornell University-Shawn Felton Cornell College, Iowa, Wendy Beckemeyer Haverford College-Jess Lord UAspire-Brendan Williams Yale University-Moira Poe Bard College- Baylor University Butler University California Institute of Technology Colorado School of Mines Cornell College Creighton University     To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our free quarterly admissions deep-dive, delivered directly to your email four times a year, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign up on the right side of the page under “the Listen to our podcast icons”   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer them on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast:   https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast   To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript   We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK.   Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast.   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!   If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live.   Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:   If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com. All they ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/