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

(13:06) In this week’s “In the news” segment, we discuss two articles on the same topic, that both came out on January 10th, 2022. The first is by Melissa Korn in the Wall Street Journal entitled, “Yale, Georgetown, other Top Schools illegally collude to limit Student Financial Aid Lawsuit Alleges. The second article is by Ivana Saric of Axios and it is entitled, “Lawsuit alleges top colleges illegally collude to limit student financial aid”   Dave and Mark discuss what the lawsuit alleges and Mark explains why he thinks one part of the lawsuit Is bogus but another could pose a serious threat to these college’s assertion that they are need-blind.           (31:44) Two Questions from our listeners   Living in the Northern VA area, many parents feel when their child is applying to VA highly selective schools (W&M, UVA), there is a bias against NOVA high schools. I’ve heard from several parents there is a “quota” system and they only let a tiny number in from each high school, even if they are well above the middle 50% of applicants. Have you found this to be true?  Jennifer from Virginia   How do I select a college? Student from New Jersey   (50:17) Mark interviews Gary Clark, the Dean of undergraduate admissions at UCLA and Gary helps us to understand UCLA.  Preview (Part 1/2) Gary gives what I call the elevator speech, a high level overview of who UCLA is The approach we take is similar to the approach I just took with Courtney Hatch-Blauvelt and Michael Ireland, 90% of the questions are ones that you sent in, and I ask Gary your questions Gary explains how the comprehensive review process works for applications to UCLA Gary shares a few unique things that UCLA does that some of the otther UC’s don’t do when they are evaluating an applicant Gary tells us what ELC is and he explains how it works in the UCLA admissions process. Gary discusses whether grade inflation at a particular high school is something they look at, or is an A and A no matter what high school the student is coming from.   (01:01:18) Our recommended resource for episode 211 is the website This website has a wealth of information about the colleges you are visiting and it is very user friendly for accessing by phone. It is great to use in the car when you are visiting colleges.   (01:13:52) Mark and Lisa have our 3rd and final debate about whether Connecticut College acted inappropriately by telling a student that they will admit the student if the student will withdraw their test score and apply as a test-optional applicant.   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:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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. All they ask is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (18:28) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a January, 2022 article in The Hechinger Report, by Jon Marcus “Faced with an existential crisis, some colleges do something that is increasingly rare: ADAPT. Mark and Dave look at the specific changes the colleges in the article made, and they discuss what other colleges can learn from these colleges. They also discuss what the YCBK listeners can apply to their lives from the insights from this article.       (33:01) It is bonus content week and Lisa guides us through how various theories of decision making can inform students making a choice of which college to attend. This is a great conversation about how subconscious forces can influence all of us in how we make decisions   (01:06:00) Mark interviews Gary Clark, the Dean of undergraduate admissions at UCLA and Gary helps demystify how the waitlist works at a place like UCLA. Part 2 of 2  Preview (Part 2/2)   Gary explains how so many factors play zero role in influencing the waitlist at a university like UCLA Gary explains the fluidity of the waitlist at UCLA Gary discusses what Summer Melt is and how it impacts the numbers Gary addresses Double Deposits Gary discusses how the admission process varies based on what your college or in some instances, college major is I end with a separate audio file of some info Gary shared with me after our interview   (01:11:20) Our recommended resource for episode 210 is the book: “The Introvert's Complete Career Guide: From Landing a Job, to Surviving, Thriving, and Moving on Up” by Jane Finkle. The book provides great advice for how the introvert can get ahead in her/his career.   (01:23:45) The college Spotlight is:  The University of Missouri (https://missouri.edu/),  Part 2 of 2   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:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All they ask is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (19:34) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a August 19th, 2021 article in Forbes, by Brennan Barnard “the admission double standard”  Mark and Dave discuss how it is not uncommon for the admission officers to expect something of students that they do not apply to themselves. Dave and Mark discuss why this happens and what you can do about it.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2021/08/19/the-college-admission-double-standard/?sh=67f4234a45e6   (40:44) Mark and Lisa answer two questions, one from a student in Wisconsin an and one from a parent from Illinois:   Question 1   How do I know what to do on a college visit? Will from Wisconsin?   Question 2   Mark- you offered an amazing session to Old Saint Patrick families last year. I have been listening to your podcast ever since. My question has to do with merit scholarships. Most school websites indicate that income, financial need, etc. do not play into the decision- for example, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Is this real or imaginary? Thank you!, Mary Claire, Illinois   (01:05:02) Mark interviews Gary Clark, the Dean of undergraduate admissions at UCLA and Gary helps demystify how the waitlist works at a place like UCLA.  Preview (Part 1/2)   Gary gives his backstory, including where he grew up and the various colleges he worked at Gary explains the admissions statistics for UCLA for the class of 2025 Gary explains the mechanics of how the waitlist works In part 1 one, Gary explains a few reasons why you can start out with what you think is a long waitlist and immediately it can get whittled down Gary explains some of the unknowns   (01:11:58) Our recommended resource for episode 209 is the book: “Crush Your Test Anxiety” by Ben Bernstein. The book gives practical advice on how you can conquer the anxieties that keep you from achieving your peak performance on tests.   (01:19:33) The college Spotlight is:  The University of Missouri (https://missouri.edu/),  Part 1 of 2   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:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All they ask is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (08:20) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a November 1st, 2021 article in the Hechinger Report, by Jon Marcus “From Google ads to NFL sponsorships: Colleges spends billions at marketing themselves to attract students”  Mark and Dave discuss how much they are spending, where they are spending their money and why they are spending so much money. They also discuss whether this is a prudent or imprudent use of their resources.   https://hechingerreport.org/with-competition-up-enrollment-down-colleges-are-spending-billions-on-marketing-and-advertising/     (34:26) Mark and Lisa discuss a question that three listeners sent in to us: Why would Connecticut College tell a student with a 1320 on the SAT, that they will admit the student if they withdraw their test score. Mark and Lisa debate whether Conn College crossed an inappropriate line by doing this. Mark and Lisa got really immersed in this debate, with each side having points they wanted to make, so they turned this into a multiple part answer. This is part 2.    (57:03) Mark interviews Lynda Doepker, a parent and podcast listener about how she strategically used parent college Facebook groups to learn more about the colleges her daughter is applying to. (Part 2 of 2)   (01:07:00) Our recommended resource for episode 208 is the website: “lesshighschoolstress.com”. Mark shares why this website was created and how it is designed to reduce the unhealthy stress in the college process.   (01:19:20) The college Spotlight is:  Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee (https://new.sewanee.edu/) Part 2 of 2   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:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All they ask is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (16:05) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a November 22nd, 2021 article in the Hechinger Report, by jill Barshay “The number of college graduates in the humanities drops for the eighth consecutive year”  Mark and Dave discuss why this is happening and what are the implications of this.   https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-the-number-of-college-graduates-in-the-humanities-drops-for-the-eighth-consecutive-year/   (38:56) Mark and Lisa discuss a question that three listeners sent in to us: Why would Connecticut College tell a student with a 1320 on the SAT, that they will admit the student if they withdraw their test score. Mark and Lisa debate whether Conn College crossed an inappropriate line by doing this. Mark and Lisa got really immersed in this debate, with each side having points they wanted to make, so they turned this into a multiple part answer. This is part 1.    (01:00:26) Mark interviews Lynda Doepker, a parent and podcast listener about how she strategically used parent college Facebook groups to learn more about the colleges her daughter is applying to. (Part 1 of 2)     (01:11:26) Our recommended resource for episode 207 is the book: “The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe” by Josh Mitchell. The book traces the 70 year history of how student debt is now at 1.6 trillion dollars.   (01:21:54) The college Spotlight is:  Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee (https://new.sewanee.edu/)   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:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All they ask is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (12:28) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a blog article from the Josiah Barlett center of Public Policy entitled, by Andrew Cline “Is College Worth Is: Usually but not always” Dave and Mark discuss the statistics the blog article shares as they debate if college is worth it.   https://jbartlett.org/2021/10/is-college-worth-it-usually-but-not-always-new-study-finds/#:~:text=A%20college%20degree%20is%20a,school%20students%20are%20constantly%20told.&text=Cooper's%20study%20adds%20real%20value,investment%2C%20not%20just%20lifetime%20earnings.     (32:30) Mark and Lisa discuss two questions, one from a dad from Colorado and one from a high school student. Here are the two questions:   First question- How can you evaluate whether a school does better than its peers at looking after First year students-Dave from Colorado   Second question-I attend a small school and two of my peers committed to Duke as athletic recruits, will Duke consider taking 3 students from my small school or will their commitments hurt my chance of admission? Anonymous female student         (58:30) Mark interviews two financial aid experts: Michael Ireland, Associate Director of Financial Aid and Courtney Hatch Blauvett, the Director of College Counseling at Miss Hall’s school and the former financial aid officer at four different colleges. Michael and Courtney answer 13 questions that listeners to YCBK sent in over the last three months on all topics related to paying for college, financial aid, scholarships, etc. This is part 5 of 5.   Preview-Part 5   Courtney and Michael continue their discussion about common mistakes they see a lot on the FAFSA and the PROFILE. Michael finishes up with the FAFSA and then he transitions to the PROFILE Courtney shares the most common mistakes she experiences both when she did financial aid and now that she is a Director of College Counseling Courtney and Michael answer the question, “Are you experiencing more schools requiring the FAFSA for merit aid”? Courtney-If my student will be starting college in the fall of 2022. I have heard that we should pay as we go for the first two years and  use very little of our 529. The reason for this is that the colleges use your prior prior year taxes for FAFSA. Because if we wait for the last two years to use the money for the 529 it will not have any tax impact because he will be completed by then. So basically what I'm saying is we can use a lump sum toward his college and it not be held against us Mark puts Courtney and Michael on the hot seat with some lighthearted non financial aid questions Courtney returns for a 15 minute addendum to really emphasize some things about federal loans, student loans, parent loans and graduate student loans.   (01:12:14) Our recommended resource for episode 206 is a great source for understanding how Federal legislation will impact what students have to pay for college. If you like following the technical aspects of student aid, the NASFAA Off the Cuff podcast may be for you.   No college spotlight this week. Next week we will discuss, Sewanee: The University of the South Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All they ask is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (12:25) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a November 9th, 2021 article by Emma Whitford of “Inside Higher Ed”, “A New push to create a 3-year degree option”. Mark and Dave discuss a new 3-year degree. Is this a good idea or not? Which students are likely to take advantage of this? Mark and Dave discuss this and so much more.   Part 2 of 2       (20:18) Mark was asked in our questionnaire what trends he is observing for the future concerning college admissions, Mark and Lisa discuss 15 different observations Mark has made about where he sees admissions trending over the next 5-10 years.  In Part 4 of 4 Mark and Lisa discuss the final four trends.   (01:00:35) Mark interviews two financial aid experts: Michael Ireland, Associate Director of Financial Aid and Courtney Hatch Blauvett, the Director of College Counseling at Miss Hall’s school and the former financial aid officer at four different colleges. Michael and Courtney answer 13 questions that listeners to YCBK sent in over the last three months on all topics related to paying for college, financial aid, scholarships, etc. This is part 4 of 5.     Preview Part 4-preview   Courtney takes the lead on the following question: Some schools like Franklin and Marshall offer an Early Estimate to students who apply Early Decision, is this different from a Net Price Calculator? Will a school stand by their Early Estimate and is this something other schools my child is considering will do if we ask them for an Early Estimate. Courtney explains how the Early estimate is different from the net price calculators and she shares two other schools that do this Michael answers the question, how would you respond if someone said, Smith, other schools are doing an Early Estimate, will you do an Early Estimate?   Michael takes the lead on the following question: My child is applying to colleges that require the CSS PROFILE. I am divorced and the CSS PROFILE is asking for my ex to complete a non-custodial parent profile, but he has never been reliable, I know he just will not complete this, is there any option for my child or does she need to apply to schools that do not require this? Michael talks about the process they take at Smith when these dilemmas arise to try to work it out so the student isn’t hurt Courtney speaks up about her experience Courtney answers the following question: My child was approved for Work-Study? How does she actually get a work-study job and can she get a job that is related to her major? She plans on majoring in Biology Courtney shares how work-study has worked at the schools she has worked and and Michael chimes in and shares how work-study has worked at the schools he has worked at Michael takes the lead on the following question-What are some common mistakes you see students and parents make on either the FAFSA or the CSS PROFILE? Michael and Courtney start this question on part four and finish up answering it on our final segment next week   (01:11:55) Our recommended resource for episode 205 is a great source for understanding how colleges look at and interpret an application. It is a case Study that two experienced Rice admission officers lead. If you want to know how the sausage is made: watch this 46 minute video:   (01:25:37) Our College Spotlight is University College London (UCL) and Kevin Newton (our international university specialist) delivers the Spotlight. Part 2 of 2   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All Mark asks is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (32:03) In this week’s “In the news” segment, a November 9th, 2021 article by Emma Whitford of “Inside Higher Ed”, “A New push to create a 3-year degree option”. Mark and Dave discuss a new 3-year degree. Is this a good idea or not? Which students are likely to take advantage of this? Mark and Dave discuss this and so much more.   Part 1 of 2     (41:25) Mark was asked in our questionnaire what trends he is observing for the future concerning college admissions, Mark and Lisa discuss 15 different observations Mark has made about where he sees admissions trending over the next 5-10 years.  In Part 3 of 4 Mark and Lisa discuss four more trends.   (01:03:46) Mark interviews two financial aid experts: Michael Ireland, Associate Director of Financial Aid and Courtney Hatch Blauvett, the Director of College Counseling at Miss Hall’s school and the former financial aid officer at four different colleges. Michael and Courtney answer 13 questions that listeners to YCBK sent in over the last three months on all topics related to paying for college, financial aid, scholarships, etc. This is part 3 of 5.      Preview Part 3-preview   Courtney has a great idea that will help families and will be appreciated by some financial aid officers that she shares Courtney takes the lead on the following question: I’ve had schools tell me that Net Price Calculators tend to be inaccurate when someone owns their own business or if a student is coming from a family where the parents are divorced, separated or were never married, do you agree with this? Also, are there any other times that Net Price Calculators are not that reliable? Courtney answers this and she shares another group for whom the net price calculators are useless, and Michael adds a fourth category where calculators may not always be accurate. Michael takes the lead on the following question: Our child intentionally applied to colleges that say they meet full demonstrated need, we completed seven net price calculators and a few schools were more than double the best offer. I double checked my work so I know we never made a mistake, how can financial offers vary so much for schools that claim they meet full demonstrated need? Courtney adds some great tidbits to Michael’s answer   (01:09:40) Our recommended resource for episode 204 is a great source for research on Canadian universities and it is Macleans annual college edition:   (01:21:28) Our College Spotlight is University College London (UCL) and Kevin Newton (our international university specialist) delivers the Spotlight. Part 1 of 2   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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 subscribe to 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 a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All Mark asks is that you review the services on their website before the complimentary session. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (14:14) In this week’s “In the news segment, an October 3rd, 2021 article by Ron Daniels of “The Atlantic”, “Universities are Shunning Their Responsibility to Democracy” This scholarly article is written by the current president of Johns Hopkins university. Mark and Dave take this esoteric article and discuss how can our listeners apply the truths Daniels articulates to their own lives.  Part 2 of 2       (20:40) Mark was asked in our questionnaire what trends he is observing for the future concerning college admissions, Mark and Lisa discuss 15 different observations Mark has made about where he sees admissions trending over the next 5-10 years; in Part 2 of 4. They discuss trends 4-7 in Part 2   (44:12) Mark interviews two financial aid experts: Michael Ireland, Associate Director of Financial Aid and Courtney Hatch Blauvett, the Director of College Counseling at Miss Hall’s school and the former financial aid officer at four different colleges. Michael and Courtney answer 13 questions that listeners to YCBK sent in over the last three months on all topics related to paying for college, financial aid, scholarships, etc. This is part 2 of 5.   Preview Part 2-preview   Courtney takes the lead on this question but we have a great back and forth and exchange of ideas)-When do you have a good case to appeal the aid award your child received, and how should you appeal? Also, does the student have to do the appeal or should the parent do it? Courtney shares the various terms that different schools use for these appeals Courtney also shares seven areas where people frequently attempt to appeal an aid award that will not be deemed as a legitimate case for an aid evaluation. Michael takes the lead on this thorny question-”We completed a net price calculator for our oldest child and then the aid award came in and it was almost $4000 more than the net price calculator. We requested a meeting and met with the director of financial aid, and he told us that we had not made any mistakes on the Net Price Calculator, but their estimate is the accurate one and their award was final; he said, the net price calculator is only an estimate. Is this an exception, do college’s stand behind their net price calculators, and if they don’t, how can we trust Net Price Calculators?”     (51:26) Our recommended resource for episode 203 is Tom Krieglstein’s 2020 book, entitled “Perfect Quotes for College Success: Inspiration, advice, and tips for anyone going to college Paperback by Tom Krieglstein   This book has over 300 quotes on 34 topics related to excelling while in college.   (01:03:15) Our College Spotlight is Appalachian State in Boone, NC. Lisa just spend three days in Boone and she gives us a breakdown on App State. Part 2 of 2   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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! Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All he asks is that you review the services on their website first. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/

In this episode you will hear:   (13:18) In this week’s “In the news segment, an October 3rd, 2021 article by Ron Daniels of “The Atlantic”, “Universities are Shunning Their Responsibility to Democracy” This scholarly article is written by the current president of Johns Hopkins university. Mark and Dave discuss the salient points from this article in what will be part 1 of 2       (29:26) Mark was asked in our questionnaire what trends he is observing for the future concerning college admissions, Mark and Lisa discuss 14 different observations Mark has made in Part 1 of 4. They discuss the first three trends in Part 1   (01:01:10) Mark interviews two financial aid experts: Michael Ireland, Associate Director of Financial Aid and Courtney Hatch Blauvett, the Director of College Counseling at Miss Hall’s school and the former financial aid officer at four different colleges. Michael and Courtney answer 13 questions that listeners to YCBK sent in over the last three months on all topics related to paying for college, financial aid, scholarships, etc. This is part 1 of 5.   Preview Part 1     Courtney Hatch and Michael Ireland both give us their backstory and they share what they enjoy about financial aid and counseling Question 1-My son is interested in out of state public schools but it is going to be expensive for us to pay for out of state tuition for all four years, how can I find out exactly what we have to do to pay “in-state” tuition at his “out of state” school? I have heard it varies from one school to another Question 2-How can we tell if a private college has decent financial health? Where do we do our digging to get info on this?   (01:14:00) Our recommended resource for episode 202 is Ron Lieber’s book, “The Freshman Survival Guide: Soulful Advice for Studying, Socializing, and Everything In Between by Nora Bradbury-Haehl and Bill McGarvey This book provides sage advice about how to successfully transfer from high school to college. It covers topics like: academics, roommates, mental health, money, social life, etc.   (01:26:23) Our College Spotlight is Appalachian State in Boone, NC. Lisa just spend three days in Boone and she gives us a breakdown on App State. Part 1 of 2   Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news,  and updates about the podcast before they go live:     To access our transcripts, click: 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 is 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   Feel free to pass this podcast on to others who you feel will benefit, even if they are not a YCBK listener.   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . 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! Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends:   Check out the college websites Mark recommends:     If you want a college consultation with Mark or Lisa, just text Mark at 404-664-4340. All he asks is that you review the services on their website first. Their counseling website is: https://schoolmatch4u.com/