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

In this episode you will hear: (19:03) In this week’s news segment, an article from Inside Higher Ed, “More Scrutiny of Legacy Admissions”, by Kery Murakami. Since the Varsity Blues scandal, preferential treatment in admissions for children of alumni has come under renewed scrutiny. Should legacy admissions be impermissible? Mark and Dave discuss the article and debate the topic.   (52:09) We are in Chapter 121of 171 Answers and Mark gives us his formula for knowing how much student loan debt a family should take on. Mark reveals the two extreme views when it comes to debt and he explains the flaws he finds in both of these extreme perspectives.   (01:10:01) This week’s question is from Greg in NY and he wants to know if pre-college summer programs are worth the money and if they will help his child get into the school they want to attend.   (01:29:08) Mark kicks-off his interview with Carmen Chavez, a 12th grader from Miami, in: Reflections on my college admissions process, Part I   (01:36:08) Recommended resource:   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! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (16:42) In this week’s news segment, an article from The New York Times, “Check This Box if You’re a Good Person”, by Rebecca Sabky. A college admissions professional at Dartmouth College talks about having to navigate the applications of thousands of talented students that all seem to become indistinguishable. Her ideal candidate embodies kindness above all – a trait that is almost impossible to determine on paper.     (45:18) We are in Chapter 120 of 171 Answers and Mark describes the TEACH Grant and how aspiring teachers can qualify for close to $4,000 per year of their undergraduate degree.   (01:01:44) It is time this week for our bonus content segment and Mark shares 14 ways the college admissions process may be different for the current high school juniors due to COVID-19.   (01:38:55) Mark continues his interview with the final segment with Vincent Garcia: Understanding the 23 Colleges in the California State University System, Part IV. There will not be a College Spotlight because Vince’s interview is in fact a spotlight on the 23 universities that make up the CSU system.   (01:48:03) Recommended resource: The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges   Mark also recommended an article by Forbes about college students can get refund money through the Cares Act. My own daughter got $500 back. We were going to do an “In the News” discussion on this but we want to get this information to you right away.    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! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (11:42) In this week’s news segment, an article from USA Today, “Amid coronavirus layoffs, high school seniors are too uncertain to commit to a college”, by Chris Quintana. Colleges have rolled back the traditional May 1 deadline for students to declare their attendance, to June 1. It may be months before colleges know who their students will be, as COVID-19 has caused many job losses for families.   (47:39) We are in Chapter 119 of 171 Answers and Mark explains the FSEOG, The Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, exclusively awarded to low income families. Mark answers many of the FAQs about FSEOG.   (01:04:12) This week’s question is from Micky in MA, a high school junior who wants to know when she should start her personal statement essay. Many answers this question and he also gives listeners a few tips about what to do in your Personal Statement   (01:15:37) Mark continues his interview with Vincent Garcia: Understanding the 23 Colleges in the California State University System, Part III   Vince and I discuss how grade point averages are calculated at CSU schools and Vince talks about the CSU eligibility calculator I ask Vince if you can predict CSU decisions in advance) I ask Vince if colleges admit into the University, into a school or college or if they admit by major I ask Vince to explain impacted colleges and programs in case anyone missed our segment last week with Vince I ask what a student can do to get into an impacted program when you are at a college? Vince gives some tips for transfer students who want to attend a CSU university I ask Vince how out of state status impacts the admission process at CSU schools   (01:23:17) Recommended resource: the Gap year Research Consortium at Colorado College: No College Spotlight this week because we don’t do college spotlights when our interview is a deep dive into a college or a series of college by a current or former admission officer.   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! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (20:38) In this week’s news segment, an article from Lilah Burke of Inside Higher Ed, “The Big If’. The article looks at how colleges are beginning to telegraph what their plans are for the fall. Mark and Dave discuss the five main different approaches that colleges are planning on taking for the fall. Mark and Dave discuss each of these five approaches and they give their thoughts on each approach.   (49:11) We are in Chapter 118 of 171 Answers and Mark explains the history and context of the Pell Grant. Mark shares how individuals qualify and disqualify for the funding.  The answer may surprise you.   (01:10:15) This week’s question is from Eric in CO and he wants to know how involved he should be in selecting the colleges that his child applies to. Mark and Anika have a robust discussion about the appropriate role and the inappropriate role for parents in selecting the college list for their kids.   (01:26:33) Mark continues his interview with Vincent Garcia, TITLE: Understanding the 23 Colleges in the California State University System, Part II   I ask Vince if CSU schools can compete with UC schools at matriculating students Vince and I talk about the graduation rates at the CSU schools Vince talks about what it means for a campus to have a lot of impacted majors and what should you do when the programs you are interested in are impacted We talk about the advantages of starting out at community college if you want to go to a CSU or a UC school or the private California colleges   (01:37:48) We have 3 recommended resources this week: and     and   The first resource is a link to help you access IPEDS data that you can use to assess the financial health of each school. The second resource is a huge online college fair and conference from May  4th through May 6th. The final resource is a list of test optional schools that is being updated daily.   (01:47:09) College Spotlight: University of Arizona  ()   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! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (11:29) In this week’s news segment, an article from Applerouth.com, “Test-optional Does Not Mean Test Blind”, by Jed Applerouth. This article explains that admissions tests continue to play a key role at many colleges and universities, and families should know that a variety of factors are at play when a school chooses to go test-optional. Mark and Dave discuss why student should not misinterpret what test-optional really means.     (43:36) We are in Chapter 117 of 171 Answers and Mark explains a few of the ways a family can increase their chances of getting need-based aid. As usual, Anika asks great questions.   (01:03:02) This week’s question is from Kim in NYC and she wants to know how to look at a college’s endowment to better understand their financial health. Mark also shares a great resource besides endowment to assess the financial health of private colleges.   As we promised in this week’s episode, here is a link to the financial health grades for 933 private schools     (01:21:19) Mark kicks off his interview with Vincent Garcia, TITLE: Understanding the 23 Colleges in the California State University System   (01:31:03) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is: NACAC’s College Admission Status Update is a central resource of information about changes in college admission as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Here is the link:   (01:40:46) College Spotlight: Chapman University ()   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (14:03) In this week’s news segment, an article from APNews.com, “Financial Hits Pile Up for Colleges as Some Fight to Survive”, by Collin Binkley and Jeff Amy. COVID-19 has triggered a financial crises for institutions as they refund families for fees related to housing and dining; take major losses from athletic ticket sales; all while facing an uncertain fall semester threatened by lower enrollment and faculty cuts.     Mark and Dave have a spirited 15-minute discussion after the news article about whether we expect college to open in the fall? They state they are only sharing their opinions here but we believe our listeners will find it to be interesting and helpful.   (47:41) We are in Chapter 116 of 171 Answers and Mark explains need-based aid and how it is calculated. We touch on Federal, state and institutional need-based aid. This is the first of two weeks in a row where we will be discussing need-based aid. We also talk about why it is so hard for families to get enough need-based aid to make college affordable.   (01:08:07) This week’s question is from Kim in NYC and she wants to know how to determine the financial health of a private college. Mark goes into a fair amount of depth as he shares about eight sources where you can get this information. This is one you will either want to listen to twice or you will want to take notes. So many colleges are in a precarious financial state and you don’t want to enroll in one that closes or has so many program cuts and faculty layoffs that your education quality is jeopardized. This segment will help you to assess the financial health of a college.   (01:39:55) Mark continues his interview with Taylor King, Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbus State in Who Makes a Good Match for a Regional Public University, Part III   (01:48:05) Mark’s has two recommended resources this week: A panel discussion with three admissions officers on how Covid-19 will impact testing and admissions. Here is the sign up sheet:     Secondly, our second recommended resource is the Strivecan college fair. This four-day fair and workshops will be attended by over 300 colleges in 40 states and 10 countries. The workshops cover such a wide range of topics. The target group is sophomores and juniors:   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com   There is no college spotlight this week as Taylor discusses Columbus State and we don’t have a spotlight when the interview is with an admission officer who discusses his college.   If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:    If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (15:56) In this week’s news segment, an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, “How is COVID-19 Changing Prospective Students’ Plans”, by Eric Hoover. With colleges being forced to cancel on-campus programs scheduled for March and April, surveys suggest that the result is that one in six high school seniors who expected to attend a 4-year institution are now considering different paths for the fall.   (31:43) We are in Chapter 115 of 171 Answers and Mark walks us through the various ways to colleges use to evaluate who they will give a merit scholarship to. Once you know how you are evaluated you can successfully aim at the target. Anika shares some very interesting insights about how her own daughter has experienced this process this year, which is her senior year in high school.   (52:05) In this week’s bonus content, Mark shares groundbreaking news on COVID-19’s latest wave on standardized testing. Mark regards this segment as one of the most important segments he has ever done on this podcast, if not the most important. Mark shares three different approaches colleges are taking in regard to the SAT and ACT, but Mark makes a bold prediction that the role of standardized testing will never be the same post Covid-19. He shares his reasons why he believes this. As usual, Anika asks great questions.   (01:18:33) Mark continues his interview with Taylor King, Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbus State in Who Makes a Good Match for a Regional Public University, Part II. In this part, Taylor talks specifically about Columbus State and what their marquee programs are as well as what it would cost to go there for an out of state student. Covid-19 has a lot of families thinking about money and there are some incredible deals to be found at the Regional Public/Masters level universities.   (01:30:12) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is a document that uses Common Data Set information to let you know for specific colleges how many kids they wait list and how many students they take off the wait list for the last 3 years; here is the document:     (01:40:16) College spotlight: Ringling College of Art and Design ()   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! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (10:46) In this week’s news segment, an article from Inside Higher Ed by Scott Jaschik that discusses the variety of creative ways colleges are recruiting without students visiting their campuses. Mark and Dave have a robust discussion of this article     (37:57) We are in Chapter 114 of 171 Answers and we are in the final part of how to find merit scholarships. Mark and Anika talk about specific websites students and parents can go to in order to find merit scholarships.   Mark also recommends the following resource to help students identify which schools are the most generous with their merit scholarships:     (56:08) This week’s question is from Kisha in OH and she wants to know if her son should take the ACT in his sophomore year since he isn’t strong in geometry and fears that he won’t retain the information.   (01:05:21) Mark kicks off is interview with Taylor King, Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbus State. This three-part interview helps us understand what a Regional Public University is and who is a good match for a Regional Public University.   (01:11:46) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is Go to commonapp org, search for any college you are interested in and on their main page, you will see a hyperlink that says virtual tour, click this link   (01:19:15) College spotlight: The University of Cincinatti   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! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (15:40) In this week’s news segment, an article from saraharberson.com, “How Coronavirus Could Impact College Admissions”, by Sara Harberson. Written by a former dean of admissions and financial aid, this article describes 8 key ways in which COVID-19 has changed  the world of college admissions -  from decisions, to campus tours, and even standardized testing sites.     (37:57) We are in Chapter 113 of 171 Answers and we are in Part II of how to find merit scholarships. This is part 2 of a 3 part series. Next week we will focus on websites and documents to use for merit scholarships but this week we lay the foundation by answering some general questions about merit scholarships. Mark also debunks some of the most frequent myths about merit scholarships in this episode.   (57:20) This week’s question is from Dan in Maryland and he asks how to handle a student accidentally submitting the wrong version of their personal statement. Mark responds by breaking this question into two sections.   (01:07:46) Mark concludes his interview with Edan Shahar, Founder and CEO of Test Innovators, in ‘What is misunderstood about standardized testing’.   (01:18:35) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the website:   (01:36:03) College spotlight: Brown University   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"

In this episode you will hear: (15:57) In this week’s news segment, an article from Inside Higher Ed, “Are Any Colleges Insured Against Coronavirus Fallout?”, by Emma Whitford. As COVID-19 continues to spread, colleges are creating outbreak contingency plans, from canceling study abroad programs to moving into online course platforms.  This article highlights the fact that very few colleges are insured against financial losses due to a biological disaster.     (31:10) We are in Chapter 112 of 171 Answers and we are in Part I of how to find merit scholarships.   (52:02) This week’s question is from Annita in NY and she is asking if colleges consider grades from a more rigorous high school program as being equivalent or better than higher grades from less rigorous schools.   (01:07:23) Mark continues his interview with Edan Shahar, Founder and CEO of Test Innovators, in ‘What is misunderstood about standardized testing’, Part II   (01:13:07) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is National Center of Educational Statistics (NCES) College Navigator website   (01:30:19) College spotlight: Christopher Newport University   Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, as well as what guests we have on our podcast. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:    If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"