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

In this episode you will hear: (08:53) In this week’s news segment, an article from Huffington Post, I Was Forced To Get Married To Finish College. Here’s Why And What Has To Change, by Samantha Huls. Estranged from her parents and as an only resort, Huls married her boyfriend to declare herself as an independent to secure federal financial aid.   (21:00) We are in Chapter 111 of 171 Answers and Mark talks about the three different sources of money for college. He also discusses the various ways merit scholarships are meted out.   (33:23) This week’s question is from Suzie in Brazile and she wants to know how to best position international students for American universities. Suzie had a series of questions, so rather than do a deep dive into one question, Anika asks Mark all seven questions that Suzie has.   (50:21) Mark kicks off his interview with Edan Shahar, Founder and CEO of Test Innovators, in ‘What is misunderstood about standardized testing’, Part I   (01:02:12) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov)   (01:14:12) College spotlight: Whitman College ()   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: (09:18) In this week’s news segment, an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed, The Rise of the Mega-University, by Lee Gardiner. Mega-Universities Are On the Rise. They Could Reshape Higher Ed as We Know It.   (32:21) We are in Chapter 110 of 171 Answers and Mark and Anika discuss the five or six most-asked questions about the requirement to submit the non-custodial parent PROFILE application. We also talk about the cardinal rule that colleges that require the PROFILE use to determine when they are going to require the non-custodial parent to submit their financial information and when they are going to say this is not necessary.   (49:19) This week’s bonus content is on everything you need to know about co-cop programs. Mark and Anika discuss the differences between a co-op programs, internships and experiential education.   (01:05:50) Mark is in the final part of his interview with Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher and VP of Research at Saving for College.com, in ‘How and when to appeal your financial aid award’.   (01:12:21) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is   (01:19:34) College spotlight: Hillsdale College   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: (05:03) In this week’s news segment, an article from Inside Higher Ed, by Lilah Burke entitled, “Preparing to Poach”.  Mark and Dave discuss a new study by EAB that looked at over 150 colleges and asked them if they plan to recruit students from other schools after the student has enrolled in the school. The results of the study may surprise you.     (24:37) We are in Chapter 109 of 171 Answers and Mark and Anika discuss the reasons why financial aid awards can be completely different between colleges, for the same student.   (50:18) This week’s question is from Kirby in Colorado. “I see a lot of jerks when I walk around colleges on campus visits, How do you know if a college is going to turn your child into a jerk?” Mark and Anika discuss Kirby’s question.   (01:04:13) Mark is in Part 3 of his interview with Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher and VP of Research at Saving for College.com, in ‘How and when to appeal your financial aid award’   (01:22:53) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the website:   (01:39:20) College spotlight: Rollins College   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: Anika has a special announcement about a new format we will be implementing beginning in episode 109.   (13:20) In this week’s news segment, an article from Forbes, “The Year’s Top Ten Educational Stories” (Part 2) by Michael Nietzel. Mark’s lifelong friend, Dr. Williams serves as the co-host for this episode. Mark and Dave discuss news stories 6-10 of the 10 biggest higher education news stories in 2019 according to Forbes     (35:57) We are in Chapter 108 of 171 Answers and Mark and Dave discuss, What is the CSS PROFILE and how does it differ from the FAFSA.   (49:39) Our question is from a dad named Dave in Massachusetts who asks, how much emphasis should we put on graduation rates when building our college list.   (01:00:33) Our interview is with best-selling author and financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz on the topic, How and when you should appeal for more money if your financial aid award doesn’t meet your needs. Mark Kantrowitz has served in many impressive roles over the last three decades but he currently is the VP of Research and the Publisher of the website, “savingforcollege.com”   In part 2 of our interview, I ask Mark about some common expenses such as Parent student loans, elderly care, a special needs child, one parent refusing to pay their fair share; and he lets us know whether they are likely to be the basis for a successful aid award appeal. Mark also explains what the dependency override is and he explains how a dependency override can impact your aid award Mark discusses the competitor aid award appeal; when is this likely to be successful and when is this appeal likely to be denied We discuss what Preferential packaging is and how this can impact aid award appeals   (01:09:24) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is By Mark Kantrowitz   (01:24:50) College spotlight: The University of Oklahoma:   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: (08:51) In this week’s news segment, an article from Forbes, “The Year’s Top Ten Educational Stories” by Michael Nietzel. Mark’s lifelong friend, Dr. Williams serves as the co-host for this episode. Mark and Dave discuss the first five of these big higher education news stories in this episode.     (43:03) We are in Chapter 107 of 171 Answers and Mark and Dave discuss, What are the most common mistakes students make on the FAFSA. This book chapter lists 23 of these mistakes and Dave and Mark discuss six of the 23.   (51:38) Our question from a mom in California asks, if my child attends a competitive high school and a college reads applications by school groupings, will that hurt my child’s chances of admission. Mark answers this as well as two other questions about reading applications by school groupings.   (01:12:04) Our interview is with best-selling author and financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz on the topic, How and when you should appeal for more money if your financial aid award doesn’t meet your needs. Mark Kantrowitz has served in many impressive roles over the last three decades but he currently is the VP of Research and the Publisher of the website, “savingforcollege.com”   In part 1 of our interview, Mark explains his background and he explains where his passion for scholarships and financial aid comes from Mark explains what special circumstances are Mark explains why colleges that charge a lot more are often the ones who are more willing to adjust their aid award Mark talks about some of the expenses that are unlikely to be grounds for a successful appeal for more money Mark talks about the difference between the FAFSA and the PROFILE and how this impacts the aid award a family receives   (01:29:23) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is by Tim Elmore (01:41:23) College spotlight: Temple 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: (20:37) In this week’s news segment, an article from Wall Street Journal, “How to Fix College Admissions”Part 3, by Melissa Korn. Korn interviews several groups in the world of college admissions – admissions officers, counselors, parents, students - to identify ways in which the admissions system could be fixed. We continue by discussing points 8-10. Mark’s lifelong friend, Dr. Williams serves as the co-host for this episode.     (54:39) We are in Chapter 106 of 171 Answers and Mark and Dave discuss, What happens if a parent refuses to complete the FAFSA? We also talk about, what happens If a parent refuses to complete the CSS PROFILE?   (01:04:15) Our question from a listener asks, if we are concerned about the cost of college, shouldn’t we cast a wide net and apply to as many colleges as possible?   (01:19:48) Rob talks about how a student should decide between the ROTC scholarship and attending a Service Academy. Rob talks about how some colleges give their own scholarships to ROTC students. I put Robert on the hotwire.   (01:29:01) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book, Generation Z goes to college by Corey Seemiller.   (01:40:12) College spotlight: UNC Asheville      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: (10:45) In this week’s news segment, an article from Wall Street Journal, “How to Fix College Admissions”, by Melissa Korn. Korn interviews several groups in the world of college admissions – admissions officers, counselors, parents, students - to identify ways in which the admissions system could be fixed. We continue by discussing points 4-7 the author makes. Next week we will finish the article by discussing points 8-10.     (50:09) We are in Chapter 105 of 171 Answers and Mark shares financial aid questions that single, divorced, and remarried parents might have. Mark and Anika also discuss, how financial aid works for parents who never were married, couples who co-habit together, same sex parents and other living arrangements.   (59:47) Our bonus content this week reviews Turning the Tide II: How Parents and High Schools Can Cultivate Ethical Character and Reduce Distress in The College Admissions Process. This major report is the work of the “Making Caring Common” team. It is an outgrowth from the Harvard Graduate School of education. We discussed part 1 of this report about a year ago. When Part 3 (the final part) is released we will include a discussion of these findings as well. The findings are being embraced and at least partially implemented by over 130 college admissions deans and several organizations such as, The Coalition and the Common Application.   (01:19:22) Mark continues his interview with Lieutenant Colonel Rob Kirkland in -What you need to know about the ROTC scholarship, Part 2   (01:28:44) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is . Mark explains why he trusts Wikipedia and he explains how he uses it in the college process.   (01:40:15) College spotlight: Santa Clara 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: (07:14) In this week’s news segment, an article from Wall Street Journal, “How to Fix College Admissions”, by Melissa Korn. Korn interviews several groups in the world of college admissions – admissions officers, counselors, parents, students - to identify ways in which the admissions system could be fixed to be more fair to more students. The results are a list of 10 ideas that Korn writes as either easy to implement or as conversation starters. In this Part 1 of what will be a three-part discussion, we discus the first three reasons and chime in with our opinions on two things: Would these changes even be possible and secondly, are they advisable.     (27:44) We are in Chapter 104 of 171 Answers and Mark explains why you might receive a letter requesting verification of your FAFSA information.  We also discuss what to do if you get such a letter and we talk about some of the reasons why students get these letters.   (34:31) This week’s question is from Marion, from West Chester, PA and she is asking why she sees two net price calculators on the same website; Marion wants to know if she needs to complete both of them. (47:09) Mark kicks-off his interview with Lieutenant Colonel Rob Kirkland in -What you need to know about the ROTC scholarship, Part 1   (56:31) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book, “the Years that Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks us” by Paul Tough   (01:08:19) College spotlight: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois   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: (05:21) In this week’s news segment, an article from New York Times, “What Admissions Officers Really Want”, by Paul Tough. In Part 2 of our discussion of this excellent article we talk about a study of 150,000 SAT scores that looks at how accurate is the SAT, and when it is inaccurate, who does it hurt. We also look at what “financial-aid optimization counselors” do for the first time in our 103 episodes. These counselors are seldom revealed to the public but our podcast pulls back the curtain and let’s you know how the sausage is made. Mark says this may be his favorite article we have ever discussed on the podcast and Mark and Anika encourage our listeners to read the article.       (21:44) We are in Chapter 103 of 171 Answers and Mark and Anika discuss Mark’s six favorite free resources to get help with the FAFSA. Mark does not believe any listener should have to pay for help with the FAFSA and in this segment, we discuss six excellent free resources from Mark’s book. We also share why we like each of these resources.   (30:06) This week’s question is from Karen from California and she wants to know more about the recent changes to the ACT. Karen is particularly interested in how the Superscoring will work. On October 8th, 2019, the ACT made the biggest announcement we have had since we started our podcast twenty-three months ago. The announcement about all of the changes to the ACT that are coming was quite revelatory, but it also left a lot of questions unanswered. In this segment we discuss a number of updates and clarifications that the ACT has released about the substantial changes to the ACT that go into effect in September.   (50:37) Mark interviews admissions officer, Yancie Davis about Macalester college. Yancie returns to us for the second time. Previously, Yancie discussed “non-cognitive variables” and how they impact admission decisions.   We do not have a College Spotlight when our interview focuses on doing a deep dive into a particular college. We will resume our College Spotlights in episode 104 when we look at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.   (01:06:37) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the resource page of the act.org website that focuses on the changes coming in 2020. These resources include a webinar, infographics and many other tools; here is a link:   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: (10:41) In this week’s news segment, an article from New York Times, “What Admissions Officers Really Want”, by Paul Tough. At the center of this article is the story of Trinity College’s enrollment manager, Angel Perez, who is hired with two really big and competing priorities of: building a racially and socially economic diverse student body; and digging the school out of a terrible financial deficit.     (26:59) We are in Chapter 102 of 171 Answers and Mark let’s us know whether or not wealthy families should complete the FAFSA application.   (36:30) This week’s question is from Johanna in Pennsylvania and she wants to know how to guide a child who has a learning disability, such as dyslexia, in figuring out what their best college fit. We discuss a number of steps a parent should take when a student has a learning difference and most of what we discuss applies to other learning differences besides dyslexia.   Listeners who want to hear more on this topic should go back and listen to episode 73: here is a link:   (45:59) Mark is in the second and final part of his interview with Travis Hornsby, founder of the country’s top student loan debt resource: Student Loan Planner, Part 2.   (56:13) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is another outstanding admissions blog that discusses some of the cutting-edge admission strategies.   (1:08:48) College spotlight: Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX   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"