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

In this episode you will hear: (06:20) In this week’s news, an article from Pro-Publica.org, “Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid” by Jodi Cohen and Melissa Sanchez. Dozens of rich families in Chicago have been discovered scamming the admissions system, this time as it relates to financial aid. These families are turning over guardianship of their teens to a friend or relative so the student can declare financial independence, which allows them to qualify for tuition and scholarships they would not be otherwise eligible for. This is a newly discovered scam and some schools have started to investigate some of their guardianship cases of students who are currently enrolled on their campuses.   (21:10) We are in Chapter 82 of 171 Answers and Mark describes the gap year and the gap semester year. We talk about six of the common reasons students take gap years. We talk about the benefits of a gap year. We talk about the school policies when it comes to gap years.   (31:04) This week’s question is from a parent who is torn between their child’s acceptance at Wake Forest with a scholarship and their acceptance at Stanford where they will not qualify for financial aid.  The parent says, it is a classic case of money vs prestige. The parent wants to know how Mark would handle this situation. The parent shares some very personal financial information, and even though the parent said we could share it, we keep this parent anonymous. Mark shares what advice he gave the parent and then we find out what the student and the parent ultimately decided. What factors influenced their decision. Anika communicates how this whole discussion inspired her.   (45:51) Mark’s interview is with Mr. Dave Wagner who is the Director of Admissions of St. Olaf, in Part I of “Understanding the Common Application” Dave shares his backstory, including his experience as a student at St. Olaf, how he ended up at St. Olaf, the various roles he has had in his 15 years there Dave explains what the Common App is and he shares why he likes the Common App Dave explains what Part 1, the Profile section is and he talks about how the Profile section is helpful in the admissions process. Next Dave explains Part 2 of the Common App, the Family section and he shares how this section helps admission officers in the decision making process   (54:38) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is a Barnes and Nobles Colleges Insight Report entitled, “Mental Health and Well-Being- How we better care for the whole student” Here is the PDF of this excellent report that is based on a survey of 762 college students and 1708 parents: (1:11:43) Our College Spotlight for the week is University of San Francisco (CA)   Please complete our podcast survey so we can improve our podcast and meet your needs. Here is the link:   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (03:00) In this week’s news, an article from Pro-Publica, “The Admission Arms Race: Six Ways Colleges Game Their Numbers” by Marian Wang. Colleges are gaming their numbers through what the writer calls strategically achieved statistics. College-bound students often look at stats to weigh their options, and colleges are using tactics such as fast apps, the common application, early applicants, and moving toward test optional to skew the rise in their applicant pools and selectivity. (31:32) We are in Chapter 81 of 171 Answers and Mark talks through some common mistakes that international students make when applying to US colleges. (40:49) This week’s question is from a mom who wants to know if LinkedIn could be useful in the college application process. (51:52) Mark returns with Ms. Chika Nwosu a recent high school graduate and she updates us on her college admission process. (01:08:17) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book: How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over parenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haim (1:25:10) Our College Spotlight for the week is Smith College Please complete our podcast survey so we can improve our podcast and meet your needs. Here is the link:   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (5:28) In this week’s news, an article from Inside Higher Ed, “When Colleges Seek Diversity through Photoshop” by Scott Jaschik. Schools have been busted using Photoshop to add students of color into their marketing materials in places where the original photo was taken with a white student. Though the practice is deemed unethical, research has proven that over 75 percent of colleges appeared to over represent black students in their admissions publications. Most schools also over-represent Asian students. This is a major concern because many students rely on a university’s image to make their enrollment decisions. Others argue more pragmatically, how are they going to attract a more diverse applicant pool unless they depict them in pictures. Mark and Anika discuss the pros and the cons of this practice.     (21:57) We are in Chapter 80 of 171 Answers and Mark shares advice for non-traditional students applying for college.    (38:50) Mark covers a bonus topic this week as we talk about the push for test-optional schools, one year after the University of Chicago’s decision. There have been 41 schools who have decided to no longer test scores since the University of Chicago went test-optional in early 2018. We have a discussion about who these schools are; are they all very similar or are they quite different. Mark also speculates what the future has for the test-optional movement.     (59:23) Mark interviews Daniel Greene, a parent and dedicated listener to Your College-Bound Kid in “Understanding how the Trello app can help you stay organized in the college process”. Daniel shares how he uses the Trello app; how his son uses the Trello app and what his wife thinks about the Trello app. Daniel then generously offers to demo the Trello app for every one of our listeners who wants to see the Trello app in action.     (71:54) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is He's Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe In Himself Adam Price    (1:29:03) Our College Spotlight for the week is Stanford University (CA)   Daniel Greene has set up a Trello board for YCBK listeners; it is public at:  . Listeners can play around all they want with this Trello Board It also contains a card with information on how to contact me at c.

In this episode you will hear: (6:24) In this week’s news, an article from the Wall Street Journal, “Over 60 and Crushed by Student Loan Debt” by Anna Maria Andriotis. The last count for the amount of student loan debt owned by people over the age of 60 was $86 billion. These individuals either paid for their family to attend school or went back to enhance their own job prospects. One devastating way these amounts are being paid back is by garnishment of social security checks. Mark and Anika have a robust conversation about why student debt is escalating for people over 60.   (28:24)  We are in Chapter 79 of 171 Answers and Mark shares all the ways that your high school counselor is involved in the process. Once students realize how important the high school counselor is they will realize that they need to be initiators who cultivate a relationship with the counselor. Mark shares the latest national figures which shows that there is a 482 to 1 ratio of students to counselors in the country. These ratios are staggering and students have to be proactive to maximize the value of their high school counselor. Even if a student is working with an IEC, it is the school counselor who the colleges will regard as the one they will want to talk to about each student.  (50:21) This week’s question asks if they should join a scholarship society that is asking them to pay a fee in return for certain benefits. We talk about the various scholarship societies that are out there. We describe the benefits that they offer and we ask whether they are legitimate service organizations or fraudulent. We recognize that this is not an issue everyone agrees with but Mark shares his viewpoint and then he defends why he takes the position he takes on this topic.  (64:23) Mark moves into the final part of his interview with Dean of Admissions Greg Roberts in “Understanding the University of Virginia”. Greg opens up this interview by directly answering Mark’s question about how the white supremacist rally that is now just known as, “Charlottesville” is impacting conversations that the faculty, staff and administration at UVA are having on campus. Greg is really transparent in what I thought, was the most riveting part of our interview. Greg answers my question, how do you explain why UVA consistently has the highest graduation rate for public schools year after year. Greg talks about the kind of student that thrives at UVA; it’s a window into what their admission office looks for in a student. We have our lightning round, where Mark asks Greg some personal questions so we can see Greg outside of his role in the admissions process.  (74:55) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book, Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls, by Dr. Lisa Damour.   Please complete our podcast survey so we can improve our podcast and meet your needs. Here is the link:   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (4:37) In this week’s news, an article from Business Insider, “7 Admissions Officers Share the Things They Never Tell Applicants” by Joel Butterly. Butterly shares the results from asking admission representatives from Yale, Brown, Stanford, University of Chicago, MIT, and Princeton & University of Pennsylvania – what they would share with their applicants if they could guide them through the process. They highlight the importance of being kind, respectful of the admissions staff time and the importance of not having a mediocre application, among the 7 key things for students to consider. Mark and Anika discuss all seven of the things they wish they could tell applicants. Mark elaborates on each point by sharing stories from his experience.   (37:22) We are in Chapter 78 of 171 Answers and Mark shares when it may or may not be necessary to hire an independent college counselor.  Mark’s position is that just like some people do test prep on their own very successfully, but others benefit from a tutor, the same is true for an IEC (Independent educational consultant) aka a private college coach. There is not a right or wrong answer as to whether a student would benefit from an IEC. We discuss the growth of the IEC and why this has occurred, but we also discuss the mixed results that IEC receive from the college community. We discuss what it is about IEC that make some college admissions officers love to work with them but we also share many reasons why some colleges are not receptive to working with IEC. One of the reasons this podcast was started was so a family would not feel they had to hire an IEC in order to help them with the college process. For a family that feels they would benefit from an IEC to help them with college list building, admission strategy or scholarship and financial need strategy, Mark shares what you should do in order to research an IEC you are considering hiring.  (49:18) This week’s question asks how a student athlete who wants to play in college can get the attention of college coaches. Mark shares six steps that a family in this situation can and should take in order to not only get the attention of coaches but to get the attention of the right coaches.   (61:29)  Mark moves into Part III of his interview with Dean of Admissions Greg Roberts in “Understanding the University of Virginia”.  Greg gives an overview of the University of Virginia so we understand what makes it distinct and different from other universities. Greg talks about the different schools within the University; he discusses the school of architecture and the McIntyre school of business; then the school of Engineering; Greg talks about the Architecture school and the Engineering school and the Curry School of Education and school of Arts and Sciences and then Greg talks about Nursing. Greg also talks about the Batten school of Engineering and the new Data Science school that will be opening up in the next few years. Greg talks about what went into the decision for UVA to offer Early Decision and he offers the history of Early Decision at UVA; Greg talks about the concerns that ED raises but he shares how UVA is committed to remaining student centric and to not abuse Early Decision  (74:59) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is put the college in Google and click the News link and the video link under the Google search. Start reading everything and watching all the videos. (1:29:04) Our College Spotlight for the week is University of Georgia (GA)   Please complete our podcast survey so we can improve our podcast and meet your needs. Here is the link:   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (3:36) In this week’s news, an article from the Wall Street Journal, “Colleges Mine Data on their Applicants” by Douglas Belkin. Some colleges are tracking the online activity of prospective students to evaluate their demonstrated interest in the schools. From how fast they open their emails, if they click any links, to how long they spend reading the content. Belkin shares how schools, such as Seton Hall University in NJ, have a scoring system based on a student’s online activity. Mark and Anika have a robust discussion about whether this is appropriate. They also discuss why there is so much blowback to this practice but they also converse about why colleges are reluctant to not employ some of these tactics to help them bring in their admitted class. (25:52) We are in Chapter 77 of 171 Answers and Mark shares how admission offices evaluate applicants who are transferring from another college. It is important to understand the wide range of approaches that colleges use, both from their admission processes, their admission rates and their dates and deadlines. Mark and Anika discuss this and so much more including what factors are often most important in the evaluation. We also discuss why using the Common Data Set is important for transfers. (38:27) This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know how colleges view applicants that graduate a year early from high school. We discuss how colleges perceive these applicants. Are they hurt in the college process or the college transition? (42:37) Mark continues his interview with Admissions Dean Greg Roberts as they transition into “Understanding the University of Virginia”. Some of the things Greg discusses in this interview include: · Why a large number of public schools do not do a holistic admissions review · How the Varsity Blues scandal is impacting admissions · The different vision that politicians have about what the role of public education should be. (51:44) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, Using Timeless Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Dr. Wendy Mogel   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (5:03) In this week’s news, an article from The Atlantic, “College Sports Are Affirmative Action for Rich White Students” by Saahil, Desai. African American males are known to dominate college football and basketball, but according to Desai, this is not a true reflection of who has access to college sports. It was found that 61 percent of student athletes in 2017 were white, and that percentage was even higher for elite institutions. Lower profile sports favored by white student athletes like the following 13 sports: sailing, golf, water polo, fencing, and lacrosse (let me add squash and equestrian, ice hockey, gymnastics, crew, field hockey, diving and skiing are where a lot of the preference is being given in college admissions, even though this falls under the radar. . And though they are low profile to the general public, athletes in these sports are often white and affluent but unlike the public perception, they are getting more preference than alumni, students of color or any other admission preference. The irony is that these sports are expenditure sports, meaning they cost the colleges money. Furthermore, they rarely gather crowds of students in a way that injects school spirit and brings the community together. (25:52) We are in Chapter 76 of 171 Answers and Mark shares the mistakes that parents make in the college application process. Parents do so many wonderful things but the parents who listen need to know where many of the errors are made. Anika admits to making many of these errors herself. Mark and Anika discuss about eight common errors that parents make. If this topic interests you, Mark interviewed Brennan Barnard on episodes 39, 40 and 41 about this topic and we discussed 20 errors for a conversation that lasted about an hour over three episodes. This is an abridged version of that discussion. (39:26) This week’s question is from a listener who wants to find out which schools offer need blind or no loan financial aid that are not hyper-competitive. Mark starts out by explaining the difference between being need-blind and meeting full financial need, something that is often confused. No loan policies were introduced by Princeton in 2001. Mark shares the 19 schools that offer these plans for all incomes. He then shares many of the schools that do this for certain income caps and then Mark and Anika talk about some of the state plans that offer this. (58:16) Mark interviews Greg Roberts, Dean of Admissions, at the University of Virginia in “Differences Between Public and Private Universities”. This is part 1 of a 4 part excellent interview. The first two parts focus a lot on the differences between public and private universities. Greg Roberts has also worked at Emory and Georgetown, so he draws off of the differences between private colleges and public colleges and universities. Greg is very transparent and genuine. He is willing to answer the tough questions. (69:31) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book, The Price of Privilege: and the subtitle of the Price of Privilege is, How Parental Pressure And Material Advantage Are Creating A Generation Of Disconnected And Unhappy Kids, by Dr. Madeline Levine   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (5:36)  In this week’s news, a NY Times article “4 Years of College, $0 in Debt: How Some Countries Make Higher Education Affordable” by Lara Takenaga of the New York Times. Student debt in the US has reached $1.5 trillion while many recent graduates in other countries have graduated debt free. Takenaga’s article shares from a selection of over 800 college students from around the world who shared how they were able to achieve $0 to minimal debt from their college degrees. Some of respondents are from countries like Taiwan, New Zealand, Turkey, Ireland, Brazil, Philippines, Scotland, and Denmark. (25:35) We have some bonus content this week. It starts as we continue our conversation of hooks. We take a look at former IVY league admission officer Harry Bauld’s theory that everyone in the applicant pool can be divided into two groups: those who have a built in lobby group in the admission office and what he calls, “Just Folks”. We then transition to Chapter 75 of 171 Answers and Mark and Anika discuss the four main reasons why colleges rescind acceptances. (38:42) This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know if there are any bad questions to ask an admissions counselor. Mark and Anika have a robust discussion of five or six different categories of bad questions. (51:46) Mark wraps up his interview with Steve Schwartz, host of the College of Admissions Toolbox podcast, in the final part of extracurricular activities and other factors that admissions offices use to decide who gets in. Steve has his own college admissions podcast and website which you can access here: http://CollegeAdmissionsToolbox.com https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/college-admissions-toolbox-podcast-college-applications/id1016715810 (67:41)Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the book, “The Gift of Failure, how the best parents learn to let go so their children can succeed by Jessica Lahey.   (1:20:19) Our College Spotlight for the week is Harvard Summer Admissions Institute     Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (8:09) In this week’s news, a Philadelphia Magazine article “Teenagers are More Stressed Than Ever. Who’s to Blame?” by Tom McGrath. McGrath suggests that affluent parents play a large roll in teens who report that they are stressed all the time. As good hearted as their intentions may be, McGrath is saying that these families have loaded up their kids with over structured activities such as high end camps and lessons that are contributing to a “go-hard” mentality. This is translating over to teens that whatever their interests, they must strive to be the best at it, by any stressful and anxiety filled means necessary. McGrath doesn’t believe parents are the only cause of the increased stress kids are experiencing; he includes the other factors that are contributing to the stressed out lives that students are experiencing. Mark and Anika have a lengthy and robust conversation about this article. Mark and Anika want the readers to read this outstanding article. (28:27) We are in Chapter 74 of 171 Answers and we’re talking about admission hooks – what they are and why you should know if you have any. Mark and Anika discuss about 10 of the hooks but we they explain how these “hooks” vary from school to school. Mark and Anika talk about how in some cases, a student knows what their hook is and in other cases they do not know what their hook is. We also define hooks. We will start off episode 75 by having some more information on some of the most popular hooks. (44:11) This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know where to find the data that shows the home states of enrolled students-for specific colleges.Mark shares this information and Mark and Anika talk about how a person may want to use this information. We come up with three reasons why a college student may want to know how many people from their state are at a particular college (51:52) Mark interviews Mr. Steve Schwartz, podcast host of College of Admissions Toolbox, and together they discuss how extracurricular activities impact college admissions decisions. This is a very informal conversation about how extracurricular activities can play a role in admissions decisions. This is part 2 of 2. (64:49) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is There are two recommended resources this week. The first one is an outstanding 35 minute radio interview that appeared on NPR with Dr. Anthony Rostain and Dr. Janet Hibbs, a psychiatrist and a psychologist who wrote the book, “The Stressed Years of their Lives”. We are putting the link to this outstanding interview in the show notes. I implore you to listen to this interview.   The next recommended resource is the book itself, “The Stressed Years of their lives”. The subtitle of ‘The Stressed Years of their Lives” is Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

In this episode you will hear: (5:30) In this week’s news, an Atlantic article “How to Rank College Ranking Sites” by Will Dix. Dix does an outstanding job of highlighting the fact that there is a huge market for college rankings and he goes on to list and describe 13 ranking sites that families use amongst the various rankings that are available. Dix says he personally believes that all college rankings are inaccurate because you can’t quantity the imponderable, but he knows people are using them so he describes how the various rankings emphasize different things. (34:29) We are in Chapter 73 of 171 Answers and Mark shares his advice for students with disabilities. We talk about the kind of questions that students with disabilities need to ask when evaluating whether a college can properly serve them. We share where a student and parent should go on a college campus visit if the student has a disability. We also share a list of various disabilities and you will see how many different disabilities exist. A sizable portion of the population have a disability and this discussion is for you, but it is for all of us to better understand what a student with a disability should know. (45:23) For our question segment – we are responding to the breaking news around the College Board rolling out what they are calling the Environmental Context Dashboard. You may have heard this referred to as an “adversity score” or an “adversity index”; this is the label the media has put on this. This is the 4th and final part on the ECD and Mark is addressing the questions that remain unanswered and the controversies that will continue to loom. Mark shares a dozen different topics related to the ECD that are worth watching over the next few years. (62:35) Mark wraps up his interview with Dr. Josie Uribistondo in Preparation for the Personal Statement, Part 3. Josie and Mark have a great conversation as we compare notes as we talk about the most common errors we each see in our student’s essays. Josie talks about the importance of communicating values and how to show your emotional intelligence in your writing Josie exhorts the listeners to start early on their personal essays Dr. Josie shares various ways to conclude your essay Then Mark puts Josie on the hot seat and I think you will find it interesting and even entertaining. (74:22) Mark’s recommended resource of the week is the Twitter account @InsidehigherEd. If you want to follow the the latest breaking news, opinion, jobs, & resources for all of higher ed, this is a good a source as you will find. Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to   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 visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers.