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

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YCBK 68: The Biggest Mistakes with Extracurricular Activities May 16, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (4:43) In this week's news, a Wall Street Journal article "Oberlin, University of Chicago and Other Elite Colleges Extend Application Deadlines", by Melissa Korn. Schools are claiming to extend their application deadlines to ensure that all students have an opportunity to apply, however Korn suggests that this is a clear sign of the pressure that schools are feeling to fill their incoming classes. Mark and Anika discuss why colleges are extending their deadlines. They discuss whether this is being done for students or for the colleges themselves. (15:47) We are in Chapter 68 of 171 Answers and it's all about the mistakes that students make with their extracurricular activities in the admissions process. Mark and Anika discuss five very common mistakes that students make when listing or describing their extracurricular activities. (33:05) It's time again for our bonus content this week: what your student can do to best utilize the upcoming summer. Mark mentions seven things that can make a lot of sense for students to be involved in over the summer and Anika chimes in and adds and eighth option that Mark forgot to mention. The focus of the conversation is that this is highly personalized approach, so there is no "one size fits all". The one thing Mark mentions is that regardless of what you so, you need to keep your mind sharp with plenty of reading. (48:35) Mark interviews Mr. Yancie Davis, Admissions Officer at Macalester College in Part I of Using Non-Cognitive variables to help with admission decisions. (59:53) Mark's recommended resource of the week is The Freshman Survival Guide: Soulful Advice for Studying, Socializing, and Everything In Between Paperback – The book is written by Nora Bradbury-Haehl (Author), Bill McGarvey (Author). I recommend that you get the 2016 updated edition. The book helps the new college student to navigate the first year of college. The book speaks to college students in their own language and offers practical tools that readers need to keep from drinking, sleeping, or skipping their way out of college. Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 67: Ways to show colleges your Academic Passion May 09, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (3:52) In this week's news, a Hechinger Report article "America's colleges struggle to envision the future of diversity on campus", by Laura Pappano. What's really on the table is the dicey matter of how diversity gets measured – and even now, what exactly it is. Should someone's race, socio economic status, gender, or political views be treated as forms of merit in the admissions process? We start out by talking about why diversity is so valuable on a college campus but also we talk about why it is so frustrating to so many colleges right now. Anika asks Mark, what admission officers should do to minimize the confusion. Mark has a surprising answer. (17:20) We are in Chapter 67 of 171 Answers and it's all about ways that students can demonstrate their academic passions. Mark spends some time talking about why Academic passions matter so much and then Anika and Mark have a shorter discussion about just a few of the ways a student can make their academic interest jump off the page. (30:01) This week's question is from a parent who wants to know more about pros and cons of US students going to college abroad. Our conversation focuses on going to college in Europe. We decided to focus here because the question asked us about Europe. Mark reveals five pros about studying in Europe and four cons to studying in Europe. Mark also shares one neutral factor, that to some people will be a pro and for others it will be a con. This is a very content rich discussion. Anika makes it crystal clear that her kids will not be going to Europe, but Mark pushes back and says it has been a fantastic option for the right kid. (51:12) Mark wraps up his interview with Chris Carlton, Founder of StudyAbroadsmarter.com, in the final part of "The Value of Studying Abroad". (60:23) Mark's recommended resource of the week is UCAS.com; this is the primary go to website when it comes to applying to universities in Europe. It is also the primary website when it comes to researching universities in Europe. UCAS stands for The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service and it has been around for more than 25 years. Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 66: What artistic majors need to do to stand out in admissions? May 02, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (6:33) In this week's news, a Forbes article "6 Terms to Stop Using in College Admissions", by Brennan Barnard. Barnard surveys admissions professionals about terms they feel should stop being used either because of their overusage or misconstrued understanding. Mark and Anika have a spirited and at times, "humorous" discussion about their thoughts about the six terms that Brennan selected. Mark and Anika share whether they agree or disagree that these terms should be abandoned in the college admission conversation. After discussing these terms. Mark shares a few other terms that could have easily been on this list. (31:27) We are in Chapter 66 of 171 Answers and it's all about what visual and performing art majors need to know that is unique about their college application process. The focus here is how performing arts and visual arts admissions differs from the more traditional admission process. Anika shares the things from this chapter of Marks book, "171 Answer" that jumped off the page for her. Mark chimes in with his thoughts and he comments about some different points of emphasis about Visual and Performing Arts admissions than the ones that Anika shares. (41:44) This week's question is from John, a dad from Massachusetts who has multiple college age kids. John wants to know if he will be able to optimize college 'discounts' either through FAFSA and or through the schools themselves. John is particularly interested in learning about special multiple school discount plans. Mark initially has some news for John that may not be encouraging but as Mark continues to answer John's question, John receives some good news. Mark offers a warning that just because a family has a need, it does not mean that a school is obligated to meet it. (50:10) Mark continues his interview with Chris Carlton, Founder of StudyAbroadsmarter.com, in Part II of "The Value of Studying Abroad". Chris answers the following questions in Part 2 of 3 of this interview: · Chris shares what he has learned about study abroad from all of the bloggers, advisors and interviews he has done · Chris addresses the concern about cost and he has some encouraging news for us · I share my experience with my own kids going abroad · Chris shares the different options for students when it comes to studying abroad and he talks about internships, exchanges, volunteer opportunities and 3rd party programs · Chris, talks about the composition of who will be with you when you study abroad · Finally, Chris talks about homestays and other living arrangements when you are abroad (56:40) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the official SAT app that sends students a SAT question every day. https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/daily-practice-app You can download this app from the Apple Store of Google Play. You get immediate feedback when you answer the reading, writing, language or math question of the day. You can even ask for a hint if you are stuck. Mark will be doing three one hour "free webinars" on May 8th, June 11th and July 11th for Revolution Prep, a leading test prep company. The topics of the webinars are, "Getting in and Getting Money", "What is Demonstrated Interest and how do colleges use DI when making admission decisions" and "How to excel when writing "College-Specific-Essays. To sign up, use the following link: https://www.revolutionprep.com/webinars/ Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 65: Advice about Letters of Recommendation Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (3:47) In this week's news, a Wall Street Journal article "Hackers Breach College-Applicant Databases and Seek Ransom", by Douglas Belkin and Melissa Korn. Hackers were recently able to reset college staff member passwords to get data on prospective students and attempt to sell it back to them for the sticker price of $3,800. The schools affected were Oberlin College in Ohio, Grinnell College in Iowa and Hamilton College in NY. (11:30) We are in Chapter 65 of 171 Answers and Mark is sharing his sound advice for your child's letters of recommendation. Mark and Anika discuss who you should ask and why should ask to write these letters. They also talk about how you should ask. Mark shares an inside tip of what to do to make certain things you were involved in stand out. Anika asks if colleges tell you what they are looking for and Mark answers that question. Mark shares a quote from Princeton Dean of admissions where she puts teacher recommendations right on par with the transcript in terms of the value they have in helping a college make a sound admission decision. (43:48) This week's question is from Daniel from Elkridge Maryland and he wants to know how to factor in a university's honors college when categorizing the schools on his child's list. Mark explains how applying to an Honors college is a total Game Changer when it comes to building a balanced college list. Mark and Anika proceed to talk a lot about Honors college and Mark shares his view that from a "value standpoint" they are as good an educational bargain as you will find. Mark explains why he is so bullish about Honors colleges and they focus on some of the unique features that the University of Maryland's honors college. (60:13) Mark's interview this week is with Chris Carlton, Founder of StudyAbroadsmarter.com and they are in Part I of "The Value of Studying Abroad". Chris shares his story in the first part of a three-part interview with Chris. Studying abroad transformed Chris life and he wants to get the word out to everyone about how it can do the same things for them. (69:43) Mark's recommended resource of the week is an article on the MIT website entitled, "How to write good recommendation letters" Mark is extremely enthusiastic about this article and he encourages every college counselor, teacher, educator, parent and student to read it. https://mitadmissions.org/apply/parents-educators/writingrecs/. Mark will be doing three one hour "free webinars" on May 8th, June 11th and July 11th for Revolution Prep, a leading test prep company. The topics of the webinars are, "Getting in and Getting Money", "What is Demonstrated Interest and how do colleges use DI when making admission decisions" and "How to excel when writing "College-Specific-Essays. To sign up, use the following link: https://www.revolutionprep.com/webinars/ Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 64: The Importance of College Specific Essays Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (6:04) In this week's news, a Hechinger Report article "Embattled colleges focus on an obvious fix-helping students graduate on time", by Jon Marcus. While most students expect to earn degrees in 4 years, fewer than half actually do. Marcus outlines the reasons why students are not graduating within 4 years – beyond financial reasons; what institutions are doing to address the issue, and why. (22:36) We are in Chapter 64 of 171 Answers and we're talking about what admissions counselors look for in college specific essays. Mark and Anika have a discussion about why these college-specific essays and short answer questions are so important. Mark feels compelled to include a bonus section because this is our last discussion on college essays in our book chapter discussion portion of our podcast. We also discuss more than ten topics that students need to be very careful about, should they chose to write on these subjects. Mark shares how these controversial topics can lead a student to be seen as unlikeable in the eyes of the admission counselor. Mark explains the paramount importance of likeability. The other danger with these topics is that they run the risk of having the admission officer feel a lot of strong negative emotions. This discussion reveals how human and even subjective the process is with holistic admissions. (53:48) This week's question asks about the new no-enrollment online options for college courses. Mark and Anika discuss what these programs are and who they are good for. We also discuss how they differ from traditional residential education for new high school graduates. (62:49) Mark concludes his interview with Anne Jean, a senior at Georgia State University, in the final part of 'How to know if you are on the right career path'. Anne addressed what she did in high school to confirm that she is on the right career path, but in our final part, Anne discusses what she did in college to confirm that she is on the right career path. (73:58) Mark's recommended resource of the week is a great blog article that will help any student with the famous, "Why us" essay. The blog article shows a few examples of very good "Why Us" essays for the University of Michigan and Tufts University. There are also some great other tips for these "College-Specific" essays. https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/why-this-college-essay. Mark will be doing three one hour free webinars, including one on college-specific essays, to sign up, use the following link: https://www.revolutionprep.com/webinars/ Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 63: Choosing the Right Prompt for Your Essay Apr 11, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (2:39) In this week's news, a Hollywood Reporter article "6 Tips From College Admissions Pros on Standing Out, by Margaret Loftus of US News. The author lists tips ranging from social media advice to building your academic strengths and recommendations. (21:59)We are in Chapter 63 of 171 Answers and we're talking about how to choose the essay prompt for your personal essay. (33:58) This week's question asks how to calculate a grade point average (GPA) when it is not listed on the transcript. (51:08) Mark is interviewing another student! Ms. Anne Jean, a senior at Georgia State in Part I of 2, 'How to know if you are on the right career path'. (58:05) Mark's recommended resource of the week is another great resource by Prep Scholar; it is their article on how to calculate your Weighted GPA: https://blog.prepscholar.com/weighted-gpa-calculator Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 62: The Biggest Mistakes in Personal Essays Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (3:40)In this week's news, a Hollywood Reporter article"Everybody'sDoing It": Cheating Scandal Shows How Privileged Kids FakeDisability", byScott Johnson and Peter Kiefer.According to parents and counselors, it's common practice for parents at elite schools to pay for a doctor's diagnosis that allows their children extra test-taking time, whether or not they need it. Unfortunately, this practice has been found to be largely exploited by wealthy families. (15:11)We are inChapter 62of 171 Answers and we're talking about the biggest mistakes applicants make with their personal essays. Mark shares what he does when he visits a college (40:36) Mark concludes his interview with Susan Tree, former AdmissionsCounselor at Bates College and former Director of CollegeCounseling at West town, in PartIV:Writing the Personal Essay:Don't miss your opportunity to fill in the gaps and bring yourself to life (53:46) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the portion of theJohn Hopkins website where they discuss "real essays that worked with the john Hopkins admissions review.. Here is the link:https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/ Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 61: What Admissions Counselors Look for in Personal Essays Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (2:56) In this week's news,a Vox. com article"What the college admissions scandal reveals about the psychology of wealth in America", by Anna North.When the Department of Justice revealed that dozens of people were accused of bribery and lying so their kids could get into elite colleges,one question kept coming up: why?North suggests that this scandal could cause people to reevaluate their beliefs about wealth and success, as Americans realize how rich people can buy things. (23:10) We are in Chapter 61 of 171 Answers and we're talking about what college admission counselors look for in a personal statement or main essay.We tried to coordinate our book chapter discussion with our interview this time as our interview will also look at this same topic (32:59) This week's question is from a mom who wants to know how to help her child make their final decision on which college to attend.Julie from Lakewood, Tennessee asked this question but two others also sent in this same question (46:03) Mark continues his interview with Susan Tree,former Admissions Counselor at Bates College and former Director of College Counseling at Westtown, in Part III:Writing the Persona Essay: Don't miss your opportunity to fill in the gaps and bring yourself to life (67:36) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the book, "On writing the college admissions essay, 25th anniversary edition,the Key to Acceptance" by Harry Bauld Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 60: How Colleges View Homeschooled Applicants Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (3:25) In this week's news, a Boston Globe article "A catalog of wealth and privilege: Feds allege college bribery scam", by Travis Andersen, John R. Ellement and Deirdre Fernandes. In what authorities are calling the largest college admissions scam ever – 33 parents and a California businessman named William Singer bribed school officials at elite colleges to get kids accepted. Singer plead guilty in US District Court in Boston to four felony counts of conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice. (31:11) We are in chapter 60 of 171 Answers and we're talking through how college view homeschooled applicants. (42:05) This week's question is from a mom who wants to know how work the admissions process as an American expat in Madrid Spain. (50:33) Mark continues his interview with Susan Tree, former Admissions Counselor at Bates College and former Director of College Counseling at Westtown, in Part II: Writing the Personal Essay: Don't miss your opportunity to fill in the gaps and bring yourself to life. (68:01) Mark's recommended resource of the week is the website, collegeessayguy.com and the book, "College Essay Essentials" He also recommends you read the article, "The Real College Admissions Scandal is what's legal". This is a Vox article. Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

YCBK 59: Social Media Presence in the Admissions Process Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

In this episode you will hear: (3:30) In this week's news, an Inside Higher article "Liberal Arts College Mega Mergers", by John Kroger. We often hear of liberal arts colleges closing their doors or cutting faculty and programs. Kroger walks through the options that these schools should consider and points out the 3 main reasons they are finding themselves in danger: they lack a great location, have small endowments, and/or don't have a national reputation. (19:08) We are in chapter 59 of 171 Answers and we're talking through what your child needs to consider about their social media presence while going through the admissions process. (33:06) This week's question is from a mom who wants to know how her daughter can stand out in the admissions process, after taking a gap year. (44:34) Mark interviews Ms. Susan Tree this week. She is the former Admissions Counselor at Bates College and former Director of College Counseling at Westtown and their conversation is: Writing the Personal Essay: Don't miss your opportunity to fill in the gaps and bring yourself to life (Part 1). (54:32) Mark's recommended resource of the week is Rachel Tour's book, "Write your way in", and the subtitle is, "Crafting an Unforgettable College Admission Essay". Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to questions@yourcollegeboundkid.com 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 171answers.com and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers.

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