College App 101

College App 101 helps college bound students achieve academic success in high school and produce compelling, competitive college applications as a senior. To inspire students, Dr. Riley regularly hosts current and former students from his career in academic advising. Today's episode features an interview between Dr. Riley and a graduate from the class of 2024. They discuss several topics, inc...

When a college bound high school student knows her gifts and talents, she chooses a college major and career path on the basis of her gifts. Doing so leads to a more satisfying, fulfilling, and fun experience in college and career. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his typical stories and anecdotes to explain the importance of understanding gifts and talents for college and...

To achieve academic success and submit excellent college apps, every college bound student should cultivate mental strength. It enables a student to write well, deal with demanding teachers, sit through boring tests, and more. Unfortunately, many habits, often within the entertainment domain, undermine a student's mental strength. In this episode, which is the second and final part of a two-p...

College admissions offices do all they can to ensure their freshman classes transition seamlessly from high school senior year to college freshman year. Yet, each spring, college bound high school seniors and their families drop a ball or two. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his typical anecdotes and illustrations to explain a number of steps college bound seniors need to...

Mental strength is an attribute that every college bound student should cultivate. It enables a student to avoid distractions, focus on school work, sit through multi-hour tests, and more. Unfortunately, many habits, common to high school students, undermine a student's mental strength. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his typical anecdotes and stories to explain the i...

The admissions essay is an opportunity for a college bound high school student to explain a personal virtue or attribute: generosity, grit, affability, work ethic. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his characteristic anecdotes and stories to explain the importance of personal commitment in college admissions.

Many college applications require applicants to select an intended college major like Engineering, Business, or Biology. Ideally, applicants have discussed potential majors with others well before applying to college during senior year fall semester. How does a student explore college majors during freshman through junior years? With his usual anecdotes and stories, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.c...

Every high school semester is important. Spring semester junior year has special importance for creating a college list and looking ahead to applying to college later in the year. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his typical anecdotes and stories to illustrate this topic.

There is appeal to choosing a college major that will lead to a lucrative career. Indeed, life is expensive. This holiday episode of College App 101 takes up this and related topics. With his typical anecdotes and illustrations, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) addresses the benefits of getting rich.

When students apply to college, they need to impress the admissions committee at their prospective college. Admissions counselors constitute this committee. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) interviews a college admissions counselor. The topics of the discussion include the specific academic characteristics that college admission recruiters seek, habits college bound high school...

Colleges want to admit intellectually curious students, who love to learn. This attribute is inborn in some students. It needs to be developed in others. In today’s podcast, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses how to develop a love for learning, by explaining the importance of November 22 in history. Indeed, today, Wednesday, November 22, 2023 is the anniversary of significant world event...

A recent article, by Francie Diep and Brian O'Leary, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, has the title "How Much Money Should You Borrow for a College Education?" With his typical illustrations and anecdotes, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses the content of this article and offers action steps to college bound high school students on financial savings to pay for college...

Test taking characterizes the college bound student's high school experience. Tests come in a variety of formats: written, take-home, open note, oral, closed note, standardized, and so forth. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) uses his characteristic illustrations to offer practical strategies for success on tests. 

An academically elite program, College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum has dozens of college level courses that come with the opportunity for college bound high school students to earn college credit in high school. In the present episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) interviews an AP Scholar. Topics in this episode include tips on preparing for May's AP exams, strengthe...

In a few days, the calendar will turn from September to October. October is PSAT month, when many schools offer the Preliminary SAT (or PSAT) to their students. The PSAT is a great way for college bound high school students to prepare for the SAT. And, for eleventh graders, the junior year PSAT is also the National Merit Scholarship® competition. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com)...

This fall's FAFSA (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is significantly different from previous years. Typically, the FAFSA opens on October 1. But due to a major redesign, the U.S. Department of Education estimates the opening will be in December. As soon as the FAFSA opens, college bound seniors and parents/guardians should plan to complete and submit it. Put simply: the FAFSA is...

In a recent College App 101 episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) discusses the most important part of a college application, which is a high school student's GPA. The present episode takes up the topic of the second most important component of an application, which Dr. Riley suggests is the admissions essay. Portions of this episode were published originally in October 2022. But the in...

A student's college application could be compared to a pie. There are several pieces in the college application pie: transcript, resume, essay(s). But the largest piece is the student's GPA (Grade Point Average). The beginning of a school year is a great time to revisit this most important component of a college application. With his typical anecdotes and illustrations, Dr. Riley (from c...

In a few short days, many college application platforms will begin accepting applications for Fall 2024 admission. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) provides some final encouragement to college-bound seniors before these platforms open. Topics include the importance of being proactive, a student's personal organization, investing time with like-minded college-bound seniors,...

College App 101 helps college-bound students achieve academic success in high school and produce compelling, competitive college applications as a senior. A student’s extracurricular activities throughout high school enhance their college apps in a variety of ways. Today's episode features an interview between Dr. Riley and a very high achieving high school graduate. They discuss several topi...

A National Merit® Scholarship is arguably the most prestigious academic award for a high school student. Seniors win National Merit Scholarships. But the competition occurs during junior year, when juniors take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (also known as the PSAT/NMSQT®). While the PSAT has largely been unchanged for several years, the October 2023 PSAT will look...

The college bound student’s principal academic goal is winning admission to their desired colleges during senior year. This objective is fulfilled by earning the right grades and participating in the right activities throughout high school. In this episode, Dr. Riley (from collegeapp101.com) explains some practical tips on general high school success drawn from his experience teaching in grammar s...

The admissions essay is a very, very important component a senior's college application and goes a long way in helping an admissions committee get to know an applicant as a person, not just a student. Now is the time for current juniors (members of the high school class of 2024) to devote time to thinking about their admissions essay and the story they want to tell in their essay. In this epi...

A college bound high school student has several guides on the path toward higher education: members of their high school faculty and staff, mentors in the community, parents, older siblings, who are already enrolled in college, etc. Within this constellation of resources, a parent deserves special attention, because a parent has known their student for the student's entire life and, therefore...

As senior year winds down, a college bound senior needs to focus on exiting high school gracefully and entering higher education successfully. To ensure a seamless transition, there are several steps that a senior and their family should plan for and take. These steps include requesting the final high school transcript, meeting with a college academic adviser, and more. In this episode, Dr. Riley...