Office Hours

In this episode, Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn, Vice President of Scholarship Programs at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, walks through the Foundation's three scholarship programs, including the Cooke Young Scholars Program, the Cooke College Scholarship Program, and the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Natalie also pulls back the curtain on what the Foundation looks for in applicants, why ge...

In this episode, Joan Liu, founder of Second Chance, shares the origin story behind her nonprofit, which began as a crisis response when 60 Nepali students had their full-ride scholarships revoked after April 1st and has since grown into a program that helps high-achieving, low-income international students find full scholarship seats around the world after the US admissions cycle closes. Joan pul...

In this episode, Mike Drish, Executive Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University, draws on a career spanning public universities, private institutions, and everything in between to break down what holistic admissions really means in practice. Mike explains how context shapes every admissions decision, including how Vanderbilt's participation in the Common App Student Context Pilot helped the...

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Williams, Senior Director of Scholarships and Enrichment Programs at the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, pulls back the curtain on one of the most prestigious scholarship programs in the country and immediately challenges the assumptions students make about who gets in. Jamie explains what the Foundation is actually looking for: not the longest list of accolades or the mo...

About the episode In this episode, Kiya Jones, Director of the Guided Pathway Support Program at the Ron Brown Scholar Program, opens by sharing her own remarkable journey as a first-generation college student who became a Ron Brown Scholar herself. Her story begins with a brochure handed over on a whim and ends with a life-changing moment in Washington D.C.. Kiya brings a uniquely personal perspe...

In this episode, Dr. Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalester College and Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, opens by debunking one of the most persistent myths in higher education: that the sticker price is what families actually pay. With average discount rates approaching sixty percent at private colleges, Brian encourages students and families to look past t...

About the episode In this episode, Martha Kortiak Mert, Chief Operating Officer at Saving for College, breaks down everything families need to know about 529 plans, starting with why getting started early matters more than finding the "perfect" plan. Martha tackles common misconceptions head-on, including the myth that families must use their own state's plan, the confusion around prepaid tuition...

In this episode, Kevin Mathes, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Bucknell University, dives deep into one of the hottest topics in higher education: the role of AI in the college admissions process. Kevin shares how Bucknell became one of the first schools to publish an official AI admissions statement, and walks through the collaborative campus process it took to get there. He explains h...

In this episode, Dr. Jacob Imam, President and founder of the College of St. Joseph the Worker, shares the story behind one of higher education's most unconventional institutions, a rigorous honors-level liberal arts college that also trains students in the skilled trades. Jacob explains his philosophy around the "great divorce between the head and the hands," making the case that intellectual and...

About the episode In this episode, VP for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions at Tulane University Shawn Abbott pulls back the curtain on what makes Tulane a unique institution, from its university-wide admissions model that lets students choose their academic path after arriving, to the Louisiana Promise, a suite of programs designed to make Tulane accessible and affordable for students...

In this episode, Chief Strategy Officer at ReUp Education Scott Lomas joins Will to shed light on one of higher education's most overlooked challenges: the more than 40 million Americans who have started college but never earned a degree. Scott breaks down the scope of the problem, the common barriers and friction points that prevent students from re-enrolling, and why the re-enrollment rate for t...

In this episode, CEO and founder of Niche Luke Skurman shares the origin story of the platform, from its early days as College Prowler publishing physical college guidebooks to becoming one of the most widely used college research tools in the country. Luke explains how a frustrating college search experience of his own inspired him to build a resource centered on student life and user-generated c...

In this special episode, co-founders of Scholarships360 Will Geiger and Brian Geiger share the origins of the platform and offer practical advice for students navigating college admissions and scholarship applications. As first-generation college students themselves, both brothers found that clear, accessible resources were hard to come by, and built Scholarships360 to fill that gap. Will and Bria...

In this episode, Vice President of Enrollment Management at the University of Vermont Dr. Jay Jacobs breaks down some of the misconceptions students have about the University of Vermont, and what makes this school a great place for both in-state and out-of-state students. He specifically highlights their financial aid options, retention rates, and exciting programs the university offers. Dr. Jacob...

In this episode, Brian Matzke, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Aquinas College reaffirms the purpose of admissions counselors; to help students find the best possible fit for college. He encourages students to visit schools and pursue classes and topics that interest them. Brian also dives deeper into the culture of Aquinas college, the four pillars of the Catholic Dominican tradition,...

In this episode, University Dean and Director of Admissions at the University of Austin Ben Crocker dives into the formation and ethos of the University of Austin, and what makes this institution different from traditional higher education models. He starts by talking about the university's mission, which is to re-center teaching in the American education system and fix the broken financial model...

In this episode of Office Hours, Andrew Linnehan, Former Senior Associate Director of Admission & Former Director of Communication and Audience Engagement at Northwestern University, stresses the importance of students choosing a college that is right for them. He goes into detail about the factors students should consider when choosing a college, along with strategies that allow students to d...

In this episode, Chief Enrollment Officer at Adelphi University, Shawana Singletary, shares some great advice for high school students and families about actions they can take before senior year to start preparing for applying to colleges. She also breaks down the misconception that students coming into college should have their whole career figured out. Instead she encourages students to come in...

In this episode, Dr. Angel Pérez, CEO of NACAC, gives his perspective on the shifting trends in higher education following the pandemic, including how the current political landscape is affecting both cost and admissions. One of these trends is Direct Admissions, which is a new admissions process many schools are adopting that can be advantageous to students and families. Dr. Pérez also touches on...

About this episode In this week's episode, Justin Draeger, the Senior Vice President for Affordability at Strada Education Foundation and a longtime former leader in the financial aid community, breaks down some myths surrounding net price and the price students pay. He also describes how student loans can be a useful tool as long as students and families apply guardrails. He says that loans are n...

About this episode In this episode, Dr. Aarti Dhupelia explains that community college is an affordable, local, and career-aligned path that can deliver some of the highest return-on-investment outcomes in higher education. She makes the case that community college should be seen as a bold first choice for many students. They stay closely connected to local employers, offer flexible schedules for...

In this episode, Matt Carpenter, the cofounder of College Aid Pro, guides students through the process of appealing financial aid offers, advises parents who feel they have fallen behind in the admissions process, and describes the transparency issue in college pricing today. He goes into detail about the many advantages of college, both personal and professional, and describes the effects of the...

About the episode In this episode, Dana Stephenson, the co-founder and CEO of Riipen , offers a comprehensive framework for how education can shift to set students up for stronger careers. He makes the case that the classroom and on-the-job learning should be united, not separated, and offers several ways to implement this. He describes how part-time or remote work can be incorporated into a stude...

About this episode On this week's episode, Jeff Mavros, the Director of Admissions at Illinois State University , discusses what parents and students get tripped up on when it comes to college shopping. He suggests reframing affordability as managing the cost of college via smart planning, budgeting, and understanding how much each family can feel comfortable paying and borrowing. He also explains...

In this episode, Bill DeBaun, the Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives at NCAN, pushes for new ways to define college value. He describes flaws in the current college rankings systems and encourages students to look beyond prestige to find their ideal fit. He also promotes alternative pathways to higher education, stressing the importance of a post-secondary education, whether it's a...