Application to Admission

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who celebrates it! This week's episode features Melissa James, a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Global Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley. She is a mother of three boys and is recognized as one of the most powerful women on Wall Street. Melissa's perspective on redefining success is invaluable, as she is always analyzing and sharing practical advic...

Well-informed and compassionate are only words to describe the way Yetunde Daniels-Rubinstein moves within the world. As a seasoned college counselor and mother of teenage daughters, she knows what it takes to approach the college process with ambition and grace.  A Bucknell University grad, she’s a former college athlete, independent school educator, college counseling instructor for aspiring cou...

From our March 2024 SXSW presentation, Redefining Success in a Changing Higher Education Landscape we’re thrilled to share this recording. It’s the story of the birth of our book, The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting, and Race, and the mission we’re committed to leading in evolving college admissions landscape.

Our mission is to close the information gap and support students and families as they prepare for the college admissions process. Sometimes our own resources do not address the needs of everyone, hence why we need help. Since we cannot do this alone, and we’re grateful for educators and allies like disabilities and accommodations expert, Elizabeth Hamblet.   Wondering what happens for students wit...

It’s that time of year again! It’s our 3rd annual Junior Year To Do episode! We are honored to have counselor extraordinaire, Keeon Gregory, share his insights from 30 years in the college admissions profession. We talk about testing, visits, parent and student expectations, essays and all things you need to know. Folks, this is what an excellent and experienced school counselor looks like. A pass...

College access is a popular trope these days. Some organizations mean and do well and others just exist. One of the standout community-based organizations is AKcess Granted, LLC, led by Founder Kissena Frazier, MSW. With over a decade of experience in the field of social work in many capacities, she is a higher-ed professional, first-gen grad and parent. Kissena recognized that students of histori...

This is what educational leadership looks like. As a fourth-generation educator and DEIJ practitioner and strategist, Danica Tisdale Fisher is fascinating. With over 15 years of experience in the development and oversight of academic programs, policies, and initiatives in higher education and independent schools, she currently serve as Dean of Inclusion and Belonging at St. Andrew's School in...

Organizations rise and fall on the strength of leadership.  Fortunate for the school counselors, college admissions professionals and other educators affiliated with the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) , we have Dr. Angel Perez.  His story is too extraordinary to capture in a podcast bio. Just know that he has been a supernova in our industry for 25+ years. As the cur...

Parenting website juggernaut Grown and Flown is a household name. With almost 300K dedicated parents in their private Facebook group and over 700K instagram followers, founders Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington have created a community for parents where vulnerability and veracity reign. Add their commitment to having college admissions veterans contribute critical and insightful advice to th...

Did you know that many (most) HBCUs were founded by white people? If that’s not a surprise, good, because despite the name, Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a long history of enrolling and embracing non-Black students. Now, in 2023, we welcome another white person who champions the cause of HBCUs. Meet George Sedberry Jr. Just listen to his story and be inspired by his fascination...

Want to know how to write an awesome college essay? Listen to Shereem.  Want to know how admissions offices read college essays? Listen to Tim.  Thankfully you can do both by listening to the Application to Admission Podcast!!!! The power of college essay writing is more important than ever. Whether it’s because of test-optional policies or the end of affirmative action for race conscious admissio...

Perspective is everything. The more we live, the more we learn. The ultimate goal for many is to grow, share and lead. Dr. Greg Ellison does just that. An Atlanta native, Ellison is associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology where he earned his undergraduate degree and later a Ph. D. degrees in pastoral theology from Princeton Theological S...

The better question is “do the college rankings consider Black families……” Regardless, affluent college educated Black families have very strong feelings about what kinds of colleges their children should attend and why. Does it have to be an Ivy or Ivy-adjacent school? Does the PWI have to have a certain percentage of Black students? Are my children “Black enough” to attend an HBCU?!!!   These ar...

Money matters in college admissions. We want everyone to prioritize cost when searching for and applying to schools. We’re big believers in HBCUS too, so when you combine the two - scholarships and HBCUs - there’s only one name in 2023 that rings as the ultimate resource for students and parents: Paula Dofat. As the leading voice on IG with her @hbcumoneyguide , Paula prides herself on offering “f...

Leadership is not easy. It demands patience, conviction and transparency. In the profession of college admissions and college admissions counseling, it’s imperative that we have leaders who are true to themselves and committed to the young people who will lead in the future.   Vern Granger holds the respect of thousands of individuals who work in college admission and school counseling. Many of us...

If you have a student athlete in your home, you’re going to want to hear this. This former Olympian and NFL wide receiver has some gems for you.   We all know college and sports work in tandem in our culture and with the recent success and impact of one famous Black football coach in particular, we need to continue to pour into our young men and women to make sure they survey all athletic options....

“A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” - United Negro College Fund We are not well. Never have been and maybe never will be. PTSD from a variety of places can obstruct our progress or we can seek help, heal and move in our purpose.  Dr. Bianca Busch helps students and families to do just that. As the “College Psychiatrist” (yes, that’s her website and IG) she is passionate about tending to those i...

When you’re a mom of 4, Princeton grad, writer extraordinaire, and college counseling aficionado, what more is there to say???!! Alison Slater Tate is a respected and appreciated college admissions professional who is as knowledgeable about the process as anyone in the profession.  Why? Because she consistently researches and writes about it while serving as the Director of College Counseling at L...

Leaders are not born, they’re made. In college admissions, you have to pay your dues as a newbie in the field, earn your stripes on the road and eventually ascend to where your word is respected and the impact on students and families is vast. Ken Anselment has an undeniable moxy and mastery within the college admissions profession that few have. With the highest rated college admissions podcast (...

Few people on our planet are as scientifically sharp as Stephanie Espy. STEM specialist and entrepreneur extraordinaire, she is author of STEM Gems which gives girls and young women role models in STEM and opens their eyes to a world of opportunity. Trained as a chemical engineer at MIT (with a masters from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Emory) the most important role of her life is as a mom. And by...

It’s 2023, yet it eerily feels like 1963. At the behest of a 6-3 vote by the Supreme Court last week, higher education, decades of diversity initiatives and most importantly, our students and their access to selective admission to PWI colleges just took a major blow. The news is still swirling, no concrete action plan has been implemented to combat this and many people are just frustrated, dismaye...

The Chief Experience Officer of an organization is a big title, but when you’re overseeing just under 30K college admissions and college counseling professionals (NACAC)  National Association for College Admission Counseling  who are committed to students, education and access, the stakes are greater. With a steady smile and an unwavering sense of purpose,  Shantel Goodman-Luckett, MBA  accepts th...

Leading by example is easy to say but harder to do. Wanting others to see, understand and embrace a vision that can help thousands or millions of young people is a Herculean undertaking. Yet, someone has to do it. Professor Curtis Valentine is may be the millennial Benjamin E. Mays, W.E.B. DuBois or Carter G. Woodson. Big names with big shoulders, yes, but Curtis is up for the task. Consider his M...

While we are all eager to exhale and enjoy the summer, rising seniors must manage their time carefully. Standardized testing may still need to happen, college visits can still happen, and writing essays must happen. Enter college counseling veteran Stacy Richardson and her all-world experience with high school and college students. As the Director of College Counseling at the Potomac School in McL...