College Admissions Decoded

The month of April can be stressful for high school seniors who are making their final decisions about college after four years of classes, extracurricular activities, standardized testing, essay writing, and so on. What should you consider now that you’ve been accepted to college or if you’ve been waitlisted, or even denied, admission? Our guests give their best advice for making good decisions a...

The gap year – that space after high school and before college devoted to experiential learning – can be magical and mystifying. Our guests define the gap year and its many iterations, offer grounded advice for deciding if it’s right for you, and point you to resources that can help you plan and successfully complete the gap year and the subsequent transition to college.  Guests: Jade Domingue, as...

The admissions process is different for college athletes. What do they, and their families, need to know?  When should they get started on their college preparation?  And what should they watch out for in the recruiting process?   Guests: Jennifer “JT” Thomas, who coached at the Division-I collegiate level, Bill Morrison, a college counselor and coach at Highland Park High School in Illinois, and...

College visits are the best way for students to gather information on the schools they are considering. But visits can be a big investment of time and money and, sometimes, it’s hard to avoid the sales pitches and get an accurate picture of a college. The right plan and the right mindset are essential for the visit to be worthwhile. Knowing what questions to ask, and who to ask, is essential.    G...

Beyond grades, test scores, and class rank, what non-academic factors do colleges consider when making decisions on whom to admit? And how should students present their nonacademic selves? We’ll talk about these questions, and discuss college interviews and recommendation letters, too.     Guests: Courtney Vaughn, associate director of college counseling at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Geor...

Creating a college list is both art and science. Our guests recommend first answering some important questions, like: What are my goals? What am I passionate about? Who do I want to be? Then they recommend giving yourself lots of options in terms of size, distance, location, even ‘vibes.’  Guests: DeEnna Wisdom Holohan, founder of Collective Wisdom College Counseling, and Leilani Arita Takayama, a...

When we ask students what part of the application process makes them the most nervous, frequently the answer is the essay. It can make students feel vulnerable and exposed. They wonder how much to reveal about themselves, and what story would be the most effective.  Often, they just want to know what colleges are looking for. Guests: Gabrielle Dorsey, Executive Director, Bridges Educational Consul...

Traditionally, campus visits have played a critical role in helping students figure out which school is right for them. But with coronavirus restrictions keeping many campuses (and families!) on lockdown, how can students get a feel for what life—and learning—looks like at their targeted institutions? Experienced school counselors offer tips for determining the right “fit” from afar.

Four higher education experts share tips and advice for making the right college choice. With Nicole Hurd, founder and CEO of College Advising Corps; Jeff Selingo, education reporter and bestselling author of  Who Gets In and Why ; Tevera Stith, Vice President for KIPP Through College & Career at KIPP DC; and Angel B. Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

In these final weeks of the college admission season, many high school seniors and their families still have important decisions to make. Some are weighing offers of admission from multiple colleges and universities, comparing and contrasting those institutions’ respective communities and course offerings; others are crunching the numbers, taking the measure of potential tuition bills and financia...

Colleges across the country made big changes in their admission requirements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,600 institutions are currently test-optional, meaning students are not required to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications. Transcripts look different, too, especially at schools that have canceled extracurricular activities and moved courses online. How are co...

The coronavirus pandemic has put severe financial strains on US colleges, and on students and their parents as well. As a result, more families need financial aid. Experts talk about applying for assistance, how to read an award letter, how to ask for more if it’s not enough, and other options for students on path to college.

Multiple studies have shown that the coronavirus crisis has made us more depressed, anxious, and stressed. Students are not immune from these effects, particularly when they are juggling other stressors, including the college admission process. Remote learning, physical distancing, and the cancellation of extracurricular activities and other milestone events have only ratcheted up feelings of isol...

Though many of us find a linear path from high school to college, that is not the case for a set of students whose life circumstance, economic realities, and ambitions lead them on slightly different paths to higher education. This episode is all about the late bloomers among us who come at college from a wide range of experiences and with their own unique advantages. College Admissions Decoded is...

Various magazines, websites, and listicles publish their college rankings every year, generating a lot of anxiety from college-bound students and their families. But what are they really telling you? Should these rankings have any influence on what college you choose? And, why do they generate such anxiety?  Our panel of experts from the National Association for College Admission Counseling will t...

So you—or your child—got accepted to college. Congratulations! But now the financial aid award letter arrives. What does it mean? How much aid are you really receiving? What if it’s not enough? Will you have to pay it all back? This discussion aims to clear up some of the many mysteries about financial aid letters. In this episode NACAC’s Mary Stegmeir welcomes three experienced and knowledgeable...

There’s almost too much information available about students finding a college with the right “fit” academically and socially, but what about the right financial fit?  What’s the difference between a college’s “sticker price” and the actual cost of attendance? What kinds of financial assistance are available to students and their families, and from where?  How much debt is okay? And when should fa...

Experts say that as many as 40 percent of today’s students transfer to another institution at least once during their college careers. They choose to transfer in order to lower their college costs, find the right academic program, restart and return to college after a break, and a range of other reasons. Despite transfer’s growing popularity, the process is sometimes difficult because of problems...

The college admission process can be long, bewildering and anxiety-producing for students and their families.  Many are looking for the secret formula for getting admitted to the “right” school where a student can grow, learn and thrive. How does a student find that right school? And what are colleges really looking for in an applicant? What really goes on “behind the curtain” when college admissi...

In this episode, admission experts—from both the high school and college sides of the desk—offer tips to help parents ensure their students remain the focus of the college admission process. The panelists discuss ways parents can help their children not only get into college but through it. Offering empathy and a common-sense approach to applying to college, the panelists share ways parents can be...

At the 2019 NACAC national conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Jabari Sellars, a middle and high school humanities teacher at the Sienna School in Silver Spring, Maryland, spoke of the unique interests and experiences of Gen-Z students, our most diverse generation yet.  He called on college counselors and admission professionals to “fight for what doesn’t fit” in the standard college transcript. H...

In this episode, Jacques Steinberg, a member of the NACAC Board of Directors and the senior vice president for higher education and communications at Say Yes to Education and a former national education correspondent of The New York Times, welcomes Rafael Figueroa, dean of  college guidance at Albuquerque Academy and former admissions officer at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Their candid dis...

In this episode, three admissions leaders talk about the pressures from campus stakeholders; the responsibility to serve families; and how colleges are adapting to the rapid evolution of the prospective college students. David Burge, VP for Enrollment Management at George Mason University, Mary Smith, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Gettysburg College, and Gil J. Villanueva, Associate Vic...

The Varsity Blues college admissions scandal sparked national concern among students, parents and counselors alike as students wondered if their qualifications would be delegitimized as a result. In this episode, we explore the messages the scandal unintentionally sent, and look at ways to assuage worries about getting into college. Incoming NACAC president-elect Jayne Fonash welcomes Sanjay Mitch...

Operation Varsity Blues uncovered a complex bribing and cheating scandal in elite college admissions. Guilty pleas, lawsuits, and a growing cynicism about the college admission process have raised lingering questions about access to higher education in the US. In this episode, Stefanie Niles, current president of NACAC welcomes Angel Perez, vice president of enrollment and student success at Trini...