College and Career Clarity

In this episode of College & Career Clarity, Natalie Schwartzkopf, a former student of mine who’s pursuing a chemical engineering bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton, shares her success story. She shares invaluable insights and encouragement on how to overcome obstacles while inspiring others with her journey to college major-career clarity and successful college career. EPISODE NO...

College truly is an investment, often at least one of hundred thousand dollars and sometimes quite a bit more. As a parent, you’re willing to help your teen with this investment because you know college can set them on the path toward a successful, independent, happy adult life. A significant part of that happiness is finding the right college major that leads to a best-fit career path. In this we...

EPISODE SUMMARY Before you head into what is likely to be a six figure investment into your child’s future, you’ll want to catch this episode with Dr. Abigail Sussman, professor at the University of Chicago, as she shares with us some of her knowledge about the psychology of money. She has some great advice on how to think about paying for college so you can avoid busting the budget and going into...

EPISODE SUMMARY My guest today is Grace Yi, who recently completed her freshman year at Boston College. During high school, Grace had a lot of stress and anxiety when it came to assessing her social fit on campus and where she should apply. In this episode, she shares how she overcame her doubts and offers advice and encouragement for you and your teen. This episode is the second of a four-part se...

EPISODE SUMMARY The Four Pillars of Building a College List kicks off with finding a school with a good academic fit. In this episode, I sat down with Cyndy McDonald, a highly connected independent college counselor, to discuss how students can ensure they find the right fit before applying to college. Cyndy talked about ensuring a student gets admitted because, without that, the rest of the pilla...

Today, we’re kicking off our August series by speaking with Kirsten Parker about how to create a solid framework for decision-making so you and your teen can move forward with confidence during the often stressful college-bound journey. EPISODE NOTES  I’ve never done a series on the podcast before, and I’m excited my very first is focused on how to build a college list so that you know where your...

Episode Summary Time is your and your teen’s most valuable asset. Eventually, your teen will share on college applications how they spend their time outside of the classroom. And how that time is invested impacts if they get admitted. This solo episode is all about extracurriculars that eventually land in the Activities section of their Common Application going to the colleges. Which ones are the...

EPISODE SUMMARY Do you know the difference between engineering science and engineering technology? Are you aware of the variety of majors and careers available in these fields? What kind of GPA is required to qualify for these often competitive programs? Dr. Matt Franchetti joins the podcast to answer these questions for us and more, as he shares his insight and experience as Associate Dean of the...

Episode Summary In this episode, I’m doing something a little different and going solo! We need to be intentional when it comes to planning for the future with our college-bound kiddos. I’ll be sharing lots of ideas and resources for how to get it all done, even and especially when life gets overwhelming. By the end of this episode, you’ll be ready to sit down as a family and not just identify wha...

Episode Summary In this episode, I’m talking with Sophia Chabris about an extracurricular project she created while still a sophomore at Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Now a graduate, she is headed to Boston University in the fall with a clearer vision of who she is and where she’s headed. I hope that when you hear her story, you and your teen will be inspired to create something tha...

Episode Summary In this episode, Mandy Fontaine, former collegiate athlete and licensed school counselor, talks about the importance of a growth mindset and how understanding what a developing brain can and can’t do can significantly improve your teen’s success. She uses her training and experience to coach and educate teens about personal development and fostering the right mindset. Episode Notes...

EPISODE SUMMARY Today, Michelle McInerney, “The College Spy,” and an independent educational consultant, talks about making the most of your prospective college student’s campus visit. She’s visits over 40 campuses each year doing in-depth reconnaissance so that she can pass on that knowledge and help students before, during, and after their college tour.  EPISODE NOTES There are so many options w...

We know that finding the academic and financial fit for colleges to go along with your career goals is challenging enough. And for student athletes who are considering playing in college, there’s another layer of complexity. If your teen is a student athlete, you don’t want to miss my conversation with Katie Anderson who is a private college counselor specializing in student athletes. She shares t...

Have you ever wondered why so many students who major in psychology and intend to work in the field land elsewhere in their career? I noticed this trend when I was recently interviewing candidates to work at my company and the job had nothing to do with psychology! Dr. Robin Arthur joined me on the podcast to not only explore and answer this question but she also shares the challenges and rewards...

Are you worried about the day you drop your teen at college and leave them to “adult” on campus without you?  Dr. Andrea Malkin Brenner, sociologist and co-author of “How To College”, joins Lisa to share insights gained from her decades of work with college students at American University. By starting early while still in high school, her suggestions will help get both you and your student be read...

If you have a soon to be high school senior, it’s college essay time of year! Betsy Cadel joins Lisa to reveal the best way to approach writing college admission essays without the overwhelm. You’ll have her proven timeline to set you up for success and Betsy’s going to tell us what admissions officers are looking for in the essays your student writes for college applications. You’ll learn the wha...

Freshman year for free….what’s the catch? You’ll be delighted to find there’s no catch! Pulitzer Prize winner David Vise shares how Modern States Education Alliance’s free program has saved college students over 75 million dollars in tuition.  Modern States quality courses are taught by college professors and coupled with CLEP exams. David’s asserts this actually an easier path to college credit w...

In this episode, Lisa Marker-Robbins shares helpful ideas for your teen to keep the momentum of their college-bound journey going over the summer while still enjoying some lazy days and much-needed downtime. This episode takes a year-by-year journey. If your student is an upperclassman, don’t fast forward just in case you missed a critical deadline in the past and need to use summer to catch-up. A...

If your teen likes Legos, sketching, or Minecraft, they might consider a career in architecture. In this episode, friends and hosts of the “Open Plan” podcast, Emily Khalid Zand and Maria Pastorelli, are speaking about their paths which crossed while they were pursuing their Master’s of Architecture from Georgia Tech.  They’ll share about the high school experiences that helped them find alignment...

Chariot Learning founder, podcast host, and test prep certification educator Mike Bergin opens up about his unplanned career path. Test prep is an example of an industry that generates billions of dollars a year but it’s not necessarily the career that Mike planned for. In my conversation with Mike, we do some deep thinking about unplanned turns on the career journey. There’s no way anyone can fig...

If your student is considering a future in business this episode is required listening. Linda Abraham leans on her experience advising students since 1994. Business Insider named her the MBA admissions consult “to know if you want to get into a top business school”. You’ll walk away understanding the differences between a business degree in undergrad or earning an MBA or other graduate degrees. An...

If you’ve always subscribed to the rule that students can’t take a year off after high school or they’ll lose interest in college, you might change your mind after listening to this episode. Gap year expert, Holly Bull who is president of The Center for Interim Programs , explains what she calls “Gap Time” and outlines a variety of times and lengths your student may want to consider using an inter...

Secondary education teacher Josh Morgan caught our attention when he posted about looking for female professionals and leaders he could connect with to interview about their successful careers. He had 694 comments to his LinkedIn post that asked for suggestions on who he should interview. At the time of our discussion, Josh has had 57 interviews to date which he is recording for his students learn...

We visit with high school junior Kate Louagie and her Mom, Alyssa, to talk about the opportunities that Kate’s found to explore a future career in photography we get a peek into a real-life student success story. While Mom takes a back seat, Kate explains how she’s using real-world experiences to find clarity on her future path after high school graduation.  Kate shares an experience that resonate...

Sending emails to strangers or acquaitances can feel risky for teens and young adults who aren’t sure what to say or how to say it. Lisa Marker-Robbins pulls a page out of the Launch College & Career Clarity Course to share with parents how you can support your student as they learn how to communicate intelligently, appropriately, and courageously with colleges as well as adults and profession...