College Matters. Alma Matters.

Sandra got her start in College Counseling when Seattle Prep changed direction to become a 4-year High School Program in the late ‘80s. She was part of the team that began offering a program to prepare their students for college. Today, she is the Director of College Counseling at the school. On our podcast, Sandra shares her background, her counseling approach, changes over the decades, managing...

In High School, Ian was deep into Math, Science and Technology. He did AP courses,  and also Engaged in creative and research projects. He was a member of the school’s baseball varsity team. And when time came for college, he wanted one close to home with good Science programs. Ian joins our podcast to share his undergraduate Honors College journey at Oakland University, about being a student...

Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: High School Ranking Relevance in Admissions  [] Waiving Enrollment Deposit [] Slashing Tuition By Half [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Valley Californi...

Nathan lives with a rare neurological diagnosis. In his upper class in high school, he started getting involved with the community, focusing on how to be compassionate towards people with disabilities. Nathan joins our podcast to share his experiences on his undergraduate college journey at MassBay Community College & Merrimack, on Founding a Scholarship, and his Advice for High School Student...

According to Rohan Pasari, CEO of Cialfo, while some schools have College Counselors on their staff, globally around 95% of the students do not have access to dedicated counselors . As high schoolers and their parents start to seriously think about college in their sophomore years, one of the important resources they start to look for is a College Counselor . Athena Lao walks us through the Things...

When Prof. Chiang started doing research as an undergraduate, she found she had lots of questions. They were good questions. And when the Graduate Assistants couldn’t answer her questions, they told her she should go to graduate school. Today, Prof. Chiang runs a UG Lab in Social Emotional Development and is on the Advisory Board of the Mentored UG Research and Creative Endeavors program.  Pr...

Prof. Jenemann did not grow up dreaming of being the Dean of an Honors College. He didn’t think he’d be working with such extraordinary people either.  Today, he is the Dean of University of Vermont Honors College -  which traces its model to the philosopher, education reformer & an 1879 graduate of UVM, John Dewey. In this podcast, Dean Jenemann introduces the UVM Honors College, Hi...

Tim discovered undergraduate research as a student at Oklahoma State University when a peer introduced him to this idea of partnering with Faculty and doing research. Tim graduated with 3 different UG degrees -  in English, History and Political Science, each one with a thesis project. Today, Tim champions and coordinates UG Research at the U of Colorado, Boulder. On our podcast, Tim O’Neil t...

Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: Gap Year Preparation  [] Juniors College Prep During Winter Break [] Preparing for Digital SAT Exam [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California....

Prof. Niels Christensen’s first experience with Honors College was as a faculty member at San Diego State University and was randomly assigned to teach the Honors Introductory Psychology course. Prof. Christensen loved teaching these engaged, interesting students so much that he asked the Dept Chair if he could teach this honors class again. His Dept Chair asked him to get in line! Today, Prof. Ch...

Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: International Enrollments Rise  [] More US Colleges Offer Direct Admissions [] Top Law Schools Leave US News Ranking [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Va...

When Prof. Coleman was in college, she got to know a close friend’s parents, who were University Professors. She really liked the life they were leading. She wanted to emulate them. They advised her to find a “rock star” Professor whose class she really liked, and ask to do research in their lab. She did. That UG Research started her off into a decades-long journey into academia and research. Prof...

When Herb was in High School, he wanted to be an architect, though he didn’t quite know what it was. After High School he went to college, but dropped out after 2 years. After working in retail for a number of years, he went back to college to pursue Architecture. In this podcast, Herb shares his College Journey, Career Flow, About US Colleges, Exploring Colleges, Majors,  Impact of College a...

In High School Ian was constantly exploring. He took a number of different classes to figure out what he liked and didn’t like. He loved Math, French. He enjoyed being part of the crew in Theater. He was involved in the Orchestra. When he was applying to college, he didn’t even know that Research was a thing! Ian joins our podcast to share his undergraduate college journey at Grand Valley, his UG...

Prof. Fernandes’ journey into research, took flight while studying Fruit Flies as part of her PhD. It brought excitement and enthusiasm to her graduate program as she created new knowledge But, her first encounter with UG Research occurred when she joined the Faculty at Miami University. Now, she is the Director of Undergraduate Research at Miami University in Ohio. On our podcast, Prof. Fernandes...

Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: Enrollment Drop is Letting up  [] These Colleges Look for Test Scores [] 6 Ways for Your College Application to Stand Out [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silic...

20 years after high school, Stacy started at MassBay Community College. She decided to study science. The transition to college was hard, especially while managing a family with two very young children. Stacy joins our podcast to share her undergraduate experiences, UG Research experiences at MassBay Community College and UMass Boston, and winning the Goldwater Scholarship. In particular, we discu...

In high school, Holden’s passion for cooking landed him on a TV Show called Man versus Child: Chef Showdown as a child chef . Naturally, when time came for college, he wanted to go where he could build on his love for food. Holden joins us on our podcast to share his unusual undergraduate experience at Tufts, The Coke Scholarship, Pursuing his passion for food, and Advice for high schoolers. #Coke...

International students typically apply to colleges and universities in 2-3 destination countries - each with their unique requirements and process.  This results in a lot of separate series of steps across portals, not just for the students, but for the entire ecosystem of counselors, teachers, recommenders and schools. Cialfo has a solution: Direct Apply - a one-stop application for internat...

In 1977, Oakland University Honors College opened its doors. Prof. Graeme Harper joined as the Dean of the Honors College in 2011. At the time there were around 400 students. Today, it has grown to over 2000 students across majors. In this podcast, Dean Harper tells us, What is an Honors College?, It's Origins, Introduces Oakland University Honors College, Its Distinctive Programs, What they look...

Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: Class of 2022 has the Lowest ACT Scores   [] SAT Or NOT? [] Common FAFSA Mistakes [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred...

Kevin fell in love with Physics in High School. Space intrigued him to the extent that he entertained thoughts of being an astronaut. But above all, he loved teaching.  So, when time came for college, Kevin looked for schools that would help him be a High School Physics Teacher. Today, he is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. Kevin  joins our pod...

As undergraduate students at Radford University in Virginia, Jenny Davis and James Chouinard found themselves doing community-based research at the Women’s Resource Center. They were excited and enthusiastic about the research and in doing so learned the research process. Today Drs. Davis and Chouinard are with the School of Sociology at ANU and nurturing Faculty Mentors. Drs. Davis & Chouinar...

Almost half the college applicants cite college cost as a huge factor in college selection.  In this Podcast, Ben Stern of IvyAchievement shares his expertise in Factoring Finances while Building College Lists, Figuring out College ROI, and the Impact of Applying for Financial Aid on Admissions. Topics discussed in this episode: Introduction to Ben Stern [0:51] College Selection with Finances...

Sophia’s immediate family members have a neurological condition which motivated her to want to go to Medical School. When time came for college, Sophia decided to go to Pasadena City College for financial reasons. Sophia joins our podcast to share her undergraduate college journey, UG Research at Pasadena City College and UC San Diego, About winning the Goldwater Scholarship, and her advice for hi...