College Matters. Alma Matters.

The goal of this series is to serve as a Primer for High Schoolers about a College Major, through our conversations with Faculty Experts in the various US Colleges and Universities. We continue this series with Geology, with Prof. Juk Bhattacharyya of UW Whitewater. In particular, we discuss the following with her: What is Geology? Areas of Geology Key Discoveries Skills Needed Career Opportunitie...

Ro grew up watching TV shows like “Bones”, “NCIS” and “Castle” which got her excited about Forensic Science. In High School, Biology & Environmental Science were her favorite subjects. When Ro joined Emory University, she started doing research in her very first semester! Ro joins us on our podcast to share her UG Research experiences, her work in the Ancient DNA Lab, and her undergraduate col...

When Prof. Mendoza was an undergraduate, she felt intimidated by the Faculty. So, when was doing her graduate work, she was intrigued by undergraduate students that would willingly do independent research with Faculty. Prof. Mendoza is the Founding Director of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Michigan. On our podcast, Prof. Mendoza talks about UG Re...

Ethan Hensel was unclear what he really wanted out of college. So he journeyed through 3 different schools and 3 different majors. Britain Meade wasn’t ready to jump into a 4-year degree program after high school, so started with an Associates program. Britain and Ethan join us on our podcast to share their Undergraduate Research experiences and its impact on their college journey at UW Whitewater...

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: Students Want College to be Affordable [] Georgia School Creatively Bucks Drop in Enrollment [] Best Summer Jobs for 2022 [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Va...

Rebecca shares her passion for writing & journalism, her broad range of interests in high school, how she went about her college search process, and her advice to college aspirants. In particular, we discuss the following with her: Who is Rebecca Youngers? High School Interests The Future, Priorities College Process Advice for High Schoolers Topics discussed in this episode: Introducing Rebecc...

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: Unpaid Internships  [] College Tuition Lower than Advertised [] UG Enrollment Down [] Cheapest States for College Education [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Sil...

Tyler jokes that there is no College Major on how to be a College Counselor. His own foray into College Counseling was unplanned. He discovered he loved working with High School kids. Tyler Sant is the Head of College Counseling at Atlanta International School (AIS). On our podcast, Tyler shares his background, his counseling philosophy, working with US and Int’l Colleges, managing expectations, a...

The goal of this series is to serve as a Primer for High Schoolers about a College Major, through our conversations with Faculty Experts in the various US Colleges and Universities. We continue this series with Sociology, with Jeanne Mekolichick, Professor of Sociology at Radford University. In particular, we discuss the following with her: What is Sociology ? Areas of Sociology Research Topics Sk...

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: 39M Students Leave College without a Degree  [] North Carolina plans 2-year Free College [] Easiest Colleges to get into with Smart Applicants [] Int’l Applicants to the UK to rise by...

In high school Maya did a lot of different things including Languages, Theater, Musical Theater, Dance and Cheerleading. Maya was in high school at the time of the Great Recession of ‘08. So, when time came for college, she wanted to  focus on whatever gave her the best chance of getting a job after graduating from college. Maya Brooks is a graduate of New York University with a Bachelor’s de...

In his sophomore year of college, John was losing interest in Physics. Then he stumbled upon UG Research that changed things completely for him. John subsequently went on to get his Phd in Nuclear Physics. Today he is the President of the Goldwater Scholarship and the Excellence in Education Foundation. Set up in 1986 to honor Senator Barry Goldwater’s distinguished public service, the Scholarship...

Colleen went to a high school with about 1000 students in rural Iowa. She rarely interacted with her counselor, given the student volume. Her family, teachers and friends provided her the support and guidance as she mapped out her future Colleen Koppes, College and Career Coordinator at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa. On our podcast, Colleen shares her background, her counseling...

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: Colleges Find Ways to Help with Tuition  [] MSU goes Test Optional [] Berkeley Housing Shortage [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Reso...

While doing her graduate program in Geology, Prof. Bhattacharyya found that Research shaped her understanding of her discipline. While teaching undergraduate classes, she wanted to bring that research experience to undergraduate students. That drew her to UW Whitewater. Prof. Bhattacharayya joins us on our podcast to talk about UG Research at UW Whitewater, CUR’s role, Infrastructure for Students...

In High School, Kayla loved every course she took. She was quite stressed trying to figure out what course to pursue. David on the other hand, was pretty set on studying medicine early on. He loved the Sciences. Kayla and David join us on our podcast to share their Undergraduate Research experiences, their work with Sagebrush-based research, and their college journey at Utah State University. In p...

Elizabeth says she wasn’t a very good student in high school. When time came for college, her family recommended that she attend the local Finger Lakes Community College. This would turn out to be a Life Changer. She met Prof James Hewlett and discovered undergraduate research in his BioTech lab. Elizabeth received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from State University of New York Upstate Me...

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: Stevens Institute Attracts More Applicants [] Cost and Stress Drive Enrollments Down [] College Students Struggle to Find Housing [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Si...

At 14, Carson started carrying an Invention Book in her backpack to doodle & jot down ideas for innovation. If she got bored in a class, she would escape to her invention book to think of problems and come up with solutions. Carson Crochet is a graduating senior at Davidson College majoring in German Studies and Arab Studies. Carson started the CA’Buddy venture at Davidson. In particular, we d...

Kelly started as a somewhat reluctant College Counselor. But once she jumped into college counseling, she was hooked. She was able to make an impact in students’ lives, while keeping them even-keeled. Kelly Jorgensen is the Director of College Counseling at Nichols School in Buffalo, New York.  On our podcast, Kelly shares her background, her approach to counseling, about “intentionality”, ma...

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: College Visits Internet Style [] What Applicants’ Parents Need to Know [] Int’l Students Allowed to Take Online Courses [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Silicon Vall...

Aidan’s deep interest in History and World Politics was shaped by his own and extended family, being displaced by the civil war in Sri Lanka, to different parts of the world. Aidan Arasasingham is a graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Global Studies. Now, as a member of the UCLA Alumni, Aidan shares his Undergraduate Experience. In particular, we discuss the following with him: Choosing U...

Carolyn was a Second Grade School Teacher in Virginia with a desire to do more in non-profit education. She moved to Atlanta and in a few years landed a role as the Alumni Relations Manager at the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation . The Foundation has awarded $78M in scholarships to 6600 Scholars since its founding in 1986. Carolyn gives us an overview of The Coca-Cola Scholarship, How Students can Ap...

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: More than 200 Colleges have Open Seats [] Williams College Drops Loans  [] Over Half the Increase in Applications are Int’l [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade , College Counselor based in Sili...

When Rohan was getting ready to apply to College in Kolkata, India, his high school did not have a College Counselor to guide him. Three years later his sister was preparing to apply to college, and going through the same pains and anxieties that he had gone through, without a college counselor. In this podcast, Rohan shares How Cialfo got started, The difference they make to Students, Schools, Co...