Inside College Admissions

Here’s the tea: the dining hall food may be trash and you might * actually * miss your hometown, but you WILL make friends and join really cool clubs. In today’s episode, we talk with 4 college grads about what they wish they knew before college! Time stamps below! Time Stamps: Conversation with Caroline : 1:55 - 13:40 2:22 Not letting the idea of being a "freshman" get to your head 5:04...

Senior Product Marketing Manager at Scoir, Megan Kauffman is joined by Scoir's Chief Experience Officer, Matt Pitone, to discuss how colleges can leverage data and content to create scalable personalized experiences for students during the college search process and why it matters.  Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Scoir Product Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to discuss the challenges of effectively parenting your child through the college process. www.scoir.com Follow us on Instagram! @scoirinc Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Director of College Partnerships for Mastery Charter Schools, Lance Dronkers, to offer tips for talking finances with your family.  This interview was conducted on November 4, 2021. Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Ashley Smith from Scoir talks with special guest Carolyn Caplan (Admissions Mom) about early decision rejection, how to cope, and what to focus on to find your "Dream You." Admissions Mom Website: https://admissionsmom.college/ Blog on Emotional Planning: https://admissionsmom.college/college-decisions/seniors-if-you-applied-early-this-fall-its-time-for-some-emotional-planning-spoiler-yo...

Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Director of College Counseling & Student Services at University Prep, Kelly Herrington, to discuss tips for underclassmen! Our conversation covers topics such as: applying with a sense of purpose, self-reflection, testing, and course selection. This interview was conducted on October 15, 2021. Follow us on...

Scoir Strategic Advisor, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Director of College Counseling at Jackson Preparatory School, Malika Lindsay, to discuss building your college list, applying, and making a "plan b" if Early Decision/Early Action did not pan out as expected.  This episode was recorded on October 28, 2021. Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Diane Anci, Dean of Admission and VP for Enrollment at Kenyon College, to discuss college essays. Our conversation covers topics such as: demonstrating your voice with honesty, the importance of the essay, investing time writing about topics that you enjoy, and much more. This interview was conducted on Octobe...

Join Ashley Smith from Scoir for a conversation with Brennan Barnard, the director of college counseling at the Derryfield School, and Rick Clark, the director of undergraduate admission at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where they discuss their new book, who it's for, and how it can help students and families better navigate the college search experience. Get your copy of the book here...

Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Varo Duffins, Director of FA at Swarthmore and Lynell Engelmyer of The Hamilton Scholars to discuss student financial aid options.  Lynell Engelmyer has worked in college admissions and financial aid for 25 years. She served as a Director of Financial Aid at a small liberal arts college before joining the staf...

Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Director of College Counseling at the Hill School, Ellen Deitrich, to discuss early application strategies and tips.  Our conversation covers topics such as: when and why to apply early, different types of early applications, and much more. This interview was conducted on September 2, 2021. Follow us on Instag...

Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Scoir Counselor in Residence, Julie Kampschroeder, to discuss the senior year timeline. Our conversation covers topics such as: when to apply for financial aid, getting those letters of recommendation, general timeline advice, and much more. This interview was conducted on August 19, 2021. Follow us on Instagr...

Scoir Content Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to discuss the challenges of starting another academic cycle clouded by the uncertainty of COVID.  This episode was recorded on August 12, 2021. www.scoir.com Follow us on Instagram! @scoirinc Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Scoir Content Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to discuss college rankings and their effect on college culture.   Our conversation covers topics such as: when and why college rankings got their start, how college rankings come to arrive at a measure of quality, how that measure of quality affects the culture of...

Scoir strategic advisor, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Moira McKinnon of Berwick Academy, to provide some insight into test-optional opportunities for students and families. Our conversation covers topics such as: the reality of the student experience with testing, alternative requirements to testing, the nationwide increase of test-optional schools, and much more. This episode was recorded on J...

Scoir Content Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to discuss building a balanced college list.  Our conversation covers topics such as: when and how to start building a college list. More specifically, we talk about how to explore colleges, what to know before visiting a campus, the ideal list number, early applic...

Scoir Content Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to discuss the college interview. Our conversation covers topics such as: how interviews factor into the admission process, virtual vs in-person interviews, actual interview tips, and more. This interview was conducted on June 10, 2021. Follow us on Instagram! Lear...

Scoir Content Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Mobile Product Manager, Jamie Brenner and Mobile Product Designer, Anna Cushing, to discuss the new Scoir mobile app for iOS! Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Scoir Content Marketing Manager, Erin Barnes, is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to discuss all things waitlist.  Our conversation covers topics such as: what to know before visiting a campus, the type of information to gather, and examples of questions to ask tour guides and other individuals while on campus. Follow us on Instagram! Learn more...

Ashley Smith is joined by Former Dean of Admission and Strategic Advisor to Scoir, Peter Van Buskirk, to recap conversations and key takeaways from a third and final session of the No Name Conference.  This episode was recorded on May 26, 2021.  Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Scoir strategic advisor, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Heath Einstein, Dean of Admission at Texas Christian University, to discuss telling your personal story in your college application. Our conversation covers topics such as: holistic admissions, presenting your strengths outside of academics, and much more. This episode was recorded on May 6, 2021. Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Sco...

Scoir strategic advisor, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Ann Fleming Brown, Director of Admissions at Union College, to discuss all things related to letters of recommendation. Our conversation covers topics such as: the importance of letters of recommendation, how to acquire good letters, and much more. This episode was recorded on May 4, 2021. Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir

Scoir strategic advisor, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Elena Hicks, Dean of Admission at SMU, to discuss how to use your summers wisely if you're a college-bound student.  Our conversation covers topics such as: taking time to relax and reflect, what kinds of activities make sense from the perspective of an admissions leader, and much more. This episode was recorded on April 22, 2021. Follo...

Ashley Smith, Director of Marketing for Scoir, is joined by Ethan Sawyer, The College Essay Guy ! Ethan is a nationally recognized college essay expert, and the author of Amazon Best Sellers: College Essay Essentials , and College Admission Essentials . He offers his expertise through his blog, online courses, workshops, books, and one-on-one work. Our conversation covers all-things college essays...

Scoir strategic advisor, Peter Van Buskirk, is joined by Rick Clark of Georgia Tech, to discuss standardized testing as it relates to college admission.  Our conversation covers topics such as: the original differences between the tests, score-choice and test-optional, the timing around test, and much more. This episode was recorded on April 13, 2021. Follow us on Instagram! Learn more about Scoir