Not Your Mom's Admissions

The biggest shifts in admissions aren't always the ones making headlines. In the Season One finale of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla unload a round of unfiltered hot takes on where the admissions landscape is heading. ✅ Why the liberal arts may be queued for a comeback and how programs are split between pre-professional tracks and big-picture thinking, with less in the middle...

Start too early and it fizzles. Start too late and it's a scramble. Test prep timing matters more than most families realize. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with James Eno, founder of James Eno Tutorials and a 20-year veteran of SAT and ACT prep, to discuss what test prep looks like at each stage. ✅ How to approach prep at each grade level and whic...

For most applicants, picking a major isn't really picking a major. It's choosing a neighborhood. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down how to think about major selection without overcommitting a 17-year-old to a career: ✅ What an academic narrative actually is, and how it differs from a declared major ✅ When going undecided is safe, and when starti...

Successfully navigating learning differences doesn’t end at the diagnosis. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with Elena McGahey, a special education teacher and founder of Stronger Foundations Coaching, to break down how students with learning differences (and their families) can advocate effectively. ✅ How to coach a student to write emails to teachers...

Getting in is one milestone. Being ready is another. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with Mark Talaga, owner of the Center for Identity Potential and host of the Hopelessly Gifted podcast, to unpack what college readiness looks like. ✅ How to spot readiness gaps before move-in day, including academic, emotional, and life skills ✅ The "predict and...

Decisions are in. The patterns are becoming apparent, with a few worth noting. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down the trends they’re seeing across this admissions cycle and how they might inform planning for the next one. ✅ Why early decision continued to be a strong strategy, and what happens when applicants overreach or opt out ✅ How highly selective...

Two conversations many families of juniors are having right now: how to stick with foreign language and how to stay sane through the college process. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with educator Lucy Van Horne to talk about why so many students resist foreign language, how to make it stick, and what junior-year parents gain by stepping back. ✅ Learning...

Five listener questions. Five real decisions families are facing right now. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla tackle the tradeoffs that don't come with easy answers. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla field five real questions from listeners navigating decisions right now. ✅ Why spring admit programs hinge on two factors most fa...

Not every activity on your list carries the same weight and the difference isn't always the activity itself. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla rate common activities list entries and break down what moves the needle on each. ✅ Why duration and leadership matter more than the activity title ✅ How to describe an activity so admission readers understand its scop...

Your application gets about 5-8 minutes. A former admissions director explains exactly how she spent them. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with Scholar Co team member Robyn Bowers to walk through how an application reader moves through a college app and what makes them stop or keep going. ✅ The exact reading order most admissions officers follow, from schoo...

AI is everywhere right now, and colleges are already using it to screen your application. So what does that mean for how you prepare yours? In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down how AI is showing up on both sides of the admissions process: what colleges are doing with it, where applicants might cross the line, and the ethical ways students can use AI to shar...

The SAT and ACT are more different right now than they've ever been — and that makes choosing between them more important than ever. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with test prep expert Bill Huston of Mindfish to talk through the full process of picking a test and building a plan. ✅ Why the digital (SAT) vs. paper (ACT) divide is the one of the big...

Regular Decision results are rolling in, and the next two months are packed with important choices. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla walk through what to do as offers, waitlists, and financial aid packages land in your inbox. ✅ Why committing early can give you an edge on housing at larger schools ✅ How to handle waitlists without putting the rest of your plan o...

A college list with ten reaches and one likely isn't a strategy. It's a wish list. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down how to build a balanced college list using a simple ratio and why the structure of your list matters just as much as the schools on it. ✅ The 5-4-3 framework for reach, target, and likely and why you protect the bottom, not the to...

Your student may be cramming the night before, but they always get straight As. So, what's the problem? In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla sit down with Wes Carroll, a tutoring and executive functioning specialist, to talk about what happens when high-performing students can no longer just "brain it harder." ✅ Why the students who look most prepared o...

Most parents want to help with the college admissions process. Fewer know where support ends and overstepping begins. In this episode of Not Your Mom's Admissions, Bridget and Kyla break down the specific dos and don'ts for parents guiding a student through applications, including: ✅ How to build a working spreadsheet and internal deadlines that prevent last-minute scrambling ✅ Why the f...

Anyone can show up for a college tour, but few know how to turn it into an advantage. In this episode of Not Your Mom’s Admissions , Bridget and Kyla break down how to make the most of campus visits — whether you’re seeing one school or squeezing in five. They cover: ✅ The best times to visit and how to maximize your time ✅ How to prioritize schools based on strategy (think early decision and de...

Finding your way through college admissions often requires a team of supporters. This episode differentiates the role of high school counselors from that of an independent advisor to help you build your best support system. Bridget and Kyla cover: → The key responsibilities of school counselors, from writing recommendation letters to hosting college reps and creating school profiles → How students...

In this episode of Not Your Mom’s Admissions, Bridget and Kyla offer a practical breakdown of how students — no matter their goals, bandwidth, or interests — can approach summer planning across 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. They discuss: → The difference between maximalist and minimalist summer strategies, especially for rising seniors → How students can secure research, internship, and academic pro...

Building a compelling college application isn’t about cramming senior year. It’s about consistent effort across all four. In Episode 11 of Not Your Mom’s Admissions , Bridget and Kyla outline three foundational steps that help students stand out — no matter their goals or profile. From GPA and course selection to test-taking and volunteering, they explain how early, consistent choices can add up t...

What should students do after being deferred from Early Action or Early Decision schools? This episode of Not Your Mom’s Admissions breaks down post-deferral strategy—what works, what doesn’t, and what to avoid. 🎯 Actionable takeaways include: → Confirming submission of first semester grades → Crafting a compelling (but concise) Letter of Continued Interest → Knowing when late test scores or extr...

📬 Early round admissions results are in — and they’re revealing more than just yes or no. In Episode 9 of Not Your Mom’s Admissions , Bridget and Kyla break down what they’re seeing across Early Decision 1 (ED1) and Early Action (EA) outcomes in the 2025 admissions cycle. They cover: → Why ED1 remains a strategic advantage for applicants → Why EA may not offer the same benefit — and what to do if...

Not all supplemental essays are created equal. Some are vague, some are overly specific, and many feel impossible to answer well — especially under pressure. In this episode of Not Your Mom’s Admissions , Bridget and Kyla break down five of the most confusing prompt types students encounter, along with strategies to tackle each one: → Too many questions, too little space → The open-ended prompt: w...

College admissions comes with its own set of terms — and no one hands out a glossary (until now). In Episode 7 of Not Your Mom’s Admissions , Bridget and Kyla define the phrases and acronyms students and families are most likely to hear as they navigate the process. They explain: → What ED, EA, REA (and more!) mean → The difference between AP and IB — and between an “academic solid” and an electiv...

The college process your parents/grandparents went through? It’s not the one students face today. In Episode 6 of Not Your Mom’s Admissions , Bridget and Kyla explore how the admissions landscape has evolved—from academic expectations to narrative strategy and application volume. They unpack: 📈 The rise in GPA, rigor, and test score benchmarks 📬 How college lists have grown from 6-8 schools to 1...