The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions

This episode I'm with with Kati Sweaney, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at Reed College. It's the first in a series of interviews with current and former college admissions officers where we go behind the scenes to let you know how things work.    In this episode we get into:  The life of an admission officer, including what their travel season is like Do's and don'ts for that initial email to...

In this episode we cover, among other things: Ways that students of Color can advocate for themselves while in high school How to research Historically Black Colleges and Universities Ways to learn more about fit at colleges that are not minority-serving Where to find more financial aid after you've been accepted How parents can get involved to advocate for their students in high school and colleg...

Campus Pride is THE go-to resource for LGBTQ students and their families and my guest on this episode, civil rights champion Shane Windmeyer, is the one to thank for its very existence. On this episode we discuss:  How Shane get involved in this work in the first place How is the college search process for LGBTQ+ students? What are some great questions to ask when visiting campuses? Common mistake...

This is the second of two episodes on homeschooling and self-directed learning. My guest is writer, speaker, and fellow podcaster Blake Boles, whose work invites students and families to re-evaluate the traditional schooling model--are the typical high school and college experiences really the best ways to spend your time? On this episode we discuss:  Can you (really) quit high school and not tota...

This is the first of two episodes on homeschooling and self-directed learning, something that as the father of a four year-old I am way into. My guest is Becca Orlowski, a teacher and consultant with more than two decades of experience in the independent homeschooling world. On this episode we talk about:  What are some common homeschooling myths?  Is it true, for example, that homeschooling is "t...

This is the last episode in a three-part series on paying for college. My guest is Joan Liu, a college counselor who has a giant heart to go with her giant brain. In this episode she draws on her years of experience helping international students who need financial aid in order to attend college in the US. We cover a range of topics that will apply to both students and counselors, including:  How...

This is episode two in a three-part series on paying for college. My guest for this episode is Lauren Schandevel, a 4th year Public Policy student at the University of Michigan and creator of the "Being Not-Rich" Guide--more on that shortly. On this episode we discuss: Where did the inspiration for the "Being Not-Rich" Guide come from? In what ways are higher ed institutions unsympathetic to the n...

My guest for this first episode is Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Higher Education Policy & Sociology at Temple University, author of Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream . On this episode we discuss: Why has paying for college become such a problem?  Which students are most impacted by needs insecurity and why don't students tell their storie...

On this episode, which is part 3 of 3 in my series on access and equity in the college admissions process, I sit down with their Chief Strategy Officer of Strive for College, Matt Rubinoff, who for years has been advocating for first-generation and low-income students. We discuss, among other things: What's so special about being first anyway? Why first-generation students should take a "What's in...

Hi friends! This is the first time on the podcast that I discuss the "what comes next" of the college admissions process--and who better to do it than Harlan Cohen, author of the NY Times bestseller, T he Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College --a book I've had on my bookshelf for many years. On this podcast Harlan offers so much great advice from: A simple exercise to...

  For this episode, which is Part 2 of 3 on my series on access and equity, I interview Marie Bigham of ACCEPT. Marie and I jam on 30 practical ways that you can increase your participation in equity and justice in the world of college admissions and beyond. Whether you're a parent, student, counselor, or admissions rep, you'll find something for you.   Marie Bigham is the founder of ACCEPT: Admis...

This episode is part one of three on access and equity in the college counseling community. Today we meet Joan Liu,  a counselor at a high school in Southeast Asia, who has been working on the front lines of access and equity issues during her career. When over 60 Nepali students suddenly lost their full-tuition scholarships in April of last year, Joan decided to do something about it. That story-...

In this episode you'll hear Adam's take on: What's a "good" score? How much do SAT scores matter? Do students even need standardized tests? When should students take the test? What's the difference between the SAT and the ACT? Do students need the optional essay? The most important things to know about subject tests A few words about the PSAT Important notes for students with learning differences...

On this podcast we discuss: Why parents should stop telling their students that there are tons of school and to not worry about where they will go Why (and how) to limit the amount of time you spend talking about college When the best time to start talking about college is  The three most stressful parts of college admissions for students--and how to mitigate that stress What Lisa is most and leas...

On this episode we discuss, among other things: How common testing anxiety is (you may be surprised) How anxiety functions in the body Strategies for changing how you think about anxiety #reframing Some ways you can understand and adjust self-talk What cognitive rehearsal is and how it can help A brief intro to the emotional freedom technique How regulating your breathing can help

On this episode we discuss: Are standardized tests evil? What are some other standardized test myths that people tend to believe? To what extent does the SAT or ACT measure what students need to know in college? Important statistics from " Crossing the Finish Line ," a book that outlines the research around how well standardized test scores predict actual student performance in life and in college...

This episode is an interview… on interviews! Monica James--whom you may've heard previously on the podcast in the episode on Demonstrated Interest--absolutely crushes it in this interview, offering more practical advice than you'll find in most weekend workshops on this topic. And it's no wonder: for years she's been teaching people (and in particular high school students) how to give great interv...

Should you apply Early Decision or not? Is there a statistical advantage to applying early or not? When making this decision, it might help to know what the regular decision acceptance rate is for a school and what the Early Decision acceptance rate for a school is and then compare those numbers.  That's the first thing we cover on this episode. After that we discuss: Why did they choose the metri...

  On this episode I talk with Jennie about: Why she created the chart in the first place She explains why your student doesn't have to be incredible in order to get merit aid How much students' ability to pay matters in admissions How to use the chart, including how Jennie walks students through a consultation Why students might decline to ask for merit-based aid Links: The excel sheet of universi...

On this episode Jeff and I discuss this rad resource on which schools are most generous with financial aid and after he shares with us his story, we discuss: Three huge myths that students and parents have about financially planning for college Why parents should ignore the school's sticker price Which schools meet 100% of demonstrated need (and what that means) A tool for figuring out how much mo...

On this episode I interview Anne Wager, who used to work for many years in data and technology but made the transition to counseling and, as she puts it, "out of desperation", developed a set of cards that she uses with students to help them identify, not just their preferences for what they're looking for in a college, but what she called "deeper preferences". We'll explore what she means by deep...

This episode represents part four of four in my epic mini-series with Tutor Ted and in this one I share what steps to take to turn your essay from "just okay" to "great." Specifically, though, I share: What I believe the qualities of a great college essay are An example essay that demonstrates those four qualities A step-by-step process for bringing more of each of those qualities into your essay...

This is part three of my four-part series with Amie Dorsey (aka Tutor Ted). On the last two episodes I interviewed Amie, while on this episode (and on the next one), Amie turns the tables on and interviews me. On this episode Amie just wanted to give folks a chance to get to know me better, so we discussed: How I ended up as the College Essay Guy (Spoiler: that wasn't the plan) What applying to co...

Typically my job is to take some of the most awesome and rad people in the college admissions world (I'm not sure if there is a difference, but I'm sure there is), analyze their genius, and break it down for you into practical and actionable steps whether you're applying to college yourself or helping someone else apply. But this time, I've handed the reins over to my guest Amie Dorsey (AKA Tutor...

This is the first of two podcasts with Amie Dorsey, also known as Tutor Ted, who scored perfectly on the ACT, SAT, PSAT and runs a cool test prep company called (what else?) Tutor Ted. Now, in the second part of this podcast she'll show you how to improve your ACT score by 2 points… in just 20 minutes. But before we get to that, I thought it might be great to get to know Amie on a more personal le...