The College Prep Podcast

Erin’s back with more tech stuff for your summer resources! Habit trackers, anti-distraction apps, and an app to help you get out of bed! Understood.org Habitica Finch I can’t wake up! Cold Turkey FB erradicator The post 534: Short Summer Series: Erin Suggests Websites and Apps appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

Spending your summer doing some test prep? Megan tells us why it is important to check out the SAT & ACT Official Guides. Get yourself ready for the test if you are a junior and if you are a senior, it’s crunch time! The post 533: Short Summer Series: Megan–SAT & ACT Official Guides appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

Whether you are traveling to visit colleges, attending a summer program, or just enjoying some time with family, it is good to travel with the right gear. In today’s episode, Erin shares some of her favorite travel stuff. Many of these items are things most students can also take with them to college. Power cube Charger brick Suction cup cell phone holder Towel Rumpl (blanket, sit-upon) Coll...

You may have noticed the list of “new Ivys” from Forbes this spring. In today’s episode, Megan discusses two resources with a similar approach: Greene’s Guides: Public Ivies & Hidden Ivies . These books highlight “how to get an Ivy League education at a college of comparable excellence.” The post 531: Short Summer Series: Megan–Greene’s Guides: P...

In this episode, Erin shares some of her favorite podcasts. No Stupid Questions — Research psychologist Angela Duckworth, the author of “Grit” and tech / sports executive Mike Maughan ask lots of questions. Hidden Brain looks into the underlying patterns that drive human behavior to help you understand the world and yourself better. The post 530: Short Summer Series: Erin Suggest...

Megan’s resource for the week is a book that was very influential to her early in her career: The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg. This non-fiction work reads like a story and follows admissions officer Ralph Figaroa through a season of work at a highly selective university. While the information is almost 25 years old by now, this book is helpful in understanding the process. Just remember...

We’ve made it to June! Hang in there if you have a few more weeks of school. We typically do shorter episodes in the summer and this year, Megan and Erin will take turns sharing different resources to help you improve your study skills, college planning, and grades. Today Erin shares to books that offer insight into how we think and learn: Learning Outside the Lines by two Ivy League graduat...

Megan and Erin did some reading and have a book report on The Price You Pay for College:  An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make by Ron Lieber. What does this book cover? Should you pick it up for yourself? Or maybe you don’t want to read it and just want to listen to them talk about it instead. With such an important topic and saturation of in...

Students are told that dropping a class will ruin their future prospects–the dreaded W on the transcript is the scarlet letter. Erin argues that sometimes dropping a class is the best and most strategic choice. She also discusses what other options there might beand when it is time to call it and time to stick it out. The post 526: Drop That Class! appeared first on The College Prep Podcast...

Why does this college application question elicit blank stares from students? How do we help students to figure out what they might bring to the college experience or what sets them apart from other applicants? Megan and Erin discuss how this question being used with younger students could help them shift from passive to active participants in their learning. The post 525: College Essay Question:...

Megan is back from a whirlwind tour of college visits and is sharing her notes and secret tips. When should you go? Is it worth it to time your visit to coincide with their “special” day? Lots of tips like what to wear, what to ask, how many schools you should see, and how to keep them all straight in your head. The post 524: Tips for Visiting Colleges: Notes from Megan’s Recent...

How do you get plugged-in? What goals should you have for socialization? What factors should you consider before accepting a delayed admission? What questions should you be asking? What should you do prior to your delayed start? Megan and Erin help transfers and delayed students to get connected with the people, culture, and activities on campus through these tips. The post 523: Spring Start / Sum...

Maybe you are interested in participating in your sport in college. Or maybe you haven’t thought about it at all. Or maybe you are confused as to what the Divisions mean. Wherever you are in the college athletics process, Megan helps answer some basic questions and provides an overview for those interested in sports. The post 522: NCAA & Athletics in College appeared first on The College...

Approach with Caution! When you see these red flags, it may be a sign that the college on your list could be more of a gamble than you were looking for. These are factors to watch for as you research schools. They may not be enough to remove from your list, but definitely something to consider. The post 521: Warning Signs when Researching Colleges appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

Everyone wants to get into a “good college,” but if we don’t rely on rankings, what are some ways prospective students can tell if a college is good? Megan shares the things she looks for including specific numbers that might help you decide if that college is a good fit for you. The post 520: How Can I Tell if a College Is “Good”? appeared first on The College Prep P...

Some colleges do their curriculum in very different ways. Megan and Erin talk about some of these programs, their features, and what students might enjoy these colleges. Some of these you may never have heard of but could be your perfect fit! Plus, a secret FAFSA and SAT update! The post 519: Unique College Programs appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

What do we mean when we ask students to research colleges? What information is helpful? What are some good tools to get started? More importantly, WHY is this information relevant? The post 518: What We Mean When We Suggest You “Research Colleges” appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

You might be getting invited to fancy conferences or thinking about travel or camps–are these opportunities worth it? What can students do to make an impact over the summer? Megan and Erin share their suggestions for what students can do in the summer (HINT: Don’t wait for summer to find these)! The post 517: Looking Forward to Summer- Suggestions for Students appeared first on The Col...

You heard from a school but were either waitlisted or deferred–now what? Megan walks through the questions you should ask youself and shares her top tips on what to do (and what NOT to do). Plus, Erin brings in a bonus question about getting into your specific major. The post 516: What to do if you get deferred or want to appeal your college decision appeared first on The College Prep Podcas...

Issues, issues, issues with the SAT! The SAT is changing again–and schools are trending back toward requiring the test. Have you noticed this trend? Megan and Erin debate the value of the SAT and help to make sense of this debate! This is a breaking news episode all about the SAT! From The Daily: The Messy Fight Over the SAT The post 515: SAT or no SAT: What is best for students? appeared fi...

A parent writes in asking about the difference between Early Action and Early Decision. Megan gives us a brief primer on what our Juniors need to be doing right now in the college search process. Then, she helps us make sense of EA, ED1, and ED2 (hint: you need your college list, first). This episode is designed to help you choose what schools are EA, ED, and RD (Regular Decision). The post 514: S...

A listener writes in with a question about merit scholarships–can they count on them for all four years or can colleges change their mind? Megan shares what she generally sees with merit scholarships, what to look for, and general guidelines about scholarships. The post 513: How to Make the Most of Merit Scholarship Money appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

Erin has asked for topic ideas and questions and has brought them all today. Social media and mental health? College rejections? Preparing for finals? Taylor Swift? All this covered in one episode! EPISODE #505 – Normalizing Rejection The post 512: Q&A Session! appeared first on The College Prep Podcast .

Sonia works with students (and parents!) around career and technical education. What careers are available? How does a student get college and career ready? How do students find their “why” and gain transferrable skills to try a variety of careers? Sonia is a student advocate and career coach expert that empowers parents and students in the college and career ready journey. Her goal is...

Students and parents often wonder what it takes to be indpendent. What skills will they need in college besides academics? How can they start honing those skills now? Erin and Megan go through their top lists of skills and provide tasks that can help to develop them. Resource: How to Raise an Adult The post 510: How Do I Know if I am Ready for Independence? appeared first on The College Prep Podca...