Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews

In this episode you will hear: (02:05) In Our Question from a Listener-Carter joins Mark to answer a question from a mom who wants her son to be authentic in his application, but he only wants to play video games, and she wonders how admission officers will perceive this (20:00) Mark interviews Elliot Felix, author of the book, 'the Connected College" o Elliot talks about an aha moment he had when he was doing research for his book o Elliot talks about how we have to change what we are doing with emailing students o Elliot talks about how we have to reinvent how libraries function, and how we have to have, "Next Generation Libraries" o Elliot talks about what he does with the 120 colleges that have hired him o Elliot talks about who the people on his team are and what are their roles (38:38) College Spotlight-Daniela Uribe and Summer Cobb Tell us What Penn is like for students. ¨ Daniela and Summer share their experience with the other two colleges: Wharton, which is the business school and the college of nursing ¨ I share some things one of my students at Wharton who was supposed to join us and had a conflict; I share what he told me are some things he wanted to share about Wharton ¨ Summer and Daniela continue to talk about some of Penn stereotypes, and they discuss if they feel it is true ¨ Daniela talks about coffee chatting is foundational at Penn ¨ Summer and Daniela describe Penn's personality ¨ Daniela and Summer get to be college counselors and I ask them, what does the student look like who you would recommend to Penn and what is the person that you would not recommend to Penn Recommended Resource Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- Application guide for first-year students Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search for and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation, text Mark at 404-664-4340, or email us at [email protected] All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

In this episode you will hear: Mark does a two-part series that looks at outside of external scholarships. Mark answers the question, what are the nine reasons why so many students do not apply for external scholarships in part 1. In part 2, on Episode 613, Mark gives tips for how to win outside scholarships. Elena Hicks, the Assistant Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at SMU, helps us to understand Southern Methodist University (SMU) in this three-part series. Mark shares 17 impressions he has of SMU and Elena comments on whether she feels they are correct. Preview of Part 1 ¨ Elena gives her backstory of how she started at TCU as a student and leader of the tour guide program to prep school admissions and other college roles and then back to Texas at SMU ¨ Elena gives us an overview of SMU ¨ Elena answers the question, how would you explain SMU to a stranger ¨ Elena, answers the question, what would you say to a student who says, I am not southern and I am not Methodist, so why should I go to SMU ¨ Elena answers the question, what is it in the SMU mission statement that really reflects who SMU is? ¨ Friends, for the rest of the interview I use a new approach I am using to interviewing senior admissions personnel; I share 17 different impressions I have about SMU, either from my own visits and observations, or from talking to SMU Admissions officers over the years, but mostly from listening to my students who are at SMU now or have graduated from SMU over the years, so for the rest of this interview, this is what I do. I hope you like my new approach to doing these interviews, for the rest of part 1, I share the first 4 of these impressions, and I ask Elena if she disagrees or agrees, and to elaborate on my perceptions of SMU, so listen and enjoy Recommended Resources Colleges that allow self reporting of test scores Colleges that Allow Self-Reporting of SAT and ACT Scores Great source for questions about finances and college Edvisors: Financial Aid, Student Loans, Scholarships and Money Management FAFSA Walkthroughs Mark recommends Complete FAFSA 2026‑2027 Walkthrough | From Start to Submit 2023-2024 FAFSA Walkthrough Video English CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs CSS Profile Walkthrough MEFA Institute: A Deep Dive into the CSS Profile Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at [email protected]. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

In this episode you will hear: (02:48) In the News-Hilary and Kate join Mark to discuss an article that appears in USA Today that asks the question, "Are parent Facebook groups helpful or toxic"? Rachel Hale is the author of the article, which is entitled: "College, parent Facebook groups and when helicopter parenting goes too far" Part 3 of 3 (23:50) Mark interviews Elliot Felix, author of the book, 'the Connected College" o Elliot shares how his background has impacted the work he does today, helping colleges strategize to design campuses that produce the best learning o Elliot new book is called, "The Connected College" and he tells us "what a Connected College Is" o Elliot talks about what makes a great strategic plan and what are the flaws of so many strategic plans that are prevalent o Elliot explains how he gleaned his knowledge about what makes a Connected College (45:00) College Spotlight-Daniela Uribe and Summer Cobb Tell us What Penn is like for students. ¨ We take a look at the University of Pennsylvania by listening to one current Penn student and one recent college graduate ¨ Summer and Daniela share their background ¨ Daniela and Summer share what they feel are the best things about the University of Pennsylvania ¨ Summer and Daniela share what they would change if they could change anything about the University of Pennsylvania ¨ Daniela gives her best advice for students, and I want every parent to get their student to listen to what Daniela says ¨ Summer gives us an overview of the four different colleges Recommended Resource Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- Application guide for first-year students Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search for and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation, text Mark at 404-664-4340, or email us at [email protected] All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

In this episode you will hear: Jennifer Mandel, a college counselor with Mark at School Match 4U, joins Mark to discuss her thoughts on whether Parent College Facebook groups are helpful or toxic? Jen has been involved in three different groups, at three different colleges in three different states. Peter Pitts interview-Part 3 of 3 · Peter highlights overlooked benefits of small colleges. ¨ I ask Peter what a student should do if they visit a college and they link it is too small. ¨ Peter and I discuss how size can't only be judged by the number of students ¨ Peter shares one thing he wants listeners to know that we haven't discussed very much ¨ Peter goes on the hotseat ¨ After the interview I think of an important question, so I email Peter and he responds, the question is one I am sometimes asked by parents-What do I say to the parent who says to me, I don't want my student to go through the rest of their lives explaining to people where they went to college because no one has heard of it-you have to hear how Peter answers this question Recommended Resources Colleges that allow self reporting of test scores Colleges that Allow Self-Reporting of SAT and ACT Scores Great source for questions about finances and college Edvisors: Financial Aid, Student Loans, Scholarships and Money Management FAFSA Walkthroughs Mark recommends Complete FAFSA 2026‑2027 Walkthrough | From Start to Submit 2023-2024 FAFSA Walkthrough Video English CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs CSS Profile Walkthrough MEFA Institute: A Deep Dive into the CSS Profile Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at [email protected]. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/

In this episode you will hear: (04:08) In the News-Hilary and Kate join Mark to discuss an article that appears in USA Today that asks the question, "Are parent Facebook groups helpful or toxic"? Rachel Hale is the author of the article, which is entitled: "College, parent Facebook groups and when helicopter parenting goes too far" (27:35) Mark interviews Lisa and Lynda about their new book, "The Calm College Method "Part 2 of 2 v Lynda explains who the book is good for v Lisa and I talk about the practicality of the book, and I share some of the audience that I feel will be great for the book v Lisa talks about the structure of the book, and how the book really answers the questions people have through checklists and worksheets v Lisa and Lynda talk about their chapter in the book on AI in college admissions v Lisa explains what a successful college search looks like and she shares the single thing that is the most important thing to her when working with a student v Lisa and Lynda share what they feel is the number one take away from the book and I share my number one take away from the book v Lisa talks about one thing that families can do to reduce student stress v Lisa talk about the three ways listeners can get the book (47:29) College Spotlight-Susan Brisson-Olin College of Engineering Preview of Part 3 ¨ Susan tells us how demanding Olin in terms of intensity ¨ Susan tells us the role major plays in the admission process, and she tells us some of the main majors Olin is known for ¨ Susan explains why they are so confident they will remain test-optional ¨ Susan shares how Olin looks at AP test scores in their academic evaluation ¨ Susan explains how they look at students who come in with design or engineering experience ¨ Susan discusses study abroad, research opportunities and scholarships at Olin Recommended Resource Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- Application guide for first-year students Speakpipe.com/YCBK is our method if you want to ask a question and we will be prioritizing all questions sent in via Speakpipe. Unfortunately, we will NOT answer questions on the podcast anymore that are emailed in. If you want us to answer a question on the podcast, please use speakpipe.com/YCBK. We feel hearing from our listeners in their own voices adds to the community feel of our podcast. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/blog/ Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search for and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in Apple's search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-books/ Check out the college websites Mark recommends: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/recommended-websites/ If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCauBgityVXVHRQUjvlIRfYrMWWdHarB9DMQGYL0472bNxrw/viewform If you want a college consultation, text Mark at 404-664-4340, or email us at [email protected] All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/