What's it like to be a teen actually going through the college admissions preparation process? Between classes, activities, college lists, and essays, our teens have A LOT on their plates. Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Kamila from the "Who Cares about College" Podcast as they talk about how they're preparing for college during a pandemic. Kamila also shares insights from her experiences interviewing students who have applied and are in college now. From testing to financial aid, join Mark and Anna for a very REAL conversation about applying to college and how we can do better in managing the process and stress for our teens. 

College Admissions with Mark and Anna

College Admissions through a Teen Lens with Kamila from "Who Cares About College"

Ever feel like the college admissions process has gotten overwhelming and overall insane? Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Kevin Martin, author of "Surviving the College Admissions Madness", about how families can better approach the admissions process to reduce stress as well as recommended improvements they would like to see in the college admissions process.  Kevin also provides helpful advice for avoiding application mistakes, building a reasonable college list, minimizing debt, identifying cognitive errors and distortions, and helping you reframe your college applications. Martin equips readers with the vocabulary, frameworks, and tools to make sense of America’s broken higher education system, starting with the admissions gatekeepers.After serving in UT-Austin’s Office of Admissions, where Kevin reviewed and scored thousands of applications, he completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Malaysia and currently travels the world while helping students gain admission to top-50 universities through his business Tex Admissions. More about Kevin here: texadmissions.com/about

Surviving College Admissions Madness with Kevin Martin

While many elite universities do not offer merit scholarships, honors colleges and programs at many public universities offer great options for high-achieving students. In addition to providing merit-based awards, they can offer specialized curriculums and unique opportunities to help students thrive in a larger school environment. Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Craig T. Cobane, Ph.D. from Western Kentucky University's Mahurin Honors College as they discuss the difference between honors program and honors colleges, why they are valuable, and who they are a great fit for in this new episode. Craig T. Cobane, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Mahurin Honors College (MHC) at Western Kentucky University (WKU). He built and has led the MHC for 15 years. While building the MHC, he created the Office of Scholar Development (OSD), which helped over 550 students earn over $10 million in national scholarships (e.g., Truman, NSF, Fulbright, Goldwater, etc.). From 2012-17, he served concurrently as Chief International Officer (CIO) growing education abroad participation by 40 percent. For his work diversifying education abroad participation he was selected as the “Diversity and Inclusion Champion” by Diversity Abroad in 2018. Finally, he is the recipient of multiple teaching awards and national fellowships including American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Fellowship, where he spent a year at the Pentagon working on the Global War on Terrorism, and the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship, where he spent a year shadowing a university president.

Seizing Opportunities at Honors Programs and Colleges

It's that time of year again - writing the college admissions essay! This year, Mark and Anna are excited to share approaches to college essay writing from published author and college admissions essay coach, Molly Moynahan. Molly shares the key elements to storytelling, tips for overcoming writer's block, and more. Molly Moynahan is an expert in adolescent literacy, a novelist and a writing coach, specializing in supporting students through the writing of the personal essay for college admission. She holds an MFA in Fiction writing and has decades of teaching English to high school and college students. Learn more about Molly at The Teachers Way. 

Powerful Storytelling for the College Essay with Molly Moynahan

Class of 2021 faced record-low acceptance rates at many elite universities, but the truth is, there are hundreds of amazing colleges out there that will support students in their success. Join Mark and Anna as they discuss the numerous options available with special guest Lisa Fuller from College Primed as they take a deeper look at women's colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and how they enable success for their students. Lisa will also share how HBCUs have transformed to not only serve the black community but other students, especially those with aspirations in medicine. Lisa Fuller is an Independent Educational Consultant,  Owner & Founder of College Primed, LLC, a company located in Richmond, Virginia, that focuses on advising 7-12th grade students on educational planning and the college admission process.Lisa served as an alumna recruiter for Spelman College, volunteered as a Questbridge mentor, and a ScholarMatch counselor.  She earned a certificate in College Counseling from The University of California, San Diego, and a certificate in College Advising, Teachers College, Columbia University. 

College Options: Deeper look at HBCUs

Without the ability to visit campuses, applying for college and selecting where you want to spend the next four years can be more difficult than years past. Students have had to sometimes pick colleges "blindly" which has resulted in the desire for some students to transfer to new colleges. Join Mark and Anna as they speak with Deborah Shames of Personal Best College Coaching to learn more about why students transfer, how to prepare, and more details in this newest episode. 

Applying as a Transfer Student with Deborah Shames

So you think you want to go to college in Europe? Fantastic! Have you thought about the differences in the application process, the travel involved, passports, different languages, and different deadlines? There are many great reasons to study abroad, but there are also many things students and their families should know and consider before making that leap. Join Mark and Anna as they talk to Sandy Furth from World Student Support, who has successfully helped many students and families through those considerations and can help us all understand the process better.

Applying to European Colleges and Universities from America

With return on investment at a forefront in the college admissions process, its no wonder that majors related to STEM have become increasingly popoular over the years...especially during a pandemic.  Mark and Anna dive into what colleges are looking for when it comes to classes, activities, recommendations and more in this fun episode with our resident expert, Mark Hofer. Join Mark and Anna as they tackle the myths related to STEM in college admissions.

What Works and What Doesn't for STEM College Admissions

Join Mark and Anna as they talk about the importance of acknowledging, expressing, and regulating emotions with Dr. Marc Brackett, the author of Permission to Feel, and the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a Professor in the Child Study Center of Yale University.  As anxiety and depression are at all time highs for our teens, we are thankful to be able to have Dr. Brackett address how we can better support our teens in becoming happy and successful members of society through the concepts from his book, Permission to Feel. We also discuss how these manifest themselves in picking college fit and writing compelling essays. To learn more about Dr. Marc Brackett and get his book, you can visit his website https://marcbrackett.com.

Permission to Feel and College Admissions with Dr. Marc Brackett

Do you have a talented musician who wants to pursue their passion for it in college? Have questions on how to best prepare for the music college admissions process? Join Mark and Anna as they speak to Dave Best, Founder of Best College Consulting where they orchestrate the college search for talented students. 

College for the Musically Inclined with Dave Best

College essays have always been an important part of the college application process; however, this year—the year that COVID arrived and stayed for a while—provides a perfect storm for buoying up the importance of the college essays. Yes, that is essays, plural.While the personal statement essay has always been the focus for most students—and it remains to be an important part of the application—many schools weigh their supplemental and proprietary essays as even more important in the overall evaluation of students’ applications. For example, Stanford doesn’t have eleven supplemental essays just because they like to read. This year provides an unprecedented level of unknowns regarding how—and even when—schools evaluate students and their applications. Join Mark and Anna as they discuss tips on what to cover in your essays this admission season,  if and when you should utilize the Covid essay prompt and more!

COVID 2020 vs. College Essay

College consultants often get asked “How early do you start working with students in the college application process?” This question almost always comes from parents. Sometimes they are just curious, but increasingly, they are serious.  Can, should, their 8th grader start preparing for college applications?If we are really honest, and take a step back, we must admit that we currently don’t know what colleges and universities will use as metrics for evaluation in the coming one to five years. Honestly, we don’t. The evaluation system is, thankfully, in a high state of flux with COVID-19 and the changes it has inspired colleges and universities to make in the application process are being developed, tested, and analyzed right now…and will continue to be over the next two – five years. But high school will continue. Academics will continue. Building relationships will continue. And a transition from high school to higher education…will continue. So a good question to entertain might be how—and when—can we help students prepare for that yet to be determined future?Join Mark and Anna as they tackle when a good time to start preparing for college, why starting too early can be bad, but also what pieces you can start focusing on so you aren't in the 'missed the boat' scenario for certain rare situations. From testing to courses and intellectual exploration, Mark and Anna tackle how some students can start preparing for college like a marathon in a healthy manner. 

Starting Early: The Long-View Set Up

What a strange and unprecedented time this is. Schools—ALL schools—are closed for what will be months. How many months this closure will last has yet to be determined. College and Universities…closed, and many considering a “virtual start” in September. K-12 schools also closed and not reopening before the next school year…and possibly longer. This is unprecedented. All of these things provide a lot of uncertainty about our education system for 2020 – 2021. This is really stressful if you are a junior, or senior. Although these are things we don’t know, and we can’t control…what can students control? Join Mark and Anna as they cover what students can focus on during this time, especially as colleges and universities go test-optional. They cover essays, brag sheets, and more in their take on how to get a start on the college admissions process during Covid. 

College Admissions in the Time of Covid

Ever hear that crazy story of how someone wins a ton of money for college? Even when they already have money and didn't qualify for financial aid? Or have you heard stories of how some families can't afford college because colleges didn't provide them enough money to attend? If so, you're in luck, because Anna and Mark will be chatting with Monica Matthews, the author of How to Win College Scholarships, to talk about how families can earn money for college through private scholarships. Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own sons win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that" in regards to helping families navigate the scholarship process. Her methods of helping students find college scholarships, write compelling essays, and create unique application packets have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars. Her scholarship tips have been featured in several publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, and The Penny Hoarder. Monica has been dubbed The Scholarship Mom and "Go-To" expert on college scholarships. You can find her winning tips and scholarship blog at how2winscholarships.com.

How to Win Scholarships for College

It’s the holiday season…and there are always vacations and breaks. What to do, what to do? One of the most common questions consultants hear from students and parents is: “What should I do during vacation… you know, to look good on college applications?”Join Mark and Anna as they discuss how high school and college students can best utilize their breaks. While families often think they should attend a summer program or conduct research, etc, there are other options out there. Each of these experiences can be valuable—but so can painting a house, babysitting, publishing a blog, getting a j.o.b., learning an instrument, taking a bike apart, learning to sew, taking a daily walk, volunteering, speak (and think!) only in Spanish for a week, or becoming a street mime… can be just as valuable, when approached with the right mindset and two questions. Learn more in our newest episode.  

Yes, But What Have You Learned? (What to do on breaks?)

Applying for college is more complex and often times more confusing than it used to be. In addition, there are so many resources out there. How do you know which is the right one? The best one? Shouldn't everyone have access to the best information out there, regardless of price? That's what we believe! We believe in giving everyone their best chance by providing them with real insight from the college admissions industry. On this podcast, we share real and relevant topics in college admissions to provide you with a fresh perspective and truly actionable takeaways that you can use as you prepare to apply for college. We look forward to answering your questions and assisting you on your college admissions journey!

hubhopper

College Admissions with Mark and Anna

hubhopper