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

In this episode you will hear: (11:40) Chris Gruber, Dean of Admissions, Davidson College-Why Davidson College is Special Preview for Part 2 ¢ Chris talks about where Davidson is going over the next 5 years ¢ Chris talks about Richmond and Davidson are different ¢ Chris explains how fraternities and sororities and Eating houses are different at Davidson versus other colleges ¢ Chris talks about how the change from the Southern conference to the Atlantic 10 conference, a much more competitive athletic conference, has impacted Davidson ¢ Chris talks about what Davidson needs to do to become an even better college ¢ Chris talks about what are some things that Davidson is looking for in their admission process (28:41) Roshan Fernandez of the Wall Street Journal discusses two articles he wrote recently about cheating in college and how hard it is to get off the waitlist. Part 2 of 2 µ Roshan and I discussed two different articles he wrote about Harvard µ The first article we discuss is an article wrote on how Harvard is changing their policies to crack down on grade inflation µ We also talk about Roshan's article about how complex and byzantine Harvard's school was structed and how they did a complete overhaul of their administration to become more efficient but also to address a 365-million-dollar structural deficit µ The last article we talk about is how colleges juice their application numbers by dropping their essays Recommended Resources JG Talks: Helping prospective and current college students achieve success 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 Kentucky Higher Ed Association (short version) HB 257 FAFSA Walkthrough for 2027-2028 College Aid Pro (short version) 2027-2028 How to Fill Out Your FAFSA Tutorial Utah System of Higher Ed (medium length) (44) 2027-28 FAFSA Deep Dive - YouTube University of the Pacific (medium length)-If you only watch one, watch this one How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step for Students & Parents Road to College (longer version) How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step Guide CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs 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: (06:40) Roshan Fernandez of the Wall Street Journal discusses two articles he wrote recently about cheating in college and how hard it is to get off the waitlist. µ Roshan Fernandez gives his journalism background, and he explains why he loves being a journalist µ Roshan explains how he comes up with his stories µ Roshan and I discussed one of the articles he wrote about how The Fraud Squad at Cal Tech will catch you if you lie on your application µ Roshan talks about the VIVA software that Cal Tech uses to help them identify fraud µ We discuss another article Roshan wrote entitled, "the only thing harder than getting into college is getting off the wait list" and we talk a lot about how complicated admissions has become (49:00) Chris Gruber, Dean of Admissions, Davidson College-Why Davidson College is Special Preview for Part 1 ¢ Chris shares the two colleges that he has worked, each one for 20 years ¢ Chris gives an overview of Davidson College ¢ Chris tells us what Davidson College's mission statement is and he explains why the mission statement is central to the core of who Davidson is ¢ I share a few experiences my own daughter Karis had at Davidson that makes Davidson ¢ Chris talks about how the Honor Code at Davidson shapes the Davidson experience ¢ Chris talks about the biggest changes he has seen in his 21 years at Davidson College Recommended Resources JG Talks: Helping prospective and current college students achieve success 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 Kentucky Higher Ed Association (short version) HB 257 FAFSA Walkthrough for 2027-2028 College Aid Pro (short version) 2027-2028 How to Fill Out Your FAFSA Tutorial Utah System of Higher Ed (medium length) (44) 2027-28 FAFSA Deep Dive - YouTube University of the Pacific (medium length)-If you only watch one, watch this one How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step for Students & Parents Road to College (longer version) How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step Guide CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs 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: (04:28) Lisa and Lynda give advice to a parent who is having a hard time missing their student who is away at college (18:06) Andy joins Mark to answer a Frequently asked question, "How do colleges actually find students". This is the deepest dive we have ever done on Student Search. Part 3 of 3 Preview for Part 3 q Andy explains how Slate is used by admissions officers and how Slate helps Search q Andy discusses the three different models that are out there when it comes to how a college implements Student Search that he referred to in part 1 of our interview but now he talks about the pros and the cons of each of these three approaches q Andy and Mark discuss how colleges are no longer only using the College Board and the ACT to buy lists of names from, and Andy talks about how colleges are always examining the ROI on their different sources of feeder lists for q Andy drops a big demonstrated interest tip on our listeners about what colleges can learn from when a student adds their name to Big Future or to the Common App Recommended Resources JG Talks: Helping prospective and current college students achieve success 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 Kentucky Higher Ed Association (short version) HB 257 FAFSA Walkthrough for 2027-2028 College Aid Pro (short version) 2027-2028 How to Fill Out Your FAFSA Tutorial Utah System of Higher Ed (medium length) (44) 2027-28 FAFSA Deep Dive - YouTube University of the Pacific (medium length)-If you only watch one, watch this one How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step for Students & Parents Road to College (longer version) How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step Guide CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs 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: Susan Tree and Mark Stucker discuss the following question, what does a parent do if they feel that your student is about to select a college, and you believe they are not selecting the best college for them-1 of 3 Andy joins Mark to answer a Frequently asked question, "How do colleges actually find students". This is the deepest dive we have ever done on Student Search. Part 2 of 3 Preview for Part 2 q Andy explains how Slate is used by admissions officers and how Slate helps Search q Andy discusses the three different models that are out there when it comes to how a college implements Student Search that he referred to in part 1 of our interview but now he talks about the pros and the cons of each of these three approaches q Andy and Mark discuss how colleges are no longer only using the College Board and the ACT to buy lists of names from, and Andy talks about how colleges are always examining the ROI on their different sources of feeder lists for q Andy drops a big demonstrated interest tip on our listeners about what colleges can learn from when a student adds their name to Big Future or to the Common App Recommended Resources JG Talks: Helping prospective and current college students achieve success 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 Kentucky Higher Ed Association (short version) HB 257 FAFSA Walkthrough for 2027-2028 College Aid Pro (short version) 2027-2028 How to Fill Out Your FAFSA Tutorial Utah System of Higher Ed (medium length) (44) 2027-28 FAFSA Deep Dive - YouTube University of the Pacific (medium length)-If you only watch one, watch this one How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step for Students & Parents Road to College (longer version) How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step Guide CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs 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: (18:45) Chris Teare and Mark Stucker discuss an article that appeared in the Atlantic on August 30th, entitled, "A Society of Cheats"; the article is written by John Paul Rollert (44:37) Andy joins Mark to answer a Frequently asked question, "How do colleges actually find students". This is the deepest dive we have ever done on Student Search. Part 1 of 3 Preview for Part 1 q Andy explains what Student Search is, aka Proactive Recruitment q Mark explains some of the various ways that colleges find and recruit students, and Mark and Andy discuss why Student Search is by far a more comprehensive approach to finding students q Andy discusses the different criteria that a school can choose to use when they are trying to target students through student Search. q Andy explains the three different models that are out there when it comes to how a college implements Student Search Recommended Resources JG Talks: Helping prospective and current college students achieve success 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 Kentucky Higher Ed Association (short version) HB 257 FAFSA Walkthrough for 2027-2028 College Aid Pro (short version) 2027-2028 How to Fill Out Your FAFSA Tutorial Utah System of Higher Ed (medium length) (44) 2027-28 FAFSA Deep Dive - YouTube University of the Pacific (medium length) How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step for Students & Parents Road to College (longer version) How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step Guide CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs 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/