The Truth about College Admission

With finals season approaching at colleges across the country, Rick and Brennan are joined by Dr. Beth Cabrera, an organizational psychologist and author specializing in positive psychology and well-being, to go through her admission journey, her advice on how to maintain healthy relationships during the college application process, and practical ways to make that process smoother for kids and families. Links:Beth's TEDx Talk at George MasonBeth Cabrera's websiteBeth's Twitter PageWhere You'll Go Is Not Who You'll Be - Frank BruniDavid and Goliath - Malcolm Gladwell  THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Dr. Beth CabreraProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by experienced strategy consultant and master of college sports data graphics on Twitter, Tony Altimore, to discuss the landscape of college athletics in relation to admission, how the transfer portal can help or hurt students in their academic journey, and what the oncoming demographic cliff can mean for schools that rely on athletics.Links:Tony Altimore's Twitter pageDemographic Cliff chart - Tony AltimoreTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagments, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Tony AltimoreProduction: Jack Purdy

With Brennan on vacation, Rick gets his first one on one interview of season 2, talking with David Hawkins from NACAC about his admission experience, the lastest effects from the FAFSA delay, and how to frame to the general public why college is an important piece to a functioning community. Links:David Hawkins' profileJust EquationsTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagementsGrown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: David HawkinsProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan this week are joined by Candice Mackey, College Counselor atLos Angeles Center for Enriched Studies and Co-Chair of the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Public School Counselor Group. They talk about her experience going through college, what keeping an open mind in the search process can do for a student, and going through important conversations with your family unit early to ensure everyone is on the same page during the entire college search process.Links:THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Candice MackeyProduction: Jack Purdy

Eric Hoover, senior writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, joins Brennan and Rick to talk about his first impressions of college counseling during his high school days, stories of how he's seen counseling impact people at the ground level, the varying levels of transparency in college aid, and some big admissions items to lookout for in 2024. Links:Articles by EricThe Verification Trap - The Chronicle for Higher EducationEric Hoover on College Admissions and Standardized Testing Changes - C-SPANFollow Eric on Twitter @erichoovTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Eric HooverProduction: Jack Purdy

To open the spring 2024 episode slate, we welcome Lisa Heffernan, New York Times best selling author of Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family, and Raise Independent Adults, as well as the co-founder of Grown and Flown. Rick, Brennan, and Lisa cover how teenagers can navigate potentially toxic questions about their college future, what Grown & Flown can provide in terms of expert opinions about the college search, along with some current trends happening in the admissions space.Links:College Guidance NetworkThe Truth About Admission and Mattering - Jennifer WallaceStephanie Meade on Grown and FlownTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Lisa HeffernanProduction: Jack Purdy

To wrap up the 2023 slate, Jennifer Wallace, award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Pressure Becomes Toxic – and What We Can Do About It, joins Rick and Brennan to talk about achievement pressure, creating a haven within the home during important times in a child's life, and why mattering matters.Links:Jennifer Wallace's WebsiteThe Mattering MovementVIA Character Strength SurveyBrennan's Admission GuidesA Relative's Guide to Holiday Admission - ForbesA College Admission Holiday: The Friends And Family Guide - ForbesCollege Admission Indigestion: An Applicant's Guide to Nausea Free Holidays - HuffPostTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Jennifer WallaceProduction: Jack Purdy

Ashley Pallie, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer at Caltech, joins Rick and Brennan this week to talk about her introduction to higher ed admissions, what she's done to help bring equitable admissions intiatives to the forefront, why they do holistic review at Caltech, and the early returns on doing test-free application reviews.Links:Why Calculus Remains a Math Flash Point - EducationWeekNo calculus? No problem at Caltech - Inside Higher EdTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Ashley PallieProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Elizabeth Hamblet learning disabilities Consultant and author of “Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities.” The trio discuss her college journey, what they would prioritize and seek out during a college search, and their recommendations for engaging with disabilities services at your campus.Links:Elizabeth's Website (Consulting, Books, etc.)Seven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities ebookTRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Elizabeth HambletProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Jeff Neill, Director of College Counseling at Graded, the American School of São Paolo, to discuss how he has begun to interweave AI into his work life, what it's meant for how he manages his time, and how others can approach AI as a thought partner.Links:Tech-Neill-ogy NewsletterHow to use an AI chatbot to help you get into college - Khan AcademyHow to use an AI chatbot to help you draft a college admissions essay - Khan AcademyTRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Jeff NeillProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan this week welcome Ron Lieber,  the bestselling author of “The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Roadmap for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make,” and New York Times “Your Money” columnist. The trio discuss how Ron got into the world of college financial aid, the secret of merit aid, and how he would approach defining success parameters for those making a college selection.Links:Ron Lieber's Website"How Do I Pay for College?" - NYTMerit Aid Course WebsiteTRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Ron LieberProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Eric Maguire, the Vice President for Enrollment at Wake Forest University to discuss the initiatives Eric has undertaken to expand early decision options for first generation students, how he approaches college rankings, and gives his advice about diving into the college selection process.Links:Wake Forest's new First Gen Early Action OptionGT Blog on Admission DEADlinesI'm First- resources for First Gen students.TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick ClarkGuest: Eric MaguireProduction: Jack Purdy

This week, President and CEO of the Common Application, Jenny Rickard, joins Rick and Brennan to talk about how her career path lead her into admissions, what the Common Application is doing to identify trends in their data sets, expanding direct admissions standards to more colleges, and how they plan to address AI.Links:https://www.diverseeducation.com/reports-data/article/15543809/new-study-explores-the-25-of-students-who-start-but-never-finish-the-common-appCommon App BlogCommon App Research Papers and InsightsTRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE-- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resources.Hosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Jenny RickardProduction: Jack PurdyGrown and Flown Admission- Free Trial Offer

To open season 2 of The Truth about College Admission, Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark are joined by Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, to discuss the current state of how AI is impacting the college admissions process, how currently it is being implemented in admissions reading rooms, how it can be effectively used to improve essays, and what the future might hold with better trained AI.Links:https://www.khanacademy.org/khan-labs https://www.truthaboutcollegeadmission.com/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/27/chatgpt-ai-disadvantaged-college-applicants-affirmative-actionhttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/01/business/college-admissions-essay-ai-chatbots.htmlGeorgia Tech's Statement on AIHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Sal KhanProduction: Jack PurdyGrown and Flown Admission- Free Trial Offer

Season 2 of The Truth about College Admission podcast is here! This season, our hosts Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark bring on another great roster of guests to discuss many of the current topics dominating the college admissions space, from AI to testing to the recent Supreme Court case. Along with those topics, this season will once again bring insight from working face to face with high school students and counselors, advice on how to understand what colleges are thinking and doing when they recruit prospective students, and guidance on how to have healthy conversations for families going through the admissions process. On September 5, 2023, the second edition of the Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark's book, The Truth about College Admissions, is available to purchase at Johns Hopkins University Press, Amazon, or wherever you buy your books. The Truth about College Admission website includes details about speaking engagements, books, podcast, other writing, resources, and more. The Truth about College Admissions is exclusively sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Press, and in partnership with Grown and Flown. Hosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardProduction: Jack Purdyhttps://www.truthaboutcollegeadmission.com/

This week University of Pennsylvania's Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions, Whitney Soule shares insights on the intentions behind schools' carefully crafted essay prompts, and how students can approach those essays as a way to introduce their character. She discusses Penn's new short answer prompt that invites students to express gratitude to someone that they haven't thanked, an exercise intended to provide Penn a glimpse of how the student relates to others, and to provide students a feel-good reflection on the impact of others in their lives.  The Daily Pennsylvanian article featuring Whitney Soul. More on the University of Pennsylvania here.

This week, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Director of Admissions, Andy Borst shares insights on how academic major plays into the review of an application,  the shaping of an incoming class, and a Kung Fu Panda spoiler. He points students to the importance of asking their questions of the schools they are considering- and encourages colleges to display more detailed and differentiated data. One of the best in the business, we hope you will enjoy this one. Inside Higher Ed article featuring Andy BorstMore on the University of Illinois here.

With Rick out chauferring a youth soccer team, Brennan gets a one on one with Dr. Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist, 3x New York Times best seller, host of the Ask Lisa podcast to talk about the added stress the college search process brings, how to deal with that stress, and where families can potentially be freed up to be more happy during and after the process.Links:Lisa Damour's websiteLisa's early admission Instagram videoA panel on supporting youth mental health (feat. Lisa) - Harvard + Making Caring Common ProjectCGN "Teenagers Decoded" RegistrationTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Dr. Lisa DamourProduction: Jack Purdy

TJ Snowden, the Chief of Staff for the President of Morehouse College in Atlanta, joins Rick and Brennan to go through his admissions experience when he was choosing a college, explaining what institutional prorities are and how to find them, along with advice for juniors and parents of juniors heading into their college application cycle.Links:THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: TJ SnowdenProduction: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by one of Intialview's co-founders, Gloria Crawford, to discuss how the platform has been instrumental in the admissions space, how to approach their interviews, what to focus on, and advice for parents navigating the admissions space.Links:Initialview Home PageChinese Students and U.S. Universities Connect Through a Third Party (2016) - New York TimesCollege Admission Wrapped 2023 - ForbesTHE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resourcesGrown and Flown Admission - Free Trial OfferHosts: Rick Clark, Brennan BarnardGuest: Gloria CrawfordProduction: Jack Purdy