YCBK 529: An interview with Jim Bock, Dean and VP at Swarthmore College-3 of 3
Release Date: 04/24/2025
Your College-Bound Kid
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info_outlineIn this episode you will hear:
(01:55) In The News
Vince Garcia and Mark Stucker discuss observations from admission decisions from this year’s class. Part 2 of 3
(18:27) Question from a listener:
Mark and Hillary answer a question from a listener about how her student can demonstrate interest effectively
(39:37) Interview: Mark Stucker and David Blobaum, The Co-Founder of Summit Test Prep Debate whether selective colleges should make the SAT or the ACT mandatory-Part 3 of 3
Preview of Part 3 of 3
² I share a position that one of MIT’s competitors has that I agree with
² I share a reason why I do not believe using first year GPA is a valid way to see how well a non-test submitter is doing in college
² David pushes back a little and shares why there is some validity to looking at first year GPA
² David talks about the “big fish small pond concept” that Malcolm Gladwell uses
² I push back by talking about individual autonomy over your own life decisions
² David shares the most compelling reason why he holds his view
² David and I talk about how test scores can increase your merit scholarship
² David goes on the hotseat
² Mark adds a few comments about things he thought of after the debate was over
(01:09:55) College Spotlight-Jim Bok Interview, Understanding Swarthmore College
Preview of Part 3
² I ask Jim to talk about Swarthmore’s wooded arboretum campus
² I ask Jim to share how Swarthmore and Haverford are different
² Jim shares a little about the bi-co and tri-co consortiums
² Jim explains what it means for a college to be a Liberal Arts school
² Jim explains what skillset a Swarthmore liberal arts education inculcates in its graduates
² I ask Jim about several financial challenges colleges are facing and I ask him how these financial challenges are impacting admissions
² I ask Jim if he sees selecting colleges that are not land locked trying to expand their class size as a way of bringing in more revenue.
² Jim goes on the hot seat in our lightning round
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