YCBK 606: How many colleges should your student apply to?
Release Date: 01/19/2026
YCBK 608: How to Avoid Getting $2000-$7000 Unexpectedly Added to Your College Bill
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Jennifer Mandel, a college counselor with Mark at School Match 4U, joins Mark to discuss how college policies differ when it comes to requiring you to sign up for their health care plan, or how to notify them that you already have health care coverage. Peter Pitts interview-Part 2 of 3 v Peter shares the number one thing he feels allow colleges to have a distinctive experience unmatched elsewhere v Peter talks about how his book, “Small College Magic” is different from some other books on colleges v Peter has a beef with something that Jeff...
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YCBK 607: How the Calm College Method Reduces Student & Parent Stress
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (02:54) Mark interviews Lisa and Lynda about their new book, “The Calm College Method” (27:18) Susan joins Mark to answer a question from Andrew, a listener from Oregon (54:27) Interview-Susan Brisson-Olin College of Engineering Preview of Part 2 v Susan talks about the level of math Olin is looking for and she discusses the admission requirements v Susan talks about the individual in-person evaluative interview Olin has v Susan tells us what some red flags are students in admissions v Susan shares...
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YCBK 606: How many colleges should your student apply to?
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Mark answers the question, how many colleges should your student apply to: Peter Pitts Peter Pitts interview-Part 1 of 3 v Peter gives his backstory v Peter shares why he didn’t like being a Director of Admissions v Peter talks about what he loved about a Regional admissions officer and we just have a good conversation being a regional admission officer v Peter explains where his passion for admissions work comes from v Peter walks us through all of the books he has written v Peter begins to make the case for why...
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YCBK 605: How Being Low-Income Impacts Admission Decisions at Need-Blind Colleges
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (36:18) Mark shares some different policies that colleges have for deferred applicants. (03:26) Susan joins Mark to answer a question from a listener about how being a low-income impacts decisions at need-blind schools. (01:10:18) Interview-Susan Brisson-Olin College of Engineering Preview of Part 1 v Susan gives her backstory v Susan gives us the basics about Olin v Susan explains why you will see the name Olin on so many different colleges v Susan explains what makes Olin different from...
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YCBK 604: Is Selectivity Important When Selecting a College?
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Mark has a discussion about the role of selectivity when selecting a college Mark interviews Kate Stricklan on How Some Colleges Shape Their Class o Kate tells us what shaping is and how it applies to admission file reading o Kate talks about how students go in and out of the admitted class o Kate shares why colleges do not reveal they can share all of their admit data with the public o Kate shares when you should not send your test...
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YCBK 603: What Is The Best Time To Send a Letter of Continued Interest?
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (01:45) Mark and Julia discuss, what do you do if you find out that you were deferred or wait-listed from a college. When is the best time to send in a letter of continued interest? (28:04) QFL and Interview: Matt Beatty, VP of enrollment at Luther College in Decorah in Iowa Preview • Matt gives his bio, and he tells us about the location of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa • Matt shares what he feels is the most special thing...
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YCBK 602: What Does a Seasonal Admission Officer Do, and How Do You Become One?
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Mark has a discussion about the role of prestige when selecting a college Mark interviews Kate Stricklan on the Role of the Seasonal Admission Officer o What is going on in the admission office now o What is the role of the operations team that is mission-critical o We discuss the difference between seasonals and regionals, and Kate gives us a lot of details about seasonals o Kate talks about the training that is done for the...
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YCBK 601: You Just Got Deferred or Waitlisted? What Do You Do Now?
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (03:12) Mark and Julia discuss, what do you do if you found out that you were deferred or waitlisted from a college (39:38) Interview: Mark interviews Kev Sanders, Associate Director of Admissions, University of Utah Preview of Part 3 o Kev addresses one other concern that a pacific northwest family has about the University of Utah o Kev addresses one concern that one of my families who visited Utah had after leaving their visit ...
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YCBK 600: Tips that Helped Me With Admissions That I Want to Share
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Twenty of our listeners share tips that have helped them with the college process that they want to share with others. Recommended Resources Colleges that allow self reporting of test scores Great source for questions about finances and college FAFSA Walkthroughs Mark recommends CSS PROFILE Walkthroughs 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...
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YCBK 599: How To Get a College to Improve Their Financial Aid Award-3 of 3
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (08:49) Matt Carpenter interview, Part 3 of 3 ² Matt and I continue with our conversation about a need-based appeal ² I share a story about how some colleges are not transparent when it comes to home equity and that can be a game changer ² Matt gives a shout out to a college that does a great job if your income changes from the base year ² Matt and I talk about the easiest way to win a need-based appeal ² Matt discusses whether it is best to make a specific ask versus a general ask when appealing for more...
info_outlineIn this episode you will hear:
Mark answers the question, how many colleges should your student apply to: Peter Pitts
Peter Pitts interview-Part 1 of 3
v Peter gives his backstory
v Peter shares why he didn’t like being a Director of Admissions
v Peter talks about what he loved about a Regional admissions officer and we just have a good conversation being a regional admission officer
v Peter explains where his passion for admissions work comes from
v Peter walks us through all of the books he has written
v Peter begins to make the case for why students should consider small colleges
v I talk about something that is very controversial with Peter and we have a little bit of a debate about it-hint, it has to do with if getting large merit awards is a good thing or a bad thing
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
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.
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