YCBK 619: How Can I Tell If a College Has a Commuter School Culture?
Release Date: 03/05/2026
YCBK 632: Tips for Submitting a Quality College Resume in Your Application
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: o Mark shares on additional important point about who gets in the most competitive colleges Heath Einstein, the chief enrollment officer at TCU-Tips for Submitting a Quality Resume for College o Heath tells us how a college resume is different from a work-based resume o Heath tells us what makes an effective resume o I share with Heath the things I tell students to emphasize in their resumes, and I ask Heath for feedback on whether some of the things I tell students are more important...
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YCBK 631: Observations About Kids That Got In the Most Selective Colleges
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (04:14) In our Question from a Listener-Susan and Hilary join Mark to respond to a comment from a listener about something that is grinding his gears (20:47) In the final segment on how to stand out in the most competitive applicant pools, Mark shares observations and similarities he sees from the kids who have been admitted to the most selective universities in all regions in the country (38:14) College Spotlight-Lisa joins Mark to discuss his recent visit to the University of Miami. This is a 60-minute Spotlight that you will...
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YCBK 630: How Can My Student Stand Out in a Competitive Applicant Pool-5 of 6
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Carter, Susan and Mark recorded a conversation for over 90 minutes on what standard strong students can do to excel once they get to campus Part 5 of 6 o We talk about the different way colleges admit students and the different calendars colleges have, and how that impacts your application o We talk about how this focus on fit cannot be emphasized enough, not only in your selection of where to apply but also in the discussion of whether the college selects you-to quote Susan, “fit works both ways” o Carter...
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YCBK 629: Understanding How Admissions Buckets Impact Admission Decisions
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (02:33) Mark and Susan and Hilary continue their discussion about some of the intangibles that make a student stand out in a competitive admissions process-4 of 5 o We discuss how admission buckets impact admission reads and admission decisions (24:51) In our Question from a Listener-Susan and Hilary join Mark to answer a question from Michael, a student about how he should communicate with admissions about a D he received in Algebra 2. (41:58) College Spotlight-Lisa and Lynda discuss State Tech in...
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YCBK 628: How Can My Student Stand Out in a Competitive Applicant Pool-3 of 5
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Carter, Susan and Mark recorded a conversation for over 90 minutes on what standard strong students can do to excel once they get to campus Part 3 of 5 o Susan and Carter and I continue our conversation about how applicants can stand out in a highly selective college admission process and we have some real straight talk in part 3 of 5 o Carter shares what he doesn’t like about the term passion project o We talk about what are some practical things students can do Lisa interviews Jennifer...
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YCBK 627: How Can My Student Stand Out in a Competitive Admission Pool
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (03:04) In our Question from a Listener-Susan joins Mark to answer a series of questions about the role of the territory manager in admissions decisions (29:28) Mark and Susan and Carter continue their discussion about some of the intangibles that make a student stand out in a competitive admissions process-2 of 5 o We have a robust conversation between the difference between a resume application and a representational application o We talk about how colleges assess impact, and how...
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YCBK 626: Important Skills Students Need to Excel Academically In College
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Carter, Susan and Mark recorded a conversation for over 90 minutes on what standard strong students can do to excel once they get to campus Part 1 of 5 o Susan describes the dilemma students face and she gives a preview of the content we are going to cover for the next 5 weeks o Susan shares a few admissions vernacular words for us, what is a 3/3? What is “bread and butter” o Susan defines Standard Strong for us o We begin a conversation that will...
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YCBK 625: Does Taking a Gap Year Increase Your Chances of Getting in College
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (02:35) In our Question from a Listener-Carter joins me to ask a question from a college counselor from New York who wants to know if taking a gap year increases a student’s chances of college admission. (29:02) Mark interviews Barbara Kalmus about how the words we often use when describing our college list are detrimental to student mental health Part 2 of 2 o Barbara talks about how things have changed since the 1990’s o Barbara talks about institutional priorities ...
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YCBK 624: 15 Questions to Ask When Deciding Who To Ask for a Teacher Rec
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: Mark shares 15 questions to ask yourself when you are trying to decide who to ask for your teacher recommendation Interview-Student Athlete Advisors-Part 4 of 4 o Our 4 experts answer three questions that one listener sent in via Speakpike o We talk about NIL and college athletics o We discuss the difference between the timed sports and the observation sports o Katie lets you know how about some of the resources that Student Athlete Advisors has available and how you can partner with...
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YCBK 623: Do Colleges Treat an A at a Rigorous HS the Same as an A at a Typical HS
Your College-Bound Kid
In this episode you will hear: (02:08) In Our Question from a Listener-Hilary joins me to ask a question about how colleges can use GPA to evaluate students when the high schools can vary so much in rigor, selectivity and grade inflation. (25:01) Mark interviews Barbara Kalmus about how the words we often use when describing our college list are detrimental to student mental health Part 1of 2 o Barbara Kalmus gives her backstory o Barbara talks about student mental health o ...
info_outlineIn this episode you will hear:
(03:34) In Our Question from a Listener-Hilary joins Mark to answer a question from an anonymous mom who wants to know how can I tell if a college has a commuter school culture.
(24:01) Mark interviews Stephen Burd, senior writer and researcher about his latest article that appears at newamerica.org on the topic of 41 colleges that are saddling a high percentage of low- income students with Parent PLUS loans-Part 2 of 3
Part 2
v Stephen elaborates on the Parent Plus loans
v Stephen discusses if non-need best aid or merit money is appropriate for schools to give out
v Stephen explains how the Wall Street Journal inspired him to do more research
v Stephen and I discuss how the vicious cycle and how things have changed a lot
(40:57) College Spotlight-Susan Tree joins Mark Stucker to interview Kelly Walter, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions at Boston University
Ø Kelly and Susan share how they met
Ø Kelly shares the various roles in admissions she has had and she shares why she has done admissions for 5 decades
Ø Kelly shares how Boston University’s Methodist roots and its history as a Bible institute originally impacts BU to this day
Ø Kelly explains many areas where BU was the first university in the country to accomplish something
Ø Kelly explains how BU is different from the other 40 universities in the country
Ø Kelly tells us how a student applies to BU if they do not know what they want to major in?
Ø Kelly tells us what the BU Hub is and what the BU cross-college challenge is?
Recommended Resource Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- Application guide for first-year students
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