The College Checklist Podcast

Confused about the road to college? The College Checklist podcast is your source for great information on the college admissions journey, from test prep to applications, to scholarships and more!

Test Prep Dos and Don'ts with Rath Tutoring founder Eric Rath 11/28/2024

Test Prep Dos and Don'ts with Rath Tutoring founder Eric Rath If you're taking the SAT or ACT in the spring, it might be time to start thinking about test prep! Join Julia and special guest Eric Rath, Founder of Rath Tutoring, who has over twenty years of experience in test prep and tutoring, to talk about test prep dos and don'ts. Contact at or 1-866-Rath-101 Find self-paced online courses at /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/34189780

Making College Affordable with Peg Keough from College Aid Pro 11/16/2024

Making College Affordable with Peg Keough from College Aid Pro With the cost of college climbing every year, Julia sat down with Peg Keough, the Director of Education at College Aid Pro to learn more about the ways students and families can make college more affordable by making informed decisions about financial aid! __________________ Create your College Aid Pro free account: Have questions? Email CAP at You can find them as CollegeAidPro on and Plus: CAP ' is a great group where we talk about everything from financial aid and scholarships to applications, essays, and college searches. Other Resources: /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33952932

College Admissions for Homeschool Families with Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey 11/16/2024

College Admissions for Homeschool Families with Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey Julia is joined by Michele Evard and Holly Ramsey, the authors of College Unmazed: Your Guide to Design & Document Your Homeschool Journey, which helps homeschool families prepare for successful college applications to their dream universities. __________________ Go to and use code HOMESCHOOL10 for 10% discount off everything College Unmazed Sells, as well as a Free download of the homeschool mindmap. Sign up to work with Michele at or contact her directly at Explore Holly's consulting services here or email her at Sign up for test prep at /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33952802

College Admissions for STEM Programs 11/07/2024

College Admissions for STEM Programs Is your student applying to a STEM program and you need to know what to include? It's time to get into the world of admissions for STEM majors with our resident expert Christina! ________ /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33839682

Applying to Military Academies and ROTC with Lisa Rielage 11/07/2024

Applying to Military Academies and ROTC with Lisa Rielage Guest host Kat Clowes of March Consulting interviews military academy admissions expert Lisa Rielage from Admissions Decrypted! ______ Explore the resources Lisa mentioned in the episode: /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33838877

Choosing a College Major 10/25/2024

Choosing a College Major Working on college applications and not sure which major to choose? Will your application even be impacted by which program you're applying to? In short, yes! Join us for this episode as we get into the weeds on how and why to choose a college major before submitting your applications. ___________ For help with all of your major-related questions, For last minute test prep resources, /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33618702

College Admissions Road Map 10/14/2024

College Admissions Road Map /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33454267

What's the deal with Test Optional college admissions? 10/04/2024

What's the deal with Test Optional college admissions? If you have a junior or senior high school student and you're trying to decipher what "test optional" and "test blind" and "test required" mean, or if the school you wanted to apply to just switched back to "test required," or if you're hearing that no one needs the SAT anymore but that juuuust doesn't sound right, this is the episode for you. We're talking about Test Optional admissions policies today: What are they, why are they like this, and what do they mean for your student. _______ /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33336197

The PSAT and National Merit Scholarship Program 10/04/2024

The PSAT and National Merit Scholarship Program Two test prep experts cover what the PSAT is, why it matters, and what you need to know about the National Merit scholarship program that could save you thousands of dollars on college! ______ Take with Higher Scores Test Prep. Get /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33336077

The New SAT 09/17/2024

The New SAT The new Digital SAT is almost completely different from previous versions of the test, so Julia and Christina walk through all the important changes to the English and Math sections, how to prepare, and how to make sure your student and their device are ready for test day. _______ or /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/33082667

We're Back! - The Latest in College Admissions 09/17/2024

We're Back! - The Latest in College Admissions Meet the new hosts of the College Checklist Podcast as we discuss all of the chaos and change in college admissions and test prep. _____ Get ready for the or this fall with Julia at ! Contact her here. Or prepare for application season with Christina at /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/32936857

Focus & Determination, Adam’s Story (Part 2) 02/01/2021

Focus & Determination, Adam’s Story (Part 2) If you listened to the last episode featuring just-graduated-high-school-Adam, be prepared to teleport 3 years into the future and meet almost-graduated-college-Adam!He's the same focused, dedicated student he always has been and he's back to share a great deal of insight for other students who are getting ready to head off to college for the first time.I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
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Focus & Determination, Adam’s Story (Part 1) 02/01/2021

Focus & Determination, Adam’s Story (Part 1) I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Adam when he was a junior in high school. Not only was he thoroughly committed to improving his ACT scores, he then leveraged those scores for some really impressive merit aid awards. He's a very focused young man who worked hard and reaped the rewards of his efforts.I always find it so inspiring to hear my students' journeys to college. I hope you find Adam's story as uplifting as I do!
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Transforming The College Conversation 10/22/2020

Transforming The College Conversation If you're not hopeful about the future...If your next steps feel forced...If you feel your purpose lies on a different path than the one you're currently walking......then this episode is for you. And, if I'm honest, this episode is for me too. It's for high school me who was so lost and felt compelled to plod towards a future she wasn't genuinely excited about.I've been there. I know how it feels. And I have a simple Blue Sky way we can completely transform the college conversation and get excited abo /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/16511405

Is A Transfer Track the Right Choice For You? 10/14/2020

Is A Transfer Track the Right Choice For You? While this episode was recorded before the pandemic, the information is particularly relevant today as many students and their families scramble to make alternate college plans. Over the years, no more so than now, I've heard many parents say, "We're just going to have her go to community college because she doesn't know what she wants to do." Changing course can often be a great choice, but there are some risks that come from opting out of the first 2 years at a 4-year college. The most important thin /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/16404818

Increasing Our Capacity To Focus 09/30/2020

Increasing Our Capacity To Focus Recorded long before the pandemic hit, this episode seems rather fortuitous given the biggest challenge I'm currently facing in lockdown: focus.My dear friend and fellow bookworm Jen Hoffman joins us to share her incredible tips for cultivating the practice of focus.Yes! Focus is a muscle that must be cultivated but that muscle can atrophy in our high tech world. Our devices are incredible tools that are keeping us connected in these crazy times, but their ability to keep us in contact with others comes wit /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/16222604

How to Thrive in Uncertainty 09/22/2020

How to Thrive in Uncertainty Living in times of great uncertainty is no easy feat. The good news is that there are skills and practices that you can cultivate that can help you not only cope but thrive.While 2020 is giving the word "uncertain" a run for its money, the truth is that life is always uncertain to some degree. Whether it's a year when the waters are rough and choppy or a momentary bobble, the tips the Dr. Maggie Wray shares with us today will help you learn to thrive in these (and all) uncertain times.
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Networking From A Distance 09/15/2020

Networking From A Distance Networking. It's such a daunting topic for so many people, but - as hard as it is to network in person - it's made even more challenging at a distance.That said, there are lots of things we can do to make networking more enjoyable whether we're doing so face-to-face or remotely.This skill is an important one for life. Even if networking makes you a bit squeamish, this episode will give you some practical, tactical tips to help you connect with others in an authentic way that can also greatly boost your grow /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/16023569

Locking Down Your Productivity 09/08/2020

Locking Down Your Productivity Last spring was incredibly challenging. The upheaval of our normal day-to-day lives unsurprisingly took a toll on the work we did.While that's completely understandable given the circumstances, as we head into the new school year, it's important that we focus on ways we can continue to thrive even in the face of tremendous uncertainty. One thing that helps me feel grounded is to continue to do high quality work and move my various projects forward. That sense of momentum is important to my sense of wel /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/15934868

How to Conduct Virtual College Visits 09/01/2020

How to Conduct Virtual College Visits After the initial shock of quarantine life wore off last spring, I realized that one of the biggest ways that the Class of 2021 was going to be impacted by Coronavirus was the inability to visit college campuses. Instead, the state of the world was going to necessitate a shift to virtual college visits.Spring break, especially during junior year, is a critical time as many high school students travel the country and get up close and personal with the schools on their college list. College visits are in /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/15844796

Navigating College Essay Writing in 2020 08/24/2020

Navigating College Essay Writing in 2020 Writing your college essay can be an incredibly daunting task. It can be hard to know how to talk about yourself in a way that shares what you've accomplished without seeming like you're bragging. Or you may struggle to find anything to talk about. After all, what makes you special? Whether you see yourself as unique or have a hard time identifying what makes you intriguing, in 2020 there's an additionally complicated layer of living in extraordinary times.With pandemics raging and social justice movements /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/15738512

Finding College Scholarships During A Pandemic 08/17/2020

Finding College Scholarships During A Pandemic Throughout the years, I've noticed that many of the families I've worked with have focused exclusively on getting into college throughout high school. There's a sense that you ought to know where you're going and what it will cost before figuring out the financial side of the equation.Unfortunately, though, delaying thinking about paying for college can cause you to leave a lot of money on the table. As important as it is to consider the paying for college question in normal times, it's even more important /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/15650009

To Test or Not To Test 08/10/2020

To Test or Not To Test Today we're going to dive into a question I've received so very many times over the last few months: Lauren, should we take the ACT or SAT this year?Gosh, I wish I could give a quick DO IT! or DON'T DO IT! answer, but - as with most things this year - the reality is far more complex than any one pat answer can adequately address.This episode will walk you through a framework that will give you guidance to make the decision that's right for you based on all of the information available to you today.By the en /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/15558041

How Financial Aid Is Being Impacted By Coronavirus 08/03/2020

How Financial Aid Is Being Impacted By Coronavirus When thinking about next steps for college admissions in the time of Coronavirus, something that is top of mind for so many families is the cost.Frankly, it should be top of mind any time we're talking about college.There is a lot of need-based aid and merit-based aid that's available, even in these challenging times. But, as with so much of the college admissions process, getting organized and hitting deadlines is critical to ensure that you get every free dollar you're eligible for.Today we're going to be /episode/index/show/thecollegechecklistpodcast/id/15463061

The Impact of Coronavirus on College Admissions 07/28/2020

The Impact of Coronavirus on College Admissions Today's episode is the first in our special series about how Coronavirus is impacting college admissions for the Class of 2021. In this episode, we'll be exploring college admissions from the 50,000 foot view and talking through how you may be impacted if you're applying to college in the fall of 2020.
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Welcome to the Special Coronavirus Edition of The College Checklist Podcast 07/28/2020

Welcome to the Special Coronavirus Edition of The College Checklist Podcast After a 2 year hiatus, the College Checklist Podcast is back to help families navigate the college admissions process in the time of Coronavirus. If you're curious about how the college admissions process is going to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, join myself and my wonderful guests as we explore how we're helping our clients navigate this very challenging college admissions year.Listen Now
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The College Checklist Podcast

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