Your College-Bound Kid

Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews Our mission is to "make college knowledge available to all." Each Thursday, the "Your College-Bound Kid" podcast will discuss a hot college topic in the news; we will answer a question or two that listeners send in, we will interview a "thought leader" in the world of college admissions, and do a "deep-dive," we call Spotlights on a College. Every Monday, we have a second episode to discuss a "hot topic" and interview a "thought leader" in the admissions or college life world. YCBK combines "in-depth knowledge" with a light, easy-to-listen conversational style. We have eight co-hosts, six college counselors, and two current admissions officers, including an Admissions Dean.

YCBK 675: Why 70 Colleges Now Partner with Verto for Transfer Admissions-5 of 5 09/17/2026

YCBK 675: Why 70 Colleges Now Partner with Verto for Transfer Admissions-5 of 5 In this episode you will hear: (04:44) Mark interviews Mitch Gordon and Jennifer Ziegenfus-Verto Education Part 5 of 5-Preview v Mitch talks about how safe the sites that the students are at are v Jen talks about how a visit she took from Boulder to the London site, and it was transformational for her understanding of the magic of Verto v Mitch talks about whether a student or parent can visit an overseas site before they commit v Mitch tells us more about how Parents Days work v Jen talks about where someone who is interested in Verto should go next to learn even more about Verto v Mitch talks about his vision about he envisions Verto will look like in 2032 when Verto is 15 years old v We close with Jen and Mitch going on the hot seat in our lightning round (34:55) Mark and Christina interview Adam Miller, The VP of Enrollment at Whiman College, Part 3 of 3 Understanding Whitman · Adam discusses how practically does being “need-aware” look like at Whitman · Adam discusses what Whitman needs to work on to be an even better college · Adam talks about what Walla Walla is like as a town · Adam talks about the weather in Walla Walla, Washington · Adam talks about the wine culture in Walla Walla · Adam talks about how Whitman celebrates the Liberal Arts 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42934167

YCBK 674: Why 70 Colleges Now Partner with Verto for Transfer Admissions 09/14/2026

YCBK 674: Why 70 Colleges Now Partner with Verto for Transfer Admissions In this episode you will hear: Mark interviews Mitch Gordon and Jennifer Ziegenfus-Verto Education Part 4 of 5-Preview v Mitch talks about how hard covid was extremely hard on Verto and he talks about what was it that allowed Verto to survive and then thrive through Verto v Mitch talks about what residential environment is like for students v Mitch talks about the course offerings are that are available at each location v Mitch talks about how they added several stem heavy partners and how they wanted certain courses to be provided so they added these courses v Mitch talks about how they find faculty for Verto v Mitch talks about the average class size and he talks about what his very ambitious goal is when it comes to the quality of the teaching faculty v Mitch talks about some of the experiential learning that occurs as part of the Verto experience v Jen talks about the extracurricular opportunities that are available v Mitch talks about the importance of community and connection at Verto v I ask Mitch and Jen what Verto needs to do better and they share specific things that they want to improve Mark and Christina interview Adam Miller, The VP of Enrollment at Whiman College, Part 2 of 3 Understanding Whitman · Adam discusses what the admissions office looks for when they are deciding who to admit, and he singles out some very specific personal qualities that Whitman values · Adam paints a clear picture of the type of performance from a grades and rigor standpoint that is competitive in the Whitman admission process · Adam discusses Whitman’s perspective on standardized testing · Whitman discusses the role that interviews play in the Whitman admission process · Whitman talks about how extracurricular activities impact how an admissions file is read · Adam shares the role that writing plays in the evaluation process 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42891260

YCBK 673: Understanding Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington 09/10/2026

YCBK 673: Understanding Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington In this episode you will hear: (08:53) Mark interviews Mitch Gordon and Jennifer Ziegenfus-Verto Education Part 3 of 5-Preview  Jen and Mitch talk about the growth of students who are now choosing Verto as their first choice and how, increasingly, students are starting with Verto as their first-choice option  Mitch explains the college counseling that Verto provides for students who want to start with Verto, and how they have their own version of the Common App  Jen talks about how incredibly important it is for Verto to have an academic team and an academic advisory board so Verto can have the right classes for students  Jen talks about how the Verto model is set up for students to graduate in four years  Mitch talks about the cost of attending a Verto program and Verto’s commitment to access.  Mitch talks about the Global Citizenship scholarship, and some of the other scholarships that Verto offers  Mitch talks about what is covered and not covered in the Verto fees  Jen talks about how excursions are built into the Verto experience  Mitch talks about what qualifications are required for a student to transfer back, and we talk about how Verto can avoid sending a student to a college who has the correct GPA but the kid is a knucklehead  Mitch and Jen discuss what percentage of Verto students who start with the invite end up at a Verto partner school after their Verto experience  Mitch and Jen talk about how some colleges even send their students care packages, and some colleges even visit students at their overseas location (32:26)Mark and Christina interview Adam Miller, The VP of Enrollment at Whiman College, Part 1 of 3 Understanding Whitman · Adam gives his backstory · Adam explains, “Why Whitman” · Adam discusses, the “Semester in the West” · Adam explains the outstanding outdoor program at Whitman · Adam discusses the Senior Thesis and the strength in stem · Adam explains the very unique one on one career counseling program at Whitman 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42849950

YCBK 672: How Can I Know What My Actual Miscellaneous College Expenses Are 09/07/2026

YCBK 672: How Can I Know What My Actual Miscellaneous College Expenses Are In this episode you will hear: Mark interviews Mitch Gordon and Jennifer Ziegenfus-Verto Education Part 2 of 5-Preview v Jennifer goes in some depth explaining when and how a university recommends the Verto option for students v Mitch explains what he means by the “glass half full” approach to when a student gets a Verto offer v Mitch talks about more selective colleges have partnered with Verto in recent years v Mitch talks about the experiential learning that happens at Verto v Mitch explains how he had his epiphany of how college can be a great benefit to the colleges v Jen was the Vice Chancellor at CU Boulder and she explains what the “value add’ is to the colleges and she explains two distinct pathways that students come to their college from Verto; she describes the Direct Transfer Pathway to Verto and the traditional path where the college recommends Verto v Mitch talks about how Verto is creating the largest Transfer Network in the world and how it is an international network and how it is growing fast v Mitch talks about the year Verto started and what the early years were like; he also talks about what Verto looks for when they a select a college partner v Mitch talks about his vision for the future of Verto v Jen talks about what factor goes into whether a student gets assigned to Verto for one semester or for one year v Mitch talks about the five international locations that Verto has and he talks about what factors determine which location to the student ends up at 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42801900

YCBK 671: How Verto Education Became the World’s Largest Transfer Pathway to College 09/03/2026

YCBK 671: How Verto Education Became the World’s Largest Transfer Pathway to College In this episode you will hear: (22:15) Mark interviews Mitch Gordon and Jennifer Ziegenfus-Verto Education Part 1 of 5-Preview v Mitch Gordon shares his backstory v Mitch is a serial entrepreneur with all of his ventures being related to students having overseas experiences; he shares a few of his other educational ventures v Jennifer Ziegenfus give her fascinating backstory, and friends, you should have your student listen to Jennifer’s background because it is textbook case for why I don’t think students need to have it all figured out at 18, in terms of what they want to do with their lives v Mitch shares why he hired Jen, and what she does for Verto that is living out the values of Verto v Mitch shares what the mission of Verto Education is v Mitch shares how Verto challenges students v Mitch shares the nuts and bolts of how Verto works v Jennifer explains how her role is to be the liaison to support their partner colleges v Jennifer explains in depth how Verto does orientation, how Verto helps prepare students and their families for their transition to their overseas site where they will be living in the fall v Mitch talks about the two primary ways in which students find Verto 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42724350

YCBK 670: Understanding Clemson University 08/31/2026

YCBK 670: Understanding Clemson University In this episode you will hear: Mark interviews Dr. Rick Barth, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Part 4 of 5 and 5 of 5 µ Rick talks about extracurriculars, and whether they are part of the application decision µ Rick talks about the times when work impresses the admissions officers µ Rick talks about the difference between “in state and out of state” applicants µ Rick shares the number of instate vs out of state applicants, and he shares the acceptance rate for instate vs out of state applicants µ Rick gives the numbers for Fall admit, summer admit and the bridge program µ Rick talks about how transfer admission works and he shares one thing that he wishes applicants to Clemson who don’t get in, know µ Rick talks about how Bridge favors in-state students but he talks about the times when they will take out of state students µ Rick talks about one major that is a real institutional priority µ We talk about the test score that is worth submitting to Clemson and Rick gives us a level of candor that is rarely heard, especially on a podcast µ Rick talks about Honors College at Clemson µ Rick talks about what Honors College is looking for µ Rick talks about how important the student portal is at Clemson µ Rick talks about some of the marquee programs within Honors College, including Eureka summer research program and the Dixon Global Studies program Part 5-Preview µ Rick talks about scholarships at Clemson µ Mark talks about Clemson’s perceived lack of diversity and the politically conservative nature of the student body µ Rick talks about the UNC and Harvard Supreme Court decision µ Rick talks about the misunderstanding of the Supreme Court’s admission decision about affirmative action µ Rick talks about some institutional priorities that he can share µ Rick talks about how co-op works at Clemson µ Rick shares a very frank statement about scholarships at Clemson µ Rick talks about the main thing he wants our listeners to know about Clemson µ Rick goes on the hotseat, and he closes with a profound statement 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42611445

YCBK 669: If My Student Checks the Box For Aid, Does It Decrease Their Admissions Chances 08/27/2026

YCBK 669: If My Student Checks the Box For Aid, Does It Decrease Their Admissions Chances In this episode you will hear: (11:38) Mark and Christina answer a question from a listener about how, “checking the box” impacts admissions at a “Need-Aware” college (34:06) Mark interviews Dr. Rick Barth, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Part 3 of 5 Preview of Part 3 of 5 µ Rick talks about how Clemson ranks students, even when they do not provide a class rank, and he talks about the quality controls they put in place to make sure they are as accurate as possible µ Rick talk about the way in which Clemson profiles how students have done from different high schools at Clemson and how this factors into how they read an admission file µ Rick talks about how is rigor assessed µ Rick talks in detail of how the academic review is done µ Rick answers the question, Is Clemson test-optional or test-mandatory µ Rick talks about how the acceptance data of test optional students compares to the acceptance rate of test submitters µ Rick talks about how factors like essays, recommendations, activities and demonstrated interest play a role, or don’t play a role in the admission decision process µ Rick talks about how students can show interest and how it is a waste of everyone’s time µ Rick talks about how decisions for Agricultural students differs from other colleges 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42568865

YCBK 668: Co-Hosts Debate “What Advice We Should Be Giving to Students” 2 of 2 08/24/2026

YCBK 668: Co-Hosts Debate “What Advice We Should Be Giving to Students” 2 of 2 In this episode you will hear: Mark and Carter debate an article Brennan Barnard wrote in Forbes entitled: “College Admissions Maxing: A Troubling Trend Mark reads the article before part 2 of the debate Mark interviews Dr. Rick Barth, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Part 2 of 5 Preview of Part 2 of 5 µ Rick Barth explains the impact of the two football national championships µ Rick talks about engineering at Clemson and especially the automotive engineering, as it is the only program of its kind in the country µ Rick talks about Clemson’s Bridge Program with Tri-County; he describes the program and discusses the strengths and challenges of Bridge µ Rick discusses, how is Clemson different than The University of South Carolina µ We transition to talking about Admissions at Clemson and Rick explains the big 3 factors Clemson looks at µ Rick explains how Clemson calculates a GPA µ Rick shares why he likes STARS and why Clemson uses it µ Rick explains if Clemson looks at dual enrollment the same as they look at AP or IB µ Rick talks about how they try to account for the different high schools students are coming from 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42529625

YCBK 667: Two Co-Hosts Debate “What Advice We Should Be Giving to Students” 08/20/2026

YCBK 667: Two Co-Hosts Debate “What Advice We Should Be Giving to Students” In this episode you will hear: (17:44) Mark and Carter debate an article Brennan Barnard wrote in Forbes entitled: “College Admissions Maxing: A Troubling Trend (44:36) Mark interviews Dr. Rick Barth, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Part 1 of 5 Preview of Part 1 of 5 µ Rick Barth shares his backstory µ Rick mentions several reasons why students should consider Clemson and he mentions some of Clemson’s marquee programs µ Rick explains how Clemson admits by major µ Rick explains how the undeclared/undecided major works at Clemson µ Rick opens up and shares the most competitive majors, at Clemson, Rick often refers to these majors as the limited enrollment majors µ Rick shares the numbers of the growth of Clemson’s applications, and he explains why he feels Clemson has taken off since 2020 µ Rick talks about the Clemson alumni network 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42492765

YCBK 666: The Best Career Advice You Are Going To Hear In Your Life 08/17/2026

YCBK 666: The Best Career Advice You Are Going To Hear In Your Life In this episode you will hear: Mark and Chris have a good back and forth discussion about the book “Class Matters” and the theory that race-based affirmative action got it all wrong and what we should have been discussing the last 50 years was class-based affirmative action” Mark interviews New York Times bestselling author, Bill Deresiewicz on his book, “Excellent Sheep” Part 2 of 2 Preview of Part 2 of 2 µ Bill talks about the balance, and he talks when students pursuing the professions he is often critical of makes a lot of sense µ Bill talks about whether he has challenged Yale with his conclusions µ Bill gives advice to parents on how they can navigate their kids through this process µ Bill drops a bombshell when he challenges parents to think about the schools you are sending your kids to µ Bill gives advice on what a college student can do to resist peer pressure µ Bill tells us what students’ superpowers are µ Mark shares some ideas that he has found to be effective µ Bill talks about what happens if you play the status game µ Bill talks about how he found his own personal fulfillment µ Bill talks about the danger of making your kid feel like they need to know what they are doing to do at age 18 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42468175

YCBK 665: Caltech’s Fraud Squad is Going After Students Who Misrepresent Themselves 08/13/2026

YCBK 665: Caltech’s Fraud Squad is Going After Students Who Misrepresent Themselves In this episode you will hear: (09:56) Mark and Chris discuss an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal recently entitled, “The Fraud Squad at Caltech Will Catch You If You Lie On Your Application” (36:22) Mark interviews New York Times best selling author, Bill Deresiewicz on his book, “Excellent Sheep” Part 1 of 2 Preview of Part 1 of 2 µ Bill Deresiewicz gives his backstory and his transparency is at times riveting µ Bill explains the circuitous path he took to get to where he is now µ Bill explains his disenchantment as a professor at Yale University, and he explains the genesis of the book, “Excellent Sheep” µ Bill explains what Yale students are great at and what they are lacking µ Mark explains my experience with Bill’s thesis µ Bill talks about career funneling µ Bill explores the motivations for why students end up as sheep µ Mark challenges Bill, how can you say these students are not fulfilled 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42414120

YCBK 664: Students At Elite Schools Are Often Like Sheep: Following the Herd 08/10/2026

YCBK 664: Students At Elite Schools Are Often Like Sheep: Following the Herd In this episode you will hear: Mark and Chris answer a question from a dad from Denver about applying early. Update on our new website, YouTube Channel and our new Instagram Christina and Mark interview Andrea Saadi on how experts evaluate whether a college’s financials are stable Preview of Part 3 of 3 µ Andrea discusses how Athletic expenses impacts colleges budget µ Andrea gives her opinion on whether she is expecting Widespread closures µ Andrea discusses How the report she generates is used µ Andrea gives her opinion on Forbes College Financial Grades µ Andrea gives us more signs to look for to know if signals a college is in trouble µ Andrea comments briefly on 990’s µ Andrea shares if she believes a college that gives Merit money for everyone-is that a signal of financial weakness? µ Andrea goes on the hotseat 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42371135

YCBK 663: Why Are So Many Colleges Dropping Their College-Specific Essays? 08/06/2026

YCBK 663: Why Are So Many Colleges Dropping Their College-Specific Essays? In this episode you will hear: (04:23) Mark and Hillary discuss a few reasons so many colleges are dropping their custom prompts, aka supplemental college essays Update on our new website, YouTube Channel and our new Instagram Admissions Tip, Admissions Vernacular and Big Number (32:41) Christina and Mark interview Andrea Saadi on how experts evaluate whether a college’s financials are stable Preview of Part 2 µ Andrea gives us some things to look for to know whether a college is really in trouble µ Andrea shares some of the factors that she looks at when she is doing an assessment of whether a college is financially stable µ Andrea explains why the bond offering data is important and what she looks for when examining a bond offering document; and Andrea lets us know when they are available and when they are not available µ Andrea lets us know what is the Gold standard for looking at financial data µ Andrea talks about whether bond ratings getting lowered is a concern µ Andrea talks about how to not be an alarmist and rule a college out because of layoffs and operating deficits 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42329225

YCBK 662: How to Make a Few Activities Really Stand Out in Your Application 08/03/2026

YCBK 662: How to Make a Few Activities Really Stand Out in Your Application In this episode you will hear: We play three messages that listeners sent in Mark and Hillary share a tip that can really make your activity list stand out Update on our new website, YouTube Channel and our new Instagram Christina and Mark interview Andrea Saadi on how experts evaluate whether a college’s financials are stable Preview of Part 1 µ Andrea gives her background µ Andrea assesses the financial challenges colleges are facing µ Andrea distinguishes between a budget crunch and a budget crisis 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42293950

YCBK 661: Changes Colleges Are Making Because of their Enrollment Shortage 07/30/2026

YCBK 661: Changes Colleges Are Making Because of their Enrollment Shortage In this episode you will hear: (03:30) Mark and Christina answer a question from a listener who wants to know how colleges are coping with their enrollment challenges (34:16) Mark shares an admissions tip, an admission vernacular and a big number Update on our new website, YouTube Channel and our new Instagram (50:20) Jed Applerouth answers questions listeners sent in about the ACT and the SAT Preview for Part 2 µ Jed answers a question about when the ACT will improve its Digital exam µ Jed answers the question, does a higher math score mean the ACT is likely to be the better test, but the ACT has the harder math, so do you find kids that are better at math do better on the SAT or ACT µ Jed talks about whether pacing and timing drills are important as part of prep? 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42259440

YCBK 660: Answers to Tough Questions our Parents Submitted about the SAT & ACT 07/27/2026

YCBK 660: Answers to Tough Questions our Parents Submitted about the SAT & ACT In this episode you will hear: Mark answers a question Barbara from California sent in about an idea for the SAT and the ACT. Update on our new website, YouTube Channel and our new Instagram Jed Applerouth answers questions listeners sent in about the ACT and the SAT Preview for Part 2 µ Jed talks about the return to required standard testing µ We talk about grade inflation µ Jed answers a question from a listener who wants to know what Jed thinks about the Classical Learning Test? µ Jed answers a question from a listener about whether to submit scores µ Jed answers a question about why some colleges require all scores 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42219960

YCBK 659: We Are a Full-Pay Family; Will Our Privilege Hurt My Kid In The Admissions Process 07/23/2026

YCBK 659: We Are a Full-Pay Family; Will Our Privilege Hurt My Kid In The Admissions Process In this episode you will hear: (05:14) Christina Lopez joins Mark to discuss a question from a mom from south Florida about how colleges will view their family’s full-pay status in the admissions process (17:55)Jed Applerouth answers questions listeners sent in about the ACT and the SAT Part 1 of 3 µ Jed answers the question, should students take the ACT with Science now that it is optional? µ Jed goes over the major changes with the ACT and the SAT µ Should students take the ACT on paper or digital? µ Jed talks about if the ACT is making inroads into the SAT’s market share? 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42187330

YCBK 658: Is Getting a Liberal Arts or Humanities Degree Very Risky In This Job Market 07/20/2026

YCBK 658: Is Getting a Liberal Arts or Humanities Degree Very Risky In This Job Market In this episode you will hear: Susan Tree joins Mark to take a very thoughtful question from Katie who wants to know if we think it is just too risky to get a liberal arts or humanities degree when STEM degrees lead to higher pay. Mark interviews Owen Blight, Dean of Admissions and Acting Associate VP of Enrolment at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island-4 of 4 Mark and Owen continue to discuss how Providence makes admission decisions. We close with Owen going on the hotseat in our lightning round. 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people, find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42145715

YCBK 657: My Student Is Not Excited About Going To College: What do I do? 07/16/2026

YCBK 657: My Student Is Not Excited About Going To College: What do I do? In this episode you will hear: (05:28) Guest host Chris Teare joins Mark to discuss a question from a mom who doesn’t know what to do because her student is not excited to go to college. Mark shares an An Admissions Tip, An Admissions Vernacular and a Big Number (31:45) Mark interviews Owen Blight, Dean of Admissions and Acting Associate VP of Enrolment at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island-3 of 3 Mark and Owen discuss some more perceptions of Providence but most of segment three is dedicated to talking about Providence College’s admissions process. 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42103980

YCBK 656: How Do I Get a Spike, so I Can Be a Competitive Applicant for Selective Colleges 07/13/2026

YCBK 656: How Do I Get a Spike, so I Can Be a Competitive Applicant for Selective Colleges In this episode you will hear: Carter and Mark take a question from Ben, a 10th grader in Texas. Ben wants to know how he can get a spike so he can be competitive in the most selective colleges? Mark reads an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about the “Higher Ed Budget Crunch” Mark interviews Owen Blight, Dean of Admissions and Acting Associate VP of Enrolment at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island Mark shares some perceptions his students have had about Providence College, and Owen elaborates on the student perceptions 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42050560

YCBK 655: Why is it Hard to Get a Straight Answer: Are My Test Scores Are Good Enough? 07/09/2026

YCBK 655: Why is it Hard to Get a Straight Answer: Are My Test Scores Are Good Enough? In this episode you will hear: (03:06) Mark answers a question from a listener about, how to know if your test scores are good enough? (21:48) Hilary and Mark take a second question from a listener about whether a poor grade can be dropped from a transcript Mark reads an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about the “Higher Ed Budget Crunch” (35:08) Mark interviews Owen Blight, Dean of Admissions and Acting Associate VP of Enrolment at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/42017645

YCBK 654: Why Admissions Has Been the “Wild Wild West” Since 2019 07/06/2026

YCBK 654: Why Admissions Has Been the “Wild Wild West” Since 2019 In this episode you will hear: Updates on our YouTube Channel Christina Lopez discuss “double deposits”, what are they, whey they occur and are they wrong? Mark reads an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about the “Higher Ed Budget Crunch” Mark and Christina discuss what is keeping chief enrollment officers up at night. They discuss how the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision has impacted college admissions. 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41968380

YCBK 653: Are My Test Scores Good Enough To Submit to a Test-Optional Selective College 07/02/2026

YCBK 653: Are My Test Scores Good Enough To Submit to a Test-Optional Selective College In this episode you will hear: (07:42) Mark and and Chris answer a question from Dave about whether to submit your test scores to a selective test-optional college Mark reads an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about the “Higher Ed Budget Crunch” (33:24) Mark and Christina discuss a question about the changes to the Parent PLUS loan 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41925785

YCBK 652: Correcting Misunderstandings about the University of Chicago 06/29/2026

YCBK 652: Correcting Misunderstandings about the University of Chicago In this episode you will hear: Mark shares an important video he will be adding to the Your College-bound Kid YouTube channel in the next few months. Mark reads an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about the “Higher Ed Budget Crunch” (05:25) Mark interviews Micki Meyer, the Assistant VP for Student Affairs-3 of 3 § Micki gives us her six C framework for helping your kid to transition to college § Mark shares what helped him to transition to college and he asks Micki for her thoughts on a few other things that can help a student to transition to college § Micki talks about roommate conflicts, and she talks about when things can be worked through and when you need to reach out for help because it is irreconcilable § Micki also talks about when a student should stay at a college or whether it is time to leave the institution § Micki goes on the hotseat, and she drops some real pears for us (36:10) Lisa Rouff and Lynda Doepker do a College Spotlight on The University of Chicago-Part 2 of 2 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41854645

YCBK 651: The Importance of the First Six Weeks of the Freshman Year-2 of 3 06/25/2026

YCBK 651: The Importance of the First Six Weeks of the Freshman Year-2 of 3 In this episode you will hear: Mark gives an update on Your College-Bound Kid, YouTube Mark reads an article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed about the “Higher Ed Budget Crunch” (18:38) Carter Delloro joins Mark to answer a question from a listener about what an 8th grader can do now (39:37) Mark interviews Micki Meyer, the Assistant VP for Student Affairs-2 of 3 § Micki, gives advice her advice for a student who is not excited about going to college § Micki gives advice as to how much a parent should be involved when a student leaves for college, how much involvement is appropriate § What can a student do to know all of the supports that are available during the first six weeks § Micki talks about the changes in parents over the years § Micki talks about the role of affinity groups in transitioning to college § Micki talks about the Embark program that Rollins has on their campus § Micki talks about what a parent who has a middle school student can do to help them begin to build skills now that will aid their transition to college (01:05:27) Lisa Rouff and Lynda Doepker do a College Spotlight on The University of Chicago-Part 1 of 2 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41797405

YCBK 650: The Importance of the First Six Weeks of the Freshman Year! 06/22/2026

YCBK 650: The Importance of the First Six Weeks of the Freshman Year! In this episode you will hear: We play several comments that listeners sent in about what is grinding their gears and Mark shares his thoughts on their messages Mark shares a major announcement about a change that is coming to Your College-Bound Kid Mark reads Part 5 of 11 articles the Chronicle for Higher Ed released o the dire financial crisis colleges face Mark interviews Micki Meyer, the Assistant VP for Student Affairs § Micki gives an overview § Micki talks about what students need to do over the summer before they arrive in college as a freshman, and she shares her 5 S’s with us § Micki tells us what a student needs to do get the most out of the summer orientation § Micki gives an overview of what a student needs to do to get the most out of the first six weeks of college § Micki gives tips for how a student can get involved in their college § Micki gives advice to the student who is really struggling in their first year and they are not happy, what advice does Micki have for them § Micki tells us the group of students who struggle the most in their first six weeks of college 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41711615

YCBK 649: How To Use A Game to Help You Successfully Transition to College 06/18/2026

YCBK 649: How To Use A Game to Help You Successfully Transition to College In this episode you will hear: We play several comments that listeners sent in (14:35) Hilary joins Mark to discuss how, being interested in a major that a college does not offer can impact your admission decision. Mark and Hilary does 3/2 programs. Mark reads Part 4 of 11 articles the Chronicle for Higher Ed released o the dire financial crisis colleges face (44:50) Lisa interviews Dr. Tricia Seifert about her board game and her video game she creted to help students to successfully transition to college-2 of 2 § Tricia continues to elaborate on the value of using Game Play to help students successfully transition to college § Tricia explains why there is both a board game and a video game to help students with their college transition § Tricia explains how the game can be played both individually in solitude and in teams, and she explains the type of student that likes the board game more and the type of student that likes the video game more students and parents with the college transition § Here is a great quote from Dr. Tricia Seifert-We can be what we can se § Tricia gives some great advice for parents and for college counselors § Tricia shares where people can the board game, the video game and additional tips to help your student transition to college 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41684095

YCBK 648: Can AO Tell if Parent’s Fingerprints are on the Student’s Activities & Essays 06/15/2026

YCBK 648: Can AO Tell if Parent’s Fingerprints are on the Student’s Activities & Essays In this episode you will hear: Susan joins mark to answer a follow-up question about whether a student without impressive extracurricular activities that they will be bringing to their college can get in a selective college Mark reads Part 3 of 11 articles the Chronicle for Higher Ed released o the dire financial crisis colleges face Christina Lopez and Mark discuss a question from a listener from Michigan who wants to know, can an admission officer tell when a parent’s fingerprints are all over the student’s activities and their essays Lisa interviews Dr. Tricia Seifert about her board game and her video game she creted to help students to successfully transition to college-1 of 2 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41641945

YCBK 647: Dean Christina Lopez Explains A Major Change for Colleges Coming In July 06/11/2026

YCBK 647: Dean Christina Lopez Explains A Major Change for Colleges Coming In July In this episode you will hear: Mark reads Part 2 of 11 articles the Chronicle for Higher Ed released o the dire financial crisis colleges face (10:25) Christina Lopez and Mark discuss a question from a listener about the Parent Plus loan changes Mark explains new creative and aggressive recruiting colleges are us (59:07) Mark interviews Dan Chambliss on how to get the most out of college. They also discuss why a liberal arts education delivers such value. 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41606105

YCBK 646: New Creative Recruiting Methods Admissions Officers Are Using 06/08/2026

YCBK 646: New Creative Recruiting Methods Admissions Officers Are Using In this episode you will hear: Mark explains some major changes we will be making at Your College-Bound Kid is making. Mark reads Part 1 of 11 articles the Chronicle for Higher Ed released o the dire financial crisis colleges face Mark explains new creative and aggressive recruiting colleges are using (24:10) Mark and guest host, Chris Teare, answer a question from a student from Texas who is looking for affordable quality colleges outside of Texas that offer curricular flexibility (01:13:10) Mark interviews Dan Chambliss on how to get the most out of college. They also discuss why a liberal arts education delivers such value. § Mark and Dan have a conversation about the pros and cons of using the website ratemyprofessors.com to find great teachers § Dan tells us what liberal arts education is § Dan and Mark discuss if there are certain fields of study within the liberal arts that produce better thinkers 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 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. You can also use this for many other purposes: 1) Send us constructive criticism about how we can improve our podcast 2) Share an encouraging word about something you like about an episode or the podcast in general 3) Share a topic or an article you would like us to address 4) Share a speaker you want us to interview 5) Leave positive feedback for one of our interviewees. We will send your verbal feedback directly to them and I can almost assure you, your positive feedback will make their day. To sign up to receive Your College-Bound Kid PLUS, our new monthly admissions newsletter, delivered directly to your email once a month, just go to yourcollegeboundkid.com, and you will see the sign-up popup. We will include many of the hot topics being discussed on college campuses. Check out our new blog. We write timely and insightful articles on college admissions: 1. To access our transcripts, click: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/category/transcripts/ 2. Find the specific episode transcripts for the one you want to search and click the link 3. Find the magnifying glass icon in blue (search feature) and click it 4. Enter whatever word you want to search. I.e. Loans 5. Every word in that episode when the words loans are used, will be highlighted in yellow with a timestamps 6. Click the word highlighted in yellow and the player will play the episode from that starting point 7. You can also download the entire podcast as a transcript We would be honored if you will pass this podcast episode on to others who you feel will benefit from the content in YCBK. Please follow our podcast. It really helps us move up in Spotify and Apple’s search feature so others can find our podcast. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! If you want to help more people find Your College-Bound Kid, please make sure you follow our podcast. You will also get instant notifications as soon as each episode goes live. Check out the college admissions books Mark recommends: Check out the college websites Mark recommends: If you want to have some input about what you like and what you recommend, we change about our podcast, please complete our Podcast survey; here is the link: If you want a college consultation with Mark just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email at mark@schoolmatch4u.com. All we ask is that you review their services and pricing on their website before the complimentary session; here is link to their services with transparent pricing: https://schoolmatch4u.com/services/compare-packages/ /episode/index/show/yourcollegeboundkid/id/41566140

Your College-Bound Kid

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