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 543: How The Right College Clubs Can Lead To Career Opportunities 06/12/2025

YCBK 543: How The Right College Clubs Can Lead To Career Opportunities In this episode you will hear: (02:04) Question from a listener: Number 1 Susan and Mark answer a question from a listener who wants to know what her student can do to prepare for a career in architecture (19:26) Interview 1-Mark Stucker interviews Jennifer Mandel from Milwaukee Jennifer Mandel from Milwaukee shares her experience of how joining the right clubs can lead to career opportunities. ² Jen, gives her backstory as a parent of really four business majors, as an educator and as a social worker ² We introduce our topic for the day, The opportunity clubs present for college students ² Jen explains all the benefits of college clubs; she talks about her kids experience with clubs and she gives us some tips for what to do to get through the competitive process of joining some of the more selective clubs (41:51) Interview #2: Mark Stucker and Bob McMahan, President of Kettering University Preview of Part 3 of 5 ² Bob talks about the unique role they have created for the Chief Student Experience officer, and he explains why they have a Chief Student Experience Officer instead of a Dean of Student Life ² Bob talks about what they can do and cannot do at Kettering when it comes to sports, clubs, student abroad, etc. ² Bob talks about the unique program they have with Germany that they have had for 30 years ² Bob talks about the gender ration at Kettering ² Bob tells us what percentage of students go to work full-time for the same employer that was their co-op employer ² Bob talks about the entrepreneurship culture that exists at Kettering ² Bob explains one reason why there is a gender imbalance at engineering oriented schools ² Bob talks about the academic profile of the student at Kettering and he looks at what they look for when they are selecting students in admissions ² Bob highlights one personal quality that is extremely important in the admissions process for Kettering University 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36965030

YCBK 542: Some Tips For HS Grads to Successfully Transition to College-Part 1 06/09/2025

YCBK 542: Some Tips For HS Grads to Successfully Transition to College-Part 1 In this episode you will hear: Mark answers a question from a student from Texas and she wants to know why I have soured on BS/MD programs. Lynda interviews J Hall, a college Dean in Oklahoma City and the author of the book, “College Unpacked” Preview v J gives his backstory and like me, he came to college related advising from Christian ministry v J explains why he wrote the book, “College Unpacked and he explains what the heartbeat of the book” v J tells us what the biggest things are that rising college students need to do over the summer before they enroll in college v J talks about some basic skills he has seen that college students lacks and he focuses on two very important skills v J shares something he wants students to do when they ae hanging out with their friends, and it may surprise you what he says v Lynda and j talk about the importance of the syllabus v J gives advice for parents on “Moving Day, what can parents do v J shares a great idea a student can set up with their parents to let parents know when it is time for you to go 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: On X for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36909625

YCBK 541: Do Colleges Use Likes and Shares to Test Demonstrated Interest 06/05/2025

YCBK 541: Do Colleges Use Likes and Shares to Test Demonstrated Interest In this episode you will hear: (02:02) Question from a listener: Number 1 Hillary joins me to discuss a question from a student named Saul from New Hampshire, Saul wants to know, he has heard that some schools use likes and shares to test demonstrated interest and he wants to know if this is correct? (11:05) Question 2 If a student uses a fee waiver, does it stigmatize the student and hurt their chances of admission at Need-Aware colleges? A mom from Maryland asks this question and Julia joins me to answer it (26:57) Interview #1-Lisa interviews Adrienne Amador-Oddi Part 2 of 2 v We start out by playing a very concrete example of how a conversation for a school to re-consider their original financial offer that is productive looks like. I played this last week but it is so important I am playing this example again to reinforce it if you heard that segment, and for those who missed last week, I didn’t want you to miss this important example v Lisa asks Adrienne how should a family initiate an appeal for reconsideration for more money and Adrienne shares some of the different approaches that different schools use v Adrienne talks about how a family can know how much merit aid they can expect to get from a school v Adrienne talks about how more and more colleges are doing an early (43:38) Interview #2: Mark Stucker and Bob McMahan, President of Kettering University Preview of Part 2 of 5 ² Bob lets us know the size of Kettering ² Bob talks about the unique focus of Kettering ² Dr. McMahan shares about a half dozen areas where Kettering is particularly strong other than in auto-related majors ² Bob shares the unique advantage that Kettering grads have ² Bob gives us more details on how the co-op programs work for Kettering students ² Bob tells us about the senior thesis and the patents Kettering is known for ² Bob walks us through what the Kettering onboarding process is ² Bob talks about what the Kettering student is like ² Bob talks about how they help guide the student that doesn’t know what he or she wants to do (26:14) Recommended Resource-Guide to help first year students complete the Common Application- 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36855515

YCBK 540: Some Tips To Help Students Write Great Personal Statements 06/02/2025

YCBK 540: Some Tips To Help Students Write Great Personal Statements In this episode you will hear: Mark shares a letter from a listener with extensive medical school admissions experience. Mark shares a lesson from the counseling room about knowing what your career is going to be when you are still a teenager. Mark shares what rising seniors should be doing now. Mark shares some Personal Statement tips. Mark interviews John Pollard, Dean of the Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona, Understanding Franke Honors College, Part 2 of 2 Preview ² John continues talking about the admissions criteria at Franke ² John talks about how they evaluate a student and how an application is read at Franke ² John talks about how you can reach out to Franke for assistance when completing your application ² John talks about what his pet peeve is that students do in when applying ² John goes on the hot seat in the lightning round 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: On X for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36809320

YCBK 539: Do Colleges Blacklist High School’s That They Do Not Like 05/29/2025

YCBK 539: Do Colleges Blacklist High School’s That They Do Not Like In this episode you will hear: (02:50) Question from a listener: Number 1 Julia joins me to answer a question from Cortnie from Connecticut and she wants to know if it is true that sometimes a college blacklists a high school they are not happy with. (19:04) Question 2 Carter, a student from VA asks a question and we also have a question from an anonymous listener, both questions have to do with preparation for med school. Susan joins me to answer these questions, Part 2 of 2 (41:32) Interview #1-Lisa interviews Adrienne Amador-Oddi Part 1 of 2 v Adrienne shares why financial aid is important to her personally v Adrienne tells us what SAI and EFC are and she explains what these terms are and how they are calculated v Lisa and Adrienne have a good conversation about why financial aid is so confusing, especially when you are talking about colleges that require the CSS Profile v Lisa and Adrienne talk about a school with an expensive sticker price may end up costing the same as your state school v Adrienne talks about appealing an aid award v Adrienne talks about how important it is for a family to be very specific in their request for additional money v Adrienne gives a very concrete example of how a conversation for a school to re-consider their original financial offer that is productive looks like (59:15) Interview #2: Mark Stucker and Bob McMahan, President of Kettering University Preview of Part 1 of 5 ² Bob gives us his backstory ² Bob gives us the history of Kettering University ² Bob explains Kettering very unique approach to education ² Bob explains how Kettering’s co-op is different from all other co-op programs in the country. ² Bob talks about the impressive ROI of Kettering graduates 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36764360

YCBK 538: Students Are Facing Peer Pressure to Attend College With Low Acceptance Rates 05/26/2025

YCBK 538: Students Are Facing Peer Pressure to Attend College With Low Acceptance Rates In this episode you will hear: Mark shares a story from a meeting he had with a mom in Orange County, CA. Mark talks about the dispute Harvard University is currently facing. Mark interviews John Pollard, Dean of the Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona, Understanding Franke Honors College, Part 1 of 2 Preview ² Friends, you are going to see why Honors colleges and public John explains how Franke is distinctive from other Honors colleges ² John talks about the Honors Village ² John talks about a unique dual degree program Franke offers ² Dr. Pollard tells us about two unique minors that Franke offers ² John talks about early assurance programs that Franke has with their med school and with their vet school ² John tells us about the unique peer to peer mentoring program called Path that 400 students participate in ² John tells us about some more unique programs that will be rolled out over the next few years ² John talks about how Franke handles Gen Ed courses in ² John talks about how Franke uniquely gets students involved in research ² John talks about unique scholarships for Franke and their unique study abroad offerings ² John talks about the 25-million-dollar gift that Bill Franke gave to help Franke ² John tells how The University of Arizona is different from Arizona State University ² John tells us how Franke is different from Barrett, which is Arizona State’s Honors college ² John talks about the admission criteria for getting into Franke ² John talks about the 3 different pathways to get into Franke 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: On X for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36707300

YCBK 537: Advice for Students Who Are Thinking About Going to Med School 05/22/2025

YCBK 537: Advice for Students Who Are Thinking About Going to Med School In this episode you will hear: (02:24) Question from a listener: Julia joins me to answer a question from a dad from North Carolina who wants to know if there is a way of figuring out class rank or a proxy for it when it is not explicitly listed. (16:20) Second Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary answer a question from a listener who has heard that students should not mention their race in their Personal Statement (24:41) 3rd and 4th questions are both about preparation for med school Carter, a student from VA asks a question and we also have a question from an anonymous listener, both questions have to do with preparation for med school. Susan joins me to answer these questions, Part 1 of 2 (51:54) Interview: Mark Stucker and Nate Haveman, VP of enrollment of Hope College Preview of Part 4 of 4 v Nate explains the various reasons why HOPE loses students to their overlap schools v Nate tells us what percentage of students are from Michigan, what percentage are from contiguous states and what percentage of students are International v Nate tells us which sports Hope has had the most success in v Nate tells us what two of his admissions pet peeves are v Nate goes on the hotseat in our lightning round 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36664285

YCBK 536: Reasons Why High Schools Should Not Rank Students by Grade Point Average 05/19/2025

YCBK 536: Reasons Why High Schools Should Not Rank Students by Grade Point Average In this episode you will hear: Mark shares four things from his Texas trip he thinks will be of interest to our listeners. . Mark shares why he does not think high schools should rank students. Mark interviews John Pollard, Dean of Admissions of Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona. John gives an overview of Honors Colleges in the United States. Preview o John gives an overview of the national landscape when it comes to Honors Colleges o John explains some outstanding strengths that almost all Honors colleges have in common o John gives the history of Honors colleges, and he shares how they have evolved over the last 30 to 40 years o John shares what questions students and parents need to ask to differentiate between one Honors college and another one and he gives us eight questions that students and parents need to ask when comparing one Honors College to another o John lets us know the difference between an Honors College and an Honors Program o John talks about the caliber of the faculty that Honors colleges attract o John shares the three ways in which students have an Honors experience academically 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: On X for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36616915

YCBK 535: How Are Admissions Offices Using AI to Evaluate Students 05/15/2025

YCBK 535: How Are Admissions Offices Using AI to Evaluate Students In this episode you will hear: (01:45) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary answer a question from a listener who wants to know how AI is being used in admissions (17:33) Second Question from a listener: Barry from New Jersey wants to know more about dual enrollment, and especially how dual enrollment classes are interpreted by colleges for a physical applicant (42:20) Interview: Mark Stucker and Nate Haveman, VP of enrollment of Hope College Preview of Part 3 of 4 v Nate tells us about why he is so impressed with President Scoggin v Nate tells us about the Racquet Sports management program that Hope offers v Nate tells us about the most popular majors at HOPE v Nate tells us about what it means that HOPE is a “Colleges That Change Lives” school v Nate talks about the outstanding art music, dance and theater programs at HOPE v Nate answers the question, would a student who a Christian is not fit in at HOPE v Nate talks about the political affiliation of the students at HOPE v Nate talks about who the small colleges they overlap with are. v Nate talks about the things that when he is reading an admissions file makes them pop and stand out v Nate explains why students pick HOPE over there other cross-apps 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36572280

YCBK 534: What Can I Do To Support My Student With The College Admissions Process 05/12/2025

YCBK 534: What Can I Do To Support My Student With The College Admissions Process In this episode you will hear: Mark shares two things from his Texas trip he thinks will be of interest to our listeners. . Mark shares how he answers the question, “What Can I Do To Support My Student With The College Admissions Process” Mark interviews John Pollard, Dean of Admissions of Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona, Topic, Understanding the University of Arizona Preview of Part 2 of 2 · John talks about the strength of the engineering program · John talks about the strength of the fine arts program at U of A · John talks about he marching band program at U of A · John talks about creative photography and · John talks about the school spirit around sports at U of A · John talks about the Greek life at U of A · John describes the personality at U of A · John talks about the weather at U of A · John talks about the merit scholarships at U of A · John talks about some of the challenges U of A has faced recently · John talks about the new President at U of A 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: On X for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36526230

YCBK 533: What Do Colleges Think When A Student Doesn’t Have Any Service Hours 05/08/2025

YCBK 533: What Do Colleges Think When A Student Doesn’t Have Any Service Hours In this episode you will hear: (01:36) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary continue giving tips for college fairs but then they discuss how it lands when a student doesn’t have any service hours. (17:33) Interview: Mark Stucker and Nate Haveman, VP of enrollment of Hope College Preview of Part 2 of 4 v Nate and I talk about why college costs so much these days v Nate goes back to Hope Forward and goes into more in depth explaining things like, how are students selected for Hope Forward and is it based more on merit or need, and what is the interview process like v Nate talks about how unique it is for a liberal arts school to offer both business and engineering, like Hope provides v Nate talks about the role of research at Hope v Nate talks about study abroad opportunities at Hope (32:22) College Spotlight-Kevin Newton, Changes in International Admissions-2 of 2 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36477120

YCBK 532: Awards Are Given Out To Texas Universities in 25 Different Categories 05/05/2025

YCBK 532: Awards Are Given Out To Texas Universities in 25 Different Categories In this episode you will hear: Mark gives out awards in 25 different categories to the 11 colleges he visited in Texas in his 3 weeks he spent in Texas in April. Mark interviews John Pollard, Dean of Admissions of Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona, Topic, Understanding the University of Arizona Preview of Part 1 of 2 · John gives his backstory · John shares what changes he has seen at the University of Arizona · John shares the changes at the campus of U of A? · John talks about the changes on campus · John talks about the world class research being done at U of A · How does being close to the border impact school culture · John talks about the strength of the Scientific research at U of A · John talks about the strength of the Health Sciences at U of A · John talks about the strength of Environmental Studies at U of A · John tells us more about the unique strengths of the SALT Center at U of A 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: On X for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36431250

YCBK 531: What is your advice for a student who is content getting B’s 05/01/2025

YCBK 531: What is your advice for a student who is content getting B’s In this episode you will hear: (02:30) In The News Vince Garcia and Mark Stucker discuss observations from admission decisions from this year’s class. Part 3 of 3 (16:55) Question from a listener: Mark and Susan answer a question from a listener who wants advice for student who is content getting B’s (50:00) Interview: Mark Stucker and Nate Haveman, VP of enrollment of Hope College Preview of Part 1 of 4 v Nate gives his backstory v Nate explains how Hope is different from other colleges v Nate talks about how attending HOPE impacting him as a student v Nate tells us what the tradition of “The Pull” is at HOPE college v Nate tells us how big Hope is v Nate tells us more about Holland, Michigan v Nate tells us about a very exciting new initiative known as “Hope Forward’ (01:09:54) College Spotlight-Kevin Newton, Changes in International Admissions 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36379110

YCBK 530: Ways in Which Colleges Make Their Acceptance Rates Look Lower Than They Really Are 04/28/2025

YCBK 530: Ways in Which Colleges Make Their Acceptance Rates Look Lower Than They Really Are In this episode you will hear: Mark shares many ways colleges make their admit rates look lower than they are. He shows families a few ways to know if a college is doing this. . Lisa interviews Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of the Disengaged Teen Preview of Part 4 ² Rebecca gives us three different insights when it comes to how to appropriately handle technology in your teens life ² Jenny adds the importance of talking with your teen about technology ² Jenny talks about developing agency as a learner with technology ² Jenny and Rebecca share the skills students are going to need when it comes to AI and Education ² Rebecca and Jenny talk about the importance of critical thinking and they talk about technology as substitute for intimacy ² Rebecca talks about the role of agency in keeping AI in perspective 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36330570

YCBK 529: An interview with Jim Bock, Dean and VP at Swarthmore College-3 of 3 04/24/2025

YCBK 529: An interview with Jim Bock, Dean and VP at Swarthmore College-3 of 3 In this episode you will hear: (01:55) In The News Vince Garcia and Mark Stucker discuss observations from admission decisions from this year’s class. Part 2 of 3 (18:27) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary answer a question from a listener about how her student can demonstrate interest effectively (39:37) Interview: Mark Stucker and David Blobaum, The Co-Founder of Summit Test Prep Debate whether selective colleges should make the SAT or the ACT mandatory-Part 3 of 3 Preview of Part 3 of 3 ² I share a position that one of MIT’s competitors has that I agree with ² I share a reason why I do not believe using first year GPA is a valid way to see how well a non-test submitter is doing in college ² David pushes back a little and shares why there is some validity to looking at first year GPA ² David talks about the “big fish small pond concept” that Malcolm Gladwell uses ² I push back by talking about individual autonomy over your own life decisions ² David shares the most compelling reason why he holds his view ² David and I talk about how test scores can increase your merit scholarship ² David goes on the hotseat ² Mark adds a few comments about things he thought of after the debate was over (01:09:55) College Spotlight-Jim Bok Interview, Understanding Swarthmore College Preview of Part 3 ² I ask Jim to talk about Swarthmore’s wooded arboretum campus ² I ask Jim to share how Swarthmore and Haverford are different ² Jim shares a little about the bi-co and tri-co consortiums ² Jim explains what it means for a college to be a Liberal Arts school ² Jim explains what skillset a Swarthmore liberal arts education inculcates in its graduates ² I ask Jim about several financial challenges colleges are facing and I ask him how these financial challenges are impacting admissions ² I ask Jim if he sees selecting colleges that are not land locked trying to expand their class size as a way of bringing in more revenue. ² Jim goes on the hot seat in our lightning round 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36275745

YCBK 528: A Way For A Parent To Help With College That No One Is Talking About 04/21/2025

YCBK 528: A Way For A Parent To Help With College That No One Is Talking About Mark shares a new survey he will be doing with YCBK listeners; he shares two recommended resources for studendts Mark then shares a project a parents can do to really help their student out a lot with the college process that he isn’t hearing anyone else talking about . Lisa interviews Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of the Disengaged Teen Preview of Part 3 ² Jennifer starts by talking about what you can do if you have a student who is stuck in resister mode ² Rebecca talks about what we can do if we have a student who has mental health or learning differences that are impeding their success in school ² Our authors talk about dealing with unrealistic parent expectations ² Our authors talk about how living our your own rejection and turning it into a positive 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36236950

YCBK 527: What You Need To Know About Majoring in Engineering 04/17/2025

YCBK 527: What You Need To Know About Majoring in Engineering In this episode you will hear: (02:12) In The News Vince Garcia and Mark Stucker discuss observations from admission decisions from this year’s class. (23:34) Question from a listener: Mark and Susan answer a question from an anonymous listener who has a number of questions about selecting an engineering program (56:18) Interview: Mark Stucker and David Blobaum, The Co-Founder of Summit Test Prep Debate whether selective colleges should make the SAT or the ACT mandatory-Part 2 of 3 Preview of Part 2 of 3 ² I share multiple other reasons why I am not in favor of a mandatory ACT or SAT policy ² David shares what he thinks about some of the other reasons I do not favor mandatory test scores ² I share my skepticism that the return to test scores is being motivated by a desire to admit under-represented students ² Dave shares why he believes it was courageous for colleges to return to test scores ² I share why the overwhelming majority of admission officers who read files, love test optional and they are discouraged if their institution returns to an ACT or SAT mandatory policy (01:22:58) College Spotlight-Jim Bok Interview, Understanding Swarthmore College Preview of Part 2 ² Jim Bock talks about the importance of playing ball with others ² Jim talks about how they target students who meet their needs and not students who they think will come when making admission decisions ² Jim talks about whether they build out predictive models to see how kids at certain high schools do at Swarthmore academically ² Jim talks about how Swarthmore differs from schools like Pomona, Carlton, Amherst and Williams? ² Jim talks about Swarthmore’s Honors program tutorials that have been around for over 100 years ² Jim talks about why Swarthmore is pass/fail for the first semester ² I ask Jim to comment on some perceptions I have about Swarthmore and I ask Jim if they are correct. The first one is academically intense ² I ask Jim if Swarthmore students are quirky ² I ask Jim if Swarthmore students are progressive politically ² I ask Jim if Swarthmore students are ² I ask Jim if Swarthmore students are diverse ² I ask Jim if Swarthmore students have an insatiable love of learning ² I ask Jim if Swarthmore students want to change the world ² Jim talks about the Lang center for civic and social responsibility that Swarthmore grad, Eugene Lang provided the funding for ² Jim and I talk about how wait lists may change in light of the unforeseen future 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36191080

YCBK 526: How To Get Access to the College-Specific Custom Prompts Before Aug 1st 04/14/2025

YCBK 526: How To Get Access to the College-Specific Custom Prompts Before Aug 1st In this episode you will hear: Mark shares insights from two conversations he had with two admission officers at the SACAC conference Mark then shares how a student can get access to the custom prompts that many colleges require in June or early July, instead of in August when the colleges release their Common Apps. . Lisa interviews Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of the Disengaged Teen Preview of Part 2 ² Lisa Jenny and Rebecca continue to talk about the price we are paying as a society for the “perfectionism at all costs” mentality ² Rebecca talks about the idea of productive struggle ² Rebecca shares a story of a Yale student who didn’t handle struggle very well ² Jenny and Rebecca talk about what to do and what not to do if you have a kid who is stuck in passenger mode ² Rebecca talks about what you can do to develop Explorer muscles ² Jenny talks about the concept of tutoring to optimize 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36118485

YCBK 525: A Debate About Whether ACT/SAT Scores Should Be Mandatory 04/10/2025

YCBK 525: A Debate About Whether ACT/SAT Scores Should Be Mandatory In this episode you will hear: (02:32) In The News Andy Strickler shares some of the changes admissions offices are making due to financial pressures. Part 3 of 3 (16:28) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary answers questions from listeners about if a student applies for aid and doesn’t submit the CSS PROFILE, should that student not be admitted? (42:05) Interview: Mark Stucker and David Blobaum, The Co-Founder of Summit Test Prep Debate whether selective colleges should make the SAT or the ACT mandatory Preview of Part 1 of 3 ² David Blobaum gives his backstory ² David says what his test score policy would be if he were working at a highly selective school and here is a hint, I don’t agree with him ² I ask David what he thinks about using AP scores instead of SAT or ACT scores ² David gives some proof that colleges are using test scores ² David shares why he feels selective colleges need to use test scores in their admissions decisions. ² I share some other factors that can be used besides test scores that in my opinion, are better to use than test scores ² I share the primary reason why I am not in favor of test-mandatory admissions ² I share a creative idea that he would like to see colleges use that allows some use of scores without them having inappropriately too much weight in the admissions decisions. (01:12:08) College Spotlight-Jim Bok Interview, Understanding Swarthmore College Preview of Part 1 ² Jim Bock tells his story from leaving Austin, Texas and heading to Swarthmore, first as a student ² Jim shares how he answers the question, I’ve never heard of Swarthmore, what can you tell me about Swarthmore ² Jim explains how Swarthmore’s founding is different from Haverford, another Quaker school that they are often compared to ² Jim shares the intellectual qualities that when he is reading a file, makes him think, this could be a good match for Swarthmore ² Jim shares the Personal Qualities that Swat values ² Jim explains how Committee Based Evaluation, also known as CBE works at Swarthmore College and how they use CBE to evaluate an admission applicant ² Jim explains the difference between reading a file with CBE vs the traditional way they read files before they implemented CBE ² Jim shares why he finds reading by school group helps the admission file reading process (57:46) Recommended Resource-The Admissions section of each website: Here is a section that says what Swarthmore looks for in a student: 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36074360

YCBK 524: What Are The Hardest 32 Public Colleges To Get Admitted To 04/07/2025

YCBK 524: What Are The Hardest 32 Public Colleges To Get Admitted To In this episode you will hear: Mark shares how the SAT offering the new September SAT offers up some opportunities in their test prep calendar. This does not mean to imply everyone should take the SAT, but most of our listeners will take the SAT, so here is some advice. Mark shares the importance of having a balanced list, and he shares two sad stories that happened this year to students who did not have a balanced list. Stuck shares the 32 hardest to get into public universities and he does it countdown style. . Lisa interviews Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of the Disengaged Teen Preview of Part 1 ² Jenny Anderson shares her backstory and why she was drawn to write the “Disengaged Teen” ² Rebecca Winthrop gives her backstory, including her work as ² ² Jenny and Rebecca share the research they did over three years in preparation to write the book, “The Disengaged Teen”, including the extensive interviews and surveys they conducted. ² Rebecca talks about why engagement matters ² Jenny and Rebecca shares the four modes that show how students show up in their learning ² They explain what coaster, achiever, resister and explorer mode are ² They share all the benefits that come when students are in explorer mode ² Lisa talks about perfection at any cost 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/36028575

YCBK 523: Changes In How Admissions Decisions Are Being Made Due to Financial Pressures 04/03/2025

YCBK 523: Changes In How Admissions Decisions Are Being Made Due to Financial Pressures In this episode you will hear: (02:05) In The News Andy Strickler shares some of the changes admissions offices are making due to financial pressures. (16:34) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary talk about the things you should not do when attending a college fair. (41:12) Interview: What employers look for when making hiring decisions, Dawn Williamson, Chief Revenue officer of Media Solutions for Comcast Advertising Preview of Part 3 of 3 v Dawn tells us how someone should close out their interview v Dawn gives her advice when selecting a recommendation v Dawn gives advice for what a parent of a 16 year old can set him/her up for job success v Dawn tells us whether your grade point average is important in getting a job v Dawn leaves us with some sage final advice v Dawn tells us what she means by the importance of oxygen v Dawn tells us what employees that grinds her gears (57:02) College Spotlight: Richmond U and Northeastern in London- Part 2 of 2 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35979815

YCBK 522: What Should 9th, 10th and 11th Graders, and their Parents Be Doing Now 03/31/2025

YCBK 522: What Should 9th, 10th and 11th Graders, and their Parents Be Doing Now In this episode you will hear: Mark Stucker shares when a student and parent should complete the portions of the college application process that are the most time consuming. Mark interviews Rob Franek, Editor and Chief of the Princeton Review on the Latest “College Hopes and Worries” Survey Preview of Part 2 v Rob talks about the responses from the student survey to the question, how far from home do you want to go for college? v Rob shares where he has seen the greatest changes in the responses v Rob talks about how savvy students are? v Rob explains what he talks about when he keeps going back on NBC v Rob explains what he learns from the board members he sits in on and advises v I explain the demographic breakdown of the survey respondents v Rob explains what we can learn from the survey about the cost of college v I ask Rob if he gets frequently solicitated by colleges not in the Best Colleges book, v Rob talks about game design at USC 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35924955

YCBK 521: The Do’s and the Don’ts When Attending a College Fair 03/27/2025

YCBK 521: The Do’s and the Don’ts When Attending a College Fair In this episode you will hear: (05:44) In The News Andy Strickler breaks a lot of news in this 3-part discussion, part 1 looks at how college’s are handling the backlash against DEI initiatives (28:30) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary talk about the things you should do when attending a college fair. (48:50) Interview: What employers look for when making hiring decisions, Dawn Williamson, Chief Revenue officer of Media Solutions for Comcast Advertising Preview of Part 2 of 3 v Dawn gives some great advice for students looking for entry level professional jobs v Dawn talks about the role that work experience, part-time job, internships and clubs and she talks about the skills you develop in these jobs v Dawn talks about quantifying your achievements in your presentation v Dawn talks about the importance of taking the initiative v Dawn talks about the importance of the interview and she gives us some great interview tips v Dawn talks about the role of college major in hiring v Dawn talks about how she assesses whether someone is a team player v Dawn talks about the importance of being an effective communicator v Dawn gives tips for how parents can help their kids to be more effective communicators. (01:07:10) College Spotlight: Richmond U and Northeastern in London- Part 1 of 2 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35880085

YCBK 520: What Has Students & Parents Worried When It Comes To College 03/24/2025

YCBK 520: What Has Students & Parents Worried When It Comes To College In this episode you will hear: Mark Stucker shares what parts of the college application process are the most time-consuming. Mark interviews Rob Franek, Editor and Chief of the Princeton Review on the Latest “College Hopes and Worries” Survey Preview of Part 1 ² Rob shares how the survey was done ² Rob tells us what students and parents found to be the hardest part of the college admissions process ² Rob shares what the survey shows about the stress level students are experiencing ² Rob explains his role at the Princeton Review ² Rob explains the results from the survey question, what is the most important thing to you when selecting a college ² Rob explains what the biggest change is he has seen in the survey results between this year and past years ² Rob shares the changes he sees admission officers making 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35829270

YCBK 519: What Employers Look For When Making Hiring Decisions 03/20/2025

YCBK 519: What Employers Look For When Making Hiring Decisions In this episode you will hear: (06:05) In The News Lisa and Mark share and discuss a powerful letter from a mom and a daughter about how they almost fell into the “College Admission Trap” (Part 2 of 2) (35:33) Question from a listener: Mark and Susan Discuss whether a student led information session is a concern the college is struggling financially (49:09) Interview: What employers look for when making hiring decisions, Dawn Williamson, Chief Revenue officer of Media Solutions for Comcast Advertising Preview of Part 1 of 3 v Dawn gives her backstory v Introducing the topic-What employers look for when they make hiring decisions v Dawn walks us through the hiring process v Dawn shares some do’s and don’t when it comes to resumes and cover letters v Dawn talks about the value of getting out of your comfort zone and having diverse experiences v Dawn gives advice for someone who is looking for a job v Dawn explains the role where you went to college plays into the hiring process (01:05:45) College Spotlight 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35784530

YCBK 518: 15 Changes in Admissions to Expect in 2025 and 2026 03/17/2025

YCBK 518: 15 Changes in Admissions to Expect in 2025 and 2026 In this episode you will hear: Mark Stucker gives his opinion on 15 changes he is expecting in admissions due to the financial pressure colleges are facing. Mark interviews Kathleen deLaski, Founder of the Education Design Lab Preview of Part 5 ² Kathleen explains what she means when she says, “we need to fix and disrupt” college education ² Kathleen gives an example of who she feels has done a good job of fixing and disrupting ² Kathleen shares how the educational Design lab she started is now working with 100 community colleges on innovative projects ² Kathleen talks to us about the Who Needs College Anymore discussion grades 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35717035

YCBK 517: A Mom Shares How She Almost Fell Into “The College Admissions Trap” 03/13/2025

YCBK 517: A Mom Shares How She Almost Fell Into “The College Admissions Trap” In this episode you will hear: (07:22) In The News Lisa and Mark share and discuss a powerful letter from a mom about how she almost fell into the “College Admission Trap” (28:22) Question from a listener: Mark and Hillary discuss the importance of a college being able to predict who will come (43:44) Interview: Frequently Asked Questions about 529 Plans, Julie Shields-Rutyna and Jonathan Hughes from MEFA, Part 4 of 4 Preview of Part 4 · Julie talks about the research that Dr. William Elliot from the University of Michigan has done on the psychological benefits of 529 Plans for students and parents, even if the contribution is really · Jonathan discusses whether a 529 Plan can be used for Job training · Julie talks about the 529-A aka the 529-Able and how that is different from the traditional 529 plans · Julie mentions a range of qualified expenses that very few people know that the 529-A can be used for · I ask Julie whether this is very subjective or are the disabilities clearly defined · Jonathan talks about whether you can transfer money from a 529 Plan to the 529-Able plan · Jonathan talks about whether a student can use their 529 for International universities and he tells you how you can know if a specific International school is eligible for 529 usage · Jonathan talks about the growth of Child Savings Accounts in different states and he tells us what a Child Savings Account Is · Jonathan tells us what Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Maine are doing with CSA’s · Jonathan and Julie talk about how you can reach them if you have additional 529 questions (56:32) Recommended Resource-CLEP and Modern States 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35662645

YCBK 516: Forbes College Financial Grades Reveal Stable vs Struggling Colleges 03/10/2025

YCBK 516: Forbes College Financial Grades Reveal Stable vs Struggling Colleges In this episode you will hear: Mark discusses new changes to the Common App, and then he gives he describes Forbes College Financial Grades, a tool you cn use to know which colleges are stable financially and which colleges are struggling financially? Mark interviews Kathleen deLaski, Founder of the Education Design Lab Preview of Part 4 ² Kathleen and I discuss the correlation between parent involvement and high achievement ² Kathleen tells our listeners what the Year Up program is ² Kathleen tells us what a skills genome is ² Kathleen tells us what the badging movement is ² Kathleen talks about what she calls the edu-training ecosystem ² Kathleen says colleges need to be re-imagined and she explains what she calls, “the great college reset” ² Kathleen talks about students are strategically using Coursera to hack their way to a good job 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35599550

YCBK 515: After You Hit Submit, “What Else Do You Need To Do”? 03/06/2025

YCBK 515: After You Hit Submit, “What Else Do You Need To Do”? In this episode you will hear: (01:56) In The News A mom asks a very important question, Should you ever skip optional questions. Hillary and Mark start out discussing this question but they bounce around and cover a lot of topics including, about 15 minutes discussing “why it is so important for a college to know which students are coming (28:44) Interview: Frequently Asked Questions about 529 Plans, Julie Shields-Rutyna and Jonathan Hughes from MEFA, Part 3 of 4 Preview of Part 3 · S Julie answers the question, what happens if a family saves money and then the student decides that they do not want to go to college, what options does the owner of the 529 plan have? · Jonathan and Julie answer the question, Is it true that parents should first take care of their own retirement before they fund a 529 plan? · Jonathan tells us where our listeners can learn about their 529 plan options. · Jonathan talks about the difference between direct sold vs advisor sold 529 plans · Julie tells us how 529 Plans are handled from a financial aid standpoint, and she talks about how this differs from a Coverdale or UTMA and UGMA. · Julie also talks about the recent changes in how grandparent-owned 529 plans are assessed · Jonathan talks about how you can roll over an UTMA or UGMA to a 529 Plan · Julie talks about the rate that the 529 plan is assessed in the asset calculation compared to other savings options · Jonathan tells us when a family should start investing in a 529 Plan · Julie talks about some of the differences between the 529 Plans and the UTMA, UGMA and Coverdale plans · Jonathan tells us whether a parent should still contribute to a 529 when their child is in college · Julie and Jonathan talk about whether there is an income cap that restricts high income families from contributing to a 529 Plan (47:10) Question from a listener: Lisa and Lynda answer a question from an anonymous listener, “after you hit submit, what else do you need to do”. Lisa and Lynda.” 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35551115

YCBK 514: When Should My Student Start The College Process 03/03/2025

YCBK 514: When Should My Student Start The College Process In this episode you will hear: Mark answers a Speakpipe QFL from a listener who wants to know when my student should start the college process? Mark answers a second question, Any advice to give us hope with the new administration with all of the changes they are making? Mark interviews Kathleen deLaski, Founder of the Education Design Lab Preview of Part 3 ² Kathleen talks about the difference between micro-credentials and micro pathways ² Kathleen talks about the growth of certificates ² Kathleen talks about the fields that are being disrupted the most by alternative pathways to college ² Kathleen shares some great opportunities for students w/o a degree. ² Kathleen talks about apprenticeship degree programs 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: Follow Mark Stucker on Twitter to get breaking college admission news, and updates about the podcast before they go live. You can ask questions on Twitter that he will answer on the podcast. Mark will also share additional hot topics in the news and breaking news on this Twitter feed. Twitter message is also the preferred way to ask questions for our podcast: https://twitter.com/YCBKpodcast 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 subscribe to our podcast. It really helps us move up in 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 or Lisa or Lynda, just text Mark at 404-664-4340 or email Lisa at or Lynda at [email protected]. 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/35504030

Your College-Bound Kid

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