This week, admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki sits down with fellow consultant on the Tokyo Academics team Harry Hu to discuss the admissions landscape for 2023. What are colleges looking for? How can you stand out? Should you take the SAT? This and more in today's edition of Accepted: A College Admissions Podcast. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an init...
Feb 09, 2023•25 min
This week, ChatGPT continues to rampage through the academic world, with both encouraging and potentially worrisome results. Also, colleges take a page out of the corporate guidebook and introduce a new position designed to improve student experiences. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximi...
Feb 09, 2023•6 min
This March, international high school students will be taking the first version of the New Digital SAT. There are many questions around this new SAT and how to best prepare for it, so Tyler Kusunoki sat down and took every practice test available in order to share his thoughts with you. Tune in to this episode for his opinions on the new test, how to prepare, when to take it, and whether it still matches up to the ACT. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to col...
Feb 08, 2023•22 min
Last week, Tyler talked about some common summer opportunities to avoid or to at least be wary of before just signing up. This week, Tyler delves a little deep into the types of summer activities that will actually help you stand out in your application and provide you with opportunities to discover your passions and secure strong recommendations while you're at it. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll d...
Feb 06, 2023•24 min
From increased female representation among Ivy League presidents to the banning of TikTok and even a quick discussion around literal skeletons in UC Berkeley closets, This Week in 5 explores a few of this past week's college headlines. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximize your chances o...
Jan 30, 2023•5 min
As college admission becomes more and more competitive, how you as a student utilize your free time is going to become increasingly important. There is no larger chunk of free time than your summer vacation, and admissions officers are aware of this. Make sure you're not throwing away your best opportunity to really distinguish yourself. The Netflix binge can wait. In Part 1 of a two-part series, Tyler provides an overview of the importance of summer, discusses the merits of pre-college classes,...
Jan 27, 2023•19 min
As the Harvard and UNC Supreme Court Cases head towards a final decision on affirmative action, there are potentially wide ranging impacts on the college admissions process as we currently understand it. Tune in this week to hear how the Supreme Court Decision may affect everything from standardized tests to college essays, and what you can do about it. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your s...
Jan 20, 2023•23 min
How will colleges evaluate applicants when the college essay itself can now be produced by a computer algorithm? With the growing mainstream popularity of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it was only going to be a matter of time before this technology directly impacted the competitive world of college admissions. This week, Tyler returns from his brief hiatus to take a deep dive into ChatGPT, one of the major AI essay writing algorithms at the moment, and discusses its implications ...
Jan 16, 2023•21 min
Early Decision (ED). Early Action (EA). Early Decision II (EDII). Regular Decision (RD). Restricted Early Action (REA). The modern college admissions process is filled with acronyms about application options that can turn the simple act of building a college list into a fine-print-filled nightmare. Tune in this week as Tyler breaks down critical differences between Early Decision and Early Action, provides advice on whether or not to pursue Restricted Early Action, and offers suggestions on an i...
Dec 23, 2022•25 min
In this replay, admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki discusses the nebulous term "holistic admissions," why it's being used, and what criteria colleges are using to evaluate a student's character Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximize your chances of getting into your dream schools, we can he...
Dec 16, 2022•26 min
In this replay, admissions expert Tyler Kusonoki responds to a few episodes of the widely acclaimed Freakonomics Podcast, and how the topics discussed might inform admissions strategies in the years to come. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximize your chances of getting into your dream sc...
Dec 09, 2022•27 min
This is a replay of episode #44 of the Accepted podcast, covering what it means to apply to the Ivy League schools in one of the most competitive admissions cycles in college history. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximize your chances of getting into your dream schools, we can help! Visi...
Nov 07, 2022•26 min
Admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki talks about what colleges are looking for. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximize your chances of getting into your dream schools, we can help! Visit www.tokyoacademics.com/free-trial ....
Oct 17, 2022•20 min
This week, Tyler sits down with one of his former students, Hana, currently studying at Northeastern University. They discuss major selection, internships and how to get the most out of high school in preparation for college. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want to maximize your chances of getting ...
Sep 16, 2022•30 min
Now that the dust has settled a little from Prof. Thaddeus' scathing report on how Columbia manipulated the numbers to achieve its U.S. News and World Report ranking of #2, Columbia has been considerably bumped down. Tyler talks today about what this outcome means for Columbia, the U.S. News Report, and you. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial a...
Sep 15, 2022•7 min
With the start of the 2022-23 application season came a bit of a surprise: many of the major universities had significantly modified their supplemental essay prompts. This broad change hasn't been seen in a while, and it reflects a nation-wide shift in what colleges are looking for on college applications. Tune in this week as Tyler takes a deep dive into some of the most significant changes, explains what that might mean for the broader college admissions landscape going forward, and offers his...
Sep 09, 2022•28 min
With the constant turmoil of recent U.S. politics, more and more campuses are becoming staging grounds for protests and political discourse. This week, Tyler takes a look at the recent worker strikes at American University, examines how students became involved, and provides quick advice on how to research/evaluate universities in this new context. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your streng...
Sep 07, 2022•7 min
The SAT is switching to a shorter, all digital format next March (for international students). What are the big changes? What do these changes mean? Should I take the test now or wait? Tune in this week as Tyler explains everything about this major shift in the standardized testing landscape. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to opt...
Sep 02, 2022•24 min
With the surge of schools adopting online learning policies in response to the pandemic, it was perhaps inevitable that these policies would come under some scrutiny, especially in regards to student privacy. This week, Tyler delves into a recent court case involving digital testing and a student's 4th amendment rights, and explains what it might mean for online learning going forward. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consul...
Aug 30, 2022•6 min
With universities under more scrutiny than ever before, and the inevitable changes that this scrutiny will bring, how is a student supposed to prepare for what the world of college admissions will look like 3 or 4 years from now? This week, Tyler takes a deeper look at "The Deciding Factor", a research report by Adobe, and predicts the qualities and skills that admissions officers of the future will look for. Link to Report Summary: https://www.adobeforeducation.com/k-12/customer-success-stories...
Aug 26, 2022•21 min
In this week's news update, many of USC's fraternities are disassociating themselves from the university in response to the school's increasing regulation of Greek life due to a rise in reports of violence and sexual assault. The relationship between a university and its fraternities/sororities has always been a nebulous one. Tune in to hear what this may mean for USC and other schools with prominent Greek life, and how this may affect your college selection and research. Join free webinars at w...
Aug 24, 2022•6 min
"They're too small" "No one's heard of them" "I won't be able to get a job" These are some of the typical arguments that can be heard when liberal arts colleges are brought up as part of a student's college search. This week, admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki breaks down why those beliefs are misguided, and often just factually incorrect, and makes the case as to why you should consider adding a few liberal arts colleges to your college list. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Ne...
Aug 19, 2022•29 min
The U.S. government has added their voice to a growing chorus of skepticism around the value of U.S. Universities. This week, admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki takes a quick look at what Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona had to say, and briefly discusses the implications of this mounting criticism of the value of college. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and pro...
Aug 16, 2022•7 min
We've hit 10,000+ downloads! Thank you so much for continuing to support this podcast! With all the current uncertainty surrounding politics and safety in the United States, along with the high cost of tuition for international students, many families have been inquiring about university options outside of America. This week, Tyler takes a deep dive into the U.K. application process, its requirements, and suggests why this may be a great alternative for families and students who are looking to e...
Aug 12, 2022•23 min
On this week's news update, Tyler delves into a landmark legal case regarding the role of race in admissions at top universities. Also, college admissions officers begin to weigh in on how the recent overturning of Roe v Wade may impact student decisions about the colleges they apply to. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize...
Aug 11, 2022•7 min
Early Decision (ED). Early Action (EA). Early Decision II (EDII). Regular Decision (RD). Restricted Early Action (REA). The modern college admissions process is filled with acronyms about application options that can turn the simple act of building a college list into a fine-print-filled nightmare. Tune in this week as Tyler breaks down critical differences between Early Decision and Early Action, provides advice on whether or not to pursue Restricted Early Action, and offers suggestions on an i...
Aug 05, 2022•25 min
This week in 5 is a weekly digest of the latest college headlines, news and things to know. Today, admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki talks about how you can prepare for Common App, and some recent developments in admissions options for USC and Clemson University. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success. If you want...
Aug 03, 2022•6 min
Every student will receive recommendation letters from their teachers as part of their application, but only a few are in position to receive letters from university professors. Listen in this week as Tyler Kusunoki shares how to connect with university professors early on in your high school career, gain access to unique research opportunities, and "level up" your rec letter game to ensure your application stands out. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to col...
Jul 29, 2022•23 min
This Week in 5 is a weekly digest of the latest college headlines, news and things you need to know. Today, admissions expert Tyler Kusunoki discusses how college major choice can potentially affect admissions outcomes, and the current state of student housing across the US. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help applying to college? Contact us for a free consultation where we'll discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and provide an initial assessment to optimize your success...
Jul 26, 2022•8 min
In an increasingly competitive admissions environment where everything matters, the words and influence of the adults in your life can be the difference between getting in and not. Join Tyler Kusunoki as he begins a multi-part series on how you as a high school student should be thinking about networking with adults. We start this week with the most critical group of older people who can influence your application - your teachers. Join free webinars at www.tokyoacademics.com/events Need help app...
Jul 22, 2022•24 min
