When we ask students what part of the application process makes them the most nervous, frequently the answer is the essay. It can make students feel vulnerable and exposed. They wonder how much to reveal about themselves, and what story would be the most effective. Often, they just want to know what colleges are looking for. Guests: Gabrielle Dorsey, Executive Director, Bridges Educational Consulting in California, and Kelly Herrington, Director of College Counseling, University Preparatory Acad...
Nov 17, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Traditionally, campus visits have played a critical role in helping students figure out which school is right for them. But with coronavirus restrictions keeping many campuses (and families!) on lockdown, how can students get a feel for what life—and learning—looks like at their targeted institutions? Experienced school counselors offer tips for determining the right “fit” from afar.
May 05, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Four higher education experts share tips and advice for making the right college choice. With Nicole Hurd, founder and CEO of College Advising Corps; Jeff Selingo, education reporter and bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why ; Tevera Stith, Vice President for KIPP Through College & Career at KIPP DC; and Angel B. Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Apr 29, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In these final weeks of the college admission season, many high school seniors and their families still have important decisions to make. Some are weighing offers of admission from multiple colleges and universities, comparing and contrasting those institutions’ respective communities and course offerings; others are crunching the numbers, taking the measure of potential tuition bills and financial aid packages. Still others may be in limbo on waiting lists or considering a gap year. But for all...
Apr 22, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Colleges across the country made big changes in their admission requirements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,600 institutions are currently test-optional, meaning students are not required to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications. Transcripts look different, too, especially at schools that have canceled extracurricular activities and moved courses online. How are colleges evaluating applicants? What can students do to strengthen their admission chances? Two admiss...
Apr 07, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 3
The coronavirus pandemic has put severe financial strains on US colleges, and on students and their parents as well. As a result, more families need financial aid. Experts talk about applying for assistance, how to read an award letter, how to ask for more if it’s not enough, and other options for students on path to college.
Mar 24, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Multiple studies have shown that the coronavirus crisis has made us more depressed, anxious, and stressed. Students are not immune from these effects, particularly when they are juggling other stressors, including the college admission process. Remote learning, physical distancing, and the cancellation of extracurricular activities and other milestone events have only ratcheted up feelings of isolation and anxiety for many students – and all this is happening as they’re engaged in the college se...
Mar 09, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Though many of us find a linear path from high school to college, that is not the case for a set of students whose life circumstance, economic realities, and ambitions lead them on slightly different paths to higher education. This episode is all about the late bloomers among us who come at college from a wide range of experiences and with their own unique advantages. College Admissions Decoded is sponsored by NACAC's National College Fairs. Start your college search for free at a National Colle...
May 14, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Various magazines, websites, and listicles publish their college rankings every year, generating a lot of anxiety from college-bound students and their families. But what are they really telling you? Should these rankings have any influence on what college you choose? And, why do they generate such anxiety? Our panel of experts from the National Association for College Admission Counseling will take a closer look: Earl Macam, college counselor at Mary Institute/St. Louis Country Day School (MO);...
Apr 16, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 11
So you—or your child—got accepted to college. Congratulations! But now the financial aid award letter arrives. What does it mean? How much aid are you really receiving? What if it’s not enough? Will you have to pay it all back? This discussion aims to clear up some of the many mysteries about financial aid letters. In this episode NACAC’s Mary Stegmeir welcomes three experienced and knowledgeable guests to break down what the financial aid letters say and how to apply that information in real li...
Mar 26, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 10
There’s almost too much information available about students finding a college with the right “fit” academically and socially, but what about the right financial fit? What’s the difference between a college’s “sticker price” and the actual cost of attendance? What kinds of financial assistance are available to students and their families, and from where? How much debt is okay? And when should families begin talking about paying for college? In this frank and pragmatic conversation, Jayne Caflin ...
Feb 20, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Experts say that as many as 40 percent of today’s students transfer to another institution at least once during their college careers. They choose to transfer in order to lower their college costs, find the right academic program, restart and return to college after a break, and a range of other reasons. Despite transfer’s growing popularity, the process is sometimes difficult because of problems obtaining credit for previous coursework, a lack of adequate academic counseling, troubles obtaining...
Jan 21, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The college admission process can be long, bewildering and anxiety-producing for students and their families. Many are looking for the secret formula for getting admitted to the “right” school where a student can grow, learn and thrive. How does a student find that right school? And what are colleges really looking for in an applicant? What really goes on “behind the curtain” when college admissions offices consider a student’s application? In this episode, two experienced professionals take on ...
Dec 10, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this episode, admission experts—from both the high school and college sides of the desk—offer tips to help parents ensure their students remain the focus of the college admission process. The panelists discuss ways parents can help their children not only get into college but through it. Offering empathy and a common-sense approach to applying to college, the panelists share ways parents can be effective, supportive partners throughout the process. The episode features Ashley Pallie, associat...
Nov 20, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 6
At the 2019 NACAC national conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Jabari Sellars, a middle and high school humanities teacher at the Sienna School in Silver Spring, Maryland, spoke of the unique interests and experiences of Gen-Z students, our most diverse generation yet. He called on college counselors and admission professionals to “fight for what doesn’t fit” in the standard college transcript. He also asks us to “fight for what doesn’t fit the narrative” and to challenge preconceptions and ster...
Oct 29, 2019•35 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode, Jacques Steinberg, a member of the NACAC Board of Directors and the senior vice president for higher education and communications at Say Yes to Education and a former national education correspondent of The New York Times, welcomes Rafael Figueroa, dean of college guidance at Albuquerque Academy and former admissions officer at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Their candid discussion of what educators and college admissions professionals can do to help students and their fami...
Oct 16, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode, three admissions leaders talk about the pressures from campus stakeholders; the responsibility to serve families; and how colleges are adapting to the rapid evolution of the prospective college students. David Burge, VP for Enrollment Management at George Mason University, Mary Smith, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Gettysburg College, and Gil J. Villanueva, Associate Vice President and Dean of Admission, University of Richmond join a discussion moderated by journalist ...
Aug 13, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The Varsity Blues college admissions scandal sparked national concern among students, parents and counselors alike as students wondered if their qualifications would be delegitimized as a result. In this episode, we explore the messages the scandal unintentionally sent, and look at ways to assuage worries about getting into college. Incoming NACAC president-elect Jayne Fonash welcomes Sanjay Mitchell and Jim Jump. Journalist Juleyka Lantigua-Williams moderates the discussion. College Admissions ...
Jul 16, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Operation Varsity Blues uncovered a complex bribing and cheating scandal in elite college admissions. Guilty pleas, lawsuits, and a growing cynicism about the college admission process have raised lingering questions about access to higher education in the US. In this episode, Stefanie Niles, current president of NACAC welcomes Angel Perez, vice president of enrollment and student success at Trinity College and Jim Rawlins, director of admissions at the University of Oregon in Eugene to talk abo...
Jun 18, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1
