Episode summary introduction: Every year US Colleges accept over quarter of a million students from all over the world. As high schoolers eye their future and try to navigate the uncertainties wrought by COVID-19 and unrest, they are looking for guidance. College Counselor Nitin Jain, Co-founder of Oncourse, India talks about the impact of COVID-19 on College Counseling. In particular, we discuss the following with him: COVID-19 Impact on Counseling What is the impact of COVID-19 on 2021 Applica...
Jun 03, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Episode summary introduction: Making sense of the College News of the week curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: AP Online Test Updates [1:20] SAT, ACT Fall Testing [3:44] Fall Colleges Reopening? [6:44] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated News at Alma Matters [0:11] The Verge [1:2...
May 31, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Episode summary introduction: The coronavirus pandemic is going to be with us for a while. How we live with the virus, as we look ahead at the Fall semester, is the topic of discussion with Dr Sridhara Dasu , Chair of Physics Department at the University of Wisconsin Madison. In particular, we discuss the following with him: What does Fall Semester look like at University of Wisconsin Madison? What operations can be re-started safely? Are there any permanent changes as a result of the pandemic? ...
May 27, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Episode summary introduction: Making sense of the College News of the week curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: University of California to drop SAT, ACT [2:29] College Deferrals - The Fine Print [9:20] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated News at Alma Matters [0:11] Inside Higher ...
May 24, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Episode summary introduction: Every year US Colleges accept over quarter of a million students from all over the world, into their undergraduate programs. The competition is intense and the preparation starts early in high school. College Counselor Nitin Jain, Co-founder of Oncourse, India shares how they shape and sculpt aspiring students, to become competitive college applicants. In particular, we discuss the following with him: The Origins of Oncourse Selecting students to counsel Making the ...
May 21, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Episode summary introduction: Making sense of the College News of the week curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: California State Universities decide to go Online this Fall [1:40] AP Online Test Bugs [7:11] Big Drop in Graduate Students [10:13] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated N...
May 17, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Episode summary introduction: It was becoming clear to the University of Wisconsin Madison, that the Coronavirus was a real threat to the campus population. College leadership took quick action to evacuate the campus and continue the semester online. From his vantage point, the Chair of Physics Department, Dr Sridhara Dasu gives us an account on how it all went down. In particular, we discuss the following with him: How did University of Wisconsin make the decision to close the campus? How did t...
May 16, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Episode summary introduction: Making sense of the College News of the week curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: Students suing Colleges for Tuition fee refunds [1:09] Finding Summer Internships [5:48] ACT Test in June on? [9:33] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated News at Alma Mat...
May 10, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Episode summary introduction: A trip down memory lane with Dr Chandru Rajam, an educator and entrepreneur, as he shares his experiences and learnings studying, working and living in multiple countries. In particular, we discuss the following with him: Life as an academic The transition from academia to industry Working in the US and Asia The merits of studying abroad Topics discussed in this episode: Being an Academic [7:06] Working in Singapore [10:36] Comparing the Singapore and US experiences...
May 06, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Episode summary introduction: Making sense of the College News of the week curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: US Colleges under Financial Pressure [2:09] International Students in limbo in US after campus closings [9:17] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated News at Alma Matters [...
May 02, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Episode summary introduction: College campuses have closed due to Coronavirus. Students have gone back to different corners of the globe. They are finishing the second half of their spring semesters Online . How is that working out? In this Episode, we hear from an international student, Abhinav Sriram who is attending classes in Brown University from Chennai, India. In particular, we discuss the following with him: How is the online semester being conducted? How are courses being graded? What d...
Apr 29, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Episode summary introduction: Making sense of the College News of the week curated by Alma Matters . Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: Fall Semester. On campus or Online? [2:08] Gap Year. How to go about it? [6:19] SAT/ACT tests at home? [9:16] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources mentioned in this episode: Curated News at Alma Matters [1:1...
Apr 25, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Episode summary introduction: Coronavirus was spreading, campus was shutting down. International students were hustling to get home before the borders closed. In this Episode, we hear from an international student from India, Kartikeye Khanna who luckily made it home. In particular, we discuss the following with him: How well online instruction is working for him? What needs to happen, so he can get back to campus in Fall? What’s the fallback plan? What would he tell aspiring international stude...
Apr 21, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Episode Title: College Applications? Think Differently in the COVID-19 world Episode summary introduction: As COVID-19 rolls and roils the globe, it is changing the US College landscape. Colleges are facing huge financial losses which could shake things up structurally. The students & families have challenges of their own which could upend their future plans. In this Episode, we are focused on how college-bound students who plan to enter college in Fall 2021 should approach their College App...
Apr 20, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 4
COVID-19 is impacting everyones' lives. For the US College-bound, coronavirus has resulted in the standardized tests being cancelled or postponed. Some US Colleges are going Test Optional and social distancing is forcing the test prep industry to change. We are interested in answering two basic questions: How should the students respond to the uncertain testing landscape? How is the test prep industry adapting and stepping up to help students. To help us make sense of all this, we have invited A...
Apr 14, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 3
COVID-19 has changed all our lives. We are sheltering at home. Our daily life and schedules are drastically altered. As a result days may seem longer. This is what we call Found Time - a consequence of our reconfigured daily schedules! Shevta Bagade, a College Counselor based in Silicon Valley, California takes time to share some great suggestions and ideas on how to capitalize on the time to make a difference. Make a difference to others, to yourself and more importantly make a difference to yo...
Apr 06, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The Coronavirus has completely disrupted our lives. As we pick up the pieces and try to make sense of this, each one of us is trying to take some semblance of control. Ajan Subramanian is an international student from India and currently a senior at University of California, Irvine. Ajan shares how the students were informed about the University shutting down to combat the virus and how he is coping with the stay at home order to contain the virus spread.
Apr 05, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 1
