In the Season 3 finale of The Truth About College Admission, Rick and Brennan go over their favorite episodes from the season, what news items in higher education have caught their eyes lately, and what this summer they will be keeping tabs on as we head into the 2025-2026 college admission cycle. Links: Loper Scoir The Truth About College Admission Newsletter June Essay webinar with Shereem Herndon-Brown and Allison Slater Tate The Truth About Navigating the Admission Process - Dr. Ramon Blakle...
Jun 17, 2025•28 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Brennan and Rick are joined by returning guests Diane Campbell and Allison Slater Tate to run through their impressions of the last academic year and what the summer should look like for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. LINKS The Truth About Artificial Intelligence and Applying to College Diane Campbell Bio The Truth About Admission at the Holidays Allison Slater Tate The Truth About Mindful Communication Between Families and Their Students Georgia Tech Admission Blog on summ...
Jun 03, 2025•44 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Brennan and Rick are joined by a fantastic duo, Karen Bartlett (Associate Director of International Admissions at Middlebury College) and Sara Riggs (Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia Tech) to highlight what international students bring to American college campuses, what the enrollment trends have shown in the last decade, and how international students can find community at American colleges. LINKS: Loper Open Doors Report Common Data Set "The Two Most Important Letters ...
May 20, 2025•35 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Brennan and Rick are joined by Eva Blanco Masias, the VP for Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University, for a deep dive into why schools use waitlists and their purpose on the admissions front, how schools pick from a waitlist, and what to do as a student currently on a waitlist. The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Guest: Eva Blanco Maisas Production: Jack Purdy...
May 06, 2025•38 min
Brennan and Rick are joined by Sam Bernstein and Eric Menna, the cofounders of Loper, to talk through how their college admission journeys influenced the creation of Loper, how the app provides assistance during the college search process, and what data from users has shown in giving a more complete picture of needs and wants for students figuring out their next steps in higher education. LINKS: Loper The College Admission Blind Taste Test - Forbes The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Ho...
Apr 22, 2025•45 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Brennan and Rick are joined by Angel Perez, the CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), to talk about the current landscape in Washington, D.C. amidst uncertainty with the Department of Education, who NACAC is working with to improve college admissions, what could be innovated in the future in the profession, and the overflowing hope found on college campuses in improving student lives. LINKS Angel Perez Bio NACAC Action Alerts "NACAC begins search for director ...
Apr 08, 2025•33 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Brennan and Rick are joined by Mark Salisbury, founder and CEO of TuitionFit, to detail for families why college sticker prices are so high, what to look for in a financial aid award, what kinds of financial aid tools are out there, and what they mean in simple terms. LINKS Newsletter: https://www.truthaboutcollegeadmission.com/contact Tuitionfit.org goppi.org Prior episodes on financial aid and paying for college: Ron Lieber: Podcast | The Truth About College Admission John Leach (Emory): Podca...
Mar 25, 2025•55 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Brennan and Rick have an epic pod this week joined by Melodie Baker (Founder & Executive Director of ImpactSTATS Inc.) and Akil Bello (Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at FairTest) for a massive deep dive into Melodie's research into what the current role of calculus in college admissions is, how it's used as a date point at selective colleges, and then talk on College Board's role in pre-calculus. Links: Impact Stats Akil Bello's website Merit: Myths and Money - Bello The Truth A...
Mar 11, 2025•57 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Rick and Brennan are joined by Heath Einstein, the Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Texas Christian University, to go over what a deferral means in the admissions process, what students should do in response to the decision and while they wait for the next decision to come, and the mentality to take on when your top school sends a deferral decision. Links: Deferred Admission - Georgia Tech Heath Einstein Named Vice Provost for Enrollment Management - TCU Truth About College Admissions Ne...
Feb 25, 2025•29 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Brennan and Rick are joined by Sacha Thieme, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of Admissions at Indiana University, to talk about best practices for visiting colleges, the preparation that is useful before going for a campus visit, and what college visits can do as for high schoolers evolving their thinking in the college search process. Links: Ask The Same Questions, again and again… - Clark Throw a Dart, Drop a Pin - Truth About College Admissions Workbook Don’t Waste Your College ...
Feb 04, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Rick is joined by the interim Director of Admissions at UT Austin, Dr. Ramon Blakley, to talk about UT Austin's Percentage Plan and how that impacts how they recruit + admit applicants. Then, a conversation about how juniors can best navigate the various schools that have a range of test optional to test mandatory policies, plus advice for parents of seniors who are receiving application decisions this month. Links: Hues of Leadership Podcast - Blakley The College Admissions Process Podcast - Bl...
Jan 21, 2025•35 min
Rick and Brennan are back from holidays and are here with their hopes for 2025 in college admissions, what they're looking out for in the industry, and their timely tips for the January portion of the admissions calendar. Links: Admission Leaders Share Resolutions For College Applicants - Forbes Immunity to Change - Kegan and Lahey College Uncovered - NPR "Ask The Same Questions" - Clark Truth About College Admissions Newsletter Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark Production: Jack Purdy...
Jan 09, 2025•31 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Rick and Brennan close out the 2024 calendar year to discuss their favorite guests and what they drew from those conversations. Then, a review of the big issues in college admission that stuck out to them in 2024 with a look ahead to what they're hopeful to see in 2025. Hopefully no more holiday deadlines for applications! Links: Fewer race-based scholarships and a new culture of fear follow the end of affirmative action - The Hechinger Report Ask Lisa Podcast: Getting into College with Rick Cla...
Dec 19, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In one of our favorite episodes yet, Dan Lugo, current President of Queens University of Charlotte and future President at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, joins Brennan and Rick to talk about his unique admissions journey, how a college president can impact a campus positively, and how parents can best approach helping their child seek the transformative experience college can provide. Links: The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Postelection Uncertainty Looms Large For Presidents - Insi...
Dec 10, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Rick and Brennan are joined by Dianne Campbell, the Director of College Counseling at Liberty Common High School, where they talk about how to manage the conversations that are bound to come up for kids going through the college admissions process over the next month, how to frame the conversation in a healthy way for kids, and if necessary, ways to deflect the conversation to draw out stories from the adults in the room about their experiences. Links: The Truth about College Admission Newslette...
Nov 26, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Rick is joined by Adam Miller from the beautiful Whitman College to give a rundown of the kinds of responses students may get for their early action/decision applications and what do to in each situation, whether it be admitted, deferred, or denied, or even alternative scenarios that may arise. Links: The Truth about College Admission Newsletter Host: Rick Clark Guest: Adam Miller Production: Jack Purdy...
Nov 12, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Brennan and Rick are joined by Liz Chreron, CEO of the Coalition for College Access and proud Boston College graduate, to go over what application review looks like, why it's done the way it's done, how it's done, and how to best approach this time of the admissions cycle for parents and students. Links: Coalition for College website The Truth About College Admission Newsletter Hosts: Rick Clark, Brennan Barnard Guest: Liz Cheron Production: Jack Purdy...
Oct 29, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Dan Porterfield, author and President + CEO of the Aspen Institute, joins Rick and Brennan to dive into the value of college from different perspectives (family, individual, societal, financial), some stories from Dan's time as a college president, and advice as to how to approach being at college and how to support people currently in college. Links: Mindset Matters - Dan Porterfield The Parents Aren't Alright - The Daily On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challen...
Oct 15, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Brennan and Rick are joined by the Associate Provost and Director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid at UNC, Jackie Copeland, to talk through a primer of the FAFSA (both what it is and why to fill it out), the cost of college (and why it is so high), and the crucial roles that parents can fill for their kids navigating college for the first time. LINKS: How it feels to be a college student whose parents can’t let go - Slate Education Department Delays FAFSA Launch for Most Students - ...
Oct 01, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 3
For the first interview of season 3, Rick and Brennan are joined by Juan Espinoza, the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Virginia Tech to discuss his admission journey from applying to schools to becoming Vice Provost, how the mission of Virginia Tech drives his work, and what he is excited about how AI can positively influence the admissions process. Links referenced in the episode : CGN’s AVA: Bringing 24/7 "Enhanced Expert AI" Guidance to College and Career Planning and Success - Yaho...
Sep 17, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 2
We're back! Season three of The Truth about College Admission is here as we recap our summers and look ahead to what this season of the podcast will bring us. Subscribe to our newsletter! Books and essays mentioned in this episode: Brave New Words: How Ai Will Revolutionize Education (And Why That's A Good Thing) - Salman Khan Mindset Matters: The Power Of College To Activate Lifelong Growth - Dan Porterfield I’m a College President and I Hope My Campus Is Even More Political This Year - New Yor...
Sep 03, 2024•20 min•Season 3Ep. 1
To close season 2, we have a role reversal with producer Jack Purdy interviewing Rick and Brennan to talk about learnings from this season's guests, their work outside the podcast, some thoughts on AI afterApple's big WWDC announcements, and what to expect for season 3. THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resources Grown and Flown Admission -- free trial offer Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark, Jack Purdy Producti...
Jun 11, 2024•37 min
For our final guest of season 2, Rick and Brennan are joined by Harlan Cohen, author of multiple books including WIN or LEARN: The Naked Truth About Turning Every Rejection Into Your Ultimate Success. The trio goes over lots of Harlan's story of going to and transferring colleges, how to build resilience during these transformative years, and the main takeaways from WIN or LEARN. Links: Harlan's website The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College - Cohen THE TRUTH ABOU...
May 29, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Rick and Brennan are joined by Michael Horn (author of multiple books, Forbes contributor, host of multiple podcasts, and writer of the Substack newsletter The Future of Education) to discuss making dual enrollment class choices, evaluating intellecutal safety on campuses, and how he likes to approach evaluating a college when deciding where to go. Links: Michael Horn's website Future U Podcast From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)Creating School for Every Child - Horn Michael's Twitter account THE TRUT...
May 14, 2024•33 min•Season 2Ep. 18
With finals season approaching at colleges across the country, Rick and Brennan are joined by Dr. Beth Cabrera, an organizational psychologist and author specializing in positive psychology and well-being, to go through her admission journey, her advice on how to maintain healthy relationships during the college application process, and practical ways to make that process smoother for kids and families. Links: Beth's TEDx Talk at George Mason Beth Cabrera's website Beth's Twitter Page Where You'...
Apr 30, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Rick and Brennan are joined by experienced strategy consultant and master of college sports data graphics on Twitter, Tony Altimore, to discuss the landscape of college athletics in relation to admission, how the transfer portal can help or hurt students in their academic journey, and what the oncoming demographic cliff can mean for schools that rely on athletics. Links: Tony Altimore's Twitter page Demographic Cliff chart - Tony Altimore THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn mo...
Apr 16, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 16
With Brennan on vacation, Rick gets his first one on one interview of season 2, talking with David Hawkins from NACAC about his admission experience, the lastest effects from the FAFSA delay, and how to frame to the general public why college is an important piece to a functioning community. Links: David Hawkins' profile Just Equations THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements Grown and Flown Admission -- Free Trial Offer Hosts: Brennan Bar...
Apr 02, 2024•38 min•Season 2Ep. 15
With Rick out chauferring a youth soccer team, Brennan gets a one on one with Dr. Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist, 3x New York Times best seller, host of the Ask Lisa podcast to talk about the added stress the college search process brings, how to deal with that stress, and where families can potentially be freed up to be more happy during and after the process. Links: Lisa Damour's website Lisa's early admission Instagram video A panel on supporting youth mental health (feat. Lisa) - Harvard...
Mar 19, 2024•30 min
Rick and Brennan this week are joined by Candice Mackey, College Counselor at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies and Co-Chair of the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s Public School Counselor Group. They talk about her experience going through college, what keeping an open mind in the search process can do for a student, and going through important conversations with your family unit early to ensure everyone is on the same page during the entire college search process. ...
Mar 05, 2024•34 min•Season 2Ep. 13
TJ Snowden, the Chief of Staff for the President of Morehouse College in Atlanta, joins Rick and Brennan to go through his admissions experience when he was choosing a college, explaining what institutional prorities are and how to find them, along with advice for juniors and parents of juniors heading into their college application cycle. Links: THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSION HOMEPAGE -- to learn more about our books, speaking engagements, podcast, and other resources Grown and Flown Admissi...
Feb 20, 2024•32 min
