Episodes

#089 – On today’s episode, I present the meaning of the “Summer Melt” and the ways in which it could help you gain admission to college, while at the same time allowing you to negotiate more institutional aid for yourself. Changes in the rules that guide how colleges and universities recruit students now allow colleges …

Questions College Admission Officers Ask About You and Your High School to Estimate Your Potential for Success in College. How the ‘Summer Melt’ Can Help You Gain Admission and More Financial Aid. How Many APs to Take for Selective Schools Read More »

#088 – Today, we explore the admission criteria at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT. We begin by analyzing admission information about the most recent freshman class, highlighting the admission rate, standardized test scores, and other academic and non-academic factors considered by MIT Admission Officers as they offer or deny admission to …

What Gets Students Accepted to MIT? Here Is What MIT Admission Officers Have to Say. This Will Help Your Chances of Admission into Any Schools, Specially the More Selective Ones Read More »

#087 – Today, we continue our conversation focused on the most important portions of your college application that will garner the attention of College Admission Officers. Depending on what they find on your application, they will decide to continue exploring your qualifications, or not simply deny you admission to that college or university. On this …

What Every College Admission Officer Will Look for in Your Application (Part 2). –Select the Courses You Take in High School Wisely. Taking Advanced Courses Is Crucial, Especially When Applying to Selective Colleges and Universities Read More »

#086 – This is a very special episode in which I am joined by my son who will share with us some of his observations about a recent trip we took to visit some of the schools to which he will apply. These include, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Santa Barbara. Although his ultimate …

What Every College Admission Officer Will Look for in Your Application (Part 1). Core Course Requirements for Virginia Tech and UT Austin. Update on Our Recent Trip to UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Santa Barbara Read More »

#085 – This is the third episode in a series that deals with some of the most common misconceptions about college admissions. On the previous two episodes we talked about the fallacy of the “Best-College Rankings” and what research shows is the connection between the level of selectivity of a college or university and the …

The One Extremely Important Characteristic That Every College You Apply to Must Have. The Ability of a College to Engage You is Necessary for You to Achieve Your Best Outcomes Read More »

#084 – The perceived complexity of the college admission process makes it easier for students and parents to believe misinformation, as they attempt to gather as much information to do it right. On the previous episode, we debunked the idea that Best-College Rankings are true indicators of the quality of education offered by a college …

Will Attending Highly-Selective Colleges Lead to Superior Learning, Increased Job Satisfaction, and Much Higher Economic Opportunity? Here Is What Research Shows Read More »

#083 – Today, I uncover the fallacy of common methods of ranking colleges and universities. On any day, it is very common to hear talk about so-called best colleges, top colleges, ranked colleges, highly-ranked colleges, top-10 colleges, etcetera. These designations are usually based on rankings published every year, mostly by newspapers and magazines, such as, …

Do You Know How Colleges and Universities are Ranked Each Year? What the Rankings Measure May Surprise You. It Is Time to Rethink the Idea of “Best Colleges” Read More »

#082 – Today, we uncover the characteristics of teaching institutions, which in many ways, are different from research institutions. We begin by presenting an article that appeared on the Chicago Tribune, which criticized the state of higher education at the time, from the perspective of the author. The article exposed colleges and universities in which …

What is a Teaching Institution? Questions to Ask to Determine If You Should Apply to Teaching Universities or Research Universities. The Experience Students Receive at Amherst College in MA Read More »

#081 – On this episode, Jankel and I begin by outlining some of the major differences between research universities and teaching universities. We begin by sharing some Jankel’s experience doing geological research in the Pisco Basin of Peru, while at Loma Linda University. We then dive deep into the characteristics of research universities and the …

What are Research Universities? Qualities Students Need to Succeed in Them. Harvard University Research Findings and the Many Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students at UC Irvine Read More »

#080 – On this episode, Jankel and I present a very important person in the college admission aspirations of high school students, the high school college counselor. We discuss the enormous workloads that are placed on the desks of counselors, who on the average are assigned with guiding 500 students through their college admission process. …

Important Questions That All High School Students Should Ask Their High School College Counselors for Success in College Admissions. Be Proactive and Exercise Your Personal Leadership On This! Read More »