The College Prep Podcast

* How do you make change? * How do you know you are ready? * How do we form habits? Erin explores how we set habits, tweak habits, and when it is a good idea to sustain a habit. Here are some resources mentioned: * The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg * Atomic Habits – James Clear

Megan & Erin are featuring shorter episodes for the summer. This summer Megan is working on a series featuring all parts of a typical college application. Today’s episode kicks off with personal and demographic information. For most applicants, this will be easy and straightforward information, but some students may face dilemmas. Megan walks us through the beginning of the Common App (and you can download a copy below) and goes through some of the questions students ask: https://membersupport.commonapp.org/membersupport/s/article/Are-paper-PDF-versions-of-the-application-and-or-recommender-forms-available Questions typical in this section as for * Permanent address * Gender & pronouns * Citizenship status * Military service * Cultural / ethnic identity * Extra questions to establish residency for in-state tuition

Most schools have students choose their classes at the end of year. Megan breaks down the five main mistakes she sees college-bound students making with their courseloads. This is a great episode to listen to before we get started with school in the fall so you can change any course mistakes you might have accidentally made. Today we discuss * Skipping Core Courses * Lack of Rigor * Too Much Rigor (too hard or too much for the given time) * Not Pursuing Interests * Failing to Meet Graduation Requirements

Erin took a deep dive into the world of checklists. * What makes a good checklist? * What leads to success of using a checklist? * What components does the checklist need? Human Factors of Fight-Deck Checklists: The Normal Checklist – Degani and Wiener: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19910017830 The Checklist Manifesto – Atul Gawande: https://www.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000 Under Pressure – Gareth Lock: https://www.thehumandiver.com/underpressure

Students have strong opinions about talking to their teachers. That makes sense since it can be intimidating. Megan and Erin discuss why you should talk to you teachers, when you should talk to them, and how to do it! And if you have a grumpy teacher, they share tips for preparing for that conversation. Talk to your teachers! Here’s how. And here’s the book Erin mentions:

It’s nearly the end of the school year! Megan and Erin have broken down the things that students and families should do over the summer. Heck, sometimes they even disagree! Listen to hear their suggestions about summer assignments, housekeeping tasks, exploring interests, and even how civic engagment can even be a family task.

Megan has noticed that students have gaps in their math knowledge, even when they are getting tutoring. * What should parents look for? * How can students improve their math skills? Erin reflects on her time as a math teacher and provides some tips for numerical literacy and how to avoid simple math mistakes.

Erin always talks about enjoying rather than managing your child and Megan wants to know how to actually do that! Erin provides strategies for talking to your kids as an anxious problem-solving parent and Megan shares some real-world examples of stepping back in the management of her teenage son. Resources: How to Raise an Adult Ross Greene Collaborative and Proactive Solutions

Megan and Erin have college admissions results coming in and they share what they are noticing. What has worked and what hasn’t? What strategies do they have for minimizing unwanted impacts? How has the push for test-optional schools changed the application process? We dig into the admissions results we are seeing and attempt to help clarify what families could do to be most successful in the college-search process.

Megan tackles some of the honest College Prep answers that families don’t want to hear. Sometimes, tough love is the answer and here are all of the things people ask that Megan winces before answering. Erin asks about whether to send subpar test results to schools. This episode is full of questions that people don’t want to know the answers to. Sorry in advance. Episode 466: Should We Rate Schools Like Ski Slopes http://collegepreppodcast.com/2023/03/466-should-we-rate-schools-like-ski-slopes/

Erin wonders why so many students are reluctant to consider single-sex institutions. She shares a little of the background of the Seven Sisters and her experience at a women’s-only college. Megan and Erin try to dispel some myths and compare it to a Greek system. Who is a single-sex institution a good choice for?

Megan and Erin chat about the verbiage of college (again) but with a suggestion from a parent on terminology. There is a powerful discussion about how to choose which of the colleges you are accepted into and Erin shares an article from Malcolm Gladwell about choosing the right college. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/10/10/getting-in

A parent Erin works with was asking for clarity about the alphabet soup of acronyms for the various types of college applications. Megan breaks down her strategy for when to apply to schools and how to build momentum as the college apps threaten to consume students’ lives over break. Do YOU know the difference between ED and EA? Now is your chance to find out!

A parent, Elisa, wonders about GPAs–what is weighted versus unweighted? How much do they matter in the college admissions process? Megan shares her best advice for choosing a course of study to make you attractive to colleges while Erin encourages those who might have made a few mistakes already to salvage their GPAs.

We hear from Susan, a parent who, after the rigamarole of homeschool college applications, had a few questions and some tips for other parents. When should students enroll in a program outside of homeschooling? How do colleges look at GPAs and transcripts? Should homeschoolers take the SAT/ACT even for test optional schools? Megan and Erin tackle all things homeschooling! A website/blog Susan used heavily in learning as homeschool parent throughout the college application process: https://fearlesshomeschoolers.com/blog/