Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews

In the News: A university’s controversial move caused hundreds of students to get their offers revoked – targeting those that were most vulnerable in their applications. Chapter 8 of 171 Answers: Mark helps us determine how and why our kids need to identify internships and opportunities to shadow professionals. This week’s question is from a mom who needs to address her daughter’s anxiety in starting the college planning process, in what the daughter believes, to be too early. Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to:  Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In the News: Students should know the pros and cons of living both on and off campus. Chapter 7 of 171 Answers: Mark helps us determine how our kids should go about understanding the academic requirements and steps that it takes to achieve the careers that they are considering, and decide whether or not they would want to stick with that relevant major in college. This week’s question is from a mom who wants to know if merit and need based financial aid would be available for a family if the parent makes over $100,000 per year. The answer is yes.   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to:  Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In the News: Over 80% of students report that the reason they want to earn a degree is to get a job, but less than 20% of students are utilizing their college’s career service centers. An article ran in sites the reasons why students are not tapping their career centers, one being that kids often don’t know that they exist or how to fully use their services. Career centers should be meeting students where they are by engaging them through existing faculty and staff relationships, and reaching out/listening to employers on what their needs are and incorporating that into their student training. Chapter 6 of 171 Answers: We talk about the tools that our kids can use to view salary projections, but the most eye opening is one that provides a snapshot of the cost of a college and the average salary that is made by its graduates. This week we decided to bring you a special segment that has some great bonus content from our first 5 episodes.   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to:  Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In this week’s episode:   In the News: We discuss an article written by a gentleman who completely diminishes the purpose and need for college visits by students and their families.   Chapter 5 of 171 Answers: How Can the Internet Help Me Learn What a Typical Day Looks Like in the Career I’m Considering? We discuss not only how information is available for our kids to understand exactly what they’ll be experiencing on the jobs they're considering; but also the value in them understanding the good, bad, and ugly of every job.   This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know how the rigor in her kid’s high school courses will be evaluated in the college admissions process, and if taking harder courses is a smart move, even if it means risking lower grades.   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to:  Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In this week’s episode:   In the News: We examine both sides of former college president James Koch’s criticism of universities offering lavish amenities to draw in students, that in turn drives up the cost of tuition. Our second article covers the most frequently asked questions about the rolling admissions process.   Chapter 4 of 171 Answers: What Free Resources Can I Use to Identify What The Best Jobs Will Be in the Future? One mistake people make is that they don’t take a look at where jobs are headed in the market. We talk about the online Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and how it should be used to determine the growth rate for jobs that your kids are interested in pursuing.   This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know what the college options will be for her child who is an average student. Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In this week’s episode:   In the News: Colleges are beginning to allow students to self-report their test scores, and this trend is saving families hundreds of dollars. We also discuss the results from the 2017 Survey of Admissions Directors and the pressure colleges face to enroll students.   Chapter 2 of 171 Answers: How Can Self-inventory Help Me Assess Which Careers I will Find Fulfilling? We’re all a little guilty of trying to live out our dream careers through our kids. We talk about some key strategies to help your child determine what colleges majors and careers they will find fulfilling, and getting away from what we think they should pursue.   This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know if there is an advantage to applying to Ivy League schools. We'll first take down some misperceptions about the Ivy League.   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In this week’s episode…   In the News: We discuss an article in The Washington Post that outlines how political moves out of Washington are affecting higher education, and where folks really need to be paying attention. From caps on student loan amounts to the looming end of the loan forgiveness program, all eyes should remain especially on Pell Grant legislation as proposed cuts could drastically impact thousands of students. Our second article this week deals with big data and its influence on college admissions.   Chapter 2 of 171 Answers: What Free Resources are There to Identify My Passions? To help our kids pick a major that they will enjoy, we discuss some great tools that will help them define their passions and interests. Choosing the right major can ultimately savet housands of dollars in tuition. When students don’t have a clear direction in their pursuits they jump from major to major, extending their time, and money, in college.   This week’s question is from a listener that wants to help students that are currently in college but afraid they can’t afford to stay. Listen carefully. Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In this week’s episode…   In the News: Students should know that although most schools don’t monitor their applicants social media pages, offensive online behavior can be reported and schools will certainly investigate. Next, it is critical that parents and students know what mental health resources exist on their current or potential college campuses.   Chapter 1 of 171 Answers: What Does it Really Mean to be Successful? Mark helps us define the success model that we should teach our kids, even before they start the college journey. Yes, making money is important however there are things to keep in mind to ensure that they enjoy their lives after college and into their careers.   This week’s question is from a listener who wants to know the level of importance community service plays in college applications.   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.

In this introductory episode, Anika and Mark share their backgrounds and why they are passionate about launching this podcast series on the college admission process. They will breakdown the weekly format and describe who this series is designed for and what they can expect to gain each week. Tune-in and spread the word.   Don’t forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: Every episode of Your College Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy visit  and if you want to see what future episodes will cover just click the red button “See exactly what 171 Answers covers”.