College Admissions Insider

After 8th grade, the warmup rounds are over, and suddenly everything starts to count. 

By 9th and 10th grade, every class, activity, and test has the potential to help students get into the college of their dreams. 

It’s no wonder that’s the same time parents, teachers and counselors start expecting students to think about their college plans. 

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell take a closer look at those 9th- and 10th-grade years

Our guest is Carrine Gadoury, a Bucknell alum who is now an admissions counselor at Bucknell. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Bucknell undergraduate admissions requirements
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Information for parents of prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center

Behind many successful college students is a passionate parent who helped coach and guide them throughout the application process.

They're there every step of the way as a coach, cheerleader, personal chauffeur and so much more. But now that it's time for their student to apply to college, these parents might not know what role to play.

They don't want to overstep and become that aggressive snowplow parent or lawnmower parent all those parenting articles warn against. But they also don't want to just sit back and do nothing. 

So how can parents walk that line? In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell take a closer look at the role of parents when applying to college.

Our guest is Jill Medina, Bucknell's senior associate dean of Admissions and a mother of two. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Bucknell undergraduate admissions requirements
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Information for parents of prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center

Behind many successful college students is a passionate parent who helped coach and guide them throughout the application process.

They're there every step of the way as a coach, cheerleader, personal chauffeur and so much more. But now that it's time for their student to apply to college, these parents might not know what role to play.

They don't want to overstep and become that aggressive snowplow parent or lawnmower parent all those parenting articles warn against. But they also don't want to just sit back and do nothing. 

So how can parents walk that line? In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell take a closer look at the role of parents when applying to college.

Our guest is Jill Medina, Bucknell's senior associate dean of Admissions and a mother of two. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Bucknell undergraduate admissions requirements
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Information for parents of prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center

Standardized tests are one way that colleges can learn more about an applicant — but they're no longer the make-or-break moments they once were. That's why some schools, including Bucknell, decided to make SAT and ACT scores optional when applying.

It's called a "test-optional" admissions policy, and it shifts the power away from the companies that make these standardized tests and back to where it belongs: in the hands of students themselves.

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell take a closer look at "test-optional" policies. Why do schools go test-optional? Does applying test-optional hurt an applicant's chances of being admitted? And if they're not requiring test scores, what do test-optional schools look for?

Our guest is Kevin Mathes, Bucknell's Dean of Admissions who spearheaded the University's shift to a test-optional policy back in 2019. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Bucknell undergraduate admissions requirements
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• More about what test-optional means

Standardized tests are one way that colleges can learn more about an applicant — but they're no longer the make-or-break moments they once were. That's why some schools, including Bucknell, decided to make SAT and ACT scores optional when applying.

It's called a "test-optional" admissions policy, and it shifts the power away from the companies that make these standardized tests and back to where it belongs: in the hands of students themselves.

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell take a closer look at "test-optional" policies. Why do schools go test-optional? Does applying test-optional hurt an applicant's chances of being admitted? And if they're not requiring test scores, what do test-optional schools look for?

Our guest is Kevin Mathes, Bucknell's Dean of Admissions who spearheaded the University's shift to a test-optional policy back in 2019. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Bucknell undergraduate admissions requirements
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• More about what test-optional means

At schools like Bucknell that receive thousands of applications every year, there’s a good chance some applicants will have similar grades, academic rigor, and extracurricular involvement. 

But there's a place where applicants can stand out — something guaranteed to be found in their application and no other. We're talking about the college essay — an applicant's best opportunity to show colleges who they are. 

Writing a great college application essay doesn't have to be an intimidating process. 

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell share proven tips to help students craft a killer college application essay.

Our guest is Josh Wilkinson, Bucknell’s associate director of admissions for communications and an application reader, meaning he gets to see hundreds of student essays every year. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• More tips for writing a college application essay 
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• Interactive map of Bucknell’s campus

At schools like Bucknell that receive thousands of applications every year, there’s a good chance some applicants will have similar grades, academic rigor, and extracurricular involvement. 

But there's a place where applicants can stand out — something guaranteed to be found in their application and no other. We're talking about the college essay — an applicant's best opportunity to show colleges who they are. 

Writing a great college application essay doesn't have to be an intimidating process. 

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell share proven tips to help students craft a killer college application essay.

Our guest is Josh Wilkinson, Bucknell’s associate director of admissions for communications and an application reader, meaning he gets to see hundreds of student essays every year. 

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• More tips for writing a college application essay 
• Information about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell admissions dates & deadlines
• Information for prospective students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• Interactive map of Bucknell’s campus

Students pore over every detail of the application, craft the perfect essay, and manage to score some top-notch recommendations. But then: silence. No feedback until that envelope or email arrives with the decision.

Even that feedback is limited to just three varieties: Yes, you're in. No, you didn't get in. Or hang on, you've been put on the waitlist. The student doesn't know where they went right or what thinking went into the decision to admit them.

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell end at least some of that uncertainty surrounding the process of application review.

Listen as Lauren Rambo, Bucknell University's Senior Assistant Director of Admissions takes you inside the mind of an application reader.

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Learn about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell Admissions Dates & Deadlines
• Information for Prospective Students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• What is Bucknell looking for in a student?
• Bucknell majors and minors

Students pore over every detail of the application, craft the perfect essay, and manage to score some top-notch recommendations. But then: silence. No feedback until that envelope or email arrives with the decision.

Even that feedback is limited to just three varieties: Yes, you're in. No, you didn't get in. Or hang on, you've been put on the waitlist. The student doesn't know where they went right or what thinking went into the decision to admit them.

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell end at least some of that uncertainty surrounding the process of application review.

Listen as Lauren Rambo, Bucknell University's Senior Assistant Director of Admissions takes you inside the mind of an application reader.

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Learn about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell Admissions Dates & Deadlines
• Information for Prospective Students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• What is Bucknell looking for in a student?
• Bucknell majors and minors

We know that not everybody has a major identified when apply season arrives. In fact, the most popular major for students applying to Bucknell is "undecided." 

Bucknell and other highly selective schools know that "undecided" doesn't mean "indecisive." It can actually show your willingness to explore and take advantage of the wide range of opportunities that await you.

But does applying undecided hurt your chances of getting into schools like Bucknell? What does an application reader think when they see "undecided"? And how can you actually make that "undecided" designation work to your advantage?

In this episode of College Admissions Insider, brought to you by Bucknell University, Brooke Thames and Bryan Wendell welcome Chrissy Findlay, associate dean of Admissions at Bucknell University, to answer those questions and more.

If you have a question, comment or idea for a future episode, email [email protected].

Read a transcript for this episode

Links:

• Learn about applying to Bucknell
• Bucknell Admissions Dates & Deadlines
• Information for Prospective Students
• Bucknell Virtual Welcome Center
• Blog post about applying undecided
• Bucknell majors and minors