Season 1/Episode 6: College Applications Big 5 Series, Part 1 Your Transcript

Join us for the first in our series on the “big five” elements in college applications - a college application safari of sorts.

These are the application components that colleges use to assess a student's application as they make admissions decisions. Not every college will use all 5 elements, and, ironically, while we firmly believe that every student is more than a transcript, the transcript remains the most important component of a student's college application at all colleges. Holistic review of applications refers not only to all elements of your application, but to the multiple factors inherent in interpreting a transcript!

We begin with a look at the variation of high school transcripts across the US, which generally look different than your report cards.  We touch briefly on weighted and unweighted GPAs, the rigor of your academic courses, grade trends, and the tools, like a high school profile, that admissions readers use to build context for the courses and grades that are on YOUR transcript. 

Our episode tips focus on helping you to better understand your transcript and how your high school describes the curriculum that has been available to you. We want you to learn more about your high school’s GPA scale, rank in class policies, and to think about course planning over four years, but most importantly in junior and senior year. We also touch on classes, perhaps from a summer program or an online program, that may or may not be official pieces of your high school transcript. 

Lastly, we address the growing trend of self-reported transcripts in the admissions process and what to expect if a college you apply to asks for your academic history in this way.

Season 1/Episode 5: Making The Most Of College Visits

June marks the beginning of summer vacation, which is often the only time during the year that students and families can visit college campuses. Generally, colleges begin their summer tour schedules early in the month, so it's a good time to talk about making the most of college visits. It may be important to planning your schedule to note that most colleges do not offer Saturday tours in the summer, but will pick those up again during the academic year.

In this episode for both parents and students, we talk about the differences between initial criteria-building visits (perhaps those done earlier in high school) and those visits that you may do in the summer or fall of senior year as you make your final list decisions. We discuss the importance of being exposed to a number of different voices through not only tours, but information sessions, visits to the dining hall or academic departments, and casual conversations with students on campus.

Learn about some of our favorite pro tips to take a better measure of the campus environment and make the most of your time on campus and in the surrounding area. We’ll share some of our favorite questions for students to help you understand the academic rigor and experience, as well as our thoughts on campus dining, residential life and off-campus living. Lastly, we encourage families to build in some fun and suggest ways to reflect on your visits.

Spend some time with us before you head out on your next college tour!

Season 1/Episode 4: Summer Dreaming: Planning A Productive High School Summer

In our episode on Summer Dreaming we share thoughts and tips on how high school students can get the most out of summer. In this student-focused episode, we discuss options for summer jobs, volunteering and academic focus.

Most importantly, we want students listening to think about making these choices for their life, versus making choices for a college application. Exploring genuine interests is always a better route than trying to determine what any particular college “wants”. The strongest college applications come from students who are able to reflect on what they've done and why they've chosen to do it, and why it's meaningful to them.