The Truth about College Admission

Brennan and Rick check in to talk about their latest thoughts of the admissions world, some advice for families in this upcoming busy season for seniors, and shoutout schools they are impressed with lately.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Berry College

Furman Pathways Program

Build The Life You Want – Brooks, Winfrey

College Matters Podcast

Brennan and Rick are joined by Matt Lopez, the Vice President of Academic Enterprise Enrollment at Arizona State University, to talk about ASU's approach to enrollment, their various pathways to a degree both in person and virtually, and thoughts on return on investment.

LINKS

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

ASU London

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Matt Lopez

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by the Cerenzia's, Chrissy (Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at The Episcopal Academy) and Justin (Buckley Executive Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning at The Episcopal Academy), to discuss what high school students can be thinking about when it comes to AI use, how it impacts the college search process, and what kinds of questions students are asking colleges during the search.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

How To Choose a College in the Age of AI - Forbes

Prosocial...

Brennan and Rick are back from full summers and ready to kick off Season 5 (!) of The Truth About College Admission Podcast. The pair dig into what they've been doing lately and what they're looking forward to this upcoming season, and dispel a couple admissions myths.

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick wrap up season three of The Truth About College Admission Podcast with their favorite moments from the season, what they are looking forward to this summer, what they want to see change in the next year in the college admission landscape, and their words of the year.

LINKS:

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Private College 529 Plan

The Truth About College Admission w/Juan Espinoza

The Truth About College Admission w/Emily Pacheco

Mattering - Wallace

The Value of...

Rick is joined by Moira McKinnon (Director of College Counseling and Postecondary Planning at Burwick Academy), Pamela Tan (Director of Admissions at Cornell University), and Gary Clark (Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at UCLA) to talk about the unique benefits that summer college visits can provide and how as parents being in the college admissions world has affected their outlook on the process.

LINKS:

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Private College 529 Plan

Hosts: Rick Clark, Brennan Barnard

Guests: Gary Clark, Moira McKinnon...

Brennan and Rick are joined by Emily Pacheco, a Community Organizer for Imperial College London, to talk about AI through the whole application and admission process from how students can use it, how parents should approach guiding their students through using, how admissions offices have found useful ways in the admission process, and how college level leadership has reacted to AI's adaption.

LINKS:

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Private College 529 Plan

Visit Brennan & Rick in Boston

EdHub

CalTech Ethical Use of AI Policy<...

Rick is joined by Dr. Steven Antonoff and Jay McCann, the authors of the The College Finder, 5th Edition, to talk about the purpose of their book, how prestige impacts the college search process, recogizing what fit can mean for students, and why counselors are so valuable to the college search process.

LINKS

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Private College 529 Plan

College Finder

The Application Trail

College Admission Speaker Series - Khan Lab School

Host: Rick Clark

Brennan and Rick are joined by Anna Follenbee, the Associate Director (and soon to be Director) of College Counseling at Gilman, to talk about the current period in admissions of students choosing a college, advice for what to do now in that selection process, what parents can do to be supportive, the dynamics of the waitlist, and the importance of college responsiveness in this period.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Podcast

Private College 529 Plan

"Choosing a College: Is It Right?" - The Application Trail

"Choosing a...

Brennan and Rick are joined by Kelley Lips, Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment at Emory University, to talk about how Emory's pathways provide more opportunities for students to start and finish college compared to the normal four-year track, why colleges offer different tracks, and advice for high school juniors and seniors considering different start term options.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Emory University and Oxford College

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Kelley Lips

Production: Jack Purdy

In a cross-post special, Rick heads to the College Admissions Process Podcast hosted by John Durante to talk about building a class, AI, how to best use the Common Application, and other tools families can use in the admissions process.

LINKS

CAP Episode Link

Truth About College Admissions Newsletter

Host: John Durante

Guest: Rick Clark

TACA Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Gerry McCrory and Ashley Smith from Scoir to talk about the platform, their recent data reports, advice for juniors beginning the admission process, and tools on Scoir that everyone from families to counselors can use.

LINKS:

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

"Getting into college is getting easier" - The Hechinger Report

Scoir

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guests: Gerry Mcrory, Ashley Smith

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and the new Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Georgia Tech, Rick Clark, are joined by friend of the podcast Jeff Selingo to talk about his new book, Dream School. Their conversation details why Jeff was inspired to write the book, how to get a sense of the resources on campus when visiting schools, misconceptions about college value, and how life has been going through the college admissions process with his daughter.

LINKS:

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

"Clark Named Vice Provost of Enrollment Management" - Georgia Tech

Returning from their winter breaks, Brennan and Rick go through their items to watch for in 2026, books they're reading, tips for the current application cycle, their words for the year, and preview a couple guests who will be on the show this semester.

LINKS:

Brennan Barnard on Forbes

The Application Trail

12-Hour Walk

"AI is scoring college essays" – LA Times

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Denise Pope, Ph.D., the co-founder and Strategic Advisor at Challenge Success (and Senior Lecturer at Stanford University) to talk about her work in researching student mental health, what families may be getting wrong about what they think colleges want to see in the admissions process, and advice for students to improve well-being in high school and beyond.

LINKS:

Challenge Success

"A 'Fit' Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity" - Challenge Success

Time Management Worksheet - Challenge Success

Brennan and Rick are joined by Lisa Keegan, Vice Provost for Enrollment Strategy at William & Mary, to talk about her role at William & Mary and how they approach admissions in their context, understanding the culture of a school, and what juniors can think about this upcoming spring.

LINKS:

Making a (College) List - The Application Trail

Building a College List Part II: Outside the Echo Chamber - The Application Trail

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest...

Today we highlight Brennan Barnard's visit to the Office Hours podcast where him and host Will Geiger talk about the myth of the "dream school" and how to frame the college search process before diving into the AI transformation happening in the college admissions world.

LINKS:

Truth About College Admissions Newsletter

Office Hours Podcast

Office Hours Host: Will Geiger

Office Hours Guest: Brennan Barnard

TACA Host: Rick Clark

TACA Production: Jack Purdy

Today, we divert off the beaten path for The Truth About Admission Podcast as we highlight Rick Clark's appearance on the Something Personal podcast, where he goes into his lessons learned from multiple decades of working in college admissions, how to pay for college, and his advise on keeping perspective during the college search process.

LINKS:

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Something Personal Podcast Feed

Something Personal host: Amy Laburda

Something Personal guest: Rick Clark

TACA Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Emily Roper Doten, Dean of Admissions at Brandeis University, to talk about her experiences in helping develop liberal arts programs for the current job economy and how her career leading up to Brandeis has influenced her ability to be a leader in her space.

LINKS:

Truth About College Admissions Newsletter

"Brandeis Pours $25M Into Careers-Focused Liberal Arts" - Inside Higher Ed

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Emily Roper Doten

Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Jed Applerouth, founder of Applerouth Education, to talk about the origins of Applerouth, the differences and simlarities between the SAT and ACT, how to decide when is enough test prep, why the science section is leaving the ACT, and how to best approach standardized testing.

LINKS

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Jed Applerouth Bio

Applerouth

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Jed Applerouth

Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Ken Anselment, Vice President for Enrollment Management at RHB, to talk about his journey in higher ed, learnings at RHB, how schools approach early decision, and how high schoolers now can approach the pace they attack the admissions process.

LINKS

Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Ken Anselment Bio

The Admissions Leadership Podcast

Rick Clark on The Admissions Leadership Podcast

Climbing The Admissions Leadership Peak - Anselment

"Why Did I Say "Yes" to Speak Here?" - Gladwell<...

To kick off the season, Brennan and Rick are joined by returning champion, Juan Espinoza (Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Virginia Tech), to dive into how Virginia Tech has adopted artificial intelligence to help with the essay reading process, how that has affected their timeline, and his advice to students approaching the essay writing process this fall.

LINKS

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter 

Juan Espinoza

Humans And AI Collaborate To Review College Admission Essays - Forbes

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Rick and Brennan are back from summer vacation and ready for the FOURTH(!) season of The Truth About College Admission Podcast. Today, the pair recap their summers, preview a format update to the episodes this season, and reflect on a word they're thinking about for the upcoming admissions cycle.

LINKS

Brennan's Substack: The Application Trail

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Production: Jack Purdy

In our Season 3 bonus episode, Rick and Brennan visit the College Parent Central podcast with Elizabeth Hamblet and Vicki Nelson to talk about communication during the college search, realistic expectations, how schools evaluate prospective students, how college is an opportunity, and focusing on long term relationships with family.

See the video version here

Hosts: Elizabeth Hamblet, Vicki Nelson

Guests: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Production (TACA cut): Jack Purdy

In the Season 3 finale of The Truth About College Admission, Rick and Brennan go over their favorite episodes from the season, what news items in higher education have caught their eyes lately, and what this summer they will be keeping tabs on as we head into the 2025-2026 college admission cycle.

Links:

Loper

Scoir

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

June Essay webinar with Shereem Herndon-Brown and Allison Slater Tate

The Truth About Navigating the Admission Process - Dr. Ramon Blakley

The...

Brennan and Rick are joined by returning guests Diane Campbell and Allison Slater Tate to run through their impressions of the last academic year and what the summer should look like for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

LINKS

The Truth About Artificial Intelligence and Applying to College

Diane Campbell Bio

The Truth About Admission at the Holidays

Allison Slater Tate

The Truth About Mindful Communication Between Families and Their Students

Georgia Tech Admission Blog on summer

Loper App<...

Brennan and Rick are joined by a fantastic duo, Karen Bartlett (Associate Director of International Admissions at Middlebury College) and Sara Riggs (Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia Tech) to highlight what international students bring to American college campuses, what the enrollment trends have shown in the last decade, and how international students can find community at American colleges.

LINKS:

Loper

Open Doors Report

Common Data Set

"The Two Most Important Letters in College Admission" - Clark

The Truth About Institutional Priorities...

Brennan and Rick are joined by Eva Blanco Masias, the VP for Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University, for a deep dive into why schools use waitlists and their purpose on the admissions front, how schools pick from a waitlist, and what to do as a student currently on a waitlist.

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark

Guest: Eva Blanco Maisas

Production: Jack Purdy

Brennan and Rick are joined by Sam Bernstein and Eric Menna, the cofounders of Loper, to talk through how their college admission journeys influenced the creation of Loper, how the app provides assistance during the college search process, and what data from users has shown in giving a more complete picture of needs and wants for students figuring out their next steps in higher education.

LINKS:

Loper

The College Admission Blind Taste Test - Forbes

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan...

Brennan and Rick are joined by Angel Perez, the CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), to talk about the current landscape in Washington, D.C. amidst uncertainty with the Department of Education, who NACAC is working with to improve college admissions, what could be innovated in the future in the profession, and the overflowing hope found on college campuses in improving student lives.

LINKS

Angel Perez Bio

NACAC Action Alerts

"NACAC begins search for director of Center for Innovation in College Admission"

...

Brennan and Rick are joined by Mark Salisbury, founder and CEO of TuitionFit, to detail for families why college sticker prices are so high, what to look for in a financial aid award, what kinds of financial aid tools are out there, and what they mean in simple terms. 

LINKS

Newsletter:  https://www.truthaboutcollegeadmission.com/contact

Tuitionfit.org

goppi.org

Prior episodes on financial aid and paying for college: 

Ron Lieber: Podcast | The Truth About College Admission

John Lea...

Brennan and Rick have an epic pod this week joined by Melodie Baker (Founder & Executive Director of ImpactSTATS Inc.) and Akil Bello (Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at FairTest) for a massive deep dive into Melodie's research into what the current role of calculus in college admissions is, how it's used as a date point at selective colleges, and then talk on College Board's role in pre-calculus.

Links:

Impact Stats

Akil Bello's website

Merit: Myths and Money - Bello

The Truth About College Admission Newsletter<...

Rick and Brennan are joined by Heath Einstein, the Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at Texas Christian University, to go over what a deferral means in the admissions process, what students should do in response to the decision and while they wait for the next decision to come, and the mentality to take on when your top school sends a deferral decision.

Links:

Deferred Admission - Georgia Tech

Heath Einstein Named Vice Provost for Enrollment Management - TCU

Truth About College Admissions Newsletter Signup

Grown and Flown Free Trial...

Brennan and Rick are joined by Sacha Thieme, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of Admissions at Indiana University, to talk about best practices for visiting colleges, the preparation that is useful before going for a campus visit, and what college visits can do as for high schoolers evolving their thinking in the college search process.

Links:

Ask The Same Questions, again and again… - Clark

Throw a Dart, Drop a Pin - Truth About College Admissions Workbook

Don’t Waste Your College Visit: Ask The Right Questions - Fo...

Rick is joined by the interim Director of Admissions at UT Austin, Dr. Ramon Blakley, to talk about UT Austin's Percentage Plan and how that impacts how they recruit + admit applicants. Then, a conversation about how juniors can best navigate the various schools that have a range of test optional to test mandatory policies, plus advice for parents of seniors who are receiving application decisions this month.

Links:
Hues of Leadership Podcast - Blakley
The College Admissions Process Podcast - Blakley

Grown and Flown Free Trial Offer

Host: Rick Clark
...

Rick and Brennan are back from holidays and are here with their hopes for 2025 in college admissions, what they're looking out for in the industry, and their timely tips for the January portion of the admissions calendar.

Links:
Admission Leaders Share Resolutions For College Applicants - Forbes
Immunity to Change - Kegan and Lahey
College Uncovered - NPR
"Ask The Same Questions" - Clark
Truth About College Admissions Newsletter

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark
Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan close out the 2024 calendar year to discuss their favorite guests and what they drew from those conversations. Then, a review of the big issues in college admission that stuck out to them in 2024 with a look ahead to what they're hopeful to see in 2025. Hopefully no more holiday deadlines for applications!

Links:
Fewer race-based scholarships and a new culture of fear follow the end of affirmative action - The Hechinger Report
Ask Lisa Podcast: Getting into College with Rick Clark - Damour
The Truth About Family and College Admission - The...

In one of our favorite episodes yet, Dan Lugo, current President of Queens University of Charlotte and future President at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, joins Brennan and Rick to talk about his unique admissions journey, how a college president can impact a campus positively, and how parents can best approach helping their child seek the transformative experience college can provide.

Links:
The Truth About College Admission Newsletter
Postelection Uncertainty Looms Large For Presidents - Inside Higher Ed

Hosts: Brennan Barnard, Rick Clark
Guest: Dan Lugo
Production: Jack Purdy

Rick and Brennan are joined by Dianne Campbell, the Director of College Counseling at Liberty Common High School, where they talk about how to manage the conversations that are bound to come up for kids going through the college admissions process over the next month, how to frame the conversation in a healthy way for kids, and if necessary, ways to deflect the conversation to draw out stories from the adults in the room about their experiences.

Links:
The Truth about College Admission Newsletter
A College Admission Holiday: The Friends And Family...