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A podcast about college admissions. Created for high school kids in all levels of college preparation and their parents. Produced and hosted by a college professor and a college admissions pro, husband and wife, Anthony and Jankel Cadavid. Each episode dives into the steps of the college admission process, the best colleges and universities in the country, and the most promising careers and professions.
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#119 – On this episode, we begin a series of episodes about the steps to follow as you make your list of schools to which you will apply. Be begin by presenting academics, social, and affordability, as the 3 areas in which the schools that make you list should provide you a good match. We continue by highlighting the importance of the experience th…
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#118 – On this episode we continue our conversation about the different types of colleges and universities you will encounter as you prepare to make a list of colleges and universities to which you will apply. Jankel and I begin by discussing the very important issue of affordability. We proceed to uncover different types of colleges, including tho…
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#117 – There will be a time in the life of the college-bound high school student when making a list of colleges and universities will be a priority. The schools in the list will be the ones to which he or she will be sending an application for admission. On this episode, we begin a series of episodes that explores the different types of colleges an…
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#116 – Today, we talk about a difficult reality that that many high school students and families experience each year, receiving rejections from colleges that those students aspired to attend. Although rejections (a word I do not like to use in college admissions) are a normal part of the application process, they are never easy to deal with. For t…
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#115 – On this episode, Jankel and I give you six steps to take and points to consider if you are “waitlisted” by a college or university that you absolutely want to attend. We begin the episode by explaining how a wait list works and how students get selected by from a wait list. Throughout the episode, we uncover the chances you will have to be a…
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#114 – There will be a time, usually a few weeks after you turn in your college applications, when you will begin to receive responses from the colleges and universities to which you applied. The responses may say you have been given admission, placed on a waitlist, or denied admission. On this episode we walk you through the steps you should take …
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#113 – The reasons why highly selective schools give admission to some students, while rejecting others students who may appear to be better qualified baffles the minds of a great many families each year. On this episode, we present you with the behind-the-scenes activities and processes that highly selective schools follow as they sort through the…
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#112 - On this episode, we present advice given by the California Institute of Technology for students seeking admission into selective colleges and universities. We focus on what Caltech says students should do, especially when standardized tests are not part of the admission requirements. We begin by describing what is mean by having great academ…
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#111 - On this episode, we provide helpful information for all of you who are interested in applying to highly-selective colleges and universities. Rather than sharing information out of our knowledge and experience, we decided to let Caltech do all the talking. Caltech has a wealth of advice to give high school students on how to best prepare to p…
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#110 – Today, Jankel and I continue presenting the factors students should condering when selecting the colleges and universities that should make it to their final list of schools. That is the list of schools to which admission applications will be submitted. Additionally, we go over the typical ways in which students select colleges and analyze t…
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#109 – Today, we begin our series of episodes in which we highlight colleges and universities we feel you should know about. These are the institutions we consider to be the gems of our higher education system. On this episode, we present the University of Washington, a highly-recognized research powerhouse. Founded in 1861, the UW is one of the to…
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#108 – Today, Jankel and I talk about the importance of finding the colleges and universities that better meet your needs, as you begin to create the list of schools to which you will apply. We present some of the factors that may be considered, including whether you meet the admission requirements, you are able to afford attending the school, the …
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#107 – Today, we present three steps to take after completing the FAFSA. These are easy-to-follow steps that will ensure that you receive your financial aid as soon as possible. Additionally, we walk you through a detailed description of the steps taken to award you need-based and non-need-based financial aid. As the episode progresses, you will ga…
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#106 – On this episode, Jankel and I present the six steps that are necessary to apply for and receive financial aid. We highlight the details of the first two, including, the information that will be necessary to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and how to complete the form. During our conversation, we also discuss ways to av…
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#105 – On this episode we present the 10 most common mistakes students and parents/guardians make when filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Although some of these mistakes are easily avoidable, some can be more difficult to catch. We talk about several elements related to applying for financial aid, and highlight the im…
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#104 – Today, we share 4 steps students can take if they find themselves having a low grade point average (GPA), and the time to apply to college is around the corner. The advice we provide today is particularly helpful for students whose dream is to attend a selective college or university. Additionally, we provide 2 alternative ways in which stud…
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#103 – On this episode, we conclude our 7-part series on the personal essay. Today, Jankel and I begin by introducing the importance of seeking feedback on your 4th draft. We talk about the people in your life who would be great participants in this feedback-seeking exercise. We go over 7 questions to ask those individuals and present ways to gathe…
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#102 – Today, we reach the next step in crafting the personal essay. Jankel and I uncover the process of calibrating the 3rd draft in such a way that it becomes a message that communicates the intended message. We go over the questions to ask to guide that calibration. In the first half of the episode we talk about a mistake some students make when…
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#101 – On this episode we give you 12 questions and pieces of advice that will help you turn the information you created on your second draft into a workable third draft. Jankel and I talk about what to do to grab the attention of the college admission representatives reading your essay, and how to get them to become immersed in your story. As we s…
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#100 – Today, we uncover the process of turning the first draft of your personal essay into your second draft. Jankel and I go over eight questions to ask about the information on your first draft, so that at the end, you are left with the building blocks you will use to write the body of your personal essay. At the beginning of the episode, we tal…
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#099 – Today, Jankel and I continue giving you insights on how to write your personal essay. We begin by going over the importance of the essay as an integral part of your college application, review the prompts that you will find in the Common App, and highlight the beauty of the essay as the only part of the application in which you control 100% …
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#098 – Can you believe we are already starting a new school year? On this episode we explore the steps that each high school student should take during the fall to continue their college prep and finish the semester (or trimester) strong. There are timely steps that must be taken each year of high school. These are important because in many instanc…
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#097 – On this episode, we continue talking about the personal essay or the personal statement. We begin by reminding you of a few very important facts to keep in mind about the essay, and analyze precisely what it is that you will be asked to do as you tackle this very important component of your college application. Jankel and I continue our conv…
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#096 - Today, we begin a multi-episode series focused on the personal essay, that is the part of the application where you will have a chance to present yourself in a way that makes a positive and direct impact in your chances for admission into a college or university. That is especially true for the more selective ones, who historically have give…
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#095 – On this, the last episode on our 3-part series, we conclude our list of the 25 skills that every high school student should learn prior to going to college. Jankel and I talk about the importance of taking notes, what to do when you share notes from a classmate, seeking permission from the instructor prior to recording a lecture, and what to…
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#094 - Today, we continue on our list of the 25 skills and habits that every high school student should begin to practice in high school so that, by the time they transition to college, those habits and skills are part of their normal way of operating. The quicker students integrate them into their lives, the quicker they will be able to put them i…
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#093 – The transition from high school to college is one that every student must learn, practice, and prepare for, to do it properly. The sooner that preparation begins in high school, the higher the chances that the transition will be a successful one. There are several expectations that will be placed on new college students by their professors. …
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#092 – On this episode we conclude our two-part conversation about extracurricular activities by focusing on the different activities that can be included in the college application. Although we discuss participation in clubs, volunteering, and other similar activities, we focus our conversation on ways applicants could present any jobs they may ha…
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#091 – Today, we uncover the admission requirements for Cornell University, focusing deeply on the non-academic factors. For selective universities, high academic achievement is expected and cannot be counted on to differentiate you as a candidate. Rather, it is the non-academic factors of your application that will set you apart. Cornell Universit…
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#090 – On this episode, Jankel and I begin by highlighting the ways in which high school students can increase their chances for success by overcoming the inevitable obstacles and challenges that will present themselves throughout the college path. This conversation is, at the core, about personal leadership. As the episode continues, we present ho…
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#089 – On today’s episode, I present the meaning of the “Summer Melt” and the ways in which it could help you gain admission to college, while at the same time allowing you to negotiate more institutional aid for yourself. Changes in the rules that guide how colleges and universities recruit students now allow colleges to poach students away from o…
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#088 – Today, we explore the admission criteria at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT. We begin by analyzing admission information about the most recent freshman class, highlighting the admission rate, standardized test scores, and other academic and non-academic factors considered by MIT Admission Officers as they offer…
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#087 - Today, we continue our conversation focused on the most important portions of your college application that will garner the attention of College Admission Officers. Depending on what they find on your application, they will decide to continue exploring your qualifications, or not simply deny you admission to that college or university. On th…
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#086 – This is a very special episode in which I am joined by my son who will share with us some of his observations about a recent trip we took to visit some of the schools to which he will apply. These include, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Santa Barbara. Although his ultimate goal is to do graduate work in vertebrate paleontology, his…
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#085 - This is the third episode in a series that deals with some of the most common misconceptions about college admissions. On the previous two episodes we talked about the fallacy of the “Best-College Rankings” and what research shows is the connection between the level of selectivity of a college or university and the quality of education stude…
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#084 – The perceived complexity of the college admission process makes it easier for students and parents to believe misinformation, as they attempt to gather as much information to do it right. On the previous episode, we debunked the idea that Best-College Rankings are true indicators of the quality of education offered by a college or university…
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# 083 – Today, I uncover the fallacy of common methods of ranking colleges and universities. On any day, it is very common to hear talk about so-called best colleges, top colleges, ranked colleges, highly-ranked colleges, top-10 colleges, etcetera. These designations are usually based on rankings published every year, mostly by newspapers and magaz…
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#082 – Today, we uncover the characteristics of teaching institutions, which in many ways, are different from research institutions. We begin by presenting an article that appeared on the Chicago Tribune, which criticized the state of higher education at the time, from the perspective of the author. The article exposed colleges and universities in …
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#081 – On this episode, Jankel and I begin by outlining some of the major differences between research universities and teaching universities. We begin by sharing some Jankel’s experience doing geological research in the Pisco Basin of Peru, while at Loma Linda University. We then dive deep into the characteristics of research universities and the …
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#080 – On this episode, Jankel and I present a very important person in the college admission aspirations of high school students, the high school college counselor. We discuss the enormous workloads that are placed on the desks of counselors, who on the average are assigned with guiding 500 students through their college admission process. In some…
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#079 – As we kick off our episode line-up for 2022, we begin by recapping some of the most memorable guests we had during the past year. These are guests that shared very valuable information in matters related to college admissions and college life. The content we revisit today is broad and covers the college essay, the advantages some private col…
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#078 – Today, we dissect a part of the college admission process that many applicants find very challenging, the college interview. Jankel and I dive into the details of the interview, which for some schools is a required portion of the application, while for others it is optional or not considered at all. We begin the episode by tracing the steps …
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Ep. 077 – On this episode, we begin by reading a very kind and warm review that was given to our podcast by a parent who is a listener. Towards the end of the review, she asked whether we could talk about college interviews. Jankel and I talked about our plans to talk about that subject on the next episode. But in the meantime, we went over three v…
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#076 - Admission into selective colleges and universities requires more than a stellar academic record. Most selective schools follow a holistic admissions approach, in which they consider other aspects of their applicants, including character, talent, work history, community service, and other elements to get to know the applicants as individuals.…
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# 075 – Class rank is one of the factors considered for admission decisions by college admission officers in some colleges and universities. Because class rank is so important to those institutions, it is important that you understand everything about class rank. On this episode, I talk about what class rank is, how it is computed, and how it is us…
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# 074 – Your academic record will be the first part of your application to be checked by the college admission officers of the schools to which you will apply. The courses you take and the grades you receive make up a big part of your academic record. On this episode, we focus on the importance of grades as part of your transcripts, and how they ar…
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# 073 – After listening to this episode, you will be able to analyze whether a college or university is a Reach, Target, or a Safety school for you. One of the most important things you will do as part of the college admission process is to create a list of schools that is balanced. That is, a list that has a number of schools that will likely acce…
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# 072 – Today, on this episode, we conclude our series on the habits of successful and overachieving students. Jankel and I embark on a conversation about how important it is for students to have excellent organizational skills to do well in high school and carry out the college admission process successfully. Jankel tells a story about one of her …
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#071 - One of the most important things you will do in high school, is to make a list of colleges to which you will apply. Making that list will be a challenging exercise because there are a great many colleges and universities from which to choose. Although they all share some characteristics, they are also very different in many other important w…
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# 070 – Today, on our next-to-last episode of in our Habits of Successful Overachieving Students, Jankel go over five habits and activities that historically have produced positive results in the lives of students in the past. As we begin our conversation highlighting the importance of intellectual curiosity, we transition into the ways in which su…
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