College Matters. Alma Matters.
393 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsPodcast for High Schoolers about College. We chronicle personal experiences on College Life, College Preparation with College Alumni, Faculty, Admissions and Counselors. The goal of these stories is to Inform & Inspire students all over the world to pursue their college dreams.
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Episodes
Aparna Chandrasekharan of 10X International School: Financial Aid For College Study in the US.
April 21, 2024 20:30 - 34 minutes - 32.1 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter US Colleges cost quite a bit, to put it mildly. For International Students, cost is quite often the primary factor. Given Aparna’s experience guiding Int’l students, we turned to her for a Primer and tips on Financial Aid for International students. On our podcast, Aparna gives us an overview of Financial Aid for Int’l Students, College Cost, Merit Scholarships, Graduate Study Aid, Resources and Tips for Int’l High School students. In particul...
Dean Nicola Foote of Frederick Honors College, University of Pittsburgh: Joint Degree Programs, BPhil for Independent Research, and Social Innovation.
April 20, 2024 00:14 - 43 minutes - 40 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Dean Nicola Foote discovered Honors education, when she came to the US after getting her PhD in History from University College London. She found that Honors education allowed students to explore different disciplines in addition to being part of a community. Three years ago, Dean Foote became the Dean of Frederick Honors College University of Pittsburgh. On this Podcast, Dean Foote introduces the Frederick Honors College, BPhil & Experienti...
Deniz Olgun of the University of Virginia: Neuroscience & Computer Science, Goldwater Scholar, and Having A Public Impact.
April 20, 2024 00:07 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Growing up, Deniz was interested in Science. He enjoyed AP classes in High School. He was on the robotics team for 8 years, and went to summer STEM camps. When COVID happened Deniz cold emailed a Prof in Dept of Neuroscience in Virginia Tech to do research. Shortly thereafter, Deniz was doing cognitive tests on mice, with touchscreen devices! Deniz joins our podcast to share his University of Virginia undergraduate experience, Interest in Ne...
How FAFSA Delays Have Impacted Their Students: Jodi Foxx of Charlotte Christian and Tom Stepkoski of Westhill High School.
April 08, 2024 16:07 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter This admissions season, FAFSA delays have cast a huge shadow. Jodi Foxx of Charlotte Christian and Tom Stepkoski of Westhill High School have different perspectives based on the experiences at their school. In this episode, the two Counselors share the FAFSA Impact on their students, How Colleges have been Responding, the New FAFSA features, and Learnings from this experience. Topics discussed in this episode: FAFSA Delays Impact [] Curre...
Rayyan Ayoub of UC Riverside: Bioengineering, Goldwater Scholar, and Growing Extracellular Matrix.
April 06, 2024 15:27 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Rayyan was working 30 hour weeks while in High School. Outside of that, Rayyan was more likely to be playing basketball or video games. Then in his senior year he took some “sciency” classes, as he calls it, and did well and liked them! He felt Science might be his thing. Rayyan joins our podcast to share his UC Riverside undergraduate experience, UG Research, Winning the Goldwater Scholarship, Pursuing in Bioengineering, and his Advice for ...
Grant Lai of UC Irvine: Chemistry & Biology, Goldwater Scholar, and Antibiotics UG Research.
March 30, 2024 02:10 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Swimming took up a lot of Grant’s time in high school. So he had little time to think about his career and beyond. He did get interested in Biology later in high school, and was involved in Biology competitions. Grant joins our podcast to share his UC Irvine undergraduate experience, UG Research in Antibiotics, Winning the Goldwater Scholarship, Pursuing in Chemistry, and his Advice for High Schoolers. In particular, we discuss the followin...
Chris Boehm of Archmere Academy on College Counseling: It’s About The Student, Not About A College.
March 27, 2024 03:53 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter While he was in grad school, Chris Boehm applied for a College Admissions job at Albright College after seeing an ad in the Newspaper.Chris didn’t get that job, but the job description intrigued him. So, he cold emailed the President of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling. The President invited him for a chat and connected him with 3 College Admissions professionals. One of them was the Director of Admissions at Albrig...
Paula Dennis of Jenks High School: About College Campus Visits and Shilpi Bardhan’s Experiences.
March 18, 2024 04:20 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter College Campus Visits are a crucial part of the College Process. It is a great way to get a feel for College in general, and certainly can help you, if that college is of particular interest to you. Paula Dennis joins our podcast to share her insights into College Campus Visits, The Benefits, How to Plan for them, Senior Shilpi Bardhan on her Fly-in Experiences and Advice for Juniors. In particular, we discuss the following with them: The...
Dr. Savita Chakravarthy of 10X International School: Where Innovation & Experiential Learning Meld into the High School Curriculum.
March 14, 2024 02:20 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter When Dr. Chakravarthy was deciding what to study in college, she chose Physics because her father wanted her to. Left to herself, she would have pursued Nutrition and Dietetics. Today, decades later, she heads 10X International School, where Experiential Programs allow the High Schoolers to explore and experience different disciplines & ideas, do research, build products, and in the process get a really good idea of what college program or car...
Phillip Post of Olin College: Electrical Computer Engineering, Goldwater Scholarship, and Satellite Research.
March 08, 2024 01:57 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Phillip liked to build things. Like growing popsicle sticks in elementary school. Technology fascinated him. At the same time he loved Humanities. He loved History. When he started applying to Colleges, he hadn’t figured out whether he wanted to take the Liberal Arts route or pursue Engineering. Phillip joins our podcast to share his undergraduate college journey at Olin College, Researching Government databases, Winning the Goldwater Schola...
CUR STR Scholars 2024: NASA Minds, Hydroponics, Captive Polar Bear Diet and Other UG Research Stories.
March 05, 2024 00:52 - 48 minutes - 45.3 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter This is a special episode of the Podcast “College Matters. Alma Matters.”, featuring UG students from CUR’s Program called Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) 2024. In this episode, Student Researchers from Five Institutions, Mercer University, McLennan Community College, University of Rochester, Piedmont University, and Towson University, tell their stories. Topics discussed in this episode: Introduction [] Mercer University UG R...
Dr. Deborah Rosario, Senior EducationUSA Adviser: A Relationship Approach to College Counseling.
February 26, 2024 17:10 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter When Deborah was doing her PhD in the UK, she would help International students transition to studying and living in another country. She liked working with students individually and broadly. After graduating she came back to Mumbai, and found that the kind of academic roles she desired were in short supply. So when the Adviser opportunity at EducationUSA came up, she felt she was ready for it. On our Podcast, Deborah talks about her backgrou...
Jillian Paulin of Colgate University: Astronomy Physics, Goldwater Scholar, and Dark Matter Research.
February 23, 2024 05:19 - 37 minutes - 35.1 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Jillian was an ambitious and competitive High Schooler. She was very interested in Science and in music. She spent her sophomore and junior summers at Harvard and Brown studying Astro and Quantum Mechanics. But Jillian knew from a very young age that she wanted to do something with Astronomy in College. Jillian joins our podcast to share journey through Colgate University, Interest in Astronomy, Winning the Goldwater Scholarship, Dark Matter...
Dartmouth & Rethinking Test Optional in College News Fit to Digest. February 19, 2024.
February 20, 2024 05:44 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: The Dartmouth Decision [] What Should Students Do? [] How Colleges Use Test Scores[] Closing Thoughts [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated News at Alma Matters [0:11] The Hill...
Adriana Cuibus of Skidmore College: Biochemistry, Goldwater Scholar, and The Computational World.
February 10, 2024 16:35 - 56 minutes - 52.2 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Adriana came to the US when she was 10 years old from Romania. While she had a lot of catching up to do, her determination and competitive spirit helped her. She was a science nerd in high school. She loved Earth Science, Geology & Biology. She was into Languages, Music, Photography. She was also on the Varsity Tennis team. Adriana cut her teeth in research at a 2-year research program in her High School. Above all, she really wanted to be ...
Director Sandra Perez of CSU Long Beach University Honors Program: Interdisciplinary Classroom Experiences.
February 07, 2024 02:10 - 44 minutes - 41.4 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter The University Honors Program at CSULB has been around for at least 3 decades and has grown organically. 3 years ago, Dr. Perez became the first Director of the Honors Program and started to give it “cohesion” as she puts it. Prior to that, Dr. Perez was the Director of the University Honors Program at CSU Fullerton. In this podcast, Director Perez introduces the University Honors Program at CSU Long Beach, Honors Courses, Experiential Progr...
Undergraduate Students: Why they Do Research and More.
February 01, 2024 00:41 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Undergraduate students in US Colleges have the opportunity to do Research. I have been fortunate enough to talk to a number of these students over the last couple of years on my Podcast. In this episode, I have used select snippets from the numerous stories in this Podcast, to give you a flavor of undergraduate research at US Universities and Colleges. Topics discussed in this episode: Introduction [] Getting Started with UG Research [] Exa...
Kaitlyn Hung of Northwestern: Biological Sciences, Goldwater Scholar, and Research on Aging.
January 30, 2024 21:56 - 38 minutes - 35.8 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Kaitlyn had a lot of different interests in High School. She was a lot into sports - rowing, taekwondo. She loved math, sciences, and languages. She didn’t really know what she wanted to study in College. So, she was looking for a college with the opportunity to study across a number of disciplines and be able to interact with students from fields other than her own. Kaitlyn joins our podcast to share her undergraduate experience at Northwe...
UVM Vice Provost Jacobs on FAFSA Delays & ED Students, in College News Fit to Digest. January 22, 2024.
January 22, 2024 23:36 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. This week Dr. Jay Jacobs, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at the University of Vermont talks about the Impact of the FAFSA Delays. Topics discussed in this episode: Impact to UVM [] What Should ED Students do? [] Federal Roadblocks [] Advice for ED Students [] Is May 1 Deadline in Trouble? [] Our Guest: Jay Jacobs is the Vice Provost Enrollment Management at th...
Gabrielle Cruz of SUNY Fredonia: Molecular Genetics, Goldwater Scholar, and Regeneration Research.
January 19, 2024 05:47 - 52 minutes - 48.7 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Gabrielle loved school. She loved science. Her school years were tough because she used to be homeless off and on. Despite that, she graduated High School with Honors. After graduating from high school, she knew she wanted to get a Bachelor’s degree. She couldn’t afford it then. She worked 16-hour days, and 4 years later decided to study Nursing at Mercyhurst University in PA. Gabrielle joins our podcast to share her undergraduate college...
Allison North, Regional Associate Director at UVM: Recruiting and Establishing UVM’s Brand in the South.
January 14, 2024 00:21 - 28 minutes - 26 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Founded in 1791, the University of Vermont (UVM for short) has the distinction of being the 5th oldest university in the US. Allison graduated from Mississippi State with a degree in Sports Administration. Upon graduation, she found it challenging to find a job. A friend from the Sports department suggested she look at admissions recruiting at the College of Agriculture and Liberal Sciences at Mississippi State. She loved to travel and recrui...
Daniel Cudzich of UI Urbana-Champaign: Material Science & Engineering, Goldwater Scholarship, and Battery Research.
January 10, 2024 01:24 - 53 minutes - 49.5 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Daniel took all the AP Classes his High School offered. He loved AP US History. He was also very active in the Science Olympiad and really enjoyed it because it involved building things. He was also fortunate to have been in a high school where there was a class dedicated to doing research. It was here that Daniel cut his teeth in research, and got his hands dirty doing Battery technology. Daniel joins our podcast to share his undergraduate ...
The Meaning of The FAFSA Delays, in College News Fit to Digest. January 5, 2024.
January 06, 2024 00:32 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBEpisode Title: The Meaning of The FAFSA Delays, in College News Fit to Digest. January 5, 2024. Subscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: The Background [] Soft Launch [] Glitches and Changes [] End of January Delivery [] Limited Application Availability [] How Colleges Will Deal With the Delay [] Our Guest: S...
Megan Mitchem of UNC at Charlotte: Biology, Goldwater Scholar, and The Need to Keep Going.
January 03, 2024 23:20 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Megan was working full time while she was in High School. She found it challenging to balance school and full time work. Megan didn’t go directly to College after High School. She had a lot of fear and also lacked the confidence then, about going to college. After working in Health care for almost a decade, Megan joined the Gaston Community College in North Carolina to get a 2-year degree in Nursing. Little did Megan know where college woul...
Gavin Fry of Dartmouth College: Earth Sciences with Physics, Goldwater Scholarship, and Storm Spotting.
December 06, 2023 11:50 - 1 hour - 69.4 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Gavin went to a high school in the rural south where the focus was greater on athletics & sports. Gavin was more academically inclined. He was fascinated by Extreme Weather - tornadoes, damaging winds, snow storms etc. He was known as the weather guy in school! Gavin joins our podcast to share his undergraduate college journey at Dartmouth, Being a Storm Spotter, Volunteering at National Weather Service, UG Research, Winning the Goldwater Sc...
Isabella Osuna of Rice University: Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Autoimmune Disease Research, and Determination.
November 30, 2023 03:35 - 37 minutes - 35.1 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter AP Physics was the first course Isabella took in High School that challenged her. It really pushed her to think outside the box. Then a senior project opened her eyes to diseases that affected not only the elderly but young people as well. That got her thinking about college and Pre Med. Isabella joins us on our podcast to share her undergraduate experience at Rice, Transition to college, Autoimmune Disease UG Research, Impact of Research, a...
John Georgiades of WashU: Biochemistry, UG Research & Goldwater Scholarship, and Music.
November 26, 2023 06:20 - 49 minutes - 46.2 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter John calls himself an “average nerd” while in High School. He enjoyed learning and Chemistry was his favorite class. In addition to classes, he was into debate, was in the school orchestra, concertmaster for the local youth symphony. Since he loved science and liked helping people, he decided to be Pre Med in college. John joins our podcast to share his undergraduate college journey at WashU, UG Research, Winning the Goldwater Scholarship, M...
What is Rolling Admissions?, in College News Fit to Digest. November 17, 2023.
November 17, 2023 21:40 - 10 minutes - 10.1 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: What is Rolling Admissions? [] Which Colleges Offer RA? [] Is there a Good Time or Best Time to Apply? [] Are Rolling Admissions Binding? [] Are there any Downsides? [] Closing: Great Honors Programs too! [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon V...
Tom Stepkoski With Seniors from Westhill High School: A Workshop Using This Podcast’s Stories to Build College Lists.
November 13, 2023 17:10 - 50 minutes - 47.1 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter In the Spring of 2023, Tom conducted a special workshop at Westhill High School. In this episode, we talk to Tom & 3 Students, Melissa, Anne and Chelsea, from the Workshop, Motivated by his experiences and based on our discussions, Tom decided to pilot a workshop for rising seniors using episodes from this Podcast to build college lists. On our podcast, Tom talks about Why he created the Workshop, its structure, the content, Classroom discus...
Lewis Cardenas of EducationUSA REAC: Connecting International Students with Educational Opportunities in the US.
November 09, 2023 01:50 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter “International” has always been a part of Lewis’s vocabulary. He was the first International Studies major at Albion College. He had lots of International Student friends on campus & loved traveling. That has led him to opportunities in international recruiting, admissions over the last 15 years. Today, Lewis is the Regional Manager for South Asia with EducationUSA REAC based in New Delhi, India. On our podcast, Lewis talks about his backgr...
Tanner Zachem of Duke University: Mechanical Engineering & Neurosurgery, Goldwater Scholar, and Ugly Mustaches.
November 07, 2023 17:48 - 52 minutes - 48.8 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter In High School, snowboarding and photography were Tanner’s passions. He would have loved to do that for the rest of his life. Then towards the end of his sophomore year, his architecture teacher involved him in building an engineering program for his school. Tanner found himself hooked on engineering - the idea of building things, touching people and making life better. Tanner joins our podcast to share his Duke University undergraduate ex...
Dean Paula Marantz Cohen of Drexel University Pennoni Honors College: Where Students Engage, Think and Talk.
October 31, 2023 19:20 - 47 minutes - 44 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter The Honors Programs at Drexel U started in 1991, and became the Pennoni Honors College in 2002. 10 years ago, Prof Cohen became the Dean of the Pennoni Honors College. Dr. Cohen is a Distinguished English Professor, a writer, a novelist. On this Podcast, Dean Cohen introduces the Pennoni Honors College, Honors Programs, Experiential Programs including the Co-Op, Scholarships & Grants, How to Apply, and Career Opportunities. In particular, ...
Erick Rocher of Johns Hopkins University: Biomedical Engineering, Goldwater Scholarship, and Recharging by Wrestling.
October 25, 2023 23:43 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Erick pursued a lot of interests in High School which included marching band, wrestling and volunteering at Give the Kids the world. But Engineering always interested him, because his dad was an engineer. He just wasn’t sure what kind of engineering. In middle school a friend of his fought through cancer. He is doing well now. Seeing his friend go through that journey, inspired Erick to leverage engineering to find better medical treatments. ...
5 FAFSA Questions Answered, in College News Fit to Digest. October 16, 2023.
October 19, 2023 14:51 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: Why Apply to FAFSA? [] What Kind of Financial Aid Can You Get By Filling FAFSA? [] When is FAFSA Due? [] Will I still be Eligible, if my parents don’t provide their financial info? [] Do I reapply for FAFSA every year of college? [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Coun...
Bobbi-Jo Wathen of Middletown High School on College Counseling: Taking a Data-Driven Approach.
October 17, 2023 23:36 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Bobbi-Jo started in higher education after her undergraduate degree. While she enjoyed her work, the money wasn’t enough. So she took a detour through the Insurance Industry. After the crash of 2008, Bobbi-Jo decided to take an “Interest Inventory” and figure out her next career move. That pointed her to School Counseling. Bobbi-Jo went to grad school and became a high school counselor. 12 years later, she is the Director of School Counseling ...
Hanh Tran of NC State University: Goldwater Scholar, Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences, and Diseases Research.
October 11, 2023 22:58 - 43 minutes - 40.5 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter In High School Hanh wasn’t very focused on academics. While STEM came naturally to her, she was more interested in relationships with people. After high school, she joined Nursing School, but soon dropped out because of personal and financial hardships. After working a number of years and saving up some money, Hanh decided to enroll in a local Community College for a Trigonometry course. Hanh joins our podcast to share her road to undergrad...
Paula Dennis of Jenks High School on College Counseling: Being The Encourager.
October 09, 2023 17:36 - 47 minutes - 44.4 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Education was always important to Paula’s family. So, she did her Master’s in School Counseling and became a School Counselor. Over the years Paula has worked as a Counselor in 4 states, both, in private and public schools. Today, she is a College Counselor at Jenks High School, which she calls the “very best” Oklahoma. On our podcast, Paula talks about her background, about Jenks High School, her Counseling Approach and Challenges, Success S...
Haylie Schramm of CU Boulder: Political Science & Psychology, Studio Lab, and UG Research.
October 05, 2023 04:44 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter In High School, Haylie was very interested in STEM. She did a lot of research, experiments, poring over research papers. In her senior year, she found herself moving away from STEM into Political Science and Psychology. Haylie joins us on our podcast to share her UG Experience at CU Boulder, Studio Lab, UG Research, Climbing, and Advice for High Schoolers. In particular, we discuss the following with her: Overall Experience at CU Boulder...
Lea Kalkowski of Northwestern: Psychology & Social Policy, Matriculate Advising Fellow, and Helping People.
October 02, 2023 19:21 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter In High School, Lea was interested in a variety of activities. Her driving passion had to do with helping people. Her Chemistry teacher told her Chemistry was her future and she should pursue it. She joined college as an undeclared major, with the idea of pursuing Chemistry. That would soon change! Lea joins our podcast to share her undergraduate College journey at Northwestern so far, Role at Matriculate, Counseling College-bound Students,...
Dr. Anna Quider of University of Pittsburgh: Physics and Astronomy & Religious Studies, Goldwater & Marshall Scholar, and Science & Higher Ed Policy.
September 26, 2023 23:49 - 1 hour - 59 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Anna enjoyed learning in school. When Anna was in 8th grade, in her Earth Science class, the teacher told the class that the Universe is expanding! That fact completely captivated Anna and launched her interest in Astronomy and Physics in high school. Anna was socially engaged in school as well. Her crowning achievement was being high school valedictorian & being voted Senior Prom Queen! Anna joins our podcast to share her University of ...
Paul Destefano of SDSU Weber Honors College: Pre Med Biology, UG Research, and APPHO.
September 22, 2023 15:26 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Paul had a well-rounded experience in High School. He loved the Sciences and took every science course offered in school. He had a number of leadership positions in the student government. He was on the soccer team, track team, and managed the girls soccer team. From a career point of view, he was interested in medicine. Paul joins our podcast to share his undergraduate Honors College journey so far at SDSU, UG Research, Passion for Medic...
Dr. Anil Menon of the University of Cincinnati: Adventures of a Molecular Geneticist.
September 18, 2023 23:38 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter As a kid, Science for Dr Anil Menon was a dinner table conversation with his parents, who were both scientists. Dr Menon enjoyed those discussions. As a young boy, he was fascinated with Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of the Elements. This fascination led to his lifelong commitment for science in general, and Molecular Genetics in particular. Dr. Anil Menon is Professor of Molecular Genetics & Associate Dean of the UG Program in Medical Sciences...
Waiting For The New FAFSA, in College News Fit to Digest. September 11, 2023.
September 14, 2023 14:41 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news. Topics discussed in this episode: What’s New in FAFSA [] OPT Changes [] Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California. Resources referred to in this episode: Curated News at Alma Matters [0:11] CNBC [] National Law Review [] Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode Tran...
Derek Price of Kennesaw State University: Mechanical Engineering, Goldwater Scholarship, and Wrestling.
September 12, 2023 00:31 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Derek’s high schools changed quite frequently. Despite that he loved school and enjoyed science and math, and engaged in activities like Robotics. About half way through high school, Derek realized that he would need scholarships to go to college. He then mapped out a plan to raise his aggregate GPA & achieved it to qualify for the Zell-Miller scholarship that would pay for all his college tuition. Derek joins our podcast to share his underg...
College Application Workbook: Step-By-Step Guide to A Holistic and Compelling Presentation of Your Best Self.
September 05, 2023 00:12 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter In this episode we will introduce you to a College Application Workbook. The impetus for this workbook came after I wrote a piece in my newsletter Alma Matters Letter last fall about how college application readers have about 8 mins to read an application. In this Podcast with Athena, we cover, What is Self-Phrase and How to Create Your own Self-Phrase; The Workbook Sections - which include Superpower, Academics, Experiential, Testimony and Fit...
Aparna Chandrasekharan of 10X International School on College Counseling and EducationUSA.
August 31, 2023 22:03 - 45 minutes - 42.6 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter While Aparna was working in the Social Development sector, she would save newspaper and magazine clippings of higher education and scholarship opportunities. When she took a break from work, when her daughter was very young, she found herself working at a primary school. Eventually, with some powerful nudging from a friend, Aparna jumped into college counseling with both feet. On our podcast, Aparna talks about her background, EducationUSA &...
Prateek Raj of the University of Cincinnati: Int’l Affairs, UG Research, and Feminist Issues.
August 27, 2023 21:37 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter While growing up in India, Prateek participated in Model UN. He found that he enjoyed meeting students from other parts of the world, discussing and debating issues. With these experiences, his interest in Journalism grew. He already loved writing, reporting on world issues. He decided to apply to the US for college, to study journalism. As it turned out, the University of Cincinnati had something else in mind for him! Prateek joins us on ...
Prof. Heather Townsend of Community College Rhode Island on CURE: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience.
August 24, 2023 22:07 - 23 minutes - 22 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter As an undergraduate, Prof. Townsend was only able to be a part of a small research project. At that time only a select number of students were able to participate in research. Today, Prof. Townsend is championing CURE - Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience in her Department and across CCRI so that an entire class of students can experience research - not just a select few. Prof. Townsend joins us on our podcast to talk about UG Res...
Saoirse Disney-McKeethen of Rice University: Cell Biology, Microbial Evolution Research, and Quiz Bowl.
August 21, 2023 16:08 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBSubscribe to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Saoirse was interested in microbiology in High School. This may have had a lot to do with all the volunteering she did at the Hot Springs National Park. She loved nature and hiking. She also did some research focused on bats at the Park. Saoirse joins us on our podcast to share her undergraduate journey at Rice, Transition to college, UG Research, Impact of Research, and Advice for high schoolers. In particular, we discuss the following wi...
Elizabeth Nieto of Bottom Line on College Counseling: Guiding First Generation Students.
August 17, 2023 19:17 - 43 minutes - 40.6 MBSign Up to Receive Venkat’s Weekly Newsletter Elizabeth is a first-generation college graduate. When she was applying to college, she didn’t have anyone in her family that could help her with the process. Luckily, she found people who could help her with her questions. Today, Elizabeth guides students like her younger self, with the college application process. On our podcast, Elizabeth talks about her background, her role at Bottom Line, Counseling approach and challenges, and her Advice...