Latest Selective admissions Podcast Episodes
Ep. 52 - How to Shift your Student's Testing Mindset (and improve their scores too!)
Your Keys to College - March 01, 2023 05:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsGina, Jen, and their special guest, Lauren Gaggioli, a former tutor and course creator on taking the SAT and ACT, discuss what standardized testing means, how to decide if the ACT or SAT is right for your child, and how admissions and financial aid might use test scores to make admissions and sc...
Ep. 51 - Preparing for the SAT and ACT
Your Keys to College - February 23, 2023 05:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsNot many students look forward to taking the SAT or the ACT. Taking a standardized test is the bane of many students' college admissions experience. In this episode, we'll talk about some ways you can prepare your student with a good mindset and some practice. We'll share three places to get fre...
Ep. 50 - Talking About The Parent College Admissions Experience with Parent, Lou Mongello
Your Keys to College - February 15, 2023 17:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsIn this episode we talk with parent Lou Mongello, about the journey to college as a family with his son in 12th grade, and his daughter a first-year student at Carnegie Mellon. Lou talks about the constant conversations they had about college, the massive adjustment of his daughter being away at...
Ep. 49: What happened in school today? A conversation with a high school teacher and school counselor
Your Keys to College - February 08, 2023 05:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsJoin Lindsay Dollinger, high school Spanish teacher, and Cindy Wolfe, school counselor, as they talk about what they're seeing as high school students talk about and prepare for college. We talk about asking for help, getting letters of recommendation, and how you as a family, can support your s...
Ep. 48 - College visit and financial aid tips with our parent guest, Beth Shorten
Your Keys to College - February 01, 2023 05:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsBeth Shorten, parent of a high school senior who is getting ready to make his college choice, talks to us about tips that worked for her, where she sought thoughtful advice, and how to add the college search and campus visit process to an already busy schedule! Beth shares some great tips about ...
Ep. 47 - Managing Grief Alongside Your Student and Talking About College: A Conversation with Tim Bigonia
Your Keys to College - January 25, 2023 00:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsTim Bigonia, parent of a daughter in graduate school and two sons in high school, shares his experiences helping his daughter through college during the pandemic and after the loss of his wife in 2020. He also shares how he guides his boys as a single dad through the ups and downs of high schoo...
Ep. 46 - Starting Your Roadmap to College: For Parents of 9-11 Graders
Your Keys to College - January 16, 2023 13:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsNow is the time to start mapping out your college plan with your student, whether they're just finishing their first term in high school or about to finish their junior year. We share three tips (and a bonus tip!) to get you started. We'll talk about the importance of reflecting on the first ter...
Ep. 45 - All About Scholarships with Jocelyn Pearson of The Scholarship System
Your Keys to College - December 21, 2022 17:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsIf you are looking for ways to help finance college through scholarships, then this is the episode for you. We talk to Jocelyn Pearson, founder of The Scholarship System who has helped students (and families) find millions of dollars in scholarships. Jocelyn dispels a few myths, like how athlete...
Ep. 44 - What We Do at Keys to College
Your Keys to College - December 06, 2022 05:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWe talk a lot about college admissions and financial aid and share many strategies and tips for you to help your student. But what exactly to we do and why do we do this work? We talk about our three pillars for helping families of high school students succeed in admissions and beyond. They are ...
Ep. 43 - Being Thankful and Moving Forward with College Plans
Your Keys to College - November 23, 2022 18:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThis is a Thanksgiving and thanksgiving episode. We will talk about ways to stay in the moment and be thankful for the work you and your student have done so far on the path to college. Your student has the time and the power to influence their college journey through both continuing to send in ...
Ep. 42 - College Graduate, Katie G, Shares Her Strategies on Navigating College Admissions
Your Keys to College - November 16, 2022 12:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsSpecial guest, Katie G, recent college graduate from the University of Virginia, shares her experience of getting to college. It's a story of getting help from family and her high school college counselor, procrastinating, feeling peer pressure to apply to certain colleges, and ends with some w...
Three Strategies to Help Polish College and Scholarship Essays
Your Keys to College - October 06, 2022 04:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsAdmissions is looking for students to present their best selves in their college application, including their essay. This means taking the time to proofread and polish the essay. As parents and family, you (if you're allowed) can give some wonderful advice on if the essay is clearly communicatin...
Ep 41 - Three Strategies to Help Polish College and Scholarship Essays
Your Keys to College - October 06, 2022 04:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsAdmissions is looking for students to present their best selves in their college application, including their essay. This means taking the time to proofread and polish the essay. As parents and family, you (if you're allowed) can give some wonderful advice on if the essay is clearly communicatin...
Ep 40 - Three Tips to Guide Your Students to Write a Great College Essay
Your Keys to College - September 28, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsIn her 35 year career, Jen has read a lot of essays. She, like most seasoned admissions counselors, can tell when the essay is written quickly, when it's a first and only draft, and when a student has put the time in to thoughtfully write about themselves. Here, she'll talk about three tips for ...
Ep. 39 - Two Great Ideas for Choosing The College Essay Topic
Your Keys to College - September 21, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsJen has been reading college application and scholarship essays for more than 20 years. She knows what makes a great topic to write about and helps students share their stories. In this episode, Jen will share two tips you can use to get your students to reflect on their high school experiences ...
Ep. 38 - Three Tips for Parents of Tenth Graders
Your Keys to College - September 15, 2022 05:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsIt’s not too early to start thinking about college with your 10th grader. As Gina says, 10th grade is a year of motion, moving toward college in ways that are social and emotional and academic. Tenth grade is a chance to build a solid foundation to move into higher level classes, Honors, AP, and...
Ep. 37 - Valuing your student's passion and joy in the college search process
Your Keys to College - September 07, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThere are three reasons why valuing your student's passion and joy can contribute to their success in the admissions process and once they are in college. Gina and Jen share why joy and passion in the application is something admissions people look for, why students deserve to be happy where the...
Ep. 36 - Creating the Activities List: The Five Lenses to Use
Your Keys to College - August 31, 2022 03:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWe have a short episode today with Jen talking about what five areas to include when helping your student craft their activities list on the application. Those area, or lenses to use when deciding what should be included, are Commitment, Leadership, Service, Prestige, and Passion. The...
Ep. 36 - Creating the Activities List: The Five Lenses to Use
Your Keys to College - August 31, 2022 03:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWe have a short episode today with Jen talking about what five areas to include when helping your student craft their activities list on the application. Those area, or lenses to use when deciding what should be included, are Commitment, Leadership, Service, Prestige, and Passion. The...
Ep. 35 - College and Pop Culture - what the college experience looks like in movies
Your Keys to College - August 24, 2022 02:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWe are talking about pop culture and how going to college is represented in the movies. Our guest is Dr. La'Tonya Rease Miles, LT, who teaches and talks about pop culture especially as it relates to students who are first-generation to college (students whose parents don't have a four-year colle...
Ep. 35 - Going to College and the College Experience in Pop Culture
Your Keys to College - August 24, 2022 02:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsWe are talking about pop culture and how going to college is represented in the movies. Our guest is Dr. La'Tonya Rease Miles, LT, who teaches and talks about pop culture especially as it relates to students who are first-generation to college (students whose parents don't have a four-year colle...
Ep. 34 - Tips for Parents of Ninth Graders: Thinking Early About College
Your Keys to College - June 29, 2022 01:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsIt's not too early to start thinking about college if you're the parent of a 9th grader. Jen and Gina are here with three tips on the important areas of class selection, skill building, and finding activities that are meaningful and interesting to your student. Ninth grade is a clean slate for s...
Ep. 33 - Orientation: Getting ready for course registration and making the most of your time on campus as a family
Your Keys to College - May 23, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsYou may not think of preparing for orientation as something that is necessary, but we think you'll have a much better time of it if you do a little research before you go (like you and your students getting familiar with the course catalogue).We'll walk you through strategies for selecting first...
Orientation: Getting ready for course registration and making the most of your time on campus as a family
Your Keys to College - May 23, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsYou may not think of preparing for orientation as something that is necessary, but we think you'll have a much better time of it if you do a little research before you go (like you and your students getting familiar with the course catalogue).We'll walk you through strategies for selecting first...
All about on-campus housing!
Your Keys to College - May 04, 2022 15:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThere's a lot to consider when your students are filling out the housing forms - from the types of rooms and halls, finding a good roommate (and answering the housing questionnaire honestly!), location of the hall to classes and resources, and thinking about where your students might find like-m...
Ep. 32 - All about on-campus housing!
Your Keys to College - May 04, 2022 15:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThere's a lot to consider when your students are filling out the housing forms - from the types of rooms and halls, finding a good roommate (and answering the housing questionnaire honestly!), location of the hall to classes and resources, and thinking about where your students might find like-m...
Ep. 32 - All about on-campus housing!
Your Keys to College - May 04, 2022 15:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsThere's a lot to consider when your students are filling out the housing forms - from the types of rooms and halls, finding a good roommate (and answering the housing questionnaire honestly!), location of the hall to classes and resources, and thinking about where your students might find like-m...
Three Things to Consider Before Choosing Which College to Attend
Your Keys to College - April 25, 2022 04:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsA lot of families will think about financial aid as one of the main points to consider before putting down that enrollment deposit, but not only are there other money considerations, there's the travel (for you and your student), majors and academic atmosphere, and deciding where your student ca...
Ep. 31 - Three Things to Consider Before Choosing Which College to Attend
Your Keys to College - April 25, 2022 04:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsA lot of families will think about financial aid as one of the main points to consider before putting down that enrollment deposit, but not only are there other money considerations, there's the travel (for you and your student), majors and academic atmosphere, and deciding where your student ca...
Ep. 30 - Three Things to Know About College Admissions If Your Student has a Learning Difference
Your Keys to College - December 02, 2021 15:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsMany students have learning differences, and often parents want to know what questions to ask and whether their student should share this information during the admissions process. Gina, a former school counselor, shares some fantastic advice on how to make sure your student's evaluation is up t...
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